Error tracking a windows service

[OpticTygre]

What is the best way that anyone has found to capture errors inside a
windows service? It's pointless to use compilation constants, as you can't
"debug" a service very easily, and you can't pass in a command line
arguement (can you?) to tell it to do something special like capture errors
to a file while it's running. Has anyone figured out any good ways to do
this type of run-time error capturing?

Basically, if I were building a standard windows app, I'd just program it so
when certain command line arguements are passed in, the compiled code would
know to output information to a file. This saves me time from having to be
on-site and step through the code line by line. Can you do something like
that with a windows service?

[Ray Cassick \(Home\)]

Re: Error tracking a windows service

Take a look at using TraceListeners and the application configuration file.


"OpticTygre " <optictygre@ade lphia.net> wrote in message
news:DcydnXpBZO PH2BTfRVn-og@adelphia.com ...[color=blue]
> What is the best way that anyone has found to capture errors inside a
> windows service? It's pointless to use compilation constants, as you
> can't "debug" a service very easily, and you can't pass in a command line
> arguement (can you?) to tell it to do something special like capture
> errors to a file while it's running. Has anyone figured out any good ways
> to do this type of run-time error capturing?
>
> Basically, if I were building a standard windows app, I'd just program it
> so when certain command line arguements are passed in, the compiled code
> would know to output information to a file. This saves me time from
> having to be on-site and step through the code line by line. Can you do
> something like that with a windows service?
>[/color]

[NetworkElf]

Re: Error tracking a windows service


"Ray Cassick (Home)" <rcassickNOSPAM @enterprocity.c om> wrote in message
news:OOVoc0pWFH A.2700@TK2MSFTN GP12.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Take a look at using TraceListeners and the application configuration[/color]
file.[color=blue]
>
>
> "OpticTygre " <optictygre@ade lphia.net> wrote in message
> news:DcydnXpBZO PH2BTfRVn-og@adelphia.com ...[color=green]
> > What is the best way that anyone has found to capture errors inside a
> > windows service? It's pointless to use compilation constants, as you
> > can't "debug" a service very easily, and you can't pass in a command[/color][/color]
line[color=blue][color=green]
> > arguement (can you?) to tell it to do something special like capture
> > errors to a file while it's running. Has anyone figured out any good[/color][/color]
ways[color=blue][color=green]
> > to do this type of run-time error capturing?
> >
> > Basically, if I were building a standard windows app, I'd just program[/color][/color]
it[color=blue][color=green]
> > so when certain command line arguements are passed in, the compiled code
> > would know to output information to a file. This saves me time from
> > having to be on-site and step through the code line by line. Can you do
> > something like that with a windows service?[/color][/color]

I just started with .net, but I've been using the application event log for
a service I've been working on. Is there a reason not to?

[Jay B. Harlow [MVP - Outlook]]

Re: Error tracking a windows service

OpticTygre,
I currently am using a Try/Catch around my main timer routine, within the
Catch block I log any exceptions (errors) to the Event Log
(ServiceBase.Ev entLog).

As Ray suggests you could also use TraceListeners.

I am considering "upgrading" my logging to either Log4Net or the Microsoft
Enterprise Library Logging Block:

http://logging.apache.org/log4net/

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnpag2/html/entlib.asp

You can pass parameters to a service, the following example demonstrates
how.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/01/12/NETServ/default.aspx

Specifically Walkthrough item #7 & Figure 5, the args array to the
ServiceBase.OnS tart method is the "parameters " to the service. You set these
parameters in the properties of the Service in Computer Management under the
Windows Control Panel.

Alternatively I simply put the settings in the app.config for the service.
Depending on the needs of the service, I would consider passing the name of
the "environmen t" to as a Parameter, then used this "environmen t" parameter
as an indexer into a custom Configuration Section in my app.config... By
"environmen t" I mean: unit test, system test, QA, Production...

Hope this helps
Jay


"OpticTygre " <optictygre@ade lphia.net> wrote in message
news:DcydnXpBZO PH2BTfRVn-og@adelphia.com ...
| What is the best way that anyone has found to capture errors inside a
| windows service? It's pointless to use compilation constants, as you
can't
| "debug" a service very easily, and you can't pass in a command line
| arguement (can you?) to tell it to do something special like capture
errors
| to a file while it's running. Has anyone figured out any good ways to do
| this type of run-time error capturing?
|
| Basically, if I were building a standard windows app, I'd just program it
so
| when certain command line arguements are passed in, the compiled code
would
| know to output information to a file. This saves me time from having to
be
| on-site and step through the code line by line. Can you do something like
| that with a windows service?
|
|

[Ray Cassick \(Home\)]

Re: Error tracking a windows service

The event log is fine for things that you can easily document (stopping,
starting, exceptions during critical areas, etc...) but for debug style
traces nothing beats a good old fashioned, well formatted text file.

I have seen sooo many service type apps that try to use the vent log for
debug type tracing. Makes it a real pain in the butt to actual trace code
that way, and besides, you can really fill up someone's log file if you're
not careful.

"NetworkElf " <sum1@somedomai n.com> wrote in message
news:eOJVLNuWFH A.3760@TK2MSFTN GP15.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
>
> "Ray Cassick (Home)" <rcassickNOSPAM @enterprocity.c om> wrote in message
> news:OOVoc0pWFH A.2700@TK2MSFTN GP12.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> Take a look at using TraceListeners and the application configuration[/color]
> file.[color=green]
>>
>>
>> "OpticTygre " <optictygre@ade lphia.net> wrote in message
>> news:DcydnXpBZO PH2BTfRVn-og@adelphia.com ...[color=darkred]
>> > What is the best way that anyone has found to capture errors inside a
>> > windows service? It's pointless to use compilation constants, as you
>> > can't "debug" a service very easily, and you can't pass in a command[/color][/color]
> line[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > arguement (can you?) to tell it to do something special like capture
>> > errors to a file while it's running. Has anyone figured out any good[/color][/color]
> ways[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > to do this type of run-time error capturing?
>> >
>> > Basically, if I were building a standard windows app, I'd just program[/color][/color]
> it[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > so when certain command line arguements are passed in, the compiled
>> > code
>> > would know to output information to a file. This saves me time from
>> > having to be on-site and step through the code line by line. Can you
>> > do
>> > something like that with a windows service?[/color][/color]
>
> I just started with .net, but I've been using the application event log
> for
> a service I've been working on. Is there a reason not to?
>
>[/color]

[NetworkElf]

Re: Error tracking a windows service


"Ray Cassick (Home)" <rcassickNOSPAM @enterprocity.c om> wrote in message
news:uUWlajzWFH A.3320@TK2MSFTN GP12.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> I have seen sooo many service type apps that try to use the vent log for
> debug type tracing. Makes it a real pain in the butt to actual trace code
> that way, and besides, you can really fill up someone's log file if you're
> not careful.[/color]

Programming is my second hat (that's why I'm not very good at it). My first
hat is being an engineer. As you probably know, we know everything. I would
never fill up an event log... :p Thanks for the info.