Yikes! Runtime error!?

[kalvos]

Here's a new one. I got up this morning to find "Microsoft Runtime Error, C+ Library, WinGate.exe" (not exact wording; I was still pretty sleepy) and the machine hard-locked (no keyboard, no mouse motion). Had to power down (this machine has no reset button).

That's a first. I've had mysterious WinGate lockups before version 5, but never had an actual WinGate crash before.

Running WinGate 6 latest build, Win98SE, 6-user license.

Dennis

[adrien]

Hi Dennis

We haven't seen this one, or had any other reports of it. I wonder if some operating condition on the machine may have contributed to this. Would you be able to send me your log files for the period immediately before the lockup (should be evident by a large gap in times for log entries). Especially DNS resolver logs if you have them (just a hunch).

Thanks

Adrien

[kalvos]

Would you be able to send me your log files for the period immediately before the lockup (should be evident by a large gap in times for log entries). Especially DNS resolver logs if you have them (just a hunch).

Adrien,

I've had logging switched off once the other problems were solved, so I have no logs. I will turn the DNS logs back on in case this happens again.

I thought it might be a firewall issue, since the client computers were not being used at the time (we were all happily sleeping), and the firewall would be the only actively engaged component -- I'm on a cable modem.

But I can't find firewall logs. They don't seem to be included in the list of logs directories, even though there's a firewall logging popup panel under ENS. Where are they found?

Thanks,
Dennis

[adrien]

Firewall events are logged in the system log.

I wonder if it died around the time it ran some scheduled event then.

Adrien

[kalvos]

Firewall events are logged in the system log.
I wonder if it died around the time it ran some scheduled event then.

The Runtime error happened again.

There are no scheduled tasks, or at least the panel is empty and I never set any up.

I turned DNS logging back on, and you can see that it reveals nothing special. The crash occurred a few minutes before the restart you can see here; the service stopped but is not logged, probably because of the error:

08/16/04 07:46:52 192.168.244.133 Guest 0000005603 Created:
08/16/04 07:46:52 192.168.244.133 Guest 0000005603 Requested: DNS: A lookup "www.palominosaddlebred.com."
08/16/04 07:46:52 192.168.244.133 Guest 0000005603 Traffic 463 44 0 0 0s
08/16/04 07:46:52 192.168.244.133 Guest 0000005603 Terminated exit code 0
08/16/04 08:29:59 Service started successfully

I turned on the system log (Options|Advanced, Syslog Options, everything checked), and the log under "Logs\System" was empty after 12 hours, until just as I was typing this message. The system log got its first entry, apparently from a firewall activity:

08/16/04 08:56:58 RJZestjMqdQAAAAAAQAAAAEAYJdus2kABCd3jTgIAEUAACWIYgAAcAGcjESWXrLYzKnUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAqOtoZWxsbyA/Pz8AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=
08/16/04 08:57:01 RJZestjMqdQAAAAAAQAAAAEAYJdus2kABCd3jTgIAEUAACWLYAAAcAGZjkSWXrLYzKnUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAguxoZWxsbyA/Pz8AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=
08/16/04 08:57:04 RJZestjMqdQAAAAAAQAAAAEAYJdus2kABCd3jTgIAEUAACWOlQAAcAGWWUSWXrLYzKnUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAau1oZWxsbyA/Pz8AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=

Dennis

[kalvos]

Bump up.

The system has crashed every night sometime overnight, leaving no traces in the logs. There is nothing scheduled. There were 3 days of the runtime error message, and this morning it was just hard locked.

There is nothing in the scheduler. The lease on the adapter (this is a cable modem connection) expires every 36 hours, not matching the crash activity.

The system and DNS logs have no useful info. There are some firewall hits before midnight in the system log, and some DNS entries about the same time, but I was still using the machine. Sometime after midnight and before 7am it went down.

This crashing is since WinGate 6 995. Version 5 cured the lockup problem, and previous build of version 6 with trial Enterprise license was just fine.

Running Win98SE, all patches.

Dennis

[Nev]

Bump up.

The system has crashed every night sometime overnight, leaving no traces in the logs. There is nothing scheduled. There were 3 days of the runtime error message, and this morning it was just hard locked.

There is nothing in the scheduler. The lease on the adapter (this is a cable modem connection) expires every 36 hours, not matching the crash activity.

The system and DNS logs have no useful info. There are some firewall hits before midnight in the system log, and some DNS entries about the same time, but I was still using the machine. Sometime after midnight and before 7am it went down.

This crashing is since WinGate 6 995. Version 5 cured the lockup problem, and previous build of version 6 with trial Enterprise license was just fine.

Running Win98SE, all patches.

