Troubleshooting Guide: What to capture in order to escalate Web Player crash, hang or restart issues.

Troubleshooting Guide: What to capture in order to escalate Web Player crash, hang or restart issues.

The following information is required when investigating and escalating Web Player issues, specifically surrounding crashes or restarts.

1. web.config:
   A copy of the web.config file. Default location: [Installation Directory]\TIBCO\Spotfire Web Player\X.X.X\webroot
    
2. Diagnostics:
   An export of the Web Player diagnostics.  To capture the Web Player diagnostics:
   1. Login to the Web Player in the browser (e.g., http://webplayer/SpotfireWeb) with Spotfire administrator privileges.
   2. Click on the "Diagnostics" link. In Spotfire 6.0 and later this is under the "Tools" menu.
   3. Click on the "Export Information" link in the top right corner.
   4. Save the "Diagnostics.txt" file locally.
       
3. Web Player logs in full DEBUG mode:
   Web Player logs in DEBUG mode that capture the issue or restart. Capture the entire \LogFiles\ folder. If capturing the entire folder is not possible, then capture all files modified within a few days of the issue, including the actual time of the issue. (The longer this time period is, the better.)
    
4. Windows Events:
   Windows Application and System events for the same time period. If capturing all events is not possible you can filter events by date, but ensure that all events within at least a few days of the issue are captured, including the actual time of the issue. (Again, the longer this time period is, the better.) To capture:
   1. Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application > Save All Events as...
   2. Event Viewer > Windows Logs > System > Save All Events as...
       
5. Dump file:
   Very often the above information is not sufficient to identify a root cause, especially if there are no error details or stack traces in the logs or events. If that is the case, then it is also required to capture a dump file of the Web Player process at the time of the issue. The following methods are available for capturing a dump file:
    
   • Method 1 - Automatically created dump files saved in the log files folder:
     In certain scenarios and types of crashes, the Web Player application might automatically create a dump file upon crashing and save it to the current log folder directory as configured in the log4net.config file. These will have names like "tuvktz5dcscib.mdmp".  The creation and modification dates of the .mdmp files should be used to determine if they indeed correspond to the particular crash/restart being investigated.
   • Method 2 - Manually create a dump file with Task Manager:
     This can be useful when you see the Web Player in a problem state and need to investigate further. Example scenarios where this is useful are when you suspect a memory leak and your RAM utilization is elevated, or when the Web Player application is hanging or unresponsive.
     • See KB: 000021866 How to manually create a dump file of the Web Player process for troubleshooting.
   • Method 3 - Configure an automatic dump capture with IIS process orphaning:
     You can automatically trigger the creation of a dump file of the Web Player using Internet Information Services (IIS) Process Orphaning in order to capture a dump file at the exact moment when an intermittent or infrequent hang or crash occurs. Example scenarios where this is useful are when you try investigating a Web Player crash or hang, and a dump file is required for the investigation to determine a root cause.
     • See KB: 000020611 How to set up automatic dump capture from an unresponsive Web Player with IIS Process Orphaning.
   • Method 4 - Configure an automatic dump capture with Debug Diagnostic Tool:
     You can automatically trigger the creation of a dump file of the Web Player using Microsoft's Debug Diagnostic Tool in order to capture a dump file at the exact moment when an intermittent or infrequent hang or crash occurs. Example scenarios where this is useful are when you try investigating a Web Player crash or hang, and a dump file is required for the investigation to determine a root cause.
     • See KB: 000021875 How to set up automatic dump capture from an unresponsive Web Player with Debug Diagnostic Tool.