Some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on EAR are listed here. We discuss the various problems you could encounter while generating a master key password or while upgrading the application in the current setup.
Upgrade halted with the following message. How to proceed?
What is a database master key?
How to open the database master key.
How to check whether symmetric keys are present for a particular database.
How to check whether certificates are present for a particular database.
How to create the master key password.
How to change the master key password.
How to take backup of the master key password.
How to restore the master key password?
Why does the master key password fail during upgrade?
What is the default algorithm used to encrypt the values in postgres?
What is the datatype of encrypted column in various databases ?
How to back up and restore the MSSQL database.
What is ECTag? Can I change it?
You cannot upgrade by using the existing database; please go through the following steps to upgrade:
2. Create a new database using /changeDBServer.bat or /changeDBServer.sh.
3. Start and stop the application once.
4. Restore your application into the new database.
5. Now, upgrade your application to ServiceDesk Plus 9313 or later.
A symmetric key or a secret key is an input to the encryption algorithm that helps produce a different output for different keys provided at any given time.
It is a symmetric key that protects the private keys of certificates and asymmetric keys in the database. The key is encrypted with either the Triple DES or AES_256 algorithm and a user-provided password. Only if the database master key is created, you can create additional symmetric keys and certificates for data encryption.
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
In the workspace, run the following query:
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
In the workspace, run the following query:
The symmetric keys, if present, will be tabulated in the results.
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
In the workspace, run the following query:
The result will tabulate the certificates, if there are any.
The user with dbcreator permissions can follow these steps to create the master key password:
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
In the workspace, run the following query:
The user with dbcreator permissions can follow these steps to change the master password:
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
For regenerating the database master key and all other keys, run the following query:
To create an additional master key password, run the following query:
Note that after you create an alternative master key password, the old master key password will still be functional.
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
In the workspace, run the following query:
Open MSSQL Server Management Studio, right-click the database and choose New Query
In the workspace, run the following query:
The master key password will be restored to the database.
This can happen of the password doesn't comply with the password policy of the MSSQL-installed machine.
AES_256
Postgre: bytea
MSSQL: varbinary
In MSSQL Server Management, right-click the database to be backed up and go to Tasks>>Backup
The database will be backed up in the given location.
To restore the database, right-click it and choose Restore DataBase.
In the Restore Database dialog box, choose the device option and the backup file path, and click Ok.
Your MSSQL database will be restored.
Note:
If the System.Data.sqlClient.SqlError : The file 'filepath\*.mdf' cannot be overwritten. It is being used by database 'database_name'. (Microsoft.SqlServer.SmoExtended)error is displayed, then choose Files in the Restore Database dialog box.
Go to the Restore As column, rename the *.mdf and *_log.ldf files, and click Ok to restore the database.
- System error codes
- What is ECTag? Can I change it?
It is the symmetric PGP (Pretty Good Privacy ) key used in postgres to encrypt the data in password columns.The value of the ECTag is encrypted and stored in the product-config.xml file.
Follow these steps to change it:
Please take a backup before invoking changeKey.bat.
From <product_home>/ME/ServiceDesk/bin, invoke changeKey.bat followed by the new ECTag value.
changeKey.bat <ECTag value>
The entire database will be decrypted using the old key and encrypted again with the given ECTag value.
