Submitting error reports

Some server errors are difficult to reproduce and occur when either the system is overloaded or a hardware fault occurs. When ArcGIS Server crashes in this manner, it creates an error report that you can e-mail to Esri at [e-mail]. These reports help give the Esri development team insight into how to better engineer the software to avoid these errors in the future. Fixes are moved into service packs or software releases.

Where error reports are written

Error reports are written beneath the ArcGIS Server logs directory. By default, the location is C:\arcgisserver\logs\<machine name>\errorreports. The 10 most recent error reports are saved in this folder. The error reports do not contain human-readable text and are interpretable only by the Esri development team.

Determining if error reports exist

You can use ArcGIS Server Manager to determine if the GIS servers in your site have logged error report files on disk. To see if error reports exist, log in to Manager with an account that has administrative access. Click Logs > Error Reports. The Error Reports module will alert you if your site includes error reports and indicate which GIS server in your deployment logged the files.

Sending error reports

To send an error report to Esri, compose an e-mail to [e-mail] and attach the error report file. In the body or subject of the e-mail, you can optionally include your contact information and any details you want to provide about what you were doing when the crash occurred. Helpful information includes your operating system name, any reproducible steps that result in the error, and any aspects of your workflow or system environment that you think might have contributed to the error.

If you choose to include your contact information, Esri may ask you for additional information about the crash. Providing this information is optional.

Specifying the number of error reports to save

You can use Manager to specify the number of error reports to save on disk. Optionally, error reporting can be disabled. For more information, see Specifying the number of error reports to save.

Common questions about error reports

Below are some common questions regarding error reports.

Will I be contacted with a solution or status for my report?

Solutions or status updates are not sent in response to error reports. The only time you will be contacted about your report is if the Esri development team requests more information about the circumstances surrounding the error.

Should I send my error report to Esri Support?

Error reports are designed to be examined by the Esri development team through the [e-mail] e-mail address. However, if you can reproduce the error with a known set of steps, you could send those steps to Esri Support.

Can I get a hot fix for an error report?

Esri will not provide a hot fix for an error that occurs without repeatable steps. If you are encountering a fatal application error with reproducible steps, you should contact Esri Support to have the issue reviewed.