Known Issue: "Calculating consumptions for licenses from devices with history" license reconcile step may fail with error when running IBM-specific reconcile after removing non-IBM titles from a license: "System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null." (IOJ-2225722)

[#1]

Summary

The “Calculating consumptions for licenses from devices with history” step in the license import process may fail in the following scenario:

• A license record with an IBM-related license type had a non-IBM application linked.
• The non-IBM application has been unlinked from the license.
• An license reconcile process filtered to only apply to IBM licenses is executed.

Details

When this issue occurs, the license reconcile log will show error details similar to the following:

2021-10-08 08:29:33,615 [INFO ]             Calculating consumptions for licenses from devices with history.
2021-10-08 08:29:34,068 [INFO ]               Loaded 35976 ComputerResourceData records
2021-10-08 08:29:51,615 [ERROR]               System.Reflection.TargetInvocationException: Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation. ---> System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Database.API.ReconcileTemporalInstalledSoftware.set_Item(String p_Field, Object value)
   at ManageSoft.Database.API.DatabaseObject.FillFrom(DatabaseDataReader p_Reader)
   at ManageSoft.Database.API.DatabaseObject.ReadFrom(DatabaseDataReader p_Reader)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.DatabaseObjectEnumerator`1.<GetEnumerator>d__0.MoveNext()
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.ILMT.SoftwareEventStream.NextInstallation()
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.ILMT.SoftwareEventStream.<GetEnumerator>d__0.MoveNext()
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.ILMT.HistoricalEventStream.<GetEnumerator>d__0.MoveNext()
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.ILMT.PVUProcessorHelper.ProcessHistory()
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.ILMT.PVUProcessorHelper.Begin(Int32 licenseMeasurementID)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.LicenseReconcile.ReconcilePVULicenses(Int32 licenseMeasurementID)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.LicenseReconcile.LicenseReconcileCalculate(Int32 p_LicenseMeasurementID)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.LicenseReconcile.ReconcileLicensesCalculate(String publisherFilter, Nullable`1 p_OverrideLicenseMeasurementID)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Procedures.ManageSoft.LicenseReconcile.ReconcileLicensesCalculate(String publisherFilter)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.RuntimeMethodHandle.InvokeMethod(Object target, Object[] arguments, Signature sig, Boolean constructor)
   at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.UnsafeInvokeInternal(Object obj, Object[] parameters, Object[] arguments)
   at System.Reflection.RuntimeMethodInfo.Invoke(Object obj, BindingFlags invokeAttr, Binder binder, Object[] parameters, CultureInfo culture)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Logic.XML.ProcedureItem.ExecuteAssembly(IExecutionContext context)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Logic.XML.Writer.Execute(IExecutionContext context)
   at ManageSoft.Compliance.Importer.Logic.ComplianceImporter.ExecuteWriters(ComplianceReader p_ComplianceReader, IExecutionContext context, String singleConnectionIdentifier)

Workaround

Perform a complete license reconcile covering all publishers, not just IBM. This will clean up problematic data that causes this error (until and unless the conditions for triggering the issue occur again).

Related information

See the following page for an issue with a different root cause that can result in similar error logging to what is seen for this issue: "Calculating consumptions for licenses from devices with history" license reconcile step may fail with error after unlinking an application that is installed on an ignored device from a PVU license: "System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null." (IOJ-2260523)

Fix status

This issue has been fixed in the following FlexNet Manager Suite releases: 2022 R1.1 / May 2022 (Cloud), 2022 R2 (On Premises)

Other information

Affected components: Inventory import (read/write/export), SAM for IBM

Master issue ID: IOJ-2225722

Also known as: FNML-74502