Microsoft Visio 2002 Resource Kit

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Chapter 11 - Corporate Error Reporting

On This Page

About Corporate Error Reporting
Install Corporate Error Reporting
Configure Policy Settings
Security of Crash Data

With Microsoft Visio 2002 SR-1, administrators can configure a central error-reporting location if Microsoft Visio 2002 SR-1 stops responding. With Corporate Error Reporting, administrators can then review the types of program failures users are experiencing most. With this information, administrators can then more readily determine how to avoid problems or create workarounds to potential program failures.

About Corporate Error Reporting

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Corporate Error Reporting enables administrators to manage a Microsoft Visio 2002 feature, which is the DW.exe crash-reporting tool. DW.exe is a feedback tool used by Microsoft technical support people to analyze and develop fixes for instances of crashes on users' computers. DW.exe ships with all editions of Microsoft Visio SR-1 and is also installed by default with Office XP. However, you can also download the tool from the Microsoft Office XP Web site.

The importance of DW.exe is that it helps increase the reliability of Microsoft Visio tools and features. When a crash is reported, the crash data Microsoft Visio support people receive helps them analyze the problem and create a repair—without forcing the user to supply hard-to-obtain information.

DW.exe starts automatically whenever a crash is detected. When Microsoft Visio crashes, it automatically shuts down. Before relevant crash data can be lost, DW.exe captures user settings related to the crash from the registry and the current memory block where the application is running. DW.exe then packages the data and any supporting files—such as the file in use at the time of the crash, templates, if needed, and any associated files in use by Microsoft Visio during the crash. Administrators can then review the crash data and submit what data they feel is relevant.

How Corporate Error Reporting works

Corporate Error Reporting allows organizations to redirect crash reports to a local file server instead of submitting the information directly to Microsoft crash-reporting servers over the Internet. When Microsoft Visio crashes, DW.exe creates a crash file, called a cabinet file. The cabinet file is saved to the local file server. When administrators feel that enough cabinet files are collected, they can review the information and submit only the crash data they think is useful to Microsoft Visio.

What Corporate Error Reporting contains

Corporate Error Reporting consists of executable files (cer.exe and cerintll.dll), a File Folder Tree registry settings, and reporting options. An administrator creates and configures the File Folder Tree to enable Corporate Error Reporting.

Crash data collected by DW.exe. is stored in buckets within the File Folder Tree. These buckets are groups of like errors submitted by users with a roll up of their systems memory, metrics of the crash, and any supporting files necessary to determine the circumstances and causes of a crash. Corporate Error Reporting allows administrators the ability to change what Microsoft has set as being necessary information for reporting a crash.

If an administrator does not want to submit documents involved in a crash, he or she can block the submission of this crash data to Microsoft by setting a policy that turns off additional data collection settings. or by changing a registry setting on a users computer that prevents additional data collection.

Redirecting a users computer

Use Corporate Error Reporting to redirect and configure a users computer for reporting crash data. You can redirect a users computer to an alternate location by setting the registry entry DWFileTreeRoot to a different drive alias or UNC.

Note   There must be a File Folder Tree at the location specified; if the File Folder Tree does not exist with the proper permissions and security, DW.exe will not write crash-reporting data to the specified location or to Microsoft.

Install Corporate Error Reporting

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The Corporate Error Reporting tool is automatically installed on your computer when you install the Office Resource Kit. If you did not install the Office Resource Kit, you can download the Corporate Error Reporting tool from the Microsoft Office XP Web site.

After installation, follow these steps to locate the tool:

  • Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Office Tools, point to Microsoft Office XP Resource Kit Tools and then click Corporate Error Reporting.

Create a File Folder Tree and configure a crash reporting server

Before DW.exe can begin reporting crash data to a local crash-reporting server, an administrator must create a File Folder Tree in which to store crash information. Use the following procedure to establish a reporting network share on a local file server.

