Documentation forDatabase Performance Analyzer

Database Performance Analyzer 2020.2 Release Notes

Release date: June 4, 2020

These release notes were last updated on May 3, 2021.

These release notes describe the new features, improvements, and fixed issues in Database Performance Analyzer 2020.2. They also provide information about upgrades and describe workarounds for known issues.

Other resources: 

If you are looking for previous release notes for Database Performance Analyzer, see Previous Version documentation.

New features and improvements in DPA

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DPA 2020.2 offers new features and improvements compared to previous releases of DPA.

Monitoring PostgreSQL and EDB Postgres database instances

DPA 2020.2 can monitor PostgreSQL and EDB Postgres database instances both on premises and in the cloud. DPA can monitor the following versions: 

PostgreSQL deployment type Supported versions
Self-managed: on-premises or cloud

PostgreSQL:

  • 12.x
  • 11.x
  • 10.x
  • 9.6

EDB Postgres:

  • 11.x
  • 10.x
  • 9.6
SaaS: Amazon RDS

PostgreSQL:

  • 11.x
  • 10.x
  • 9.6
SaaS: Amazon Aurora

PostgreSQL:

  • 11.x
  • 10.x
  • 9.6
SaaS: Azure SQL

PostgreSQL:

  • 11.x
  • 10.x
  • 9.6

Notification when a triggered alert returns to Normal

You can configure DPA alerts to send a notification when the status of the alert returns to Normal. To do so, select the following options in the alert definition:

  • Select a contact for the Normal level. After the alert is triggered, this recipient is notified when the status returns to Normal.

  • Select the notification policy Notify when level changes.

    In previous versions, this notification policy was named Notify when level changes and is not Normal. The policy has been renamed in DPA 2020.2, and the behavior has changed. After an alert has been triggered, the Notify when level changes policy sends a Notification any time the level changes, including when it changes back to Normal.

    For information about all notification policies, see Notification policy for DPA alerts.

SNMP traps

If DPA alerts send SNMP traps to create alerts in the SolarWinds Platform or another program, you can enter an SNMP contact at the Normal level to send a trap when the level returns to Normal. Use this option to automatically clear the alert or change the alert priority in the other program.

Existing alerts

By default, no contact is selected at the Normal level. Therefore, the behavior of existing DPA alerts does not change when you upgrade to DPA 2020.2. If you want an alert to send notifications when the status returns to Normal, edit the alert definition as described above.

Trusted certificate management

DPA 2020.2 provides an interface to view and manage the following types of trusted certificates:

  • Certificates in the DPA trust store: DPA can use these certificates to connect to any database instance or LDAP server.

    The DPA trust store was available in previous releases, but was accessible only through the command line. In DPA 2020.2, you can use the Trusted Certificate Management page to view, import, and delete certificates in the DPA trust store.

  • Certificates in the Java trust store: DPA can use these certificates to connect to any database instance or LDAP server.

    These certificates are not managed through DPA. You can use the Trusted Certificate Management page to view the alias and expiration date of these certificates.

  • DB certificates: A DB certificate is associated with a specific PostgreSQL or EDB Postgres database instance, and DPA uses it to connect to that instance.

    A DB certificate can be imported during registration if the PostgreSQL or EDB Postgres database instance requires one. You can use the Trusted Certificate Management page to view, import, and remove DB certificates.

Additions to the DPA API

You can use the API to return additional information about your DPA deployment, including:

  • License model
  • Number of instances registered
  • Total number of licenses per category and number of licenses used per category
  • Whether DPA is deployed on premises or in the cloud
  • The OS of the DPA server
  • The number of registered instances
  • The type and edition of the database used for the DPA repository
  • The size of the DPA repository

Changes to the DPA login dialog box

For security purposes, DPA 2020.2 changes the information that is displayed by default when users log in to DPA. You can set advanced options to return to the previous behavior.

  • User name field

    In previous versions, any time a user logged in to DPA, DPA automatically populated the User name field on the login dialog box with the repository user name stored in the repo.properties file.

