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Plesk and websites are not accessible: \?\C:\Windows\system32\inetsrv\config\applicationHost.config Error:

Samuel Figueredo
Updated
Plesk for Windows kb: technical

Applicable to:

  • Plesk for Windows

Symptoms

    • Plesk and websites are not accessible and no services are listening on the necessary ports.

    • When opening the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager on the server, the following error is shown:

      CONFIG_TEXT: Filename:
      \\?\C:Windows\system32\inetsrv\config\applicationHosts.config
      Error:

  • Attempts to repair the configuration fail:

    C:\> plesk repair web -y

    Checking web server configuration. Please wait
    Reconfiguring webmail services .................................. [FAILED]
    - websrvmng failed: Filename:
    \?\C:\Windows\system32\inetsrv\config\applicationHost.config
    Error:

    In module
    Exception type: System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException
    at Microsoft.Web.Administration.Interop.AppHostWritableAdminManager.GetAdminSection(String bstrSectionName, String bstrSectionPath)
    at Microsoft.Web.Administration.Configuration.GetSectionInternal(ConfigurationSection section, String sectionPath, String locationPath)
    at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ServerManager.ApplicationPoolsSectionCreator()
    at Microsoft.Web.Administration.Lazy.Initialize[T](T&target, CreateInstanceDelegate1 valueFactory) at Microsoft.Web.Administration.ServerManager.ApplicationPoolCollectionCreator() at Microsoft.Web.Administration.Lazy.Initialize[T](T&target, CreateInstanceDelegate1 valueFactory)
    at ServerManagerFactory.getApplicationPools()
    at ServerManagerFactory.getApplicationPool(String name)
    at IISApplicationPools.exists(IISApplicationPools* , basic_string<wchar_t,std::char_traits<wchar_t>,std::allocator<wchar_t>>* poolName)

    at existsAppPool(https-redirect)(WebServerAdapter::existsAppPool line 2937)
    at addHttpsRedirectSite()(WebServerAdapter::addHttpsRedirectSite line 4853)
    at addHttpsRedirectSite()(WebServerManager::addHttpsRedirectSite line 4776)
    at Unable to execute console command:'--add-https-redirect-site'(vconsoleapp::start line 95)
    at Unable to execute command: '"C:\Program Files (x86)\Plesk\admin\bin64\websrvmng" --add-https-redirect-site'(vconsoleapp::run line 117)
    (Error code 1)

Cause

IIS is not operating due to the corruption of the C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\Config\applicationHost.config file.

Resolution

  1. Connect to the server via RDP.

  2. Rename the file C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\Config\applicationHost.config.

  3. Copy the latest backup of the applicationHost.config file from the directory C:\inetpub\history\CFGHISTORY_XXXXXXXXXX to C:\Windows\System32\inetsrv\Config directory.

    Note: Windows saves a backup history of the IIS configuration files in the C:\inetpub\history folder. If restoration of the latest backup of the applicationHost.config file does not help to solve the issue, restore the older one.

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Comments

2 comments
Date Votes
  • Avatar
    Sergio Santamaria

    Hi
    This situation initially occurred in one instance, we migrated to a new machine, and it occurred again, we migrated again to another instance, and it occurred again. We've done everything possible.
    Caminoweb.

    0
  • Avatar
    vishal verma

    this is very disastorus plesk issue and they not give the solution of applicationHost.config , it not able to copy from inetpub history 

    0

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