Dennis

Hmm, I generally found Win98 was prone to corruption on a big scale when it was asked to perform server style tasks.

One ME installation [still in use] running Wingate 5.2.3 is ok, if and only if no operators use it, especially leaving one well know accounting program open for half a day will bring it down every time, oh plus a daily restart is essential, that is the staff shut down the office at 5:30 and turn all on at 8 next day, otherwise it was a service callout.

ME is greatly improved if System restore is totally disabled other than that it still suffers from a lack of Kernel vs User memory integrity, that is to say user tasks become errant and scribble all over kernel processes, similar to the earlier versions.

Guess I'm not saying anything new or really constructive, but these versions [of O/s] often used to grab any response that was handy for a target to blame when they pointed the finger at a problem!

Nev.

[kalvos]

Hmm, I generally found Win98 was prone to corruption on a big scale when it was asked to perform server style tasks.

I appreciate what you're saying, but this is a slimmed-down box running just WinGate and a few small tasks (system monitor, etc.), and diagnostics when I need them. It has 4 other computers on it and a 6-user Pro license.

Before installing WinGate 6, it was up 61 days, and before that down only for various updates and the occasional power failure. I haven't had a crash of any kind since WinGate 5 was stabilized ... somewhere about when Qbik took over from the US distributors. A year ago, maybe?

There were already bugs in WinGate 6, and some were fixed in build 995. I'm still hoping that this crash will be fixed, and also the FTP-via-SSH failures with files under 24K. Little mysteries.

Dennis

[kalvos]

Oh... and I did try the delete-history-files trick, without effect.

WinGate crashed again yesterday. It was while I was using the client with the server in sight, so I was able to see exactly what was happening. Which was nothing.

After sudden heavy disk activity, the WinGate engine crashed and stopped itself. I could then restart without rebooting.

I replicated the events as best I could. I was the only client in the activity screen at the time. There was no firewall attack in progress. So I rechecked mail, and then revisited the website I was using (CNN). No crash.

This crash has only happened since getting the updated version and activating the 'real' (not trial) license again.

This is all I've been able to discover:
1. The crash always starts with the "runtime error" message.
2. I always see CPU on the system monitor spike to 100% right before the crash.
3. If the system is still accessible, the engine can be restarted.
4. Sometimes the CPU spike causes the system to react so slowly -- a minute or more to recognize each mouseclick or keystroke. If the WinGate engine can be terminated by CTL-ALT-DEL, activity returns to normal and WinGate can be restarted.

So I'm stuck. If nobody else has seen this, then I can only hope that a patch addresses this as a consequence of something else.

Dennis

[kalvos]

Bump up. Been a few months, and I have latest version. The subject runtime error problem continues. I've managed to learn one other thing: the swap file has eaten up the entire hard drive just before the CPU spike and runtime error. WinGate and WinVNC are the only non-OS programs running on the server, and WinVNC is not the issue.

Two other problems are also still looking for resolution:

1. This problem has continued through several versions of WinGate and several server computers: Clients lose the connection from browser to WinGate. The browser still appears in the WinGate panel, but activity ceases, and the browser 'goes dead'. Either closing and restarting the browser or terminating the session in the WinGate panel will restore functionality. (This is not satisfactory when a particular spouse has a few dozen web pages set up, and is paying for an order.)

2. Restarting the WinGate engine from the SysTray icon (stop, wait, start) for any reason causes subsequent SSH and FTP sessions to time out after a few minutes (even though I have timeout disabled). The WinGate server computer must be rebooted to maintain a continuous SSH or FTP session.

Dennis

[kalvos]

Bump up again after another month.

Any luck on that runtime error problem? It continues just the same, crashing after a day or two with the swap file taking up the whole hard drive. Starting/stopping WinGate clears it up, but it starts to build all over again and crashes again in a few days.

Dennis

[Nev]

Bump up again after another month.

Any luck on that runtime error problem? It continues just the same, crashing after a day or two with the swap file taking up the whole hard drive. Starting/stopping WinGate clears it up, but it starts to build all over again and crashes again in a few days.

Dennis

Hi Dennis,

How about regulating the swap file under the system advanced properties configure a size cap, can that be tried to mitigate this issue.

Otherwise I'd be heading out to buy a full Win2k o/s to relax this issue as I haven't seen it myself, given that I actually configured a Win98 machine for a client two weeks ago with no difficulty [last one on the list for me].

Report back how it goes.

Nev.

[Pascal]

with the swap file taking up the whole hard drive

Generally, when you get into that type of state all applications will experience problems. I'm not surprised you are getting runtime errors with that happening. Have you tried, as Nev suggested, limiting the size of the swap file?

Which version of WinGate are you currently running?