Remote debugging client computer

Question

I have problematic deployment of my application on some client computer.

I really need to see what is going with my application in the run time and my logging is not sufficient.

The computer is on separate network that I don't have any connection there from my office.

Is there some tool that can record the execution of my application? At least inputs outputs of functions?

Answer 1

Your hurdle here is that the target machine is on a remote disconnected network from your own, which makes use of the Visual Studio Remote Debugger tool useless (unless you're able to open firewall ports to the target machine, or establish some kind of VPN).

Try The Remote Debugger, install a VPN client on your machine and theirs (Hamachi is a good example), then the remote debugger should function (docs on MSDN).

I'd initate normal diagnostic measures

1. What's special about this machine compared to others that could interfear with normal function.
2. Can you replicate the target environment.
3. Is a stack trace available, does it contain any usefull values.
4. Can you deploy a version to the target that has additional value logging wrapped around the broken function (log all values before hitting the code that can cause the crash).
5. Visit the site with the target envirnment, and run the remote debugger from within their network.
6. Install Visual Studio (and all your source code) on that target machine and debug from there (kind of extreme).