    In DPA 2020.2, when a user logs in to DPA for the first time, the user must manually complete the User name field in the DPA login dialog box. When the user logs in again, the User name field is automatically populated with the user name stored in the browser's cookies. If the user logs in from a different browser, or if the browser's cookies are cleared or disabled, the user name must be manually entered.

    If a user upgrades to DPA 2020.2 and accesses DPA from a previously used browser, the User name field is automatically populated if that information is available in the browser's cookies.

    To return to the previous behavior and populate the User name field with information from the repo.properties file, set the advanced Support option LOGIN_FILL_REPO_USER to TRUE.

  • Repository name

    • In DPA 2020.2, the DPA login dialog box no longer displays the repository name by default. To return to the previous behavior and display the repository name, set the advanced Support option LOGIN_SHOW_REPO_NAME to TRUE.

Changes to system requirements

DPA 2020.2 adds support for the following versions:

Monitored database instances

DPA 2020.2 removes support for the following versions:

Monitored database instances
  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
  • Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

For a complete list of supported platforms, see the DPA 2020.2 system requirements.

New customer installation

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For information about installing DPA 2020.2, see the DPA Installation and Upgrade Guide. You can download a free trial from the SolarWinds website.

How to upgrade

If you are upgrading from a previous version, use the following resources to plan and implement your upgrade:

Fixed issues in DPA 2020.2

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DPA 2020.2 fixes the following issues.

Case Number Description

00486966

 The version of Tomcat shipped with DPA has been updated to Tomcat 8.5.51.

00478327

 When you are monitoring a SQL Server database instance, the trends chart on the Top Files tab now displays file names correctly.

00475188

 Registering an Amazon RDS for SQL Server database instance no longer fails due to insufficient privileges. If the DPA monitoring user does not have sufficient privileges to display Table Tuning Advisors, DPA displays a message that includes a link to this KB article, which explains what privileges are required.

00455807

 When you manually link a VM to a database instance and you have more than 250 VMs, DPA lists only the first 250. You can use the LIMIT_OF_VM_ITEMS advanced option to change this limit.

00448308

 When the same SQL statement runs on multiple monitored database instances, DPA displays information about the statement on both instances.

00433447

 When you monitor a Db2 9.7 database instance with DPA, monitoring starts and data is returned as expected.

00420178

 When an Oracle monitored instance is registered through the TNS descriptor, email notifications are sent as expected when an alert is triggered, and there is no null pointer exception at database port field.

00387636

 Long warning text in a MySQL live plan is now readable. Text that is too long to fit on one line wraps to the next line.

00383779
00351050

 When the plan cleaner service runs on a MySQL repository database that has a large number of records in the CONSW and CONPT tables, the service does not time out and the plans are cleaned.

00370602

 When you are monitoring an Oracle 12 or later RAC, DPA displays resource metrics on the RAC tab correctly.

00322954

Restarting DPA no longer inserts errors such as the following in DPA logs: 

Violation of PRIMARY KEY constraint 'PK_CONF_DRI_6784C9A497AEF271'. Cannot insert duplicate key in object 'ignite.CONF_DRIVE_MAP_21'. The duplicate key value is (1669).

00092384

 In some cases, DPA was unable to collect data from a MySQL database instance with a large number of idle connections because DPA's quick poll query timed out. The MySQL quick poll has been modified to prevent this issue. If users still experience the issue, the MYSQL_QUICKPOLL_IDLE_TIME advanced option can be used to increase the quick poll idle time.

N/A

 When you attempt to save a custom email notification template, the message "Form contains error, fix them before saving" is no longer displayed when there are no errors in the form.

Known issues

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Database types supported for the DPA repository

Issue: In the Repository Creation Wizard, the line that lists variations of MySQL that are supported for the DPA repository includes MariaDB. However, MariaDB is not supported for the DPA repository. For DPA 2020.2.x, the list of MySQL variations should include only MySQL, Amazon RDS for MySQL, or Amazon Aurora for MySQL. 

