The Great Pyramid of Khufu, at Giza, Egypt consists of approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone, is 775 feet long on each side and more than 451 feet high, and took nearly thirty years for a force of 100,000 slaves to construct. Sometimes getting an instance of BizTalk Server up and running can feel just like that. However, with the right understanding it doesn’t have to.
Installing BizTalk Server 2004 itself is not terribly difficult. In fact it's pretty fast and straightforward. The setup process takes roughly 25 minutes. What can be difficult is building the platform necessary to execute the BizTalk Server runtime. This is the part that makes you feel like you are building the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
This article discusses the intricacies of integrating the software required to run BizTalk Server 2004 and how to troubleshoot the most common problems that crop up.
Key Assumption: This article assumes a single-server installation of BizTalk Server 2004 running on Windows Server 2003. Although some of the content applies specifically to a single-server installation on Windows Server 2003, most of this content can be applied to all of the supported deployments.
Understanding the Prerequisite Software
Most of us rip open a new software package, load the disk, and click furiously away at the folder structure. As soon as we find some vague hint that an .msi or .exe file is the setup program, we double-click it and never look back. Just as you blew through the folder tree and missed that one obscure file called readme.htm, you most likely skipped the planning documents that are referenced with BizTalk Server 2004. Who cares? Right?
Well, if you are a new user, that can be a mistake that can cost you hours of lost productivity. Unlike most other software, BizTalk Server is an engine built on a complex platform that requires careful planning and a general understanding of the prerequisite software prior to installing.
To troubleshoot anything, you need a basic understanding of the environment that you are going to work on. The following is a quick overview of the key software pieces that you need to understand:
Internet Information Services (IIS)
What is it?
Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) is a powerful Web server that provides a highly reliable, manageable, and scalable Web application infrastructure. IIS is optional and must be installed separately after you have installed the base operating system on your computer.
How does it affect my BizTalk Server installation?
Depending on which components of BizTalk Server you use, you will have to configure IIS to work in that environment. Here are the pieces that require IIS:
Windows SharePoint Services
Before I go any further, let me first state what it is not. Windows SharePoint Services is not SharePoint Portal Server. They are two different yet similar things.
Windows SharePoint Services is a collection of services for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 that you can use to share information, collaborate with other users on documents, and create lists and Web Part pages. SharePoint Portal Server, on the other hand, is a secure, scalable, enterprise portal server built upon Windows SharePoint Services that you can use to aggregate SharePoint sites, information, and applications in your organization into a single, easy-to-use portal. Basically, SharePoint Portal Server is one big cool application built using the Windows SharePoint Services framework.
You do not have to install Windows SharePoint Services unless you plan on using Business Activity Services (BAS). BAS is a Web application hosted within Windows SharePoint Services that allows you to interact with trading partners in a collaborative environment. It's also important to note that you could install SharePoint Portal Server 2003 instead of Windows SharePoint Services.
SQL Server 2000
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 is an enterprise-class relational database server capable of efficiently processing high volumes of critical data.
The BizTalk Server 2004 engine provides the capability to specify a business process and a mechanism for communicating between applications the business process uses. The BizTalk Server 2004 core engine uses SQL Server 2000 as the main repository for this communication mechanism. SQL Server 2000 is a required piece of the overall architecture.
When you install and configure BizTalk Server 2004, the following SQL Server databases are created:
On a single-server installation, the following Windows accounts are created locally when you install and configure BizTalk Server 2004. Items denoted with an asterisk (*) are added as SQL Server accounts:
The following SQL Server jobs are also created:
Visual Studio .NET 2003
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 provides a powerful, enterprise team development environment for rapidly building mission-critical applications that target any device and integrate with any platform.
Visual Studio .NET is important for the development process in BizTalk Server. To install the BizTalk Server 2004 development tools, you must install Visual Studio .NET 2003 on your computer. The BizTalk Server development tools are based on Visual Studio .NET 2003. Therefore, at a minimum, you must have the Visual C# .NET portion of Visual Studio .NET 2003 installed on your computer before installing BizTalk Server development tools.
You must also install the Visual Studio product documentation for BizTalk Server User Interface (F1) Help to work in the Visual Studio environment.
Additional Software
The following are some of the additional software components that may or may not be required depending on which components of BizTalk Server you are going to use.
SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services
SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services is the next generation of the OLAP Services component that shipped in SQL Server 7.0. Analysis Services is an easy-to-use, integrated, and scalable set of components that enables you to build multidimensional cubes and provide the application programs with access to the cubes. SQL Server Analysis Services is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required only if you want to use Health and Activity Tracking (HAT) or Business Activity Monitoring (BAM).
SQLXML 3.0
SQLXML enables XML support for your SQL Server database. It enables developers to bridge the gap between XML and relational data. SQLXML 3.0 is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required only if you want to use the SQL adapter.
XML Core Services
XML Core Services (formerly known as MSXML, for Microsoft Extensible Markup Language or XML) is an application for processing Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) in an XML file. XML Core Services is a required piece of software for your BizTalk Server installation.
Microsoft Office XP Tool: Web Components (OWC10)
Microsoft Office Web Components are a collection of Component Object Model (COM) controls for publishing spreadsheets, charts, and databases to the Web, and for viewing the published components on the Web. OWC10 is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required only if you want to use Health and Activity Tracking (HAT).
Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003
InfoPath 2003 can help teams and organizations efficiently gather the information they need through rich, dynamic forms. The information collected can easily be reused throughout organizations and across business processes because InfoPath 2003 supports industry-standard Extensible Markup Language (XML) using any customer-defined schema. InfoPath is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required if you plan on configuring Business Activity Services (BAS).
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Now that you have a general understanding of the major prerequisite software that forms the foundation required for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation, let's look at some of the common problems you may encounter, along with their resolutions.
The following topics will be discussed:
Troubleshooting Internet Information Services (IIS) Issues
The following is a list of the most common IIS problems you may run into when building your BizTalk Server 2004 platform.
IIS ProblemWhen you try to open a page on your server, you get the following error:
Page Cannot Be FoundHTTP 404 - File not found
Cause & ResolutionThe following are some common causes of this error message:
To resolve this problem, verify that the file requested in the browser's URL exists on the IIS computer and that it is in the correct location. See the following for more information:
248033 Common reasons IIS Server returns "HTTP 404 - File not found" errorhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=248033
The Page Cannot Be Displayed Cannot find server or DNS Error
Cause & ResolutionThere are a number of reasons that you could be encountering this. Here are the most common problems:
The most common problem occurs when you do not have your Internet Explorer connection settings configured properly. To resolve this problem, see the following article:
326155 "The Page Cannot Be Displayed" Error Message When You Try to Start Internet Explorerhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=326155
401 - Access denied
Cause & ResolutionIIS defines a number of different 401 errors that indicate a more specific cause of the error. These specific error codes are displayed in the browser:
The 401 error messages can occur for a variety of reasons. See the following article for more information:
318380 IIS Status Codeshttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=318380
IIS ProblemWhen you try to open a page on your server, you get the following error in the browser:
500 - Internal server error
Cause & ResolutionThis error message can occur for a wide variety of server-side errors. Your Event Viewer logs will contain more information about why this error occurs. Additionally, you can disable friendly HTTP error messages to receive a detailed description of the error. For additional information about how to disable friendly HTTP error messages, see the General Troubleshooting Information section in this article.
Service Unavailable
Cause & ResolutionThis occurs because the application pool hosting the Web site you are trying to view is in a stopped state. Although there are a few reasons this could happen, the most common reason for the application pool stopping is that it is configured with an identity in which the user name and/or password are no longer valid. To resolve this problem you need to ensure that the application pool identity account is accurate and that the application pool is started.
Recommended Support Articles for IIS
842493 You receive a "Service Unavailable" error message when you browse an IIS 6.0 Web page on a Windows Server 2003-based domain controllerhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=842493
Troubleshooting various issues in IIS 6.0http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=814875
Troubleshooting Windows SharePoint Services Issues
The following is a list of the most common Windows SharePoint Services problems you may run into when building your BizTalk Server 2004 platform.
Windows SharePoint Services ProblemWhen creating a content database using the SharePoint Central Administration tool, you get the following error in the browser:
Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE'
Cause & ResolutionThis issue occurs when the database owner of the database that you are connecting to is different from the application pool identity that Windows SharePoint Services is running under. To resolve this issue, you can do one of two things:
Windows SharePoint Services ProblemWhen you open the SharePoint Central Administration tool, you get the following error in the browser:
Cause & ResolutionThis occurs because the application pool hosting the Web site for the SharePoint Central Administration tool is in a stopped state. Although there are a few reasons this could happen, the most common reason for the application pool stopping is that it is configured with an identity in which the user name and/or password are no longer valid. To resolve this problem you need to ensure that the application pool identity account is accurate and that the application pool is started.
