Viewstate Corrupt error message after "Worker Process" recycling

Trevor Andrew

Hi There,

I have a small ASP.NET application under development. I am using VS.NET 2002
(2003 upgrade is on the way) with .NET Framework 1.1. It is hosted on a web
hosting service in the US. I am experiencing the "Viewstate corrupted" error
message on a particular page, when that page is left for a period of time
and I return to it again, and submit it again. The page in question has a
drop-down list of various RSS news feeds I am interested in, so I'll often
look at a set of news articles, read one and return to my page and choose
another RSS feed.

I have been informed by my web hosting organisation that the problem is
caused by "worker process recycling". That is, to minimise resources after a
period of inactivity, the worker process servicing requests for my web site
is
re-used.

Does this sound plausible? Many of the other explanations regarding
synchronised machine keys in machine.config files sound much more likely to
me.

Also, even if this were the case, why would the servicing of a subsequent
request by a different worker process consider the client-side persisted
viewstate to be corrupt? That's the bit I just don't understand.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Trevor Andrew

Nov 17 '05 #1

Trevor Andrew

Hi Justin,

Thanks for that ... I understand that viewstate is encoded, and the bits
that are persisted on the server side are the machine keys to perform this
encoding. But isn't that all that is persisted server side? Surely none of
the web form related viewstate data is persisted server side?

Regards,
Trevor Andrew
"S. Justin Gengo" <sj*****@aboutfortunate.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

I don't believe the entire view state is persisted. But part of the view
state is persisted server side. Let me see if I can explain this clearly...
For security reasons the view state is encoded. Part of the encoding process is kept server side and is used to compare a submitted view state with the
part kept on the server. This makes it very difficult for someone to
impersonate a page post back sending false data in the viewstate.

--
S. Justin Gengo, MCP
Web Developer

Free code library at:
www.aboutfortunate.com

"Out of chaos comes order."
Nietzche
"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:eT****************@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

Hi There,

By way of further clarification, I have been told by my web hosting company

that:

a. Viewstate IS persisted on the server, and hence this is where the

problem

arises.
b. This is only an issue with Windows 2003, which they are now running.
c. There is no way to stop ASP.NET persisting a copy of viewstate on the
server.

Not wishing to sound sceptical, but points a) and c) above really puzzle

me.

I thought that Viewstate (as opposed to session state) was most definitely

only a client side form of persistence. Can someone confirm one way or the other?

Regards,
Trevor Andrew

"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

Hi There,

I have a small ASP.NET application under development. I am using VS.NET

2002

(2003 upgrade is on the way) with .NET Framework 1.1. It is hosted on

a web

hosting service in the US. I am experiencing the "Viewstate corrupted"

error

message on a particular page, when that page is left for a period of time and I return to it again, and submit it again. The page in question

has a drop-down list of various RSS news feeds I am interested in, so I'll often look at a set of news articles, read one and return to my page and choose another RSS feed.

I have been informed by my web hosting organisation that the problem

is caused by "worker process recycling". That is, to minimise resources

after

a

period of inactivity, the worker process servicing requests for my web

site

is
re-used.

Does this sound plausible? Many of the other explanations regarding
synchronised machine keys in machine.config files sound much more likely to

me.

Also, even if this were the case, why would the servicing of a

subsequent request by a different worker process consider the client-side

persisted viewstate to be corrupt? That's the bit I just don't understand.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Trevor Andrew

Nov 17 '05 #2

S. Justin Gengo

Trevor,

Yes, I believe that is correct.

--
S. Justin Gengo, MCP
Web Developer

Free code library at:
www.aboutfortunate.com

"Out of chaos comes order."
Nietzche
"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:e%******************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hi Justin,

Thanks for that ... I understand that viewstate is encoded, and the bits
that are persisted on the server side are the machine keys to perform this
encoding. But isn't that all that is persisted server side? Surely none of
the web form related viewstate data is persisted server side?

Regards,
Trevor Andrew
"S. Justin Gengo" <sj*****@aboutfortunate.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

I don't believe the entire view state is persisted. But part of the view
state is persisted server side. Let me see if I can explain this clearly...

For security reasons the view state is encoded. Part of the encoding

process

is kept server side and is used to compare a submitted view state with the

part kept on the server. This makes it very difficult for someone to
impersonate a page post back sending false data in the viewstate.

