Configuring HP Records Manager IDOL Query Timeouts
March 2015
HP Records Manager 8.x
KM01444590
Configuring HP Records Manager IDOL Query Timeouts
HPRM 8.x
Purpose:
This document explains the various timeouts that can be configured in a HPRM IDOL (OEM)
implementation to prevent queries running for an unacceptably long time.
Target Audiences:
 Customer IT Support
 HPRM implementation specialists
 HP Support team
Prerequisite Knowledge:
 Experience in creating and managing datasets in HPRM Enterprise Studio (HPRMES)
 Experience installing and configuring IDOL (OEM) provided with HPRM
 The following knowledge base articles should be read and understood:
o KM01086275 – HP Records Manager IDOL (OEM) – Initial Setup Overview
o KM01300556 - HP Records Manager IDOL and Document Content Indexing
Installation and Configuration
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Discussion
In any HPRM IDOL configuration there are a number of logical places where it may be
beneficial to enforce a timeout. Timeouts can be used to prevent queries from taking an
unacceptably long time, or to highlight areas where responsiveness is poor and bottlenecks
are occurring in the query process.
A typical out-of-the-box HPRM IDOL installation installs all IDOL components onto the same
server. However, for the purposes of illustration this article assumes a separation of the key
HPRM and IDOL components on individual servers, i.e.:
Server 1
HPRM
Workgroup
Server
Server 3
HPRM
IDOL
Content
Server
Server 2
HPRM
IDOL
Server
Server 1
Server 2
Server 3
 Runs the HPRM
 Runs the HPRM IDOL
 Runs the HPRM IDOL
Workgroup Service. This
Service. This service is a
is the server to which
combined (aka ‘unified’)
users connect. Query
OEM implementation of
requests from users are
three IDOL components:
issued to IDOL via this
1. IDOL Proxy Server
server.
2. IDOL Distributed
Content Service.
Note: The default HPRM IDOL
implementation installs two (2)
content services (aka
‘engines’). In this article, for
simplicity’s sake, we will
assume only one (1) content
engine is installed.
Action Handler (DAH)
3. IDOL Distributed Index
Handler (DIH)
(In an IDOL Enterprise
implementation (as opposed to
HPRM OEM IDOL), the above
three components may each be
installed on separate servers)
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
Provides connection to the
IDOL content index; either
on locally attached or
network (e.g. SAN/NAS)
storage.
HPRM IDOL Query Process
The following diagram shows the logical flow of the IDOL query process, from a HPRM client
issuing a document content search through to the search result being returned to the client:



Server 1
HPRM
Workgroup
Server
Proxy
Server 2
HPRM
IDOL *
Server
*

Server 3
HPRM
IDOL
Content
Server

DAH
*

HPRM client sends query to
WGS
WGS passes query to IDOL
Proxy (a component of the HPRM
IDOL Service)
IDOL Proxy passes query to
IDOL DAH (a component of the

IDOL DAH passes query to
IDOL content engine
*

WGS returns query result to
HPRM client
*

HPRM IDOL Service)

IDOL DAH returns query
result to IDOL Proxy
/*
IDOL Content engine
executes query against index
*
IDOL Content engine returns
query result to DAH
*
IDOL Proxy returns query
result to WGS
* A timeout may be implemented at this step. See table below for more details.
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
IDOL Timeout Parameters
Step
* IDOL Content
engine executes
query against
index
Parameter
QueryTimeoutInMilliseconds
Example
1000 ms
(In the absence of this parameter,
query actions do not timeout in the
content engine)
Where set?
TRIM Content Service
n.cfg
Timeout Logged to:
TRIM Content
Service: query.log
Comments
The number of milliseconds before a
query against the index will timeout.
This parameter affects only the query
processing portion of the whole IDOL
query transaction. E.g. A query against
the index may take only 100 ms to
process, but the total time logged may
be much larger (e.g. 6656 ms). The
majority of the time recorded in the log
for most HPRM IDOL queries involves
retrieval of all relevant data from the
index for the hits identified in the query.
[Server] section
Because the time for only the query
processing component is not recorded
individually in the log, HP recommends
testing a range of queries in your
environment to determine the most
appropriate value for this timeout.
* IDOL Content
engine returns
query result to
DAH
EngineTimeout
(Automatically set to 60 seconds
during HPRM IDOL installation)
(Minimum: 1, Maximum: 86400.
In the absence of this parameter,
the default is 60 seconds)
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60 s
TRIM IDOL Service.cfg
[DistributionSettings]
section
TRIM IDOL Service:
dah_action.log
The number of seconds before the IDOL
DAH component will timeout if content
engines have not responded.
Should be significantly longer than
QueryTimeoutInMilliseconds. An
appropriate value can be determined
by monitoring the time recorded for
typical IDOL query transactions in the
TRIM Content Service’s query.log.
Step
* IDOL DAH
returns query
result to IDOL
Proxy
Parameter
Timeout
Example
90 s
(Automatically set to 60 seconds
during HPRM IDOL installation)
Where set?
TRIM IDOL Service.cfg
Timeout Logged to:
TRIM IDOL Service:
action.log
[Server] section
IDOL Connection Timeout
(Automatically set to 60000 ms
when adding a Content Index to a
dataset in HPRM Enterprise Studio)
The number of seconds before IDOL
Proxy will timeout if no response is
received from the DAH.
Should be longer than
EngineTimeout, to allow time for
content engines to return their query
results. An appropriate value can be
determined by monitoring the time
taken for typical query transactions in
TRIM IDOL Service’s dah_action.log.
(In the absence of this parameter,
the default is 60 seconds)
* IDOL Proxy
returns query
result to WGS
Comments
120000
ms
HPRM Enterprise
Studio – Content Index
Properties
TRIM Workgroup
service log
The number of milliseconds before the
workgroup server will timeout an IDOL
query request if IDOL has not
responded.
This should be set longer than IDOL’s
Timeout parameter, to allow time for
IDOL Proxy to receive a response from
the DAH. An appropriate value can be
determined by monitoring the time
taken for typical IDOL query
transactions in TRIM IDOL Service’s
action.log, and the HPRM workgroup
service log.
Note: Customers should set timeouts appropriately for their own environment and operating requirements. Example timeouts above are only to demonstrate
how timeouts should be set in relation to each other.

