“Network Communications Lost” appears in the PowerChute Business Edition Console after upgrading the JRE version of PowerChute Business Edition Agent with JRE Configuration Tool

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Issue:
Upgrading the JRE version of the PowerChute Business Edition Agent via the JRE Configuration Tool runs as expected and the service/daemon is restarted successfully. A “Network Communications Lost” message appears in the PowerChute Business Edition Console after the service/daemon has been restarted.

Product Line:
PowerChute Business Edition versions 9.0, 9.0.1, 9.1.0, 9.0.2, 9.1.1, 9.0.3, 9.0.4, 9.2.0

Environment:
OS: Linux, Solaris, Windows x64, x86

Cause:
The latest release of Java JRE 8u60 (and greater) contains a security update which prevents communication between the PowerChute Business Edition Server and the PowerChute Business Edition Agent.

Solution:
After upgrading the Java JRE version to 8u60 (or greater), perform the following steps:

1. Stop the PowerChute Business Edition Agent service/daemon.

Windows:
net stop apcpbeagent

Linux:
/etc/init.d/PBEAgent stop

2. In the Powerchute JRE folder, open the file lib\security\java.security using a text editor.

Sample JRE locations –
Windows x86:
C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Business Edition\JreConfigTool\1.8.0_60

Windows x64:
C:\Program Files (x86)\APC\PowerChute Business Edition\JreConfigTool\1.8.0_60

Linux:
/usr/java/jre1.8.0_60 (Default Java JRE install directory)

Go to the line containing the jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms setting and carry out the following:

Remove RC4 as a disabledAlgorithm
Change DH keysize restriction from 768 to 256

Original:
jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms=SSLv3, RC4, DH keySize < 768

New:
jdk.tls.disabledAlgorithms=SSLv3, DH keySize < 256

3. The following step needs to be carried out for PowerChute Business Edition Agent versions 9.0 and 9.0.1 if it is managed by a Powerchute Business Edition Console/Server.
In the Powerchute JRE folder, open the lib\security\java.security using a text editor.

Sample JRE locations –

Windows x86:
C:\Program Files\APC\PowerChute Business Edition\JreConfigTool\1.8.0_60

Windows x64:
C:\Program Files (x86)\APC\PowerChute Business Edition\JreConfigTool\1.8.0_60

Linux:
/usr/java/jre1.8.0_60 (Default Java JRE install directory)
Go to the line (should be at the end of the file) containing the jdk.tls.legacyAlgorithms setting and remove ‘RC_128,’ from it:

Original:
jdk.tls.legacyAlgorithms= \
K_NULL, C_NULL, M_NULL, \
DHE_DSS_EXPORT, DHE_RSA_EXPORT, DH_anon_EXPORT, DH_DSS_EXPORT, \
DH_RSA_EXPORT, RSA_EXPORT, \
DH_anon, ECDH_anon, \
RC4_128, RC4_40, DES_CBC, DES40_CBC

New:
jdk.tls.legacyAlgorithms= \
K_NULL, C_NULL, M_NULL, \
DHE_DSS_EXPORT, DHE_RSA_EXPORT, DH_anon_EXPORT, DH_DSS_EXPORT, \
DH_RSA_EXPORT, RSA_EXPORT, \
DH_anon, ECDH_anon, \
RC4_40, DES_CBC, DES40_CBC

4. Start the PowerChute Business Edition Agent service/daemon

Windows:
net start apcpbeagent

Linux:
/etc/init.d/PBEAgent start