Note   To properly configure permissions and security settings, you must create a File Folder Tree on an NTFS-formatted drive

Before you create a File Folder Tree, you must decide what server configuration to use. The following information will help:

  • You must have a network share with at least 2 GB of hard-disk space available on an NTFS-formatted drive.

  • Regardless of company size, Corporate Error Reporting will not require a lot of extra space. However, you may need more space if you choose to track more than the default number of crash files. In most cases, 2 GB will properly handle all crashes for an entire corporation.

  • If you prefer, you can create two or more crash-reporting file servers and direct different users to the one most appropriate (for example, Engineering, Accounting, Sales, etc.).

  • If you create a single crash-reporting network share, all users in the company must have access to that network share.

If the network share is not accessible to all users, you may need to create multiple crash-reporting servers. See the security settings in the table following the procedure here for what permissions to set for each folder to allow users access to the File Folder Tree.

To create a File Folder Tree 

  1. Create a folder on the drive beginning one folder below the root of the drive.

    You can give the folder any name you want, but FileFolderTree may be the easiest to remember.

  2. Share this new folder on the server, and set the permissions to Change and Read for Everyone (except administrators; set theirs to Full Control, Change, and Read).

  3. Under the folder you created and shared, create these additional child folders: Cabs, Counts, and Status.

  4. Set the security for each folder to the following:

    Folder

    For Windows 2000

    Cabs

    For Windows 2000, make sure that the check box for Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object is cleared.

    For Windows NT, make sure that the check box for Replace Permissions on Subdirectories is cleared (default) for the root or parent directory of this folder.

    Allow List Folder Contents to Everyone.

    Allow Write to Everyone.

    Counts

    For Windows 2000, make sure that the check box for Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object is cleared.

    For Windows NT, make sure that the check box for Replace Permissions on Subdirectories is cleared (default) for the root or parent directory of this folder.

    Allow Read to Everyone.

    Allow Write to Everyone.

    Status

    For Windows 2000, make sure that the check box for Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object is cleared.

    For Windows NT, make sure that the check box for Replace Permissions on Subdirectories is cleared (default) for the root or parent directory of this folder.

    Allow Read to Everyone.

    Allow List Folder Contents to Everyone.

Crash-reporting server system requirements

The administrator creates a File Folder Tree for use with Corporate Error Reporting. To create a File Folder Tree, an administrator must have administrative privileges on the server where the File Folder Tree will be created. A crash-reporting server must meet the following requirements:

  • Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a or Windows 2000

  • Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher

  • 64 MB of RAM

  • An NTFS-formatted disk drive with at least 2 to 8 GB of hard-disk space for the File Folder Tree

    The amount of disk space used by DW.exe is dependent on the number of crashes and the number of cabinet files collected, not on the number of users. If you increase the number of cabinet files collected per bucket beyond the defaults in either the Default or Selected Buckets' policy dialog boxes, DW.exe will use more disk space.

  • At least a 200-megahertz (MHz) computer (recommended) that has access to the Internet

To establish a local crash-reporting server 

  1. Install the Corporate Error Reporting tool on the server where the File Folder Tree will be stored.

  2. Create a File Folder Tree on a network share that is accessible to users who will report crashes

  3. Configure Default and Selected Buckets' Policy settings by using the Corporate Error Reporting menu options. To edit the Default and Selected Buckets Policy settings, click the Edit menu, then click Default Policy and/or Selected Buckets' Policy (Edit menu).

    The Default Policy dialog box controls the default settings for all buckets. Default policy settings are stored in the policy.txt file. The policy.txt file only appears in the root folder of the File Folder Tree.

    The Selected Bucket's Policy dialog box controls the settings for individual buckets with the status.txt file. Selected Bucket's Policy settings set for selected buckets override settings set through the Default Policy dialog box.

    Dimmed check boxes are neutral and are not enforced by policy settings. If they are either checked or unchecked (not dimmed), policy settings are enforced.

  4. Set the DWFileTreeRoot registry setting on all users' computers with the UNC or drive alias where the root folder of the File Folder Tree is located. You can do this using the Custom Installation Wizard to modify users registry settings.

