Skip to main content
D
DiscoDelight
New Participant
November 25, 2014
Question

ColdFusion 11 wsconfig.exe -- Error while configuring connector for IIS.

  • November 25, 2014
  • 2 replies
  • 3496 views

I ran into a problem with my ColdFusion 11 64-bit installation/migration on a Windows Server 2012 R2/IIS 8.5.  I was following the ColdFusion 11 Lockdown Guide - Pete Freitag (very helpful) and I ran into problems on page 35 "Run the ColdFusion Web Server Configuration Tool".  When I attempted to do this for ALL IIS websites I encountered a Windows error [APPCRASH - Exception Code:c0000005].  Also, note my Administrator-Command Prompt window provided this error message "Error while configuring connector for IIS. Make sure you have administrator privileges".  However, I did not experience this error with all of the migrated sites.  I traced my steps backward to discover the problem.  I used the Microsoft Web Deployment tool (good tool) to migrate the old IIS websites to the new IIS.  I utilized Metabase Explorer the IIS 6.0 Resource Tools to discover that some of the migrated sites that were crashing did not have the key/value ID:6006 | Name: DefaultDoc.  Once I added this key and redeployed the site the ColdFusion 11 connector (wsconfig.exe) worked fine.  In addition, I added this key/value to some of the larger previously migrated sites in IIS 8.5 ("Default Document") and it worked with the connector as well. 

Knowing how IIS encapsulates information the DefaultDoc key/value should have passed from the website setting.  Why would this make wsconfig.exe crash?

Thanks in advance and I hope this saves someone from hours of research and frustration.

    2 replies

    Carl Von Stetten
    Carl Von Stetten
    Brainiac
    November 27, 2015

    Byron,

    The suggestion from @pete_freitag is still a good one.  Logging in as admin is not the same as launching a program using the Run as Administrator option.  The latter will escalate some key security settings so that programs that root around in the innards of Windows processes can run properly.  WSConfig is such a program, as it digs into the bowels of IIS.  If you haven't already done so, try running wsconfig.exe by right-clicking and selecting Run as Administrator.  This is actually the way Adobe recommends people to run WSConfig.

    -Carl V.

    B
    byron_knapp
    Known Participant
    November 28, 2015

    Thank you both Pete and Carl for taking the time.

    Out of curiosity, I went ahead and took the time to re-test. Same thing. It has nothing what-so-ever to do with the "run as admin".

    Summary (stated a bit differently than above):

    W2K3 instance with CF11-ent-64

    Uninstall Cf11 (that removes IIS CFIDE and Jakarta mappings and removes IIS isapi configurations, etc. In other words, at this step, "something" happens to the IIS xml file and that comes back to "bite us" later)

    Upgrade to W2K12 using Microsoft OS upgrade tools

    Reinstall CF11

    Run wsconfig.exe (logged in as administrator) for one of the IIS sites.

    I get the  "Error while configuring connector for IIS. Make sure you have administrator privileges".

    Run wsconfig.exe again, only this time right click and "run as admin" (using a fresh site each time so the prior failure is not a factor)

    I get the  "Error while configuring connector for IIS. Make sure you have administrator privileges".

    Go to IIS and pick yet another site. Go to the "Default Document" section and "revert to parent".

    Now, wsconfig.exe will run on that site just fine (either way, as logged in admin, or "run as admin")

    ===========

    IF on the other hand, I leave CF11 ON the server THROUGH the Microsoft OS "upgrade", THEN the wsconfig works fine after the upgrade (this clue cannot be over emphasized).

    THUS my conclusion, as stated earlier: CF is doing "something" to the W2K3 IIS  xml file when I remove CF11 on the W2K3 instance prior to the OS upgrade. That is my point, and I can repeat the experiment all day long with the same results.

    And as stated above, my workaround: after the OS is at W2K12, then I go into IIS and "revert to parent" the default docs, ISAPI filters and handler mappings (anything that can be reverted to parent just to be safe since all my IIS sites are intended to run as CF sites). THEN I reinstall CF11 on this newly upgraded W2K12 instance, and then wsconfig.exe works fine.

    Hope that helps clarify

    Byron

    B
    byron_knapp
    Known Participant
    December 27, 2015

    UPDATE: Please disregard my last post.

    After spending considerable time learning the IIS 8.5 applicationhost file that was created from my IIS-6 metabase file during the Windows upgrade that I ran, I feel that my issues with wsconfig had nothing to do with Adobe (as I already suspected) and everything to do with a badly munged metabase going into the OS conversion which resulted in garbage in the applicationhost file.

    I did not edit my last post in case someone else gets google hits. My suggestion is to avoid the OS upgrade from W3K3 all the way to W2K12 and instead do a fresh OS/IIS/CF install instead. Otherwise, you may spend a lot of time cleaning up the applicationhost file by hand, like I had to do. (Also worth noting: my IIS-6 metabase file that got converted had already been upgraded years ago from IIS-5 and has about 500 sites in it; asp, .net, static html and a few CF).

    Byron

    Carl Von Stetten
    Carl Von Stetten
    Brainiac
    November 25, 2014

    DiscoDelight,

    Have you forwarded this information directly to the ColdFusion product team?  If not, I'll try to draw their attention to it.  Only a few of them are active on these forums, so this issue might be overlooked.

    -Carl V.

    EDIT: I just pinged them on Twitter to take a look at this post.

    EDIT #2: They just pinged me back that they are looking into it.

    D
    DiscoDelightAuthor
    New Participant
    November 25, 2014

    Carl,

    Thanks for giving this topic more exposure.  To answer your question I did not forward this to the product team.  This one was a head-scratcher for me and I just want to get down to the root cause and possibly help others avoid wasting time.

    Thanks,

    Randy

    Anit_Kumar
    Community Manager
    Anit_KumarCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    November 27, 2014

    Hi Randy,

    We are looking into it and will get back to you.

    Regards,

    Anit Kumar


    Can you share the "Event Viewer logs" at cfinstal<AT>adobe<DOT>com?

    Regards,

    Anit Kumar

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices