WAS 6.1, Java 5 : Interesting Issue - Request with word 'CD' not reaching the servlet

Question

Recently, we deployed our web-application to a new set of servers.

AppServer: Websphere 6.1
Environment: Java 5, JSF, SOAP
Linux: 

There is a 'form' on a web-page that contains a 'TextArea' and a 'Submit' button that submits to a servlet 'ServiceInterfaceServlet'. User puts the request XML in the textarea and hits the submit button to 'POST' the request to the servlet. Here is the problem now - If the request XML contains the word 'CD' anywhere (i.e. in any of the values for the possible nodes.) - the request does not even reach the servlet. We get a '501 Method not implemented ' error.

We also tried other strings line 'CD, MV, CP' etc. but the only word that we are getting the issue with is 'CD'.

Quite frankly - we are not even sure why this could be happening as the same is working fine on our local setups and our development environment (WAS6, Java 1.4, Unix).

Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.

Regards, - Ashish

Answer 1

Do you have access to any tool that would let you see the actual HTTP request? If you're using normal WAS tools then you have TCP IP monitor.

The 501 error implies that the request is leaving the browser OK, but somewhere down the line is not being understood. Are you going via a webserver? Could it be that the WAS plugin, or indeed another plugin is unhappy?

I would interpret "Method" as GET or POST or whatever, but it makes no sense to me in the context of your other findings - the content of the POST, "CD" or not surely can't affect that.

Hence my suggestion to look at what's actually going over the wire, comparing working and non-working might reveal something interesting.