Based on all the symptoms you’ve described, here’s a systematic solution that addresses the workflow escalation rules, notification server issues, and custom handler deployment:
1. Notification Server Resolution:
First, stabilize your notification service. Check tc_profilevars for these settings:
notification.server.enabled=true
notification.server.timeout=30000
notification.queue.maxSize=1000
If the queue is backed up, clear it using the notification management utility in BMIDE or restart the notification server service. This resolves the timeout warnings you’re seeing in the logs.
2. Custom Handler Fix:
Your EPM handler likely has a hard dependency on notifications. Review the handler code and wrap any notification calls in try-catch blocks so failures don’t block workflow progression. If the handler is calling NotificationService.sendNotification(), make it asynchronous or handle exceptions gracefully:
try {
NotificationService.send(notification);
} catch (Exception e) {
logger.warn("Notification failed, continuing workflow");
}
3. Workflow Escalation Rules:
Your escalation rules are configured but not triggering because the workflow is in a fault state. After fixing the handler, re-test the escalation by:
- Opening Workflow Designer
- Navigate to your approval process template
- Edit the manager approval task node
- Verify the escalation path points to a valid backup approver or auto-approval action
- Set the escalation condition to “Task Not Completed” with your 48-hour duration
- Save and re-deploy the workflow template
4. Handler Re-deployment:
Since the handler was deployed last month, ensure it’s properly registered:
- Export the workflow template to XML
- Verify the handler class name matches your deployed JAR
- Check that all handler arguments are correctly specified
- Re-deploy the template using workflow_template_deploy utility
- Restart the Workflow Server service
5. Testing and Validation:
Create a test workflow instance with a single manager approval stage. Monitor the server logs during execution. You should see successful handler execution without notification timeouts. Once validated, abort the stalled workflow instances (they’re in a corrupted state) and have users resubmit for approval.
The root cause is your custom handler failing due to notification service instability, which prevents the workflow from advancing even though the approval action is recorded. The escalation rules can’t trigger because the workflow engine sees it as a failed execution rather than a waiting task. This solution addresses all three focus areas systematically and should resolve your release delays.
This draft is based on general Teamcenter knowledge. It has not been verified against your specific version and environment. Practitioners: verify the steps and share your experience below.