I have written some code in the application_start() method in my global.asax file. It does not get called when I deploy my application on IIS server. The code is accessible when I run it in the .NET framework.
I've tried to restart the application many times, but it's still not working.
I've also tried the suggestion from the following link.
Application_Start not firing?
There are few things you need to know before you are trying to debug Appplication_Start. There are -
One : When the code executes and why it is almost impossible to debug by attaching to it.
The application start method is executed when the application pool starts and your website is being started up for the first time. If you deploy new deliverables to IIS, then IIS might restart it itself, but there is no guarantee that it will. So, deploying new codes does not guarantee that it will restart the pool and he execution of application start. You should restart your application pool to guarantee execution of application start.
While debugging IIS applications, Visual Studio attaches itself to a process something named w3wp.exe or similart (I forgot the actual executable name), which is the worker process and only available after, remember after, your application pool is up and your site is up. So, in other words, if you are seeing this in service list, then the application start has already been executed and attaching to it will not give you a chance to debug it. It is kind of a tug of war with time.
So, in other words, it is kind of impossible to debug application start unless you are very very quick.
Two, the solution 1 - With Dev Server
Launch your application in visual studio with Asp.net development server or IIS express, then you will be able to debug. But if you really want to debug on IIS, then check the next section
Two, the solution 2 - With IIS
There is a library in the name System.Diagnostics, Debuggerand it has a nice way to call debugger in code. You can read it here - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.diagnostics.debugger.break(v=vs.110).aspx
Modify you application start with this -
public void Application_Start(){
....... //other codes
Debugger.Break() or Debugger.Launch()
}
When this line executes, IIS will halt execution, and will show you a debugger selector window (similar to the one attached), keep your solution open in vs and select that vs from the list, will be able to debug as usual... :)
In case you are using windows 8 and the debugger does not launch, read this article to enable it -
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mapo/archive/2013/11/07/debugger-launch-not-displaying-jit-debugger-selection-popup-on-windows-8-8-1.aspx
Three: A very important thing
I noticed that you said, you are adding db entries in Application_Start. You should keep in mind that, Application_Start does not have a HttpContext, ViewContext, So your db access code may fail for so many others reasons.
Make sure that the Global.asax file is actually deployed to the destination folder in the root. If the file is not present then the code behind you have written for Application_Start will never be called.
Also make sure the signature is correct
public class Global : System.Web.HttpApplication {
protected void Application_Start(object sender, EventArgs e) {/*do something here like logging so you know it was called*/}
}
If you are running Server 2008R2 (or earlier) and/or IIS 7.5, you might want to look into the Application Initialization module. This can be downloaded here:
www.iis.net/downloads/microsoft/application-initialization
With IIS versions prior to 8.0, the application start is not called until the first web request arrives. I'm reading your question as you want your application start to be fired before the first web request, yes?
Here is a fantastic guide to configuring this module (if it applies to you):
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/benjaminperkins/2014/01/07/configure-the-iis-application-initialization-module/
The key takeaways is that you need to set your app pool to 'AlwaysRunning' instead of 'OnDemand'. You also need to set a preloadEnabled flag for your website. Once both of these are done, fire off an iisreset and you should see the results of your application start (look in the database since it's writing there).
Other answers are relevant as well, in that this is tough to debug and you're missing all the niceties you're used to such as a httpcontext in app start.
If you are running IIS 8.0 - you should still read the above link to configure preloading.
This did work for me:
Menu -> Build -> Clean Solution
Menu -> Build -> Rebuild Solution
Then, Application_Start() was fired only for the first time.
In my case in production environment App_global.asax.compiled was missing and all content of global.asax not fired.
I have a simple web service that looks something like this:
[WebMethod]
public OrderForecastItem GetOrderForecast(int shipTo, string catalogName, bool showPricing)
{
return OrderForecastManager.GetOrderForecast(shipTo, catalogName, showPricing);
}
I'm calling it from another place in a fairly simple way:
using (OrderForecastWS.OrderForecastWS service = new OurSite.Web.Reporting.OrderForecastWS.OrderForecastWS())
{
OrderForecastItem orderForecastItems = service.GetOrderForecast(2585432, "DENTAL", false);
}
After some gymnastics to get the systems to understand that I'm talking about the same type of objects on the client and server sides (I had to open the Reference.cs file inside my Web References, delete the generated OrderForecastItem and add a link to our real OrderForecastItem), the system runs and attempts to get the item.