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IDOL timeout error messages
The following table contains examples of IDOL query timeout error messages as they appear in logs and on-screen:
QueryTimeoutInMilliseconds
Displayed to user:
Content engine query.log:
18/03/2015 11:50:32 [7]
while evaluating unstemmed
18/03/2015 11:50:32 [7]
18/03/2015 11:50:32 [7]
18/03/2015 11:50:32 [7]
00-Always: Warning: wildcard exceeded query timeout value
terms (1280200)
70-Error: Errorcode: Query returned error 524 (Query timeout)
30-Normal: Query complete
30-Normal: Request completed in 28719 ms.
EngineTimeout
Displayed to user:
IDOL Service dah_action.log:
18/03/2015 11:37:42 [1]
Socket operation timed out
18/03/2015 11:37:42 [1]
18/03/2015 11:37:42 [1]
18/03/2015 11:37:42 [1]
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70-Error: Worker Thread: Error while executing action (engine 0):
70-Error: No engines available
30-Normal: Completed Action
30-Normal: Request completed in 60036 ms
Timeout
Displayed to user:
IDOL Service action.log:
18/03/2015 13:31:28 [101] 30-Normal: Request completed in 35014 ms.
(Note: In this example Timeout=30 (seconds). When this particular timeout occurs, the log
doesn’t say “timeout”. The value of 35014ms in the above example presumably includes a 5
second ping interval when checking for a response from the DAH).
IDOL Connection Timeout
Displayed to user:
HPRM Workgroup Service log:
02:52:30:954 60003 idolQuery::initialising. m_searchFor = (*annual* *meeting* *minutes*
*1997*):DRECONTENT
02:52:30:954 60007 CS
DOMAIN\User documentContentSearch: searchValue =
(*annual* *meeting* *minutes* *1997*):DRECONTENT
02:52:30:954
0 CS
Error : CS User: SERVERNAME - IDOL function
aciObjectExecute() failed with ACICONTENT_ERRORTIMEOUT. Timeout when doing
aciObjectExecute.
Function request (Issue content search (DocumentContentSearch)) for HP
Records Manager Workgroup Server '2012R2-81.neil.local' failed. IDOL
function aciObjectExecute() failed with ACICONTENT_ERRORTIMEOUT.
Timeout when doing aciObjectExecute.
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Summary
The IDOL query timeouts set during a standard HPRM IDOL installation should be reviewed
and adjusted based on the performance of IDOL in the customer’s environment, and the
corresponding expectations of business users.
As demonstrated in the table above, in many cases the user that issued the query will not be
presented with an error message indicating that an IDOL timeout occurred. It is up to the
HPRM IDOL server administrator to analyse the IDOL logs to determine where the timeout
occurred, and then adjust the relevant parameters.
Remember that any change to an IDOL configuration file requires a restart of the service,
and changes to HPRMES configuration need to be saved and deployed.
In situations where timeouts need to be set unacceptably high to allow common IDOL queries
to complete, an organisation may need to upgrade the infrastructure on which IDOL is
housed. HPRM Support can provide a questionnaire (upon request) for an organisation to
complete, to facilitate the provision of an IDOL Sizing recommendation for your HPRM IDOL
requirements.
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