Bizarre activity

[WolfShade]

Hello, all,

Our public facing page has recently developed some bizarre activity.

For days it will run with no issues, then it will suddenly start generating error emails stating that a CFOUTPUT tag is exceeding the allowable time limit for a few hours, THEN it will start sending emails to us indicating that a CFINCLUDEd file cannot be found (the file that was originally exceeding the allowable time limit.)

Specifically, we have a file called trans_form_new.cfm.  It is a cost estimate request form.  It CFINCLUDEs a menu from another folder.  The menu is the file that starts taking too long for a CFOUTPUT tag to complete.  After a few emails stating the CFOUTPUT tag is exceeding the allowable time, we start getting emails from trans_form_new.cfm stating that CF cannot find the /otherFolder/menu.cfm file that is clearly present.

I am not aware if the CF service (or the CF server) is being restarted during any of this.  I _am_ aware that we have recently been applying patches, updates, and hotfixes.

Any thoughts on this issue appreciated.

V/r,

^ _ ^

[Dave Watts]

I've seen similar issues when CF has too much load to handle. The CFINCLUDE location is obviously there, but CF complains about not being able to find the file. My unfounded suspicion is that there's some sort of Windows file locking issue underneath all this (I've only seen this on Windows) but like I said, it's an unfounded suspicion.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[WolfShade]

Thank you for the suggestion, Dave.  But I cannot think of any scenario whereby any file is being locked.  Although I do find it interesting that you have experienced this only on Windows servers, and not Linux.

V/r,

^ _ ^

[Dave Watts]

Well, part of that might just be because that's where I've been working. The formal name for that is, I think, the "streetlight effect".https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetlight_effect

Streetlight effect - Wikipedia

In other words, I have more customers using high-load CMSs on Windows than on Linux, and so that's where I've seen those errors.

But also, Windows file locking works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, files in Windows are locked even though there's no apparent reason for that to happen.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[WolfShade]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Dave+Watts  wrote

But also, Windows file locking works in mysterious ways. Sometimes, files in Windows are locked even though there's no apparent reason for that to happen.

One could almost hear a sitcom based around Windows, where the running gag is that whenever Windows does something stupid, everyone slaps a hand to their forehead and chimes, "Oh, Windows.. you're so goofy!" 

V/r,

^ _ ^

[Dave Watts]

In defense of Windows, I think it's an amazing OS. I am an extremely happy Windows user. Windows is powerful, and also extremely approachable. But its history, backward compatibility and nearly unlimited set of use cases mean that there's a lot of complexity under the covers and that complexity can make things confusing if you ever have to dig into it. And web servers by and large don't need all that complexity, so Linux is a better environment for them. Nowadays, people even think Linux is too complicated, so we have Docker, Kubernetes etc.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC

[WolfShade]

I'm a former PC tech, I've used Windows since Win95, and I remember all the headaches Micro$oft has caused (especially during the Y2k panic.. that was fun.  Not.)

But I've been playing around with Debian Mint, Mate desktop, and I'm loving it.  Sadly, programs/apps I use in Windows don't float in Debian, unless you install Wine, which downgrades the security.

I had issues with M$ before Win10 was released, and honestly the only thing I appreciate in Win10 is virtual desktops.  That's it.  I have no respect for anything else M$ did for Win10.  I have Win7 Ultimate on my home system, and it's tolerable.

Now that I think of it, I haven't booted up my WinXP laptop in quite a while.  Hope I can remember the password! 

V/r,

^ _ ^

[Dave Watts]

Well I'm not going to get into PC wars or anything, especially "which is better" arguments. But I've been using Windows since version 3, and if it weren't for Windows I probably would not be a web developer. I don't think if you'd given me a Linux environment twenty years ago or so, I'd have been able to figure out what I needed to do. I prefer Linux to Windows for servers in many ways now, but I still use and like Windows 10 for desktop use.

Dave Watts, Eidolon LLC