How to: Configure and Launch the Cluster-SOA Debugger

 

The procedure in this topic describes the basic steps to configure and launch the Cluster-SOA Debugger in Visual Studio 2008 to debug services on a Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 or Windows HPC Server 2008 cluster. The Cluster-SOA Debugger settings are associated with the client application.

Important

The client application must be an HPC Cluster-SOA client project. You can create a new project using one of the HPC cluster-SOA templates, or convert an existing project. For a detailed list of requirements, see Requirements for Using the C# Cluster-SOA Debugger for Windows HPC 2008 R2 or Requirements for Using the C# Cluster-SOA Debugger for Windows HPC 2008.

Configuring and launching the Cluster-SOA Debugger

The following procedure describes how to configure and launch the Cluster-SOA Debugger.

Note

You must set a breakpoint in the service code to step through the service.

To configure and launch the Cluster-SOA Debugger

  1. In Visual Studio, open the solution that contains your HPC Cluster-SOA client project.

  2. In Solution Explorer, right-click your client application project, and then click Properties.

  3. In the properties page, click the Cluster-SOA Debug tab.

    The following screenshot illustrates the Cluster-SOA Debug properties page:

    Configure Cluster-SOA Debugger Visual Studio 2008

  4. In Select a head node, type or select the name of your head node from the drop-down list. This is the same head node that you specify in the client code.

  5. In Debug mode, select from the following options:

    • Step into a request: When you step into a service request in the client code, the remote debugger attaches to the service process that receives the request. Use this mode to debug requests with specific parameters and identical stateless services.

      Note

      To step into a request, you must set a breakpoint in the client code and use the Step Into command when you reach the line of code that creates the service request. For more precise control, select a process in the Processes window and then use the Step Into Current Process command.

    • Services on all nodes: The remote debugger attaches to the service process on each node. Use this mode when interaction between the services must be controlled to observe a bug.

    • Services on selected nodes: The remote debugger attaches to service processes on the selected nodes. Use this mode when a specific resource is held on a given cluster node and the resource interaction with the service must be controlled for a bug to be observed.

      After you select this option, select a cluster node group from the drop-down list, and then select individual nodes.

      Note

      The selected nodes must also be requested by the client when the session is created (use startInfo.RequestedNodes).

  6. By default, the services that are part of the same solution are listed under Select services to debug.

    If you are debugging against a service that is provided as a binary or that is part of another solution, use the following steps to make the service available for debugging:

    1. Click Add Service.

    2. In the Add Service dialog box, type the service name and assembly path.

    3. Click OK.

    4. The service appears in the list under Select services to debug.

  7. Under Select services to debug, select one or more services to debug. The list of files for the services that you select appear under Files of selected services.

  8. Optionally: In Deployment folder, specify the shared folder to use for staging deployment to the cluster.

  9. Optionally: In Working directory on each compute node, specify the working directory to use for execution on each compute node in the cluster.

  10. In File, click Save.

  11. Press F5 to launch the debugger.

  12. When prompted, type your password to connect to the cluster, and then click OK.

Note

For a detailed walkthrough that includes steps to create sample service and client applications, see Walkthrough: Debugging a Durable Session Client on a Windows HPC 2008 R2 Cluster or Walkthrough: Debugging an Interactive SOA Application on a Windows HPC 2008 Cluster.

See Also

Using the C# Cluster-SOA Debugger for Windows HPC 2008 R2 (Visual Studio 2008)
Using the C# Cluster-SOA Debugger for Windows HPC 2008 (Visual Studio 2008)
Configuration Properties for the Cluster-SOA Debugger
Walkthrough: Debugging an Interactive SOA Application on a Windows HPC 2008 Cluster