Configure Policy Settings

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Both the Default and Selected Buckets' policy settings use the same policy entries. However, the effect of each is enforced at different levels of the File Folder Tree. The Default policy settings determine the default settings for the entire File Folder Tree. Setting these policies is easy and is usually all you need to begin reporting crash data in the File Folder Tree.

At some point, you may need to limit the amount of reporting and the need for secondary data (associated files in a crash), or limit whether the supporting data can be referenced for the user to work around the problem. Enabling and setting the Selected Buckets' policy settings will override the Default policy settings and allow for special handling of specific types of crashes.

Default policy settings are saved in the policy.txt file found in the root folder of the File Folder Tree.

Selected Buckets' policy settings are set in the status.txt file found in the cabs folder branch of the File Folder Tree. These settings control policy settings of the individual cab folder (or bucket) in the Bucket View of Corporate Error Reporting you had selected when you set Selected Buckets' policy settings.

Distribute policy settings

If all your organizations users are installing Microsoft Visio for the first time, you can change the following registry setting on their local computers to the file server configured for crash reporting:

HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\DWFileTreeRoot

It should be a fully qualified URL, drive alias, or UNC and path to the File Folder Tree root directory. Setting this one registry entry to a local file server is all that is needed to enable the corporate solution.

It is highly recommended that you make the root of the File Folder Tree the network share point. Or, if needed, you can add a folder path after the \\server\share.

To add a policy to enforce redirection of DW.exe 

  1. Start the System Policy Editor.

  2. Make sure the Office10.adm policy template is loaded.

    You can do this from the Options menu by choosing Policy Template, and then confirming that Office10.adm is included in the Current Policy Templates list.

  3. From the File menu, choose New Policy.

  4. Double-click the Default User profile icon.

  5. Expand the Microsoft Office XP node (click the plus [+] sign, or double-click the Microsoft Office XP text).

  6. Expand the Corporate Error Reporting node.

  7. Set the check box for the Error reporting location policy.

  8. In the Path text box, enter the UNC or drive letter plus any required path.

  9. Click OK.

In situations where you do not want to use system policies, you can force a redirection of DW.exe using the following method:

To add a registry entry to redirect DW.exe using the Custom Installation Wizard 

  1. Open the Custom Installation Wizard.

  2. In the Add/Remove Registry Entries dialog box, click Add, and add the following information to the Add/Modify Registry Entry dialog box:

    Root: HKEY_CURRENT_USER

    Data Type: REG_SZ

    Key: Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common

    Value name: DWFileTreeRoot

    Value data: UNC or URL

  3. Click OK.

  4. Continue creating the new MST file until finished.

Enforcing policy settings local to the crash-reporting server only requires setting policies in either the Policy.txt file or, specific to a given bucket, in the status.txt file. Redirecting users to the local crash-reporting file server requires the use of the System Policy Editor, which ships with the Office Resource Kit or is available with Windows NT Server 4.0 and later. Use the Office10.adm policy template and navigate to Office XP | Corporate Error Reporting | Error Reporting Location, and click the check box to select it.

When users are redirected to the local crash-reporting file server, the policy settings within the File Folder Tree are used by DW.exe to manage how crash data is reported.

Security of Crash Data

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Submitting the data from files associated with a crash increases the probability that Microsoft Visio can find a solution to your crash faster. In many cases, it is impossible to isolate a crash-causing problem without more relevant data to explain the crash. If it all possible, allow secondary data to be submitted with crash data to Microsoft Visio.

For many corporations, reporting secondary crash data is a sensitive subject, because there may be limited or proprietary data in the associated files, and because it may take extra time to send the data to Microsoft Visio. Furthermore, reporting secondary data that is proprietary can be considered grounds for termination in some corporations.

How users know if data can be uploaded

DW.exe prompts all users when a crash occurs, asking whether they want to report the crash. If secondary data is requested by DW.exe, users are asked if they are willing to upload the secondary files. If a user chooses not to upload the files, then only the core memory associated with a crash is placed in the cabinet file (along with other crash data).

