[RESOLVED] Using Namedpipes In 2008 vb .net - peek is hanging

Creating an application that uses both namedpipes and TCPIP connectivity to pass data between 2 legacy applications.
When there is actual data to pass everything works great. But when the application is looking to see if there is any data to read from the named pipe side and there is no data, the Peek hangs until there is data. Is there a problem in the way I have it coded or is there a timeout that needs to be set?

Code:

---


'
' declarations
'
    Private in_pipeName As String
    Private out_pipeName As String
    Private dwMode, cbRead As Long
    Private blnRecvPipeConnected As Boolean
    Private blnSendPipeConnected As Boolean
    Private blnRecvPortConnected As Boolean
    Private blnSendPortConnected As Boolean
    Private myTcpListener As TcpListener
    Private mySTcpListener As TcpListener
    Private myNetworkStream As NetworkStream
    Private mySocket As TcpClient
    Private mySocketSend As TcpClient
    Private SocketStream As NetworkStream
    Private ResponseStr As String = ""
    Private bArray(BUFFSIZE) As Byte
    Private sckin As Socket
    Private namedpipe_out As NamedPipeClientStream
    Private namedpipe_in As NamedPipeClientStream
    Private fSuccess As Boolean
    Public pipe_read_process As PipeStream
    Private pipe_readmode As PipeTransmissionMode
    Public pipe_write_process As PipeStream
 '
 ' main processing function
 '
 Private Sub connections()
 '
 ' connect named pipe connections to gateway
 '
        connecttopipenet()
       
        Dim pipe_write_process As New StreamWriter(namedpipe_out)
        Dim pipe_read_process As New StreamReader(namedpipe_in)

'
' connect TcpIP connections
'
        connecttotcp()

'
' main processing loop
'
        While True
            sleep(1000)

            Try
                If (blnRecvPortConnected = True) And (blnSendPipeConnected = True) And (blnRecvPipeConnected = True) And (blnSendPortConnected = True) Then
                   
                    sckin = mySocket.Client
                   
'
' check to make sure that TCPIP port is available
'
                    If sckin.Poll(1, SelectMode.SelectRead) = False Then
                       
                        RecordInfo(String.Concat("Still Connected"), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
                   
                    ElseIf sckin.Poll(1, SelectMode.SelectRead) Then
                   
                            RecordInfo(String.Concat("Lost Connected"), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
                   
                    End If
                   
                   
                    SocketStream = mySocket.GetStream()
                   
                    SocketStream.ReadTimeout = -1
                 
 
                    If SocketStream.CanRead Then
                   
                   
                            If SocketStream.DataAvailable = True Then

                            Dim RecvData As Byte() = New Byte((mySocket.ReceiveBufferSize + 1) - 1) {}
                           
                            Dim RecvBytes As Integer = SocketStream.Read(RecvData, 0, RecvData.Length)

                            Dim TranLen As Short = System.Net.IPAddress.NetworkToHostOrder(BitConverter.ToInt16(RecvData, 0))

                            ResponseStr = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(RecvData, 2, RecvBytes - 2)
                            '
                            ' determine if more to read
                            '
                            TranLen = CShort(TranLen - RecvBytes)
                           
                            If TranLen > 0 Then
                           
                                    Try
                           
                                            RecvBytes = SocketStream.Read(RecvData, 0, RecvData.Length)
                           
                                    Catch ex As Exception
                           
                                            RecordInfo("Multiple Read Failed ", EventLogEntryType.Warning, 10003)
                           
                                    End Try
                           
                                    If RecvBytes <> 0 Then
                           
                                            ResponseStr = String.Concat(ResponseStr, System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(RecvData, 0, RecvBytes))
                           
                                    End If
                           
                            End If
                         
                          RecordInfo("In: " & ResponseStr, EventLogEntryType.Warning, 10003)
                         
                          write_file("In: " & ResponseStr)

                            sendtogatewaynet(ResponseStr, RecvBytes)

                            ResponseStr = recvfromgatewaynet()

                            RecordInfo("Out: " & ResponseStr, EventLogEntryType.Warning, 10003)

                            If ResponseStr.Length > 0 Then

                                If sendtorelay(ResponseStr) = False Then
                               
                                        RecordInfo("send to relay failed ", EventLogEntryType.Warning, 10003)
                             
                              End If
                           
                            End If
                       
                        Else
                       
                                ResponseStr = recvfromgatewaynet()
                       
                                If ResponseStr <> "" Then
                       
                                RecordInfo("Out: " & ResponseStr, EventLogEntryType.Warning, 10003)
                       
                                        If ResponseStr.Length > 0 Then

                                            If sendtorelay(ResponseStr) = False Then
                       
                                                RecordInfo("send to relay failed ", EventLogEntryType.Warning, 10003)
                       
                                            End If
                       
                                        End If
                       
                                End If
                       
                        End If
                   
                    End If

                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                MessageBox.Show("Error " & ex.Message)
                Exit While
            End Try

