Brendan Tompkins [MVP]

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IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem

Well, IIS 6 pulled a Crystal today.  We've had this problem where content won't come out of the cache when a file is updated.  Now, usually IIS does it's thing reliably, but this time it wouldn't let go of cached files.  We could over-write the file, delete it, rename it, anything, and IIS just served up the old version.  I used FileMon from SysInternals and confirmed that no IO was happening when the files were requested. 

So, we checked everything we could think of.  ASP Caching got turned off.  Meta-tags were set to automatically disable local caching.  Re-starting the site would fix the problem, but as soon as the new file was served, it was cached, and never refreshed.

Then, customers started complaining that the files were old.  Truckers to be precise.  They rely on IIS to show them pictures of the terminal gates so that they can put down their coffee and drive into the terminal when the gates are empty.  Now, the last thing you want is a bunch of angry truckers on your hands. Something had to be done.

I say pulled a Crystal, because when I found a fix, it was random, obscure, un-documented and involved changing a registry setting, just like most Crystal fixes. Here was our fix:

It had to do with the new Kernel-Mode caching in IIS. I added the reg value, UriEnableCache and set it to 0. I found the keys that control caching on a support page from MS (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=820129).

-Brendan

Music Tip: Gotta Love the Pogues


Posted 11-07-2003 11:03 AM by Brendan Tompkins
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Comments

EP wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 05-23-2004 1:45 PM
This happens to us too on a couple of our servers.

Weirdest thing.
Steve wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 07-19-2004 6:47 AM
Hey, thanks a bunch.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of people at this company who are working their butts off to make sure that our customers get served.

I've been in Tech Support at Crystal (now Business Objects) for 2 years and there are some hard-working dedicated customer support people here.

So how about a little less name calling?

Thanks.
--Steve
Brendan Tompkins wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 07-19-2004 7:43 AM
Steve,

I cannot even BEGIN to express my dissapointment in Crystal Reports - the applications not the technical support. (BTW, I've heard only good things about the tech support.) In my opinion, it is one of the most poorly written "Enterprise" grade applications on the market. Again, this is my opinion, and has nothing to do with customer support. I would think that being intimately familiar with the product, you would understand this.
Jedi Master wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 07-19-2004 9:30 PM
I know this conversation is turning into something that has nothing to do with that beautiful IIS hack, but I doubt Crystal developers ever wanted Crystal Reports to be an "Enterprise" product.
Does the name "Crystal Enterprise" ring a bell?
:-)
Take care,
J-M
Stephen wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 07-27-2004 3:33 PM
Thanks for the tip =)

It worked well... just had to restart IIS.
vladd wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 12-08-2004 1:09 AM
Thank a lot for the tip :) It saved my life! :))
Kaleen wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 07-08-2005 4:13 AM
You saved another life! ;) Thanks
John wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 07-14-2005 8:42 AM
Thanks! problem was that people on 56k couldn't download a picture slideshow on a site we hosted.. tried everything till i found out it was server specific though various tests. did a search for image caching problems and found your blog. problem fixed.
koo9@hotmail.com wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 01-28-2006 7:08 PM
isn't that going to affect the whole web server?
' + title + ' - ' + basename(imgurl) + '(' + w + 'x' + h +') wrote ' + title + ' - ' + basename(imgurl) + '(' + w + 'x' + h +')
on 08-05-2006 10:58 AM
Spike wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 11-27-2006 11:52 AM

I am having the same issue... images are not refreshing. I'm building the path to the images dynamically in Crystal Reports XI R2 (.Net 2.0). I don't see a key for UriEnableCache at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\HTTP\Parameters though.

Does anyone else have another way to fix this?

By the way... I have to agree with Brendan as to CR's frustrations. I have come across so many issues with trying to display some CR reports on our website and have not been able to find solutions online. All I find when I do searches are more pissed off people dealing with the same problems and not finding answers. Why can't we find answers without having to pay $195 to CR Support? It's not our fault the reports have issues. We paid for the software. Why not make information available to users (for free!) so we can actually fix our problems ourselves?!?! The CR support site has had the least useful information to fix problems of any site sites I've found. It's almost like they keep these problems off the site and pretend the software doesn't have problems.

When time permits, I'll be looking for another reporting product that works(!) and has better documentation. Come on Microsoft! It would suck to re-write hundreds of reports, but it would probably take less time in the long run that dealing with these setbacks of things that just don't work right in CR.

jyoti wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 12-21-2006 2:35 AM

I am using java plugin for CR report viewer on web ... It is working ...But some time the report hungs up and could not fetch record ...when called.If i call other report it opens...and i dont know why this does not works some time. I think it is due to Caching problem...And when i restart the IIS and try to call the very same report it works... why is this happening...it is getting me mad.

It is not impossible to restart the web server every time the report hungs up isn't there any permanent remedy for this... Please! help me.. I tried to create a Batch file that cleans up the Temp but i think that is not the best solution... can u suggest me a soln for this.. It would be greatful....

Thanks.

Andy wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 02-08-2008 7:22 AM

was seeing this on an ftp site under iis6 - your fix works like a charm!

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http://girlfriend.codebetter.com/blogs/brendan.tompkins/archive/2003/11/07/3348.aspx wrote http://girlfriend.codebetter.com/blogs/brendan.tompkins/archive/2003/11/07/3348.aspx
on 03-23-2008 3:22 AM
rüya tabirleri wrote re: IIS 6 on Win 2003 Image Caching Problem
on 08-04-2008 6:17 AM

Thanks! problem was that people on 56k couldn't download a picture slideshow on a site we hosted.. tried everything till i found out it was server specific though various tests. did a search for image caching problems and found your blog. problem fixed...

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