Service stops and freezes apps

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fran
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Fran

I have a software program that uses Pervasive as its database engine.
On two servers (in two different companies) this product runs fine.
But on the third this product locks up at least once a week, requiring
a reboot of the server to clear things up.

These are all Windows 2000 Server AD networks. The software program
seems to just freeze with one, then all client workstations stopping.
Once we reboot the server everything is fine.

I've run MEMTest-86 and all memory tests fine. There is no overheating
of the CPU or RAM and power is clean. All other subsystems appear to
be running just fine (backups run every night without a problem.)

How can I track down WHY this service locks up on this server? I've
tried shutting down and restarting the service but that nearly ALWAYS
fails (never shuts down so I cannot restart it.)

At first I thought this was a DNS issue but DCDiag and NetDiag all run
without errors.

Fran
 
Is this a custom written App? If yes, then you have to write into the App a
type of "debug" mode that lets the App save details to a log that normally
it doesn't do. We have one here that has additional logging that occurs only
when it is enabled in the registry. The registry key is a key to that App
and not a regular Windows key. Ours periodically has a "decoder error" that
we are trying to solve,...so we have enabled the extra logging in hopes that
something usefull will be logged the next time the error happens. But this
type of stuff must be designed into the app itself and is not a Windows
"thing".

What type of connection is it using to the Pervasive Database? If it uses a
DSN to connect those often cause problems. It is also effected by the
version of MDAC Components installed on the machine(s). The use of ODBC DSNs
is considered old technology and is trying to be phased out in favor of what
is called simply "DSN-less Connections" working with OLEDB.
 
The app is a commercial product specific to an industry. It runs fine
on two other companies I have installed it on but this particular
server keeps locking up (today under reasonably heavy use but
sometimes only 3 users are working away.)

I'm not sure if it's a DSN connection or not. When I installed
Pervasive (2000i) I simply accepted all the defaults. The client side
is then installed at each workstation off the server.

Does this help at all?

Fran
 
The app is a commercial product specific to an industry.
Click to expand...

Being a TV Station we have tons of those types of situations,...almost
evrything we run beyond MS Word is an "Industry Specific" App. It is always
in the Vendor's "lap" to solve these things. My job is to provide the
environment and infastructure for it to run in and to call them up and yell
at them until they fix it when it doesn't work, and to be their "eyes and
ears" to gather information for them to solve it. I'm not even supposed to
dig into the thing and mess with it,...and that is the way I like it.

But in anycase,...regaurdless of how much you are expected to do,...the
people it came from are really the only ones likely to be able to solve
that.
 
I wish I could say it ended there. Unfortunately they've thrown up
their hands on this one and we're living with the rebooting issue. Not
very professional if you ask me.

Is there anything that I can run that can at least tell me what the
system state is when the app locks up? (i.e. what services are
running, what app calls may be going on when the system hangs?)

This is a specific item hanging (the Pervasive database) the rest of
the server is OK until I try to stop the service using the Admin tools
/ Services consol. Then the whole system seems to become unstable and
I HAVE to reboot.

Fran
 
I wish I could say it ended there. Unfortunately they've thrown up
their hands on this one and we're living with the rebooting issue. Not
very professional if you ask me.
Click to expand...

No it isn't. We would be looking for a differnet product to replace them.
Even in a proprietary environment like ours there are still competing
vendors just itching to say "ours won't crash like theirs!"
Is there anything that I can run that can at least tell me what the
system state is when the app locks up? (i.e. what services are
running, what app calls may be going on when the system hangs?)
Click to expand...

Anything in the Event Logs?
This is a specific item hanging (the Pervasive database) the rest of
Click to expand...

I haven't heard of "Pervasive Databases", but this is a different company
then the main App, right? The Vendors are simply choosing the use
"Pervasive" as the Database engine for their App, correct? If it is really
the Database Engine crashing then contact Pervasive and get them on it.
Chances are that the Database Engine maintains its own internal logs that
those guys can anylize and find the cause.

This situation isn't that different from some of the Apps we have,...one
uses MYSql and another use Sybase SQL Anywhere, another used MS SQL. So all
these guys only wrote the App and simply choose to "use" someone else's DB
Engine. So this provides an opportunity to troublshoot the Database
separately from the main App, ...at least to a point.
 
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