performance issues

Hi,

which Java version are you using?

Regards,

Sebastian

Yes, it should be at least 1.6.10. We will try to investigate what might cause this and come back to you.

Sebastian

Hi,

before starting the application itsself, the system checks whether a new version is available. Therefore, it creates a network connection, which also takes some time.

You can try the following:

 

1.) system settings ("Systemsteuerung")

 

2.) JAVA -> the java control panel appears

3.) last tab on the right ("erweitert")

4.) second entry -> java console -> show console ("konsole einblenden")

then close the java panel and start express again. You will see some logging, which informs you that the system is starting. Also here: just give the system a chance to start the console.

Additional remarks:

a.) please be aware that the tool starts normally just one time. Clicking it twice leads only to the fact that it lengthens the startup

b.) important: make sure, that in the java panel, first page ("allgemein"), in settings, you switched on "temporäre dateien auf Computer belassen". Otherwise, Express is downloaded everytime you started it.

hope that helps. If not, let us know.

Bye,

Frank

Just some input from my client:

Startup of the tool - after 2 seconds I see the splash screen. After 15 seconds I see the "Loading application" screen. After 25 seconds the application is up and running.

Cheers   / Harry

Hello together,

I found a clue in my performance issues. I disconnected it from our corporate network and dowloaded the necessaey offline-files over a standalone wlan ap. I shut down all my network connections and AExpress works within 25 seconds. After I reinstalled my notebook into our network i have the same problems as before. Minimum 3 minutes until ready to work and incredible performance issues at work.

Insert all proxy-settings into the java configuration console -> no effect. Changed settings to "direct connection" in order to simulate offline mode -> does not work.

Before i start to analyse the problem with one of our proxy administrators, is there anything left I can do first?

Thank You In Advance/ Greetings

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin,

I'm pretty sure that you've got the same problems like you colleague, Mr Mühlnickel.

ARIS Express tries to check at every application start, whether a new version is available. Thus, we assure, that bugfixes and new versions are distributed in time and without any effort.

Your network does not allow Express (respectively: Java Webstart) to connect to the community. This leads to a timeout. As you tried: just disconnect your network, and Java Webstart does not check for a new version, because no network connection is detected.

Can you cross-check by help of your IT department, why the connect is not allowed?

Bye,

Frank

Hi Frank,

First -> Thank You!

Just cross-checked it. It seems that there is a pre-test that checks if any network-connection is installed.  If this check is affirmative the program starts to check version etc. When I disable all my network connection it works fast. Our administrator says that our proxy does not allow the program to check for any updates so we got the timeout and not till then the tool is allowed to start.

What perplexes me is that the java console does its first start after the timeout, so I think the check is not written in Java. Am I right?

This would answer our porfamce problem on startup, but not during work. To create a new Process Diagramm in EPC takes about 10 to 15 seconds, new activities or events take about 20 seconds worstcase.

Is there a chance to simulate an offline mode for the AExpress?

Thank You!

Benjamin

Hi,

actually, the best idea is to allow Webstart to do its work.

Trust us. Express is no mal- or spyware ;-)

Currently, there is no other way to start Express. There is no chance to react from the tool side, if the timeout takes that long. You are right: the check itself is done by the Java virtual machine and not by Express.

 

Bye,

Frank

Hi,

I have no problem to trust you but i don't think that our administrators will enable the settings so that we can use AExpress in our whole network. Maybe i can make a deal on it, or a special usergroup for the proxy with my colleagues inside.

Wether or not, we will see. My problem is that I personally don't like tools which "phone home" to often. Especialy if you are not able to deactivate this "feature". On the other side I understand that most corporations want to see whats going on with the users etc. luckily I don't have to use those tools at home :)

For the proxy-group thing:

• Which information can I give to our proxy admin so that he is able to make us a way through?
• I saw, that the port on which the server is running changes at every start - anything about this?

Thanks!

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin,

Express just checks for an update. That is what webstart applications do, and that is the reason why you are not able to deactivate it.

Trying to load the help in background should just make the start faster, which it does - as long as the requests are not blocked.

I assure you that we absolutely do not track your work.

As far as I know it is just a http request for the JNLP file from a Java process.

The "server port" is just the output of the Webstart process for the "single instance listener" for the application (if you open an ADF file from the Explorer and have already an instance of Express running, this instance is used.). This has nothing to do with a network connect.

Bye,

Frank

Hi Frank,

I see you don't have a closing time at IDS Scheer ;)

So.... i will try today and report soon.

Thank you and greetings

Benjamin

Hello,

my admin said that the doing is not that easy we thought. From his point of view AExpress is not proxy-enabled. Means: the software doesn't take the proxy settings from the java control center or the browser; it just tries to establish a direct connection. In fact this matches with our conculsions within the tests.

And if we can't tell the Express to use the proxy it won't be able to send data over it or check vor updates.

Can anybods proof this assumption?

Thank you!

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin,

as I said: we rely on the mechanism of the virtual machine. That loading of help files in background is a point we can change, but starting the tool itself is not on our hands. (you probably checked, that the corresponding flags in the JRE control panel are set correctly?)

Normally, in every case, companies have proxies, and currently we have no open problems on other companies for downloading express. Also we are not able to connect directly, but we're are able to download express.

But anyway, we are going to check that. I'm going to discuss that with our responsible developers and our IT.

Bye,

Frank

Hi Frank,

today I spent a lot of time in figuring out a solution for the problem. I took a test-pc and installed AExpress an after that the microsoft firewall client which routes arround our proxy.  With this tool it works, but its not a permanent solution because of our it-security concept.

