OVM Manager GUI Becomes Unusable with error "UnexpectedCharException: Illegal character" in AdminServer.log (Doc ID 2284059.1)

Last updated on SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

Applies to:

Symptoms

On Oracle VM 3.3.1 to 3.4.3 version, Oracle VM Manager becomes unusable, and it throws XMLMarshalException messages after REST API calls

Sometimes OVMM will throw the following exception, repeatedly, every 5 seconds:

• <2017-04-04T16:53:39.353+1000>  - with linked exception:
  [Exception [EclipseLink-25004] (Eclipse Persistence Services - 2.4.2.v20130514-5956486): org.eclipse.persistence.exceptions.XMLMarshalException
  Exception Description: An error occurred unmarshalling the document
  Internal Exception: com.ctc.wstx.exc.WstxUnexpectedCharException: Illegal character ((CTRL-CHAR, code 27)

Performing any action from the graphical interface fails, however, the REST interface and command line appears to still be responsive.

The issue can be reproduced at will with the following steps:

On the Oracle VM Manager server:

• # tail -f AdminServer.log

On a virtual machine, run this in a shell:

• t='echo -e '\e''
  ovmd -p baddata=$t

You will immediately see the error appear in the log.

Cause

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