Application Catalog Web - cannot connect to the application server

[RobC]

Our set up:

 

Management Point runs as a VM on our corp network. The database is on an SQL 2012 instance hosted on a separate VM on the same network. I am trying to deploy an Application Catalog Website / Service Point on a public facing VM. All 3 hosts are running Windows Server 2012.

 

I have confirmed that the Application Catalog Web host can contact the MP and SQL hosts on the required ports.

 

When I hit the Application Catalog URL I get the error: "cannot connect to the application server" (see screenshot).

 

I googled my butt off and found that this is normally due to dotnet WCF Activation > HTTP Activation features not being installed. I've confirmed that these are all installed as required (initially they weren't, so I thought I'd solved the problem... alas it remains).

 

I have also run the command: "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.0\Windows Communication Foundation\ServiceModelReg.exe" -i

 

I have checked over the log files (portlctl.log, awebsctl.log, smsexec.log) and there are no issues logged when a user tries to load the page.

 

I have attempted removing and re-adding the Application Catalog system roles to the host.

 

Please help, I'm losing my mind.

[Canada Jack]

You may need to enable/activate .Net 4

 

For example, on a 64-bit computer that runs the .NET Framework version 4.0.30319, run the following command:
%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.exe –i –enable

[RobC]

Thanks for the response, alas that doesn't appear to be my problem.

 

That cmdline doesn't work on 2012.

C:\Windows\system32>%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v4.0.30319\aspnet_regiis.
exe -i -enable
Microsoft (R) ASP.NET RegIIS version 4.0.30319.17929
Administration utility to install and uninstall ASP.NET on the local machine.
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.
Start installing ASP.NET (4.0.30319.17929).
This option is not supported on this version of the operating system.  Administr
ators should instead install/uninstall ASP.NET 4.5 with IIS8 using the "Turn Win
dows Features On/Off" dialog,  the Server Manager management tool, or the dism.e
xe command line tool.  For more details please see http://go.microsoft.com/fwlin
k/?LinkID=216771.
Finished installing ASP.NET (4.0.30319.17929).

But I can also confirm that IIS has ASP.NET 4.5 installed.

[RobC]

I dug up the dism cmdline to do that IIS registration, as a few google hits mentioned that even if it was installed in features it can still sometimes need a poke:

C:\Windows\system32>dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:IIS-ASPNET45

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 6.2.9200.16384

Image Version: 6.2.9200.16384

Enabling feature(s)
[===========================99.8%========================= ]
The operation completed successfully.

I restarted IIS once that was done but had the same issue.

 

I also just messed around with the App Pool settings in IIS for both the CMApplicationCatalog and CMApplicationCatalogSvc, if I switch them to use the default app pool the website throws a 500 error. The fact that my CMAppCat site actually loads the basics leads me to believe that it is failing to connect to the Management Point server.

 

I've been testing using NetMon and I can see traffic being sent back and forward between the AppCat webserver host and the MP.

 

Driving me bonkers

[RobC]

I went through the steps set out on this TechNet article to "verify the installation of the roles". Everything looked good, but then I checked the ServicePortalWebService.log file and felt like an idiot.

 

 

[7, PID:4220][07/17/2013 14:06:20] :System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: TCP Provider, error: 0 - A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond.)

at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection)

at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj)

at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Connect(ServerInfo serverInfo, SqlInternalConnectionTds connHandler, Boolean ignoreSniOpenTimeout, Int64 timerExpire, Boolean encrypt, Boolean trustServerCert, Boolean integratedSecurity, SqlConnection owningObject, Boolean withFailover)

at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.AttemptOneLogin(ServerInfo serverInfo, String newPassword, Boolean ignoreSniOpenTimeout, Int64 timerExpire, SqlConnection owningObject, Boolean withFailover)

at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnectionTds.LoginNoFailover(String host, String newPassword, Boolean redirectedUserInstance, SqlConnection owningObject, SqlConnectionString connectionOptions, Int64 timerStart)

 

So yeah, it is the connection back to the SQL host which is gumming up the works.