"An error occurred creating the configuration section handler for" -

Question

We're getting an odd error in our Test environment with a custom configuration section.

This is for a Windows Service running on a Enterprise Server 2008 r2 64 bit with SQL Server 2008 in both dev and test environments.

This section configures our shared code library to send email out to interested parties whenever an error is handled and published with code like this:

catch(Exception ex)
{
    ExceptionManager.Publish(ex);
}

The error specifics (full detail - names changed to preserve the innocent)

4   <configSections>
5       <section name="exceptionManagement"
6                type="Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.ExceptionManagerSectionHandler, Company.Shared" />
7   </configSections>
8   <exceptionManagement>
9       <publisher assembly="Company.Shared" type="Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.DefaultPublisher"
10                 logName="CPODSOracleDataExchange" applicationName="CPODSOracleDataExchange Service" />
11      <publisher assembly="Company.Shared" type="Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.ExceptionManagerSMTPPublisher"
12                 from="[email protected]"
13                 defaultRecipients="[email protected],[email protected]"
14                 applicationName="CPODSOracleDataExchange Service" />
15  </exceptionManagement>


1) Exception Information
*********************************************
Exception Type: System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException
Message: An error occurred creating the configuration section handler for exceptionManagement: Request failed. (E:\CITApps\Services\CPODS.OracleDataExchangeService\Company.CPODS.OracleDataExchangeService.exe.Config line 5)
BareMessage: An error occurred creating the configuration section handler for exceptionManagement: Request failed.
Filename: E:\CITApps\Services\CPODS.OracleDataExchangeService\Company.CPODS.OracleDataExchangeService.exe.Config
Line: 5
Errors: System.Configuration.ConfigurationException[]
Data: System.Collections.ListDictionaryInternal
TargetSite: System.Configuration.FactoryRecord FindAndEnsureFactoryRecord(System.String, Boolean ByRef)
HelpLink: NULL
Source: System.Configuration

StackTrace Information
*********************************************
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.FindAndEnsureFactoryRecord(String configKey, Boolean& isRootDeclaredHere)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSection(String configKey)
   at Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.ExceptionManager.Publish(Exception exception, NameValueCollection additionalInfo)

2) Exception Information
*********************************************
Exception Type: System.Security.SecurityException
Action: Demand
PermissionType: System.Security.PermissionSet
FirstPermissionThatFailed: NULL
PermissionState: <PermissionSet class="System.Security.PermissionSet"
version="1"
Unrestricted="true"/>

Demanded: <PermissionSet class="System.Security.PermissionSet"
version="1"
Unrestricted="true"/>

GrantedSet: 
RefusedSet: 
DenySetInstance: NULL
PermitOnlySetInstance: <PermissionSet class="System.Security.PermissionSet"
version="1">
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.FileDialogPermission, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"
version="1"
Access="Open"/>
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.IsolatedStorageFilePermission, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"
version="1"
Allowed="ApplicationIsolationByUser"
UserQuota="1024000"/>
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.SecurityPermission, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"
version="1"
Flags="Execution"/>
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.UIPermission, mscorlib, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089"
version="1"
Window="SafeTopLevelWindows"
Clipboard="OwnClipboard"/>
<IPermission class="System.Drawing.Printing.PrintingPermission, System.Drawing, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a"
version="1"
Level="SafePrinting"/>
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.MediaPermission, WindowsBase, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35"
version="1"
Audio="SafeAudio"
Video="SafeVideo"
Image="SafeImage"/>
<IPermission class="System.Security.Permissions.WebBrowserPermission, WindowsBase, Version=4.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35"
version="1"
Level="Safe"/>
</PermissionSet>

FailedAssemblyInfo: NULL
Method: Void InitWithRestrictedPermissions(System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord, System.Configuration.FactoryRecord)
Zone: NoZone
Url: 
Message: Request failed.
Data: System.Collections.ListDictionaryInternal
TargetSite: System.Object CreateInstance(System.RuntimeType, Boolean, Boolean, Boolean ByRef, System.RuntimeMethodHandleInternal ByRef, Boolean ByRef)
HelpLink: NULL
Source: mscorlib

StackTrace Information
*********************************************
   at System.RuntimeTypeHandle.CreateInstance(RuntimeType type, Boolean publicOnly, Boolean noCheck, Boolean& canBeCached, RuntimeMethodHandleInternal& ctor, Boolean& bNeedSecurityCheck)
   at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceSlow(Boolean publicOnly, Boolean skipCheckThis, Boolean fillCache)
   at System.RuntimeType.CreateInstanceDefaultCtor(Boolean publicOnly, Boolean skipVisibilityChecks, Boolean skipCheckThis, Boolean fillCache)
   at System.Activator.CreateInstance(Type type, Boolean nonPublic)
   at System.Configuration.TypeUtil.CreateInstanceWithReflectionPermission(Type type)
   at System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord.RuntimeConfigurationFactory.Init(RuntimeConfigurationRecord configRecord, FactoryRecord factoryRecord)
   at System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord.RuntimeConfigurationFactory.InitWithRestrictedPermissions(RuntimeConfigurationRecord configRecord, FactoryRecord factoryRecord)
   at System.Configuration.RuntimeConfigurationRecord.CreateSectionFactory(FactoryRecord factoryRecord)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.FindAndEnsureFactoryRecord(String configKey, Boolean& isRootDeclaredHere)

The configuration file section in question (with line numbers):

4   <configSections>
5       <section name="exceptionManagement"
6                type="Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.ExceptionManagerSectionHandler, Company.Shared" />
7   </configSections>
8   <exceptionManagement>
9       <publisher assembly="Company.Shared" type="Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.DefaultPublisher"
10                 logName="CPODSOracleDataExchange" applicationName="CPODSOracleDataExchange Service" />
11      <publisher assembly="Company.Shared" type="Company.Shared.ExceptionManagement.ExceptionManagerSMTPPublisher"
12                 from="[email protected]"
13                 defaultRecipients="[email protected],[email protected]"
14                 applicationName="CPODSOracleDataExchange Service" />
15  </exceptionManagement>

This exact same configuration works fine in our DEV environment. These are identical environments to the best of my knowledge, and both services are running under the same code base.

Any ideas as to what the permissions failure is? One thing we are working on doing is creating the custom log but even when we remove the default publisher which tries to write to a custom log that doesn't exist, the process still fails.

Answer 1

Turns out this was an obscure installation issue.

We uninstalled the service with the old exe, and reinstalled using 64 bit 4.0 framework and the issue went away.