Error starting Cognos server with Oracle as database

After installing the Cognos server for IBM Connections 5.0 together with Oracle JDBC driver, Cognos did not start up although there was no error message in the SystemOut.log. However looking into the Cognos error log (“/opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI/logs/cogserver.log”) I saw the following error message:

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Warning CM-CFG-5063 A Content Manager configuration error was detected while connecting to the content store. sealing violation: package oracle.jdbc is sealed Runtime Exception stack trace: java.lang.SecurityException: sealing violation: package oracle.jdbc is sealed

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The reason for that is that the Cognos application comes with its own Oracle JDBC driver and then there is a collision with the one IBM Connections is using. You will see that file “ojdbc6.jar” in the directory

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"/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/AppSrv01/installedApps//Cognos.ear/p2pd.war/WEB-INF/lib/"

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To resolve the problem you need to remove the JDBC driver from the Cognos application and then redeploy it. Below are the steps I did:

First, create new cognos.ear without the JDBC driver:

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mkdir /tmp/tempcognos/Cognos.ear -p

cd /tmp/tempcognos/Cognos.ear

cp /opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI/cognos.ear ./cognos_save.ear

/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/AppSrv02/bin/EARExpander.sh -ear cognos_save.ear -operationDir ./Cognos.ear -operation expand -expansionFlags war

rm /tmp/tempcognos/Cognos.ear/Cognos.ear/p2pd.war/WEB-INF/lib/ojdbc6.jar

/opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/profiles/AppSrv02/bin/EARExpander.sh -ear cognos.ear -operationDir ./Cognos.ear -operation collapse

mv /opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI/cognos.ear  /opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI/cognos.ear.ORG

cp ./cognos.ear /opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI/cognos.ear

chmod +x /opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI/cognos.ear

cd /tmp

rm -r /tmp/tempcognos

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Then redeploy the new Cognos application:

  • Login to Websphere Admin Console
  • Go to
  • Now select application “Cognos” and click “Update”:
  • Select “Remote Filesystem” and click “Browse”:

  • Click on “cognosNode01”
  • Navigate to “/opt/IBM/Cognos/CognosBI” and select “cognos.ear” and click “OK”
  • Click “Next”:
  • For the next panels use the default values and click “Next” and “Finish” at the end:



  • If the application has been successfully deployed, click “Save”
  • Then resynchronize all nodes and restart cluster “CognosCluster”
  • Now there should no longer be a “ojdbc6.jar” in the Cognos directory and the Cognos server should start correctly now.
Error starting Cognos server with Oracle as database
Tags: cognosconnectionsibmlotusoraclewebsphere
9 years ago