Unfortunately, it now bombs during the service call, claiming:
Exception There is an error in XML document (1, 1113).(InvalidOperationException)
I can go to the web service in a browser, put in the same values, and I get a seemingly valid XML response. (It looks okay to me, and I ran it through the XML parser at W3Schools, and it cleared it.)
I think the numbers in the error are supposed to be the line and character number...but the browser seems to reformat the xml document, so I can't easily see what the original (1, 1113) location is.
I don't see an easy way to intercept the response and examine it, since it seems to be blowing up as soon as it gets it.
How can I debug this?
If you control the service, you can step into it. If it is a part of your solution and hosted in VS WebDev on your local box, just F11 from Visual Studio, if service is hosted remotely (eg by IIS on other computer) run remote debugging tool on service host msdn, and then you will be able to step in to the service remotely.
By the way, you can tell Visual Studio to re-use objects from referenced libraries for types from the service: just pick configure Service Reference from service context menu and tell which libraries to re-use.
On second thought this error may happen if returned XML could not be deserialized into your business object. May happen when class is changed on either side, or you are trying to use different version of business library than service is using.
If you use Firefox, I'd recommend Firebug. You'll be able to easily view the response from the website in its original format, which might get you closer to the line and position you're looking for.
I need to change my unit test from local to remote tests and so far I thought that all I had to do is change UrlToTest to point to another server... But VS keeps on insisting to create a Development Web Server instead of using the one that is already running.
So after reading some docs my question actually is do I have install Test Controller and Test Agent on both remote and local computer or what? What if the WebService is on Linux...
Note that I don't want to debug the application that I'm testing. I simply want tests to be executed for a WebService that is already running, that is deployed.
I probably should mention that all my tests consists of WebService calls and some checks like this:
[TestMethod()]
[HostType("ASP.NET")]
[AspNetDevelopmentServerHost("MainProjectName", "/")]
[UrlToTest("http://servername:port/websitename/TestingOnlyWebForm.aspx")]
public void LoginEmptyDataTest()
{
IUserService userService = CreateIUserService();
string email = "";
string password = "";
ReturnMessage<User> actual;
actual = userService.Login(email, password);
Assert.AreNotEqual(true, actual.Status);
Assert.AreNotEqual("db_error", actual.Info);
}
But I have also more complicated tests in which I change some data and send it to another WebService and so on.
Note that UrlToTest previously was pointing to localhost at which point it works but starts a developer server which is not what I want.
What you are trying to is not possible. All that generated unit test is trying to do is to run the test locally on the machine either using the development server by specifying AspNetDevelopmentServerHost or by using local IIS, when AspNetDevelopmentServerHost is not present.
If you want to test remote services right click your unit test project and add a service reference. Point to your service give it a namespace, say Services, and generate the proxies. Once you have the proxies generated just instantiate them and call the methods. Also remove all the unneeded attributes from your test. Your test should roughly look like this:
[TestMethod]
public void LoginEmptyDataTest()
{
using (var userServiceClient = new Services.UserServiceClient(
"BasicHttpBinding_IUserService",
"http://someremotehost/userservice.svc"))
{
var result = userServiceClient.Login("user", "password");
// asserts go here
}
}
This may solve your immediate problem however you should re-think what you are doing as #eglasius said. what happens if the code you call changes state internally? Next test might fail because of that so you need clean-up strategies otherwise your tests will be very brittle and you'll end up ignoring them.
Update: passing an address at run-time. Change the first parameter to whatever enpoint configuration name you have in your config file.
I'll take a stab in the dark at this one because I did something similar recently.
In my case my test project referenced the service project to provide visibility of the service and data contracts the Web Service implements and consumes.
To resolve this - though it can be ignored - move the contracts to a new project. Then have the service and test projects reference the new project, and remove the test projects' reference to the service.
Hope that makes sense!
Once the reference is removed, VS will no longer feel the need to start up your service when you run your tests.
You can disable the startup of the Service Host in the Project settings of your WCF Service Project. Right Click - WCF Options - Uncheck "Start WCF Service Host when debugging another project in the same solution".
You really have to consider the nature of what you're trying to achieve here.
It's hard to tell exactly what you're hitting of the code. I have the impression, you have is a website that calls a web service. You're testing the client code in that context, instead of just testing the service.
If that's the case, remove the attributes and point the url to the correct service like UrbaEsc guided you to. If you don't remove the attributes, you're running the calling code in the context of the site.
Even if the above is not the scenario, and based on what you replied to UrbanEsc in the comments, you'd then be testing an external call to the webservice initiated from the same site process.