Windows SharePoint Services ProblemWhen trying to extend and create a content database, you get the following error in the browser:
Cannot connect to the configuration database
Cause & ResolutionThere are a few reasons that this can occur. The most common reason this occurs when building your BizTalk Server 2004 platform is that the account that is used by the application pool that is running the SharePoint Central Administration site does not have the required permissions to the SQL Server database. To resolve this issue, you can do one of two things:
Cause & ResolutionThis is not a Windows SharePoint Services issue, and is most likely a proxy error, IIS configuration error, or network connectivity issue. For information about how to resolve this type of problem, see the Troubleshooting Internet Information Services (IIS) Issues section of this article.
Windows SharePoint Services ProblemAfter restarting the server, you see the following error in the event logs:
The SharePoint Timer Service service failed to start
You may also see the following error when you open the SharePoint Central Administration tool:
Unable to connect to the WSS configuration database STS_Config
Cause & ResolutionThis problem generally occurs when the SharePoint Timer service fails to contact the Windows SharePoint Services database when rebooting. The SharePoint Timer service is used to send notifications and perform scheduled tasks for Windows SharePoint Services. The most common reason that the SharePoint Timer service fails to start is that the account used to run the service is configured with an identity in which the user name and/or password are no longer valid. To resolve this problem you need to ensure that the logon account for the service is accurate and that the service has been started.
Note If you are using Small Business Server, there is another possible cause that is covered in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 840685 located at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=840685.
Recommended Support Articles for Windows SharePoint Services
832769 How to configure a Windows SharePoint Services virtual serverhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=832769
833797 How to back up and restore installations of Windows SharePoint Serviceshttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=833797
823287 You receive a "Cannot connect to the configuration database" errorhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=823287
You Receive a "Service Unavailable" Error Message When You Browse a Windows SharePoint Services Web Sitehttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=823552
You receive a "Database <Database_Name> already exists" error message when you manage your Windows SharePoint Services content databasehttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=828815
Troubleshooting SQL Server Issues
The following is a list of the most common SQL Server problems you may run into when building your BizTalk Server 2004 platform.
SQL Server ProblemAfter restarting the server, you see one or both of the following errors in the event logs:
MSSQLSERVER service failed to start
SQLSERVERAGENT service failed to start
Cause & ResolutionThe most common reason that the MSSQLSERVER service fails to start is that the account used to run the service is configured with an identity in which the user name and/or password are no longer valid. To resolve this problem you need to ensure that the logon account for the service is accurate and that the service has been started.
Recommended Support Articles for SQL Server
SQL Server 2000 Frequently Asked Questions - Setuphttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=257716
SQL Server 2000 Frequently Asked Questions - Toolshttp://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?id=260512
Troubleshooting Visual Studio .NET Issues
The following is a list of the most common Visual Studio .NET problems you may run into when building your BizTalk Server 2004 platform.
Visual Studio .NET ProblemWhen trying to create an ASP.NET Web application in Visual Studio .NET 2003, you get the following error:
The Web server reported the following error when attempting to create or open the Web project located at the following URL: 'http://localhost/WebApplication1'. 'HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable'.
Cause & ResolutionThis occurs because the application pool hosting the Web site on which you are attempting to create the application is in a stopped state. Although there are a few reasons this could happen, the most common reason for the application pool stopping is that it is configured with an identity in which the user name and/or password are no longer valid. To resolve this problem you need to ensure that the application pool identity account is accurate and that the application pool is started.
The default Web access mode for this project is set to file share, but the project folder at http://localhost/WebApplication1 cannot be opened with the path 'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\WebApplication1'. The error returned was: Unable to create Web project 'WebApplication1' The file path 'c:\inetpub\wwwroot\WebApplication1' does not correspond to the URL 'http://localhost/WebApplication1'. These two need to map to the same server location. HTTP Error 404:
Cause & ResolutionThis problem most likely occurs because you are trying to create a Web application on an IIS virtual server that has been extended with Windows SharePoint Services. Once an IIS virtual server has been extended by Windows SharePoint Services, a collision occurs between the Windows SharePoint Services Internet Services API (ISAPI) filter and the approach Visual Studio .NET uses to create the Web project on the Web server. To resolve this problem, you need to use the Windows SharePoint Services Define Managed Paths tool to exclude the URL namespace that is currently being managed by Windows SharePoint Services.
