Tableau server configuration and support

Tableau Support

analytics@broadinstitute.org (first line support, all content support)

tableau-admins@broadinstitute.org (group of BITS staff to ask or alert regarding downtime)

help@broadinstitute.org (standard BITS help if the Windows VM is malfunctioning)

support@tableausoftware.com (if Tableau Server still won't work)

tableau-users@broadinstitute.org (send alerts to this user list about downtime or upgrades)

Server Summary

Broad has three Tableau servers running concurrently on separate local VMs (two other machines run Tableau Desktop), which can be accessed via Remote Desktop (note that you'll often receive a warning that the certificates have the wrong names – this is okay). Reports published to the primary server are replicated onto the dev server every night. If the primary server is unavailable, users can access all their same reports with live data using tableau-dev. Icinga monitoring means BITS will be paged if the server goes down, so let tableau-admins know in advance if there is planned maintenance. 

Server Access

Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) is used from the Macs to gain access to the servers. A similar program is used from Windows. You must be a member of the tableau-admins group to access the servers. Once logged in, open a Command Prompt to run the tabadmin command line program. NOTE 2018-12-11: TABADMIN WILL CHANGE IN 2018.2 ONWARD

https://help.tableau.com/current/server-linux/en-us/tsm.htm#commands

Screenshot Scripts

Several Windows batch file scripts run on the primary Tableau server to capture images that are sent via e-mail and to monitors around 320C.

Task Scheduler is used to run these automatically. More batch scripts are on the individual monitor computers to copy the images from krypton(gp-reports) to their local directories.

Information about managing the monitors that display these screenshots (and their individual batch scripts) can be found here: Tableau screenshot display monitors

Editing batch files:

To alter a batch file, EDIT it (don't open it, as that runs it). They're written in DOS.

Adding more screenshots to the getTableauScreenshots script is as simple as adding a new line, altering the URL to find the right view for a screenshot, designating the right destination folder, and designating the name of the destination image file. Putting two different output files for a single Tableau view doubles the time that image will display on a monitor.

Backup Scripts

All of the servers are shut down every night to run backup and restore scripts from their C:\Local\Scripts\ directories via Windows Task Scheduler.

Logs

Log files are described here: http://onlinehelp.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/logs_loc.htm

Background tasks

If you need to stop a background task (e.g. an extract refresh that is taking a long time, neither succeeding nor failing), the instructions here work well: https://community.tableau.com/docs/DOC-8920 (note: this problem can occur when a manual refresh is begun right before an automatic refresh starts)

Upgrading Server (admins)  https://help.tableau.com/current/server/en-us/upgrade.htm

Consult with lab and BITS to plan upgrade schedule.

Earlier in the day:

1. Create a JIRA ticket for the upgrade (e.g. RPT-3311)
2. Email tableau-admins@broadinstitute.org to have them turn off Icinga on the target server for the day. 
3. On any computer, download the latest server version into the tableau-backups directory on Krypton (DL from products download page: http://www.tableau.com/esdalt)
4. Email tableau-users to let them know about downtime. 

For the upgrade:

1. On the target server you're going to upgrade, confirm that there are no current users: (e.g. https://tableau-dev.broadinstitute.org/#/server/analysis/ActionsbyRecentUsers)
2. Log in to VM of target server (e.g. tableau-dev).
3. On target VM, navigate to the newly downloaded file, open it, accept all defaults during setup/installation.
4. Paste in the User (e.g CHARLES\tableau_auth) & password (initialization takes quite a while)
5. Once it's done (it'll try to launch IE), trash any *.tsbak from C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\ & any tabsvc.bak* from C:\ProgramData\Tableau\Tableau Server\data\ and empty the recycle bin.
6. Ensure that the server is back online by logging in on web (e.g. https://tableau01-dev.broadinstitute.org )
7. (Major upgrade only) Start > Environmental Variables / System variables (Edit and change TABLEAU_BIN to C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\#.#\bin) Save & Close.
8. (Major upgrade only) Restart Windows to force PATH variable to re-source %TABLEAU_BIN%. Confirm updated path using "where tabadmin" command
9. Test & validate reports on server
10. Test backups & restores from prod to upgraded dev/beta by enabling and running Task Scheduler scripts on VM.  .tsbak files are written to \\kr\Tableau_backups\Database\TABLEAU01-DEV, for example. Disable backups on non-production VMs.  Disable all schedules on tableau-beta server.
11. Update the version in the Server Summary table at the top of this page.

Update SSL certificate on Tableau Server (admins)

Plan for update:

1. Tableau Servers need to be restarted to apply the change. To update production Tableau Server's SSL certs, plan down time with GP lab managers and warn tableau-users
2. Remote Desktop to VM (any admin user login)
3. Make a copy of the .crt and .key files from BITS (C:\Local) in kr\Tableau_backups\Certificates\  (BITS usually provides a .cer file which just needs to be renamed to .crt)
4. Generate chain file using https://whatsmychaincert.com/ and copy to kr\Tableau_backups\Certificates\
5. Move .cer, .key, and .chained.crt files to wherever TSM expects files to be ( C:\Program Files\Tableau\Tableau Server\SSL )

For the update:

1. Remote Desktop to VM (any admin user login)
2. Open and login to the TSM portal https://localhost:8850/#/configuration/security/external-ssl (ignore security warning) (any admin user login or CHARLES\tableau_auth password in Teams)
3. Click on Configuration tab
4. Go to Security and choose External SSL
5. Click Reset
6. Check the box for Enable SSL for server communication
7. Click Select File and browse to the new SSL files for each of the three (do not enter a passphrase)
8. Apply pending changes
9. Restart Tableau Server to apply changes (may take 20 minutes)
10. Test web access

For reference, see

Operating System requirements

Broad's Tableau Servers run on Windows Server 2016 Datacenter

https://www.tableau.com/about/blog/2019/3/looking-ahead-updates-tableau-server-operating-system-requirements-103360