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Short description:

I'm having a weird problem configuring ARR on a hyper-v guest.

I can load my DotNetNuke/ASPx sites normally, but after some time of inactivity, the pages are not loaded anymore.

It only comes back to work after I visit a default IIS site and press Ctrl + F5. That's untill I leave the Browser idle again.

Below I describe the scenario and complete description:

The scenario:

(Note: I've disabled rules and configured a "catch-all" rule, after spend days trying to figure the problem with production settings. It is simplified to this scenario, but the problem is the same.)

  • I have a d-link DSL-2750B, which is port forwarding the 80s to a reverse proxy server (Windows 2012 Std VM);

  • This reverse proxy server has ARR enabled and a URL Rewrite rule configured to redirect all calls to a Web Server (rerouting to its Farm), by using a "catch-all rule" (*), just for testing purposes;

  • In the Web Server, which is a VM too, I have 3 DotNetNuke sites and 1 default IIS web site, with default html only;

  • All these sites have no Windows Authentication. They all accept anonymous.

Long description:

The configuration above works. To make the test strong, I'm acessing the company pages using my home computer, via LogmeIn:

  • I open the my "home" Web Browser and navigate to all the sites (the 3 dnn sites and the default IIS site). All Ok.

  • Now I leave the Web Broser idle or just continue working, for random minutes.

  • Suddenly, when I try to refresh or navigate thru the sites, the pages are not loaded, and the Web Browser keeps showing the "progress icon" (on Firefox, the running green circle, right after the gray one).

  • It keeps for a long time, till the message "Connection restarted" appears.

  • It does not matter how many clicks on "refresh" button, it keeps showing the green circle. Also, closing the browser and opening new instance does not help. Eventually, after several minutes, the sites return to work.

  • Now the weird part: if I navigate the the default IIS site, and press Ctrl+F5, I can navigate normally to DNN sites!

  • All navigate well, till it eventually gets stuck again, after some minutes.

Has someone passed for this problem?

More information:

  • in the same time the "home" Web Broser is stuck, a "company" Web Browser (notice, in the same network) works normally, pointing to ARR server by using HOSTS modification).

  • if I forward the firewall straight to the Web Server (VM), everything seems working good.

  • it seems there is a reserved time to work, and a reserved time to non work. It is intermittent.

  • the only trick I found to bypass this problem is loading a default IIS website in the Web Browser.

Cesar
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1 Answers1

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Ok. After another day of tests and now involving a friend, we found the bandit: the router.

We just replaced the router with an old and good D-Link DI-624 we had as spare and everything is working good now.

Here the steps we get to find the problematic point:

  • first, we drawn in a paper the whole infrastructure the request goes from the client to the web server

  • then, we started elimination tests. Verify the problems, from the end to the start. First, test again the request walking in the whole infrastructure

  • after, we moved a website to every server and test each one:

    • from "VM Web Server" to "VM ARR Server", and test it, local and remote
    • from "VM ARR Server" to "Hyper-v Host Server" and test it, local and remote

  • for every Web Site movement, we pointed the firewall both to ARR and straight to Web Server

With these tests, we could eliminate that the errors could not be in operation system, hyper-v guests, nor ARR/Rewrite, even our network or network cards, or cables.

So, as we were doing the tests, we risked our drawing, when we reached the last link in the chain: the router.

Thats it!

Cesar
  • 111
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