Dear all,

We are having problem on job execution in visual cron server version: 5.7.5 running Window 2008 Server R2 with SP1.

We set a few jobs in visual cron to run vb6 applications. Basically, it can work and job can be completed normally, However, sometimes the job hang-up and throw below error in the log.
-2147467238, Automation errorThe server process could not be started

Do you have any idea on it?

It depends on what the code does. Especially if it fails sometimes. Please note that VisualCron is better at actually capturing errors which might be one reason why you have not seen this before.

Are you running the Task with Credentials?

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Dear support,

It run without Credentials.

p.s. the server has been un-join and re-join another AD domain

Try adding a Credential who is an admin on the machine and run it with that Credential.

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I have almost the same problems about running VB programs on windows 2008 server using Visual cron ver5.7.5 too. I have several vb programs which will call COM for pre-builted business logic and it randomly stopped from running after it was triggered by visual cron.

When I follow your suggestion and use credential for running VB program, but it FAILED again. However, if I further set the job to be run in FOREGROUND with one specific desktop session, it seems those VB programs can be ran normally so far.

Can you tell me the reason behind that?

Thanks in advance

Did you try running with a Credential (using option With profile in Execute settings and background mode)?

I have almost the same problems about running VB programs on windows 2008 server using Visual cron ver5.7.5 too. I have several vb programs which will call COM for pre-builted business logic and it randomly stopped from running after it was triggered by visual cron.

When I follow your suggestion and use credential for running VB program, but it FAILED again. However, if I further set the job to be run in FOREGROUND with one specific desktop session, it seems those VB programs can be ran normally so far.

Can you tell me the reason behind that?

Thanks in advance

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Thank for prompt reply

I did used that settings (i.e. credentials (admin right user) with profile (run with API) AND Background execution) but the problem come out again.

That's why I want to put it into FOREGROUND and try by luck to see any message come out interactively.

Please help again. Thanks

1. Is this something that can be easily reproduced?
2. Is it some code we could run from here?
3. What if you create a simple VB program and run it in the same Task with same settings - do you get same error then? The reason why I am wondering this is if this is related to the code or something else.

Thank for prompt reply

I did used that settings (i.e. credentials (admin right user) with profile (run with API) AND Background execution) but the problem come out again.

That's why I want to put it into FOREGROUND and try by luck to see any message come out interactively.

Please help again. Thanks

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Here are the reply. Thanks

1. Is this something that can be easily reproduced?

It is not easy to reproduce. I have 4 different programs running in different schedules around 20 executions per day. In the 3 days observation, only 6 executions failed but all in different programs in different schedules. Even there are two failure on the same program. but they also failed in different schedule too. Interestingly, the execution in the last failed schedule is no problem on next day.
So, I guess it is not related to program logic. More, I can rerun this visualcron successfully without any modification.

2. Is it some code we could run from here?
No, as said, need to run with COM in components services.

3. What if you create a simple VB program and run it in the same Task with same settings - do you get same error then? The reason why I am wondering this is if this is related to the code or something else.

Thank for prompt reply

I did used that settings (i.e. credentials (admin right user) with profile (run with API) AND Background execution) but the problem come out again.

That's why I want to put it into FOREGROUND and try by luck to see any message come out interactively.

Please help again. Thanks

What about the answer on 3). Thanks.

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As discussed, for trouble shooting, we wrote a simple vb program which call simple function of our COM. We executed that little program over 20 times a day and put it on the same problem server. After a couple week of testing, we have below findings

Findings
1) The problem can be found when it runs in background execution, no matter how we specify with credential with adminstrator user right or just left it as no credential. As said before, this problem come out quite irregularly but we can experience this problem only after around 35-60 executions if run it in background execution

2) When we looked at the testing code in detailed, the error is happened when it create a instance of our COM object and Exception is caught when run at below codes. Please also check the error message too.

Our Code which exception is occured :
"Set oMyVariableName = CreateObject("XXXNonTrade.NonTrade")"

Error Message from our exception handling logic in simple vb program :
"Automation error"
"The server process could not be started because the configured identity is incorrect. Check the username and password. "

3) Everytime when this problem come out, it can be fixed simply by rerun the job WITHOUT changing anything. i.e. It maybe not due to job/task configuration.

4) When we set it to run in Foreground mode, it seems no problem.

Thanks for your advice in advance

How do you handle errors - do you write to standard error or show a message box? What if you just captured all errors and wrote to standard error - maybe it works better then.

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How do you handle errors - do you write to standard error or show a message box? What if you just captured all errors and wrote to standard error - maybe it works better then.

I handled those error very properly.
In my vb program, it wrote all error and its description into a log file. That's why I can provide error messaget to you

Do you have any error description or details about this in the event viewer?

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There is no record in event viewer.

And you are sure you don't have any Messagebox calls in your application. For some reason your application crash handled or unhandled and it shows a messagebox. I do not know why you can't see the messagebox but maybe it works better on another operating system. It seems vital, in order to solve this case, to know what is in that message box.

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And you are sure you don't have any Messagebox calls in your application. For some reason your application crash handled or unhandled and it shows a messagebox. I do not know why you can't see the messagebox but maybe it works better on another operating system. It seems vital, in order to solve this case, to know what is in that message box.

It should be no message box because execption handling logic in my program has already written the error into the log file.

did U get that error message from my post yesterday?