        End While

    End Sub
   
'
' subroutine to connect to namedpipes
'
        Friend Sub connecttopipenet()
   
   
            out_pipeName = lblPipename.Text & "RP"
            in_pipeName = lblPipename.Text & "SP"
   
            If blnRecvPipeConnected = False Or blnSendPipeConnected = False Then
           
                RecordInfo(String.Concat("Registering NamedPipe: ", lblPipename.Text), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
   
                Try
               
                    namedpipe_out = New NamedPipeClientStream(".", out_pipeName, PipeDirection.Out, PipeOptions.None)
   
                    namedpipe_out.Connect()
   
                    namedpipe_in = New NamedPipeClientStream(".", in_pipeName, PipeDirection.In, PipeOptions.None)
   
                    namedpipe_in.Connect()
   
                    blnRecvPipeConnected = True
                    blnSendPipeConnected = True
   
   
                    RecordInfo(String.Concat("NamedPipe: ", lblPipename.Text, " Connected ", hpipeS, ":", hpipeR), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
                    ScreenInfo()
   
                Catch ex As Exception
                    MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
                    RecordInfo(String.Concat("NamedPipe Error: ", lblPipename.Text, " - ", ex.Message), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
                End Try
            End If
    End Sub
   
'
' subroutine to send transaction to named pipes
'
    Private Sub sendtogatewaynet(ByRef transaction As String, ByRef translength As Integer)
        Try
            Dim pipe_write_process As New StreamWriter(namedpipe_out)

            pipe_write_process.AutoFlush = True

            pipe_write_process.WriteLine(transaction)

            RecordInfo(String.Concat("Error after writefile: ", Err.LastDllError & ": " & APIErrorDescription(Err.LastDllError)), EventLogEntryType.Error, 10013)

        Catch ex As Exception
            RecordInfo(String.Concat("Send failed from namedPipe: ", out_pipeName, " - ", ex.Message), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)

        End Try

    End Sub 
 
'
' function to return data from named pipes
'
  Private Function recvfromgatewaynet() As String

        Dim rtn As Integer
        Dim returnvalue As Long = 0

        Try
            Dim enc As New System.Text.ASCIIEncoding()

            Dim pipe_read_process = New StreamReader(namedpipe_in)

            rtn = 0

            rtn = pipe_read_process.Peek()            <-------- hangs here if NO data on pipe to read.

            If pipe_read_process.Read(mygatewayrecvbuffer, 0, BUFFSIZE) = Nothing Then
           
                recvfromgatewaynet = 0
               
            End If

            recvfromgatewaynet = CStr(mygatewayrecvbuffer)

        Catch ex As Exception
            RecordInfo(String.Concat("Read failed from namedPipe: ", in_pipeName, " - ", ex.Message), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
            recvfromgatewaynet = False
        End Try


    End Function

---

Try a catch block AFTER this line, and then another for the next parts. It should exit right here:

Code:

---

  namedpipe_in.Connect()

---

Also, go back and add CODE TAGS to your code (see above). Too hard to read unstructured code.

Ok I changed the connect piece to be in a try catch block but the namedpipe_in.connect() does not fail.

Code:

---

  Public Sub connecttopipenet()


        out_pipeName = lblPipename.Text & "RP"
        in_pipeName = lblPipename.Text & "SP"

        If blnRecvPipeConnected = False Or blnSendPipeConnected = False Then
            RecordInfo(String.Concat("Registering NamedPipe: ", lblPipename.Text), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)

            Try
                namedpipe_out = New NamedPipeClientStream(".", out_pipeName, PipeDirection.Out, PipeOptions.None)

                namedpipe_out.Connect()

            Catch ex As Exception
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
                RecordInfo(String.Concat("NamedPipe Error: ", lblPipename.Text, " - ", ex.Message), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
            End Try

            Try
                namedpipe_in = New NamedPipeClientStream(".", in_pipeName, PipeDirection.In, PipeOptions.None)

                namedpipe_in.Connect()

            Catch ex As Exception
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
                RecordInfo(String.Concat("NamedPipe Error: ", lblPipename.Text, " - ", ex.Message), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
            End Try


            Try
                blnRecvPipeConnected = True
                blnSendPipeConnected = True

                RecordInfo(String.Concat("NamedPipe: ", lblPipename.Text, " Connected ", hpipeS, ":", hpipeR), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
                ScreenInfo()

            Catch ex As Exception
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
                RecordInfo(String.Concat("NamedPipe Error: ", lblPipename.Text, " - ", ex.Message), EventLogEntryType.Information, 10003)
            End Try
        End If
    End Sub

---

See if this helps:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=871044

CalledNamePipe appears to write and read to the same pipe.

In my application I need to write to 1 pipe and read from another pipe as this is the way the legacy program works.

so would need to write to something like \\.\pipe\pipeSP and read from pipe \\.\pipe\pipeRP.

Async http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vb/AsyncNamedPipes.aspx

Thanks.

Changing to Async, by specifing FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED in hpipeS = CreateFile(out_pipeName, GENERIC_WRITE, 0, sa, OPEN_EXISTING, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, FILE_FLAG_OVERLAPPED), resolved this issue.