Resolution/Work-around: For a complete list of the database types and versions supported for the DPA repository, see the System Requirements for your version of DPA.

DPA cannot monitor a PostgreSQL database instance with multiple connection properties

Issue: If you enter multiple connection properties in the JDBC URL field (either in the Registration Wizard or the Update DB Instance Connection Wizard) for a PostgreSQL database instance, DPA cannot monitor the instance. DPA repeatedly attempts to start monitoring the instance, but monitoring fails to start.

Resolution/Work-around: Change the property separator in the COND table in the DPA repository database from & to ;. For details, see this article.
DPA running on ESX servers with a compatibility setting of ESX 3.4 or 4

Issue: If you attempt to run DPA on ESX servers as a virtual machine with a compatibility setting of ESX 3.4 or 4, DPA might not start. For additional information see this KB article.

Resolution/Work-around: Do one of the following:

  • Update your VM compatibility version to the latest one (for example, 6.7).
  • Upgrade JDK to a version in which the bug is fixed (11.0.8 or 14.0.1).
  • Add -XX:UseAvx=0 property to JAVA_OPTS for your JDK.
DPA running on ESX servers with a compatibility setting of ESX 3.4 or 4

Issue: If you attempt to run DPA on ESX servers as a virtual machine with a compatibility setting of ESX 3.4 or 4, DPA might not start. For additional information see this KB article.

Resolution/Work-around: Do one of the following:

  • Update your VM compatibility version to the latest one (for example, 6.7).
  • Upgrade JDK to a version in which the bug is fixed (11.0.8 or 14.0.1).
  • Add -XX:UseAvx=0 property to JAVA_OPTS for your JDK.
Creating the monitoring user when registering a MySQL 8.0 database instance

Issue: For MySQL 8.0, the default authentication plug-in has changed from mysql_native_password to caching_sha2_password. If you attempt to register a MySQL 8.0 instance and allow DPA to create the monitoring user, registration fails because DPA cannot authenticate a user created with the default option.

Resolution/Work-around:

  1. Create the monitoring user manually and specify that the mysql_native_password plugin be used to authenticate that user. For example:

    CREATE USER 'userName'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'userPassword';

    You can verify user creation by querying the mysql.user table:

    select user,host,plugin from mysql.user;

  2. Grant the required privileges to the user. See the GRANT statements in the script available through the Register Instance Wizard.
  3. On step 2 of the Register Instance Wizard, select I'll create the database user. Then enter the user name and password of the user you created.
Adding a distributed AG to a server prevents DPA from monitoring non-distributed AGs on the server

Issue: If DPA is monitoring non-distributed SQL Server Availability Groups (AGs) on a server and you add a distributed AG to the server, DPA stops monitoring the non-distributed AGs.
Resolution/Work-around: Do not add a distributed AG to the server.
Validation of the LDAP/AD server host name fails because it doesn't match the subject of the certificate

Issue: Java validates that the host name of the LDAP server matches the LDAP certificate by checking the subjectAlternativeName's dNSName fields of the certificate. If the validation fails, you will see the following error when you are configuring DPA to use AD/LDAP:

The subject of the certificate doesn't match your AD/LDAP server.

Resolution/Work-around: Follow the instructions in this article to resolve the issue.
Real Time Sessions page

Issue: When you are monitoring an Azure SQL Managed Instance (ASMI) that is registered via the public endpoint, some of the connections are closed after three minutes. If you turn the DPA monitor off, open the Real Time Sessions page, and then refresh the page after three to four minutes, the Real Time Sessions page displays the following SQL Server exception:

The connection is closed.

Resolution/Work-around: If you experience this issue, complete the following steps to configure DPA to recreate connections every three minutes:

  1. Open the following file in a text editor:

    <dpaHome>\iwc\tomcat\ignite_config\idc\system.properties

  2. Update the value of the following parameter to 180000:

    com.confio.iwc.realtime.service.datasource.map.timeout=180000

    This is the timeout for idle connections, in milliseconds.