You said:
"Found it, but VS still starts something on localhost and then trys to reach external server... Seems like VS is just not designed for real remote testing of webservices"
Read the above. I'd say you need to better understand what you're enabling. You can certainly test remote web services, like you can do pretty much anything you can code. You do that from client code that knows nothing different that what any other external client of the service would know. Support doesn't stop there, as you can do load testing of the service.
Note that what you're doing aren't unit tests, these are integration tests. Or depending on the scope of your system, full system tests.
I'm getting this error when I try to start a windows service I've created in C#:
My Code so far:
private ServiceHost host = null;
public RightAccessHost()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
{
host = new ServiceHost(typeof(RightAccessWcf));
host.Open();
}
protected override void OnStop()
{
if (host != null)
host.Close();
host = null;
}
Update #1
I solved the issue above by granting permissions to the account NETWORK SERVICE but now I have an another problem:
Update #2
Service cannot be started. System.InvalidOperationException: Service 'RightAccessManagementWcf.RightAccessWcf' has zero application (non-infrastructure) endpoints. This might be because no configuration file was found for your application, or because no service element matching the service name could be found in the configuration file, or because no endpoints were defined in the service element.
at System.ServiceModel.Description.DispatcherBuilder.EnsureThereAreNonMexEndpoints(ServiceDescription description)
at System.ServiceModel.Description.DispatcherBuilder.InitializeServiceHost(ServiceDescription description, ServiceHostBase serviceHost)
at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostBase.InitializeRuntime()
at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostBase.OnOpen(TimeSpan timeout)
at System.ServiceModel.Channels.CommunicationObject.Open(TimeSpan timeout)
at RightAccessHosting.RightAccessHost.OnStart(String[] args) in C:\Users....
I realize this post is old, but there's no marked solution and I just wanted to throw in how I resolved this.
The first Error 5: Access Denied error was resolved by giving permissions to the output directory to the NETWORK SERVICE account.
The second Started and then stopped error seems to be a generic message when something faulted the service. Check the Event Viewer (specifically the 'Windows Logs > Application') for the real error message.
In my case, it was a bad service configuration setting in app.config.
Computer -> Manage -> Service -> [your service] properties.
Then the the tab with the account information. Play with those settings, like run the service with administrator account or so.
That did it for me.
EDIT:
What also can be the problem is that, most services are run as LOCAL SERVICE or LOCAL SYSTEM accounts. Now when you run C:/my-admin-dir/service.exe with those accounts but they are not allowed to execute anything in that directory, you will get error 5. So locate the executable of the service, RMB the directory -> Properties -> Security and make sure that the account the service is run with, is in the list of users that are alloewd to have full control over the directory.
This worked for me.
Right-click on top-level folder containing the service executable. Go to Properties
Go to "Security" Tab
Click "EDIT"
Click "ADD"
Enter the name "SYSTEM", click OK
Highlight SYSTEM user, and click ALLOW check-box next to "Full control"
Click OK twice
Make sure the Path to executable points to an actual executable (Right click service -> Properties -> General tab).
Via powershell (and sc.exe) you can install a service without pointing it to an actual executable... ahem.
I also got the same error , It resolved by
Right click on Service > Properties >Log On > log on as : Local System Account.
I was getting this error because I misread the accepted answer from here: Create Windows service from executable.
sc.exe create <new_service_name> binPath= "<path_to_the_service_executable>"
For <path_to_service_executable>, I was using the path of the executable's folder, e.g. C:\Folder.
It needs to be the path of the executable, e.g. C:\Folder\Executable.exe.
I got the solution:
1. Go to local service window(where all services found)
2. Just right click on your service name:
3. click on "properties"
4. go to "log on" tab
5. select "local system account"
6. click "ok"
now you can try to start the service.
In my case following was not checked.
if you are a having an access denied error code 5. then probably in your code your service is trying to interact with some files in the system like writing to a log file
open the services properties select log on tab and check option to allow service to interact with the desktop,
For me - the folder from which the service was to run, and the files in it, were encrypted using the Windows "Encrypt" option. Removing that and - voila!
This error happens when there is a error in your OnStart method. You cannot open a host directly in OnStart method because it will not actually open when it is called, but instead it will wait for the control. So you have to use a thread. This is my example.
public partial class Service1 : ServiceBase
{
ServiceHost host;
Thread hostThread;
public Service1()
{
InitializeComponent();
hostThread= new Thread(new ThreadStart(StartHosting));
}
protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
{
hostThread.Start();
}
protected void StartHosting()
{
host = new ServiceHost(typeof(WCFAuth.Service.AuthService));
host.Open();
}
protected override void OnStop()
{
if (host != null)
host.Close();
}
}
I had windows service hosted using OWIN and TopShelf.
