Slightly strange problem with the Integrated Solutions Console of WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment 8.0.0.5

My colleague, Simmo, hit a problem earlier today with the Integrated Solutions Console (ISC) in a newly built WAS 8.0.0.5 Deployment Manager profile.

When he logged in, he saw the normal navigation tree on the left-hand side, but nothing much on the right-hand side, apart from the Welcome pane - "Integrated Solutions Console provides a common administrative console for multiple products…".

When he clicked on the WebSphere Application Server link within the Welcome pane, he saw: -

SRVE0190E: File not found: /secure/layouts. 

Also, in the Deployment Manager's SystemOut.log, he saw exceptions such as: -

[2/28/13 4:35:03:769 PST] 00000019 SystemOut     O In DefinitionsXmlParser parse Exception occurred org.xml.sax.SAXParseException: The value of attribute "value" associated with an element type "put" must not contain the '<' character.

[2/28/13 4:35:03:823 PST] 00000019 servlet       E com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.servlet.ServletWrapper service SRVE0014E: Uncaught service() exception root cause action: java.io.FileNotFoundException: SRVE0190E: File not found: /JDBCProvider.content.main

[2/28/13 4:35:06:651 PST] 00000019 SystemOut     O In DefinitionsXmlParser parse Exception occurred org.xml.sax.SAXParseException: The value of attribute "name" associated with an element type "putList" must not contain the '<' character.
[2/28/13 4:35:06:692 PST] 00000019 servlet       E com.ibm.ws.webcontainer.servlet.ServletWrapper service SRVE0014E: Uncaught service() exception root cause action: java.io.FileNotFoundException: SRVE0190E: File not found: /DataSource.content.main

etc.

He found this old Technote from 2005: -

PM58377: PROBLEMS USING ADMIN CONSOLE AFTER MOVING FROM FIX PACK 7.0.0.19 TO 7.0.0.21 12/03/05 PTF PECHANGE

which provides an iFix ( for WAS 7.0 ! ), and also provided a local fix: -

Relink the console-defs.idx in the config root and install root.

Note: these commands should be entered on one line

$ rm <config_root>/systemApps/isclite.ear/isclite.war/WEB-INF/console-defs.idx

$ ln -s <install_root>/systemApps/isclite.ear/isclite.war/WEB-INF/console-defs.idx <config_root>/systemApps/isclite.ear/isclite.war/WEB-INF/console-defs.idx

He did this, and restarted the DM, but to no avail.

However, the Technote also included a temporary fix: -

run iscdeploy -restore

which, thankfully, did the job.

To achieve this, he ran: -

$ <install_root>/bin/iscdeploy.sh -restore 

restarted the DM again, and … job done :-)

Well done, Simmo.