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Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 2:09 pm
by bob
Hi!

I have been using FFAStrans with only one node so far, but now I need to add a second one. I tried enabling Farming mode, but I can no longer run it as a service. FFAStrans.exe is located on a shared network drive, and a UNC path shortcut is created on both machines' desktops. Nothing else is running on port 65445. The service is configured to run with an administrator account. What am I doing wrong?

Re: Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 5:41 pm
by FranceBB
When you open the Workflow Manager, can you check at the bottom that FFAStrans isn't running as Application?
Most often than not this message pops up when the service is running as application, for instance:
Screenshot from 2025-02-17 17-35-22.png
Screenshot from 2025-02-17 17-35-22.png (833 Bytes) Viewed 194 times
This occurs when the host is set up with the following configuration (you can check it in "Options -> Host"):
Screenshot from 2025-02-17 17-36-15.png
Screenshot from 2025-02-17 17-36-15.png (7.97 KiB) Viewed 194 times
In order for it to run as a service, the "run as application" tickbox needs to be disabled and the REST Service needs to be installed.
running_as_service.png
running_as_service.png (25.52 KiB) Viewed 194 times
If you've done everything correctly, while it's running as a service, it should look like this at the bottom in the Workflow Manager:
service.png
service.png (728 Bytes) Viewed 194 times

Re: Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2025 8:24 pm
by emcodem
hm i fear when i says "logon failure" it means exactly that, e.g. you need to change the service credentials to some user that has administrator permissions on the local machine and enter the correct passowrd (double check this part) - AND of course this user must also have write permissions to the installation UNC path of ffastrans, maybe thats actually your issue? If you did not set any credentials yet, the service is set to run as SERVICE user without permissions to your UNC share most likely.

What you can also do is to just "log in" to windows using the exact same permissions that you entered in credentials, this might help to identify the authentifiaction issue. After login to windows with that special user, you also must be able to enter the UNC Path that you used to install ffastrans service from into windows explorer - it must open without asking for username/password.

Also you might want to check if you did start the ffastrans applicatio from Full UNC path when installing the service, not from a mapped network drive.

Re: Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2025 11:52 am
by bob
Yes. In my Ffastrans "Run as applicaton" is disabled. Im logged in as the user that have the rw rights to the share, I started the Ffastrans.exe from the UNC path. Set the Log on as for the ffastrns rest api for the same user that have the rw for the share drives. FW disabled. I'm out of ideas :(

Re: Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2025 12:22 pm
by emcodem
check the windows security log maybe has more information about what exactly is rejected with the logon issue when you start the service.

EDIT: also of course you can try to equip virtually any other service with the same credentials and see if it starts for testing.

Re: Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:27 am
by bob
Found the problem in the ffastrans_service.xml the rest_service.exe path was directed still somehow to the local path not to the shared UNC path.

Re: Farming mode does not work as a service

Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2025 9:27 am
by emcodem
Well done!