I was not able to start it. Same error - "Access denied 5"
I ended up giving all the perms to my bin/Debug.
The issue was still not resolved.
So I had a look in the event logs and it turned out that the Microsoft.Owin.Host.HttpListener was not included in the class library containing the OWIN start up class.
So, please make sure you check the event log to identify the root cause before beginning to get into perms, etc.
In my case, I had to add 'Authenticated Users' in the list of 'Group or User Names' in the folder where the executable was installed.
One of the causes for this error is insufficient permissions (Authenticated Users) in your local folder.
To give permission for 'Authenticated Users'
Open the security tab in properties of your folder, Edit and Add 'Authenticated Users' group and Apply changes.
Once this was done I was able to run services even through network service account (before this I was only able to run with Local system account).
Right click on the service in service.msc and select property.
You will see a folder path under Path to executable like C:\Users\Me\Desktop\project\Tor\Tor\tor.exe
Navigate to C:\Users\Me\Desktop\project\Tor and right click on Tor.
Select property, security, edit and then add.
In the text field enter LOCAL SERVICE, click ok and then check the box FULL CONTROL
Click on add again then enter NETWORK SERVICE, click ok, check the box FULL CONTROL
Then click ok (at the bottom)
Your code may be running in the security context of a user that is not allowed to start a service.
Since you are using WCF, I am guessing that you are in the context of NETWORK SERVICE.
see: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/256299
I have monitored sppsvc.exe using process monitor and found out that it was trying to write to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA key. After giving permissions to NETWORK SERVICE on this key, I was able to start the service and Windows suddenly recognized that it was activated again.
Use LocalSystem Account instead of LocalService Account in Service Installer.
You can do this either from doing below change in design view of your service installer:
Properties of Service Process Installer -> Set Account to LocalSystem.
or by doing below change in in designer.cs file of your service installer:
this.serviceProcessInstaller1.Account = System.ServiceProcess.ServiceAccount.LocalSystem;
Have a look at Process Utilities > Process monitor from http://www.sysinternals.com.
This is tool that allows you monitor what a process does. If you monitor this service process, you should see an access denied somewhere, and on what resource the access denied is given.
For the error 5, i did the opposite to the solution above.
"The first Error 5: Access Denied error was resolved by giving permissions to the output directory to the NETWORK SERVICE account."
I changed mine to local account, instead of network service account, and because i was logged in as administrator it worked
If you are getting this error on a server machine try give access to the folder you got the real windows service exe. You should go to the security tab and select the Local Service as user and should give full access. You should do the same for the exe too.
I accidentally set my service to run as Local service solution was to switch to Local System
After banging my had against my desk for a few hours trying to figure this out, somehow my "Main" method got emptied of it's code!
ServiceBase[] ServicesToRun;
ServicesToRun = new ServiceBase[]
{
new DMTestService()
};
ServiceBase.Run(ServicesToRun);
Other solutions I found:
Updating the .NET framework to 4.0
Making sure the service name inside the InitializeComponent() matches the installer service name property
private void InitializeComponent()
...
this.ServiceName = "DMTestService";
And a nice server restart doesn't hurt
Szhlopp
In may case system run out of free space on local disk.
I had this issue today on a service that I was developing, and none of the other suggestions on this question worked. In my case, I had a missing .dll dependency in the folder where the service ran from.
When I added the dependencies, the issue went away.
In my case I kept the project on desktop and to access the desktop we need to add permission to the folder so I simply moved my project folder to C:\ directory now its working like a charm.
I don't know if my answer would make sense to many, but I too faced the same issue and the solution was outrageously simple. All I had to do was to open the program which I used to run the code as an administrator. (right-click --> Run as Administrator).
That was all.
check windows event log for detailed error message. I resolved the same after checking event log.
All other answers talk about permissions issues - which make sense, given that's what the error message refers to.
However, in my case, it was caused by a simple exception in my service code (System.IndexOutOfRangeException, but it could be anything).
Hence, when this error occurs, one should look inside their log and look for exceptions.
I had this issue on a service that I was deploying, and none of the other suggestions on this question worked. In my case, it was because my .config (xml) wasn't valid. I made a copy and paste error when copying from qualif to prod.