{"id":3493,"date":"2017-12-11T06:15:03","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T14:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/?p=3493"},"modified":"2022-05-01T22:42:58","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T05:42:58","slug":"auto-generate-crash-dump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/alwaysup\/auto-generate-crash-dump\/","title":{"rendered":"Q & A: How Can I Generate a Crash Dump Before AlwaysUp Restarts my Application?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Q<\/div>\n
\n  Occasionally the application we\u2019re running as a service stops responding, resulting in AlwaysUp restarting it. We would like to run a script prior to the restart to try to generate a crash-dump file so we can find out where the problem is<\/b>. Is that possible?<\/p>\n

— Kelly @ Sabre<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nHi Kelly. Sorry to hear of the trouble! Please follow these steps to automatically generate a crash dump whenever your application terminates:\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Download & install Microsoft’s free ProcDump utility<\/b><\/h2>\n

    ProcDump<\/a> — yet another excellent utility from the Sysinternals<\/a> team — easily creates a dump file from any running process. It is our tool of choice when exploring application crashes.<\/p>\n

    Download the ProcDump .Zip package and extract all files to a convenient location. We have placed the files in “C:\\Apps\\ProcDump” for this article.<\/p>\n

    Be sure to run ProcDump at least once and accept the Sysinternals EULA. We don’t want the utility to hang when we run it unattended as a background service!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Compose the command line to capture a crash dump when your application stops<\/b><\/h2>\n

    ProcDump features an impressive set of command line options<\/a>. Please review and identify the flags that work best for your situation.<\/p>\n

    For example, we use this command to dump the notepad.exe application whenever it stops running:<\/p>\n

    c:\\Apps\\ProcDump\\procdump.exe -t notepad<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Please ensure that this command works as expected.<\/b> Start your application, run the command and then terminate your application. Is a dump file created? Troubleshot and fix if not.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Setup your ProcDump command as a Windows Service in AlwaysUp<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Your application is running 24×7. To configure ProcDump to operate on the same schedule and capture the dump file at any time:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      \nStart AlwaysUp and select Application > Add…<\/b> to bring up the Add Application<\/b> window.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      \nOn the General tab<\/b>:\n<\/p>\n

      In the Name<\/b> field, enter a suitable name for this new service. We have used “ProcDump Notepad”.<\/p>\n

      In the Application<\/b> field, enter the full path to ProcDump.exe.<\/p>\n

      In the Arguments<\/b> field, provide the command line options you developed in step 2. Be sure to add the -w<\/b> flag, which will cause ProcDump to wait for your app to launch if necessary.<\/p>\n

      And in the Start in directory<\/b> field, enter the folder where you want the dump files to be written. (Leaving this blank will cause dump files to be created in the ProcDump folder.)<\/p>\n


      \n\"ProcDump<\/a>\n<\/li>\n

    3. \n

      \nOn the Logon<\/b> tab, specify your windows account. ProcDump should run in this account since you know it works there (and that the EULA has been accepted).\n<\/p>\n


      \n\"ProcDump<\/a>\n<\/li>\n

    4. \n

      \nClick the Save >><\/b> button to record the ProcDump service.\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    5. \n

      \nAnd finally, start your new service (from the Application menu).\n<\/p>\n

      Here is what the finished setup looks like for us, with Notepad running as a service and ProcDump monitoring it (also as a service):<\/p>\n


      \n\"ProcDump<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n

    6. \n

      Test<\/b><\/h2>\n

      Now that everything is in place, you should confirm that a crash dump will be created whenever your application stops.<\/p>\n

      Open the Task Manager and kill your application. Does a new dump file appear in the expected location? If not, please review all the steps and ensure that nothing was missed.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Best of luck debugging your program!<\/p>\n