After that i checked the standard http and https requests on my own laptop and they work. We have a microsoft proxy, maybe the problem depends on an incompatibility between jvm an our proxy. To be sure i uninstalled all my java Versions (5.6, 6.7, 6.16) and installed only Version 6.16. I Clenaed all the Java Stuff and shortcuts with CCleaner and cleared all AExpress and Java Files on C:\Programs\Java and the user-appData folder.

After that i installed AExpress again -> no effect.

If we have a compatibility problem between the jvm and our proxy then i sadly have to capitulate on this thing.

Maybe a future version of AExpress solves the problem :), maybe not :(

Let me know if you can find out more.

Thank you and have a nice leisure-time.

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin.

I agree: this can not be a permanent solution. Next days, as I said, I got a meeting with our IT to examine each bit sent over the network.

We had a problem with a MS proxy, if NTLM is used. Maybe this is the last thing you could ask your IT? That would be great if you could do that, because: this problem is well known on our side, and we have a possible solution, but there are other issues to implement that - license stuff etc... whatever. Anyway, this solution only considers the registration and not the start/download of the tool. As I said, on this point, we must rely on the JVM.

I'll give you an update.

Bye,

Frank

Hi Frank,

just checked your questions. Yes we use NTLM and/or Basic depends on the case. Maybe this little tool can help you:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=05C2C932-B15A-4990-B525-66380743DA89&displaylang=de

You have to enter your proxy server into the tool and deactivate that the tool is able to change your browser settings (otherwise it changes your iExplorer proxy settings). You must enter the real name of the proxy (not proxy.mycompany.com but proxyserver1) after that you can configure it via right mouse button in quick launch and enable or disable it. The client talks to the same proxy server but on another iso/osi layer (said our it departement). The program can make some problems with other network application because it refers to and changes the internal routing tables of your pc. So you will have to activate the tool if you want to use the Express and deactivate it if you're done with your work. After that all application will work like before.

Maybe thats the way out of the installing/ registrating problem you mentioned.

Greetings

Benjamin

Hello,

are there any updates from the Aris side so that remote-connection to the application home (...aris...com)can be switched off by configuration within the program?!

If the program checkes the updates at the beginning (but only at the beginning), it's fine for me. But I don't like that static connection home and the performance is absolutely horrable!!! Everytime using any other object from the different models, the program is like freezed and this is absolutely un-usable in my case.

I'm also using it within a secured network with strong firewall restrictions, but the company is thinking of buying the Aris FullVersion depending from the usability, performance... of Aris Express.

Are there any possibilities to down size the corresponding timeout settings additionally?

Requesting help.

Thx + regards, André

Hi,

Express is only checking at application start (and the banner info in the home above of your recent models). So, there is no static connection at all. That must be another problem with your JRE.

Switch of the network cable from your pc and start Express, so the tool runs.

You can definitely NOT compare Express with the professional tools. So I strongly advice to get a demo license for the professional tools. That helps you much more, I think. In Express, you can press "Get full ARIS now" and ask for a demo license.

Bye,

Frank

Hi Frank,

thx for the feedback.

"Express is only checking at application start (and the banner info in the home above of your recent models). So, there is no static connection at all. That must be another problem with your JRE."

I only can say that I have a naked/fresh JRE installation on my pc and generally enough ressources in it (incl. local admin authorities).

"Switch of the network cable from your pc and start Express, so the tool runs."

Exactly this is the prob. Who is using a tool where he or she has to deactivate the network?! I'm working here within a novel-network which means that I have to reboot my pc to be again in the novel-network just to use Aris Express.

"You can definitely NOT compare Express with the professional tools. So I strongly advice to get a demo license for the professional tools. That helps you much more, I think. In Express, you can press "Get full ARIS now" and ask for a demo license."

To use Aris Express as a first step to get in touch with Aris was the advice of an IDS sales employee to our head of IT.

Nevertheless, thx a lot for the quick response.

Regards, André

Hi André,

Frank didn't mean you should always turn off your network connection while using ARIS Express. He just wants to know if it makes any difference on the performance issues you experience if ARIS Express is started without an Internet connection available.

Hi Sebastian,

yes it makes a lot of differences unplugging the network, Aris running very well afterwards...

Asking the java developers in my company to analyse the situation by unplugging and plugging the network...

Result: They are pretty sure that the program not only updates at the startup, it also updates in a regular turn the ad-banner and also the objects from the model when they are used the first time in the session.

Regards, André

Hi,

sorry, your colleagues are pretty wrong. The banner is only updated one time, first a default is shown, then the tool tries to get the ad banner (I'd like to send you the code snippet, but I think I'm not really allowed ;-)

And there are no updates about any object.

We had this issue with another customer. So we went to our IT and had a look at the bits and bytes transferred at the application startup. There is no additional update. I'll promise.

Until now, we have only 2 or 3 users complaining about that, but we have many thousands of users working without any problems liked you described.

But that does not help, I know... Could you give us more information about your system (OS, JRE...)? Is there any special virus scan checking the application? And: which kind of proxy do you use? Any webstart application tries to check at starting time, whether there is a new version. Maybe this is blocked and hinders the JRE?

Bye,

Frank

Hi,

Just wondered if this issue had ever been fixed? We've had a similar performance issue. It seems that ARIS express is trying to connect through DNS and connect directly to the internet. This fails, and when it times out, defaults back to the proxy server which duly works. This occurs multiple times on start up for various items and then during operation of the application. In reference to an earlier post, we also use NTLM at the proxy level.

Any ideas would be greatfully appreciated.

Chris

Hi Markus,

Thank you so much for the information above, this has resolved our issue - it takes about 50 secounds to load up but then works seemlessly!

Your help has been very much appreciated.

Best Regards,

Chris