What is the correct install process to setup Node.js with Windows Azure Emulator

Question

This question is related to this question:

Node.js running under IIS Express Keeps Crashing

to which I need help with reinstalling and getting node.js up and running in windows emulator working.

Hello I am reinstalling my machine:

• Toshiha Laptop
• 2 GB Ram
• 32 bit processor

What is the correct procedure from start to finish to get node.js development working, so far nothing has worked and the emulator (IIS Express) worker processor keeps crashing. No matter how many instances they all end up crashing. Up until two weeks ago my node development was working fine, but I had to do a reinstall, and since then I haven't been doing any node.js development on windows emulator because the latest June 2012 Azure SDK for Node.js is buggy.

These are the steps I have taken:

1) Reformat HD 2) Insert Windows 7 N SP1 CD 3) Reboot machine into CD installation 4) Follow and wait until Windows 7 installed 5) Run Add/Remove programs + enable IIS + IIS management tools 6) Run Windows Update (installed about 53 updates) 7) Go here http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/nodejs/ 8) Click Windows Installer June 2012 and install Windows Azure SDK for Node.js - June 2012 9) Run Azure Powershell 10) Navigate to c:\node\testSite\webrole1 11) launch site: start-azureemulator -launch 12) Play around on website (then crash!)

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name:   iisexpress.exe
Application Version:    8.0.8298.0
Application Timestamp:  4f620349
Fault Module Name:  iiscore.dll
Fault Module Version:   8.0.8298.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 4f63b65c
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset:   00021767
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.28
Locale ID:  1033
Additional Information 1:   f66d
Additional Information 2:   f66d807b515d6b2dc6f28f66db769a01
Additional Information 3:   7b2f
Additional Information 4:   7b2f6797d07ebc2c23f2b227e779722e

Am I missing a step in my resintall process? Do I have all the required files to do node.js windows azure emulator development? Why is IIS Express crashing all the time? Can I still do node.js windows azure emulator development without using IIS Express and use my local Windows 7 N (SP1) IIS 7.x that comes shipped?

Answer 1

You should just need to install the 'Windows Azure SDK for Node.js' in web pi , this chains up all the needed pieces, including the appropriate version of the emulators and IIS Express 8 for Windows Azure.

https://github.com/WindowsAzure/azure-sdk-for-node

Answer 2

A couple of things you can do to narrow down the issue:

(1) In your service directory, navigate to local_package.csx\roles\\approot\bin and look at the contents of log.txt -> this is the log from role startup and will tell you if there are any issues with initial configuration for the role (at role configuration time, the iisnode_schema is copied and the http module is registered with iis express )

(2) in your web role directory, look at the log files in the iisnode directory, if there is any data printed to the console in your node app, it will show up here

Answer 3

To fix the problem I did this:

1) Reinstall Windows 7 N SP1
2) Run Add/Remove Programs
3) Select IIS (go through and enable all the bits)
4) Run Windows Update (53 mandatory updates)
5) Install MS Visual Studio 2012 RC Release
6) Run MS Visual Studio 2012 RC Release
7) Select New Project/Cloud
8) Click the button that says 'Install Windows Azure SDK'
9) Install Windows Azure SDK (this installs IIS Express 8.0)
10) In Web Platform Installer, select Powershell and Windows Azure SDK for Node.js - June 2012

Now IIS worker processes are no longer crashing. After analysing the situation it is probably the IIS 8.0 version that fix the problem.