Administrators also have the option of using expand.exe to open cabinet files and examine the contents prior to uploading. When crash data is reported by individuals or groups that have access to sensitive information, you might want to create a separate File Folder Tree for their reports. You can then expand each cabinet file that is submitted, and examine it for any proprietary or limited data before uploading it to Microsoft.

Registry settings for DW.exe controlled by Corporate Error Reporting

All the registry entries vital to controlling the reporting of crash data are explained in this section. Most of these entries can be overridden with the Default Policy (policy.txt) or Selected Buckets' Policy (status.txt) dialog box settings. However, some require deployment through a system policy or must be deployed to users through a transform (MST), configuration maintenance file (CMW file)UNC, or Office profile settings file (OPS file)UNC.

The local copy of DW.exe running on a user's computer uses the registry entry DWFileTreeRoot. This registry entry is set with a system policy. When DW.exe runs, it evaluates the File Folder Tree it finds listed at this location. If the location is a valid File Folder Tree, then DW.exe reports to it. If the location is not valid, DW.exe will not report a crash. For any crash-reporting system to work correctly, it is important that the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry be specified correctly.

All customized registry entries for DW.exe must be in the following registry node:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Common\<value>

These custom registry entries for DW.exe are not created when Microsoft Visio is installed on a user's computer. These settings must be created by the administrator or be present in either a Default or Selected Buckets' policy on the local crash-reporting server. The only exception to this is the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry. It must exist on a user's computer to redirect users to the local crash-reporting server.

DWFileTreeRoot registry entry

If any valid URL, drive alias, or UNC is present in the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry, DW.exe communicates with the corporate crash-reporting server instead of the Microsoft crash-reporting server. This setting must be a valid URL, drive alias, or UNC server-share combination on a local crash-reporting server where all users have write access. If the provided string is not a valid UNC path, DW.exe aborts. The specified path can also be a drive-letter alias to the network share. However, this drive letter must reference the same network and server share on all computers; otherwise, you may encounter an error if DW.exe cannot connect to the File Folder Tree.

You can set the DWFileTreeRoot registry entry with one of the following values by using either the System Policy Editor, Custom Installation Wizard, or Custom Maintenance Wizard:

Null = go to the Internet (Microsoft server
(string) = UNC to store crash information to (File Folder Tree root of local server)

DWTracking registry entry or Tracking policy

If any value is present in the DWTracking registry entry, it enables tracking of crashes to the File Folder Tree. If tracking is enabled, DW.exe writes user information for every crash to the log file crash.log. It also writes the same information to hits.log and associates each set of user data with a particular cabinet file.

You can set the DWTracking registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard or Custom Maintenance Wizard:

null = no tracking
1 (non-zero - dword) = tracking enabled

DWNoExternalURL registry entry or NoExternalURL policy

If any value is present in the DWNoExternalURL registry entry, DW.exe will not connect to the Microsoft Web site from the DW.exe response dialog box when users report a crash. Only internal URLs are displayed to users on the final response dialog box when they report a crash.

You can set the DWNoExternalURL registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, or Custom Maintenance Wizard:

null = launch the Microsoft-supplied URL found in the Response entry in the status.txt file
1 (non-zero - dword) = do not connect to the Microsoft-supplied URL

DWNoFileCollection registry entry or NoFileCollection policy

If any value is present in the DWNoFileCollection registry entry, DW.exe will not send, or prompt the user, for any files requested by the Microsoft crash-reporting server.

You can set the DWNoFileCollection registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, or Custom Maintenance Wizard:

null = prompt the user for any files requested by Microsoft Visio.
1 (non-zero - dword) = no file collection

DWNoSecondLevelCollection registry entry or NoSecondLevelCollection policy

If any value is present in the DWNoSecondLevelCollection registry entry, DW.exe will not send second-level data, or prompt the user for any supporting data, requested by Microsoft. Second-level data includes any files, file version information, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) queries, user registry settings, and current documents considered relevant to resolving the reason for the crash. These are never uploaded without explicit permission from the user.

