asked on

Application creates files on the client not the server

Hello experts:

I've inherited a C# Windows application that when it runs on a server (win 2000), it works like a charm.
During the run it creates some text files on the server drive. These files are used at the end of the run to do a bulk insert into sql.

But when I run it from a client it outputs the text files not on the server drive but on the client's drive so the application has an exception during the bulk insert because it's looking for the text files on the server drive.

Has anybody heard of this and if so what I can do so that when I run the application from the client, it outputs the text files(needed for the bulkinsert) into the server drive not the clients's.

Thanks

lancerxe

ASKER

The path is defined at the @Application.StartupPath

lancerxe

ASKER

If the @Application.StartupPath gets the path for the executable file that started the application, then that's why the text files are outputted on the server drive if the application is run from the server and are outputted on the client's drive when the application is run from the client.

How can I output the text files on the server drive when the application is run from the client's.?
I guess Application.StartupPath does not help me in this case.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

cookre

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cookre

Oops, that's 'latter', not 'former'.

lancerxe

ASKER

Thanks cookre but I have a question.
Is there a way to determine from inside the code whether aplication is running on a server or workstation?

lancerxe

ASKER

I found this VB6 code that may help me determine whether aplication is running on a server or workstation.
Am I on the right track ?

Private Declare Function GetSystemMetrics Lib "user32" (ByVal
nIndex As Long) As Long
Const SM_REMOTESESSION = &H1000

Function IsTerminalServicesSession() As Boolean
Dim b As Boolean

b = GetSystemMetrics(SM_REMOTESESSION)

IsTerminalServicesSession = b
End Function

Example:

If (IsTerminalServicesSession()) Then
' It's a Terminal Server session
Else
' It's local on the user's workstation
End If

cookre

Now, why did I suspect that was coming?

This usually depends on the organization's infrastructure.

Is there a distinguishing characteristic in computer names?

Do workstations get their IPAs via DHCP and servers static?

Do workstations/servers have services/agents that servers/workstations don't (for example W3SVC (IIS))?

If there are sufficiently few servers, one can check against the actual names (poor form).

Can they be distinguished by OS version?

Can they be distinguished by drive mappings, or lack thereof?

cookre

If every time it's run on a server is via a Terminal Services session, then yes.

lancerxe

ASKER

Thanks cookre.
I get the idea.

lancerxe

ASKER

Hello cookre:

We are almost there.

Here's what i did.

1) I use drive mapping to acces the server path. (y:\)
2) Modified the code to output to server path (y:\) if running from the client.
3) It works because the History.txt files is now created on the server (mapped drive y:\).

However during the BulkInsert step, I get this error:
Error [42000] [MS Sql Server Driver] [Sql server] Could not bulk insert because file y:\History.txt could not be opened. OS System error 3(system cannot find the path specified)

The error says the path cannot be found. But how come it found the path when History.txt was created on the mapped drivey:\.
Could this be a right issue?

cookre

I'd guess it's just a normal file not found problem.

Alas, I don't know enough about MSSQL to give a good diagnosis, but a guess might be that the mapping to y was done on one box, a path containing y: was then passed to and executed on another box - that doesn't know what y: is.

If that's the case, passing a UNC would get around the problem.

lancerxe

ASKER

Hello.
As I suspected it was a rights issue.
Everything is working