Why is msbuild and link.exe "hanging" during a build?

Question

We have a few C++ solutions and we run some build scripts using batch files that call msbuild.exe for each of the configurations in the solutions.

This had been working fine on 3 developer machines and one build machine, but then one of the projects started to hang when linking. This only happens on the newest machine which is a quad core, 2.8ghz I think. It runs on Windows Server 2003 and the others are on XP or Vista.

This happens consistently even if I change the order of builds in the bat file.

If I run the build from the IDE on that machine it does not hang.

Any ideas about what could possibly be causing this?

I am using Visual Studio 2008.

---

Edit:

I see now that when it is hung the following are running:

• link.exe (2 instances) One with large memory usage and one with a small amount of memory usage.
• vcbuild.exe
• msbuild.exe
• vcbuildhelper.exe
• mspdbsrv.exe

---

Edit:

The exe file exists and so does the pdb file.

The exe file is locked by some process, and I can't delete it or move it. I can delete the pdb file though.

I also have the problem if I just use VCBuild.exe.

I decided to try debugging the 2 link.exe processes and the mspdbsrv.exe processes.

When I attached the debugger/MSdev IDE to them I got a message box saying that the application was deadlocked and/or that "all threads have exited".

I guess I will have to check for a service pack for that msdev install on that machine.

---

Edit:

In the debug.htm output file I get all sorts of stuff output after the link.exe command is generated.

However, for the release buildlog.htm the linke.exe line is the last line.

This is clearly a hang in the linker. Definitely a Microsoft bug.

I am now trying to figure out what the .rsp (linker response) file is.

When I issue:

link.exe @c:\\Release\RSP00000535202392.rsp /NOLOGO /ERRORREPORT:QUEUE

That is the last line in the release build log. The debug one has lots more information after that.

Reinstalling a different version of Visual Studio did not solve the problem.

I will open an issue/ticket with Microsoft. I will post an answer if I can.

Answer 1

Whole-program optimization (/GL and /LTCG) and /MP don't mix -- the linker hangs. I raised this on Connect.

The upshot is that it's a confirmed bug in VS2008; contact PSS if you want a hotfix; and the fix is included in VS2010.

If you can't wait that long, turn off /MP (slower compiles) or /LTCG (slower code).