Win2K3, profiler v5.2.0.44 "Error stopping W3SVC"

[jaap.q42]

I'm running profiler 5.2.0.44, I start profiling using:
ASP.NET (hosted in IIS)
profile child process [checked]
monitor disposal of object [checked]
Original port (IIS will restart).
-> Start Profiling

I wait for the website to start and wait for the first page to load in the browser. Performance counters are working and show consitent behavior each profiling session.

-> Take memory snapshot

An error occurs:
"Error stopping W3SVC"

[jaap.q42]

I've tried this with and without:
<gcServer enabled="false" />
in aspnet.config

[Brian Donahue]

Hi Jaap,

Unfortunately it's going to be difficult to tell why IIS cannot stop without first checking the system and/or application logs on the computer -- the problem is outside of ANTS Profiler because it's calling Windows APIs to start and stop the service. The WWW Service could be hung for some reason or not responding to a stop request.

Can I ask, do you need to use the profile on original port option? Using a custom port (8013 recommended) is a quicker and less complicated way of starting the web application on IIS 6.
_________________
Brian Donahue
Technical Support
Red Gate Software Ltd.
44 (0)870 160 0037 ext 8521
US and CAN 1-866-RED GATE ext 8521

[jaap.q42]

Hi Brian,

For my information:
Why does ANTS profiler need to stop IIS when I press the Take snapshot button? Because that is what happens (IIS was already restarted by the profiler).

Jaap

[jaap.q42]

Hi Brian,

When I use port 8013 I get an error taking a snapshot:

[AndrewH]

The profiler is set up so that if a snapshot fails for any reason it tries to shut down the session. The error reporting isn't set up quite right: if the shutdown then fails, the original error is lost and the shutdown error reported instead (I've raised a bug about this; it's incorrect behaviour as the error is secondary and isn't any help in fixing the condition).

In this case, the profiler is detecting the condition that is caused by the gcServer issue and reporting it as a reason for failing the snapshot to the UI, which then shuts down the session in response.
_________________
Andrew Hunter
Software Developer
Red Gate Software Ltd.

[jaap.q42]

I'm running fine right now, but suddenly (not pressed any button for a long time):

[jaap.q42]

I've found a log file, but I don't see really strange things in the logs.
Can I send a log file to someone?

No noticable eventlogs (other than some unhandled exceptions in the website)

[jaap.q42]

Unfortunately I ran this longrunning performance test with IIS restart to confirm that setting Framework64\aspnet.config gcServer="false" works.

So after the weekend I'll run with custom port again (have to alter load test in order to do that), and hope this error doesn't appear again or if it does, I can post a better stacktrace of the actual error.

[Chris.Allen]

How are your tests going now Jaap?

[jaap.q42]

Hi Chris,

I didn't run into the sudden exception anymore. From now on I'll use the "unused port" feature and set it to port 80 (I'll have to disable the site in iis), because of the firewall between the server and the load-test-host.