--
S. Justin Gengo, MCP
Web Developer

Free code library at:
www.aboutfortunate.com

"Out of chaos comes order."
Nietzche
"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:eT****************@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

Hi There,

By way of further clarification, I have been told by my web hosting

company

that:

a. Viewstate IS persisted on the server, and hence this is where the

problem

arises.
b. This is only an issue with Windows 2003, which they are now running. c. There is no way to stop ASP.NET persisting a copy of viewstate on the server.

Not wishing to sound sceptical, but points a) and c) above really puzzle

me.

I thought that Viewstate (as opposed to session state) was most

definitely only a client side form of persistence. Can someone confirm one way or the other?

Regards,
Trevor Andrew

"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Hi There,
>
> I have a small ASP.NET application under development. I am using VS.NET 2002
> (2003 upgrade is on the way) with .NET Framework 1.1. It is hosted

on a web
> hosting service in the US. I am experiencing the "Viewstate

corrupted" error
> message on a particular page, when that page is left for a period of

time

> and I return to it again, and submit it again. The page in question

has

a

> drop-down list of various RSS news feeds I am interested in, so I'll

often

> look at a set of news articles, read one and return to my page and

choose

> another RSS feed.
>
> I have been informed by my web hosting organisation that the problem

is > caused by "worker process recycling". That is, to minimise resources

after

a
> period of inactivity, the worker process servicing requests for my web site
> is
> re-used.
>
> Does this sound plausible? Many of the other explanations regarding
> synchronised machine keys in machine.config files sound much more likely to
> me.
>
> Also, even if this were the case, why would the servicing of a

subsequent

> request by a different worker process consider the client-side persisted > viewstate to be corrupt? That's the bit I just don't understand.
>
> Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Regards,
> Trevor Andrew
>
>

Nov 17 '05 #3

S. Justin Gengo

Trevor,

Yes, I believe that is correct.

--
S. Justin Gengo, MCP
Web Developer

Free code library at:
www.aboutfortunate.com

"Out of chaos comes order."
Nietzche
"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:e%******************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Hi Justin,

Thanks for that ... I understand that viewstate is encoded, and the bits
that are persisted on the server side are the machine keys to perform this
encoding. But isn't that all that is persisted server side? Surely none of
the web form related viewstate data is persisted server side?

Regards,
Trevor Andrew
"S. Justin Gengo" <sj*****@aboutfortunate.com> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

I don't believe the entire view state is persisted. But part of the view
state is persisted server side. Let me see if I can explain this clearly...

For security reasons the view state is encoded. Part of the encoding

process

is kept server side and is used to compare a submitted view state with the

part kept on the server. This makes it very difficult for someone to
impersonate a page post back sending false data in the viewstate.

--
S. Justin Gengo, MCP
Web Developer

Free code library at:
www.aboutfortunate.com

"Out of chaos comes order."
Nietzche
"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:eT****************@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

Hi There,

By way of further clarification, I have been told by my web hosting

company

that:

a. Viewstate IS persisted on the server, and hence this is where the

problem

arises.
b. This is only an issue with Windows 2003, which they are now running. c. There is no way to stop ASP.NET persisting a copy of viewstate on the server.

Not wishing to sound sceptical, but points a) and c) above really puzzle

me.

I thought that Viewstate (as opposed to session state) was most

definitely only a client side form of persistence. Can someone confirm one way or the other?

Regards,
Trevor Andrew

"Trevor Andrew" <nn**@tassoc.com.au> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Hi There,
>
> I have a small ASP.NET application under development. I am using VS.NET 2002
> (2003 upgrade is on the way) with .NET Framework 1.1. It is hosted

on a web
> hosting service in the US. I am experiencing the "Viewstate

corrupted" error
> message on a particular page, when that page is left for a period of

time

> and I return to it again, and submit it again. The page in question

has

a

> drop-down list of various RSS news feeds I am interested in, so I'll

often

> look at a set of news articles, read one and return to my page and

choose

> another RSS feed.
>
> I have been informed by my web hosting organisation that the problem

is > caused by "worker process recycling". That is, to minimise resources

after

a
> period of inactivity, the worker process servicing requests for my web site
> is
> re-used.
>
> Does this sound plausible? Many of the other explanations regarding
> synchronised machine keys in machine.config files sound much more likely to
> me.
>
> Also, even if this were the case, why would the servicing of a

subsequent

> request by a different worker process consider the client-side persisted > viewstate to be corrupt? That's the bit I just don't understand.
>
> Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Regards,
> Trevor Andrew
>
>

Nov 17 '05 #4