Metastorm 9 and the Visual Studio Debugger

If you hit the debug button, it does a deploy and then tries to access http://localhost/ProcessDiagnosticsService/ProcessDiagnostics.svc and fails. Visual Studio opens up briefly and closes

Under options - Deploy - there is a place to give the url for the Process Diagnostics Service but and the default is the above.

Visual Studio has a debug Server and you can start a windows service but I don’t think they are the same thing.

Question: What is the Process Diagnostics Service? Where can I find it so I can configure the Designer to use it?

The documentation is not very clear.

Thanks!

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Comments

Grzegorz Lag

I'm not sure, but I think it could be AppSight Black Box Service from redist directory. Let me know if you found the proper one

achopra

You need to go into Add/Remove programs and do a Modify for Metastorm BPM SR1. Once into the components screen, under Engine category, you need to select to install the Diagnostic Services component.

Once installed, you might need to modify the web.config for the Diagnostic Service to make sure the database connection is valid.

Paul Denton

Kudos to Ari there...

Yes the SR1 update does install the new features for previously installed components (i.e. the Debug feature in the Designer) but it does not install new whole new components (i.e the v9 MetaProcessData Service)...

Peter Wages

Ari -

Thanks! We installed the Process Diagnostics Service on the server

The database connection appears to be corrrect in the web.config file

But now in the designer on my local pc I get

The remote server returned an unexpected response: (405) Method Not Allowed.

What does this mean?

Thanks!

Rob Vignerot

Peter,

It sounds like you are trying to use debugging on a remote engine? Process Debugging is currently only supported in an all-in-one environment (Designer, Deployment Service, Engine, Web Client). We hope to be able to include support for remote environments within a future release, but for the time being to use this feature you'll need a single machine.

Rob

Brian Murray

My issue was that the initial install did not create the virtual directory correctly. After deleting the virtual directory and recreating it, it worked fine.

Peter Wages

Thanks Rob ! I'll lookk to do this with remote eenvironments in a future release

Rick Kushner

Where is the web.config for the Diagnostic Service?

Rick Kushner

What is the name and path for the virtual directory?

Rick Kushner

I am trying to debug in an all-in-one environment, I have installed the Diagnostics, but I still get the error:

"The requested service, 'http://localhost/ProcessDiagnosticsService/ProcessDiagnostics.svc' could not be activated. See the server's diagnostic trace logs for more information."

In the Deployment tab of the Options dialog for the designer, "Process Diagnostics Service address" is blank. Should I put something in there. My whole install is plain vanilla default, all-in-one.

Here's what I found in the server's diagnostic trace log:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: System.ServiceModel 3.0.0.0
Event Category: WebHost
Event ID: 3
Date:  9/14/2010
Time:  8:43:18 AM
User:  NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE
Computer: VCFF-BPM9-TEST
Description:
WebHost failed to process a request.
Sender Information: System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostingEnvironment+HostingManager/32347029
Exception: System.ServiceModel.ServiceActivationException: The service '/ProcessDiagnosticsService/ProcessDiagnostics.svc' cannot be activated due to an exception during compilation. The exception message is: The type 'Metastorm.ProcessDiagnosticsService.ProcessDiagnostics', provided as the Service attribute value in the ServiceHost directive could not be found.. ---> System.InvalidOperationException: The type 'Metastorm.ProcessDiagnosticsService.ProcessDiagnostics', provided as the Service attribute value in the ServiceHost directive could not be found.
   at System.ServiceModel.Activation.ServiceHostFactory.CreateServiceHost(String constructorString, Uri[] baseAddresses)
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostingEnvironment.HostingManager.CreateService(String normalizedVirtualPath)
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostingEnvironment.HostingManager.ActivateService(String normalizedVirtualPath)
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostingEnvironment.HostingManager.EnsureServiceAvailable(String normalizedVirtualPath)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostingEnvironment.HostingManager.EnsureServiceAvailable(String normalizedVirtualPath)
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostingEnvironment.EnsureServiceAvailableFast(String relativeVirtualPath)
Process Name: w3wp
Process ID: 5384

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Rick Kushner

What should be entered under options - Deploy - for the url for the Process Diagnostics Service?

Or is it okay to leave it blank?

I have a default, plain vanilla install, all-in-one, everything except the sql-server database is on the same machine.

Thanx!!!!!!

Rick Kushner

How did you conclude that the initial install did not create the virtual directory correctly?

After deleting the virtual directory, how did you recreate it? By reinstalling the debugger, or manually?

Thanx!!!!!!!

McGaw_Phil

Hi,

Wondering if anyone is still having problems getting the process diagnostics working. I've tried all sorts to get the Metastorm debugger working with Visual Studio, but not having much joy.

-Version 9.1.2

-Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate

The Process Diagnostics Service is setup in IIS, I've set the address to http://localhost/ProcessDiagnosticsService/ProcessDiagnostics.svc in the solution, and it resolves fine when I launch it through a browser, but when I click that sinster looking ladybird in the designer I get this error:

Error: Unable to attach debugger. Ensure the Engine process is not already being debugged.

At first I thought it could be because I've been hacking around with it quite a lot and maybe a process was lingering around somewhere, but even after a reboot, I get the same error.

Any help useful tips would be great.