Recommended Support Articles for Visual Studio .NET
319714 How to troubleshoot Visual Studio .NET installationhttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=319714
Visual Studio .NET 2003 Setup May Fail When Antivirus or Firewall Program Is Runninghttp://support.microsoft.com/?id=330733
General Troubleshooting Information
Successful troubleshooting depends on your ability to identify the source of the problem. Like anything else, it comes with practice. If you find the source, you are 90 percent of the way there. A quick way to isolate most problems associated with servers is to follow these rules:
For further information about troubleshooting specific issues related to various components of BizTalk Server 2004, see the Troubleshooting node in BizTalk Server 2004 Help.
Let's discuss a few more important items for troubleshooting. These are:
Analyzing Log Files
One of the most important aspects of effectively troubleshooting your system is the ability to read and understand various log files.
IIS Log Files
Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 offers a number of ways to record the activity of your Web sites, File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites, Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP) service, and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) service. It also allows you to choose the log file format that works best for your environment. IIS logging is designed to be more detailed than the event logging or performance monitoring features of the Windows Server 2003 operating systems.
For more information about analyzing IIS log files, see http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/IIS/6/all/techref/en-us/iisRG_LOG.mspx.
Windows SharePoint Services Log Files
Troubleshooting Windows SharePoint Services goes hand-in-hand with troubleshooting IIS issues. If you are having a problem in Windows SharePoint Services, first analyze your IIS logs, and then look into your event logs. Windows SharePoint Services also includes a usage analysis logging feature to collect and evaluate information about how a Web site is being used, such as visitor user names, number of visits to each page, and the types of Web browsers used. By default, log files for usage analysis processing are stored in the following folder, where Drive is the drive where Windows Server 2003 is installed:
Drive:\WINNT\System32\LogFiles\STS
A subfolder exists for each virtual server, and in each of these subfolders are folders that are created for each day. If you specify a different location to store log files, make sure that the STS_WPG group has Read, Write, and Update permissions to the folder.
Event Logs
The Event Viewer often contains valuable information that is critical to the troubleshooting process. When a site or a site system is experiencing a problem, always check both the Application and System event logs to determine if the problem is caused by temporary network problems, device drivers, or third-party software.
Must-Have Tools
The following tools are handy to have around when troubleshooting various issues on your server.
Filemon
Filemon monitors and displays file system activity on a system in real time. Its advanced capabilities make it a powerful tool for exploring the way Windows works, seeing how applications use the files and DLLs, or tracking down problems in system or application file configurations. Filemon is available at http://www.sysinternals.com.
Regmon
Regmon is a registry monitoring utility that shows you in real time which applications are accessing your registry, which keys they are accessing, and the registry data that they are reading and writing. Regmon is available at http://www.sysinternals.com.
Error Code Lookup Tool
The Error Code Lookup Tool helps you determine error values from decimal and hexadecimal error codes in Windows operating systems. The tool can look up one or more values at a time. It is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=BE596899-7BB8-4208-B7FC-09E02A13696C&displaylang=en.
Error Lookup Tool for BizTalk
The Error Lookup Tool for BizTalk is a tool that you can use to quickly look up error codes related to BizTalk Server 2004 from within Visual Studio .NET. Note that this is an unsupported and undocumented tool. It is available at http://www.gotdotnet.com/workspaces/releases/viewuploads.aspx?id=a537729d-7a4d-4390-b234-04e455b1447d.
Troubleshooting Tips
Here are some great tips to keep in your bag while troubleshooting your server
Additional Resources
Installation & Product Documentation
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 Installation Guidehttp://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=32FF7D19-9E25-44CE-8A8C-03E3EB5D726F&displaylang=en
Microsoft BizTalk Server Documentation Updateshttp://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/techinfo/productdoc/2004/default.asp
QuickStart Guide to Installing Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004http://blogs.msdn.com/luke/archive/2004/08/10/211966.aspx
Knowledge Base Articles
How to cluster the Enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO) service on the master secret server in BizTalk Server 2004http://support.microsoft.com/?id=884178
How to enable network DTC access in Windows Server 2003http://support.microsoft.com/?id=817064
How To Enable Network COM+ Access in Windows Server 2003http://support.microsoft.com/?id=817065
The Enterprise Single Sign-On Service and associated BizTalk Server 2004 services fail after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)http://support.microsoft.com/?id=841893