All PDF reports now failing

[rjmiller]

Out of the blue all reports, SV and CPCS have started failing including the web13 app.  I do not think the problem is with the apps or the reports internal to them.  Where else could I look?

[Bruce]

define "failing"....
are they generated but not delivered?
or are they not generated at all?

cheers
Bruce

[rjmiller]

Looks to not being generated at all.  The browser just "spins".  I have reinstalled 8.0.8778, and NT6.15... downloading and getting ready to install NT6.17.  Not sure how it could be NT that is the problem but going in circles grabbing at straws now.

CPCS has a dll that I think was causing the pageno not to print but was still functional.  I have since removed CPCS and gone all the way back to basic WEB13 app and still nothing.

?

[rjmiller]

After a whole day of reinstalling CW8, all the numerous Capesoft packages I just can't seem to live without and getting all reconfigured... still doesn't work.  It seems to be unable to write DOS files... PDF, the SV PDF example doesn't work... but it can read/write to TPS files.

Starting to think it is a virus or maybe worse because it is two machines... development and server with outward pointing interface I was having data entered on.

Pulled out a TOTALLY clean machine and zipped the exe and all dlls, etc to it... works like a champ!

This was a BAD DAY!

[Bruce]

"create" file permissions maybe? As distinct from read/write permissions.
If you had read/write, but not create, I guess you'd get this effect.

cheers
Bruce

[rjmiller]

Dunno... gotta be something but working fine and like the switch got flipped.

Going out of town for the weekend.  Maybe it will "come to me" as it sometimes does when I step back.

Troubleshooting this is leading me down the primrose path I think.

[rjolda]

Hi,
Bumped into PDF generating problem when I moved to a server in the cloud.  Some PDFs would print and some would not.   I did not have any printer set up on the server.  I set up a virtual PDF printer and set it to the default printer ( it is not used, it is just there) and voila - my PDFs now all print and correctly.   
Just another thing for you to look at!
Ron

[rjmiller]

I have identified the problem....

It has still been working sporadically, especially on development machine.  It will work until something causes an error... then stop working no matter what happens.  Working on server where I don't ALLOW an error to take place... same EXE

I have selfservice and it is added as a global extension but I have not attempted to use it.  I finally started the app as a service and VOILA... works every time!  Probably a permissions problem but I don't know why permissions would allow it to work then fail after an install.

I guess I still don't know WHAT the problem is but I know how to make sure it doesn't manifest itself.

Thanks for all replying hope this helps if someone else encounters this VERY frustrating behavior.

[rjmiller]

Bruce,

I am still having to run as a service.  I really think you should look into this as it might be the cause of some of the other problems people are having esp. with secwin updates.  I still have not ID'd the cause but it is a real thing.  I am moving from development machine and installing/removing as a service on another machine for testing.  Sort of inconvenient and I expect others aren't doing this.

[DonRidley]

I once had an issue with my PDF's and discovered that making sure I had a default printer installed fixed it.

Just a shot in the dark..

Don

[rjmiller]

Tried that... didn't help.  I really think it is a permissions problem that gets "avoided or fixed" when you run it as a service under the localsystem user.  The really wierd thing is it does not manifest itself immediately... might work for a time or two but once it starts it will not be able to create PDF files again until you run as a service.  Now that I know this I don't have issues but I think others might be seeing the same type of thing when they use secwin and the secwin files get updated.  I have seen a unable to delete or update error from the webserver when running on the development machine NOT as a service but NEVER on the server VM when running as a service.

Inconvenient while developing but can be worked around.

By the way... I am domain admin even when developing so my permissions should not be an issue... although it appears they are.

Thanks for your input.

[Bruce]

Hi Rick,

>>  I finally started the app as a service and VOILA... works every time!  Probably a permissions problem but I don't know why permissions would allow it to work then fail after an install.

Services run under different user permissions to your user. This would imply that it is user-account related. Maybe to do with default printers, but since I've not run into this issue, it's not really possible for me to give a definitive answer.

>> I really think you should look into this

it's hard to look into a problem that manifests on your machine, and not anywhere else. It suggests it's realted to how your machine is configured. Default printers being the most obvious candidate, bearing in mind that default printers are different for each user.

>> as it might be the cause of some of the other problems people are having esp. with secwin updates.

I'm not seeing any evidence at all that this is related to Secwin. Secwin doesn't go near the printer code.

>>  I am moving from development machine and installing/removing as a service on another machine for testing.  Sort of inconvenient and I expect others aren't doing this.

I've not heard of anyone doing that - perhaps that's a clue?

>> but I think others might be seeing the same type of thing when they use secwin and the secwin files get updated.

secwin tables are just tables. If you have a general issue reading / writing tables then clearly permissions can play a role. But it's very unlikely that your machine permissions have "targeted" the secwin tables, as distinct from other tables.

I know none of the above is terribly helpful to you, but in order to solve the root printing problem I think you can ignore Secwin as being a red herring.

cheers
Bruce