You can set the DWNoSecondLevelCollection registry entry with one of the following values by using a Default or Selected Buckets' policy setting, the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = prompt the user for second level data
1 (non-zero - dword) = no collection (and no prompting of the user)

DWURLLaunch registry entry or URLLaunch policy

If the DWURLLaunch registry entry contains a URL (string), DW.exe provides a link pointing to the location where fixes or workaround information for a particular crash are stored. This information is posted on the final DW.exe response dialog box shown to users after they report a crash. Use this entry to redirect users to local fixes and workarounds for a particular crash.

You can set the DWURLLaunch registry entry with one of the following values by using the Custom Installation Wizard or Custom Maintenance Wizard:

null = no URL (an empty string)
(string) = URL to jump to for further information

DWNeverUpload registry entry

If the DWNeverUpload registry entry value is set to 1, DW.exe never uploads data and never prompts the user. If this is set to 0, DW.exe prompts the user before uploading.

You can set the DWNeverUpload registry entry with one of the following values by using the Custom Installation Wizard or Custom Maintenance Wizard:

0 = Prompt
1 (non-zero - dword) = Never

DWReporteeName registry entry

If the DWReporteeName registry entry value is set to empty (null), the string "Microsoft" will appear in the user interface for any messages or dialog boxes informing the user where data is being sent regarding a crash. If this value is replaced with a string value, DW.exe replaces any references to Microsoft in the data reporting messages. Specifically, if a user receives the message "Report problem to Microsoft" from DW.exe when data is being redirected to a local crash-reporting server, it is best to change this entry to the name of your server or the department that is managing crashes. For example, setting this registry entry to "corporate server \\Corp1\crashshare" changes the previous message to "Report problem to corporate server \\Corp1\crashshare."

You can set the DWReporteeName registry entry with one of the following values by using the Custom Installation Wizard, Custom Maintenance Wizard, or Profile Wizard:

null = None, defaults to "Microsoft"
(string) = substitutes "Microsoft" with the specified string within the user interface

Reporting stored crash data to Microsoft

Perhaps one of the easiest tasks to perform in Corporate Error Reporting is to report stored crashes from the File Folder Tree. However, this task can also be the most time-consuming, depending on the amount of data to report.

If you are in a large corporation, you may prefer, for large reports, to export only the selected buckets instead of the entire File Folder Tree. If you are in a small company with only a few crashes to report, it is probably safe for you to report all the buckets at once.

Quantity of reported data is the key factor in how long the process will take. It is highly recommended to begin the reporting process at the end of the day; using the evening to accomplish the upload can ensure full performance of your computer system by morning.

To report all buckets in the current File Folder Tree 

  • Select File, and then click Export Buckets.

To report only a select bucket or set of selected buckets 

  1. Press the Ctrl key and click each bucket in the Bucket View grid that you want to submit to Microsoft Visio.

  2. Select File, and then click Export Selected Buckets. 

If the Bucket ID does not exist in the File Folder Tree, DW.exe creates the following items:

  • The folder structure within the File Folder Tree to support the crash (a bucket).

The folder structure within the File Folder Tree created by DW.exe is the concatenation of <File Folder Tree Root directory>\<Application name>\<Application Version>\<Module Name>\<Module Version>\<Memory offset>.

  • A mini-dump of the memory, and then turns it into a file.

  • A collection of any registry keys, entries, documents, or related files, along with the mini-dump, into a cabinet file (cab).

  • An instance of a cabinet file in the lowest leaf for the new bucket in the Cabs folder.

  • A hits.log file in the Cabs folder.

  • An identical folder structure created for the Cabs folder under the Counts folder.

  • A count.txt file in the Counts folder.

  • An identical folder structure created for the Cabs folder under the Status folder.

  • A status.txt file in the Status folder.

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