The MARS TDS header contained errors - ASP.NET Core + EF Core 2.1.4 + Azure SQL Server

Question

I have an ASP.NET Core app [Microsoft.AspNetCore.App 2.1.4] with EF Core 2.1.4 [DbContext pooling enabled] and data stored on an Azure SQL database.

Occasinaly [once in 1-2 days] I get unrecoverable error stating System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): The incoming tabular data stream (TDS) protocol stream is incorrect. The MARS TDS header contained errors.

Once I restart the app, everything resumes working until it happens again.

Probably import to note is that I don't have MultipleActiveResultSets enabled in my connection string at all, which makes the issue even more strange.

Has anyone else noticed something similar? Are there any ways I can trace the problem?

Stack trace:

System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): The incoming tabular data stream (TDS) protocol stream is incorrect. The MARS TDS header contained errors.
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean callerHasConnectionLock, Boolean asyncClose)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.TryRun(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean& dataReady)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryConsumeMetaData()
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.get_MetaData()
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.FinishExecuteReader(SqlDataReader ds, RunBehavior runBehavior, String resetOptionsString)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReaderTds(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, Boolean async, Int32 timeout, Task& task, Boolean asyncWrite, SqlDataReader ds)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReader(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, TaskCompletionSource`1 completion, Int32 timeout, Task& task, Boolean asyncWrite, String method)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior behavior)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteDbDataReader(CommandBehavior behavior)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.Internal.RelationalCommand.Execute(IRelationalConnection connection, DbCommandMethod executeMethod, IReadOnlyDictionary`2 parameterValues)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.Internal.RelationalCommand.ExecuteReader(IRelationalConnection connection, IReadOnlyDictionary`2 parameterValues)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Query.Internal.QueryingEnumerable`1.Enumerator.BufferlessMoveNext(DbContext _, Boolean buffer)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ExecutionStrategy.ExecuteImplementation[TState,TResult](Func`3 operation, Func`3 verifySucceeded, TState state)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Storage.ExecutionStrategy.Execute[TState,TResult](TState state, Func`3 operation, Func`3 verifySucceeded)
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Query.Internal.QueryingEnumerable`1.Enumerator.MoveNext()
   at Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Query.Internal.LinqOperatorProvider.ExceptionInterceptor`1.EnumeratorExceptionInterceptor.MoveNext()
   at System.Collections.Generic.List`1.AddEnumerable(IEnumerable`1 enumerable)
   at System.Collections.Generic.List`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 collection)
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToList[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)
   at Inviton.Web.Portal.Controllers.EventListController.GetEvents(BL bl, Int32 venueId, Int32 promoterId) 
   ---snip---

Answer 1

For all the ones who are still facing this problem and ends up on this page.

There's a open issue on SqlCLient https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/issues/85

As of today is not fixed.

But there's a hackaroud which mitigate it https://github.com/dotnet/SqlClient/issues/85#issuecomment-469432914