  3. Save the file and restart DPA.
Microsoft reports incorrect metric values for SQL Server on Linux

Issue: When you monitor a SQL Server 2017 database instance that runs on a Linux server:

  • The O/S CPU Utilization resource always shows usage at 100%.
  • The Instance CPU Utilization resource always shows usage at 100%.
  • The O/S Memory Utilization resource always shows usage at 0%.

When you monitor a SQL Server 2019 database instance that runs on a Linux server:

  • The O/S CPU Utilization resource always shows usage at 100%.
  • In some cases, the Instance CPU Utilization resource always shows usage at 100%.

Microsoft reports these values.

Resolution or Workaround: Disregard the values that are incorrect on your version of SQL Server. You can also disable the collection of a metric that shows incorrect data.

Monitoring a database instance in the Oracle Public Cloud
Issue: When DPA is monitoring a database instance in the Oracle Public Cloud, it sometimes reports incorrect values.
Resolution/Work-around: DPA does not support monitoring database instances deployed in the Oracle Public Cloud. Use DPA to monitor supported database instance types.

Deprecation notices

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This version of Database Performance Analyzer deprecates the following platforms and features.

Deprecated platforms and features are still supported in the current release. However, they will be unsupported in a future release. Plan on upgrading deprecated platforms. 

Type Details
Repository database Support for using Oracle 11.2 as the DPA repository database is deprecated. Oracle 11.2 is still supported as a repository database in the DPA 2020.2 release, but support will be removed in an upcoming release.
Browser

Support for accessing DPA through a Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 11 browser or the legacy version of Microsoft Edge is deprecated. These browsers are still supported in the DPA 2020.2 release, but support will be removed in an upcoming release.

Upcoming releases will continue to support Chromium-based versions of Microsoft Edge.

End of life

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Version EoL Announcement EoE Effective Date EoL Effective Date
DPA 12.0

June 4, 2020 End-of-Life (EoL) announcement - Customers on DPA version 12.0 or earlier should begin transitioning to the latest version of DPA.

 September 2, 2020 End-of-Engineering (EoE) - Service releases, bug fixes, workarounds, and service packs for DPA version 12.0 or earlier will no longer actively be supported by SolarWinds. September 2, 2021 End-of-Life (EoL) - SolarWinds will no longer provide technical support for DPA version 12.0 or earlier.
DPA 11.1

June 4, 2020 End-of-Life (EoL) announcement - Customers on DPA version 11.1 or earlier should begin transitioning to the latest version of DPA.

September 2, 2020 End-of-Engineering (EoE) - Service releases, bug fixes, workarounds, and service packs for DPA version 11.1 or earlier will no longer actively be supported by SolarWinds. September 2, 2021 End-of-Life (EoL) - SolarWinds will no longer provide technical support for DPA version 11.1 or earlier.
DPA 11.0 November 5, 2019 End-of-Life (EoL) announcement - Customers on DPA version 11.0 or earlier should begin transitioning to the latest version of DPA. March 7, 2020 End-of-Engineering (EoE) - Service releases, bug fixes, workarounds, and service packs for DPA version 11.0 or earlier will no longer actively be supported by SolarWinds. March 7, 2021 End-of-Life (EoL) - SolarWinds will no longer provide technical support for DPA version 11.0 or earlier.

See the End of Life Policy for information about SolarWinds product lifecycle phases. For supported versions and EoL announcements for all SolarWinds products, see Currently supported software versions.

End of support

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This version of Database Performance Analyzer no longer supports the following platforms and features.

Type Details
System Usage Profile

The DPA System Usage Profile is no longer available. The option to generate the System Usage Profile was removed from the DPA interface in DPA 12.1. In DPA 2020.2, the option to generate the System Usage Profile using an internal API endpoint has also been removed.

This report was sometimes used by Support in earlier versions of DPA, but it is no longer needed.

Monitored database instances DPA can no longer be used to monitor SQL Server 2008 R2 database instances.

Legal notices

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