Thanks

Phil

Robert Vignerot

Phil - Check the diagnostic services config file's DB connection. I've seen this error many times. The connection fails if it uses Window's Authentication when running under the app pool's context. If this is the case, change the connection string to use SQL Authentication.

McGaw_Phil

Hi Rob, thanks for the pointers.

I originally thought it could be something to do with the identity of the Process Diagnostics Service, so I set the application pool identity to a windows account I knew had sysadmin on the SQL Server. I've kept this the same, and then adjusted the web.config on the Process Diagnostics Service to use a sql account instead as you'd suggested, but still no joy.

It launches Visual Studio for a couple of seconds then shuts it down with the same error "Unable to attach debugger". See attached for the output I'm getting from Metastorm.

Can I just check, what are you supposed to see if you launch "http://localhost/ProcessDiagnosticsService/ProcessDiagnostics.svc" through a browser?

(I've also set the file 'ProcessDiagnostics.svc' as the default document for the web service otherwise it was complaining)

I've even just tried switching the web service to run as a .NET 4.0 web service, but alas that didn't work either.

It's not the end of the world if I don't get this working, but it would be good to actually see it work

Thanks

achopra

Does the debugger work with Visual Studio 2010? I seem to recall that it only works with 2008?

I have it working fine with 9.1.2 and VS2008 for what that's worth.

McGaw_Phil

Ok, I've got past the "Unable to attach to debugger" error, and it was only something Ari said about whether or not Visual Studio 2010 was supported that got me to the answer.

I looked through a bunch of documentation to see if it was supported, and found the mystical section 40.2 in the 9.1 SR2 Designer Manual "Debugging without administrative privileges" using Windows 7 without turning off UAC; gave these steps ago, and it worked.

I was actually logged on as an admin, and the metastorm service was running as the same account but obviously something wasn't right. Changing the metastorm process service to run as "System Account: Interactive User" seemed to be the main thing that fixed it.

Hope this helps people in the future.

Jerome_Pearce

Phil McGaw wrote: Changing the metastorm process service to run as "System Account: Interactive User" seemed to be the main thing that fixed it.

I think that may cauuse problems in a real server environment. It should be fine for development (where you are logged in at all times), but not otherwuse, unless the way the engine runs has changed a lot in version 9.

I would be happy to be corrected on this subject, or have it clarified, as it is a general pain having to create a service account just for the engine on every installation.

Francisco De la Fuente Badillo

I have the same problem when i try to debug, I'm try with the solutions suggested but doesn't work for me. Someone know other solutions?

Error: Unable to attach debugger. Ensure the Engine process is not already being debugged.

achopra

Hi,

What specific version of MBPM and what version of VS are you using? At some point (I believe it was starting with 9.2.0 if I recall correctly) you are now required to use Visual Studio 2010 rather than 2008.

Francisco De la Fuente Badillo

Hi Ari,

I'm using MBPM 9.2.1.2220 and i have the both version of Visual Studio 2008 and 2010 but i saw that It launches Visual Studio for a couple of seconds then shuts it down. Where can change for work it with Visua Studio 2010?

Tony Wheeler

You might have a reg key pointing to the wrong version of VS depending on the order in which you installed things.

Find the above VisualStudio.DTE key and update its 2 sub keys to values of the "correct" version of Visual Studio for the version of BPM you are on. You can find the proper values for VS2010, for example, in the key directly below the circle.

A coworker of mine has put together these steps but if you just look at the existin keys, it will be obvious what values you need to copy over under VisualStudio.DTE

To enable debugging with Visual Studio 2010:
1. Open Registry Editor from Command Prompt (RUN > regedit > ENTER)
2. (for 64 bit OS) Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\VisualStudio.DTE.10.0\CLSID" (for 32 bit OS - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\VisualStudio.DTE.10.0")
3. Take note / Copy of the value of "(Default)" class ID
4. (for 64 bit OS) Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow6432Node\VisualStudio.DTE\CLSID" (for 32 bit OS - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\VisualStudio.DTE\CLSID")
5. Replace the value of "(Default)" with the value copied in step 3
6. (for 64 bit OS) Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Wow632Node\VisualStudio.DTE\CurVer" (for 32 bit OS - "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\VisualStudio.DTE\CLSID")
7. Replace the value of "(Default)" with "VisualStudio.DTE.10.0"

Francisco De la Fuente Badillo

thanks Tony! It work great!

Aaron Van

I'm running into the same issue with unable to attach to debugger, but I am running VS2012. I had this functioning with MS9.1 but MS9.2 simply will not attach to the correct process.

Essentially what I had to do in 9.1 is press Debug then have it open and close VS2012. Once it said 'Unable attach to debugger' I reopen VS2012 and copy all the files from the generated source code directory under ProgramData>etc... into VS2012.

Then attach the debugger to the dllhost.exe running under my user account with the managed code and x86 profile. This worked fine in 9.1 but not 9.2.

Tony Lam

I believe this is a known issue with 9.2. OpenText support informed me that this will be fixed in future release but I haven't heard anything since reporting it back in Sept. 2012.

For me, I can only debug code if they are from the "Server Scripts" section, while form/action server codes are not attached and bypass during debugging.

Aaron Van

My issue was never that I couldn't debug code created by the designer or within the event handlers (I'm well aware of this limitation). The problem is I simply can't get debugging in MS9.2 with VS2012.