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All of our workflows broke after installing the following Windows Updates

We resolved this issue for all of our workflows bar one, as per Microsoft’s solution - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4465015/sharepoint-workflows-stop-after-cve-2018-8421-security-update

This workflow includes a Lazy Approval step. The workflow can be approved if the workflow task is used directly for the approval. Although a Due to heavy load, the latest workflow operation has been queued. It will attempt to resume at a later time message is displayed. After a short period of time the workflow is approved and completes successfully.

The tasks hangs on pending if Lazy Approval is used to attempt to approve the workflow. The Lazy Approval is received as evidenced by the response in the Comment field of the workflow task but this never actually approves the workflow.

After the workflow has reached this point nothing is able to approve it. Attempting to approve the workflow directly via the workflow task produces the following error message.

The following actions have failed to resolve this issue:

  • terminating and restarting workflow

  • Changed the workflow’s Task List and History List to new empty lists

  • Purged 1,302 workflow instances (using Site Settings > Nintex Workflow > Purge workflow data - only targeted Completed workflows prior to 1/4/18)

The list that the workflow is running on contains less than 300 items.

The following is an extract of the Nintex related entries from our SharePoint logs that covers the time from when a form was submitted until when it was confirmed that the task had received the Lazy Approval response.

10/31/2018 11:43:32.71*               w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x0DB4 SharePoint Foundation                 General                                       90hv      Unexpected       ...User()     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.FormControls.PeoplePickerFormControl.<EditModeDataBinding>b__33(SPFieldUserValue u)     at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereSelectListIterator`2.MoveNext()     at System.Linq.Buffer`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 source)     at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToArray;TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.FormControls.PeoplePickerFormControl.EditModeDataBinding(String value)     at System.Web.UI.Control.OnDataBinding(EventArgs e)     at System.Web.UI.WebControls.CompositeControl.DataBind()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindChildren()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBind(Boolean raiseOnDataBinding)     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindChildren()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBind(Boolean raiseOnDataBinding)     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindCh...                fafe6434-09b6-464d-ab4a-8ddbcec53c4b

10/31/2018 11:43:32.72*               w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x0DB4 SharePoint Foundation                 General                                       90hv      Unexpected       ...User()     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.FormControls.PeoplePickerFormControl.<EditModeDataBinding>b__33(SPFieldUserValue u)     at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereSelectListIterator`2.MoveNext()     at System.Linq.Buffer`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 source)     at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToArray€TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.FormControls.PeoplePickerFormControl.EditModeDataBinding(String value)     at System.Web.UI.Control.OnDataBinding(EventArgs e)     at System.Web.UI.WebControls.CompositeControl.DataBind()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindChildren()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBind(Boolean raiseOnDataBinding)     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindChildren()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBind(Boolean raiseOnDataBinding)     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindCh...                fafe6434-09b6-464d-ab4a-8ddbcec53c4b

10/31/2018 11:43:32.72 w3wp.exe (0x0940)                        0x0DB4 Nintex Forms                     Front End                            0000                Unexpected       Failed to add enabled attribute. Error: Object reference not set to an instance of an object., Stack Trace    at Nintex.Forms.FormControls.BaseBindableFormControl.OnPreRender(EventArgs e)        fafe6434-09b6-464d-ab4a-8ddbcec53c4b

10/31/2018 11:43:32.75 w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x0DB4 Nintex Forms                     Front End                            0000                Unexpected       Failed to add enabled attribute. Error: Object reference not set to an instance of an object., Stack Trace    at Nintex.Forms.FormControls.BaseBindableFormControl.OnPreRender(EventArgs e)        fafe6434-09b6-464d-ab4a-8ddbcec53c4b

 

The following are other Nintex related errors from our SharePoint log outside of the timeframe mentioned above.

10/31/2018 11:26:56.22 w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x2240  Nintex Forms                     Nintex Workflow Event                         0000       Medium               Extension properties collection is null. Creating empty collection               7a702487-c2f7-4cec-b2d7-4c0cf3320c13

10/31/2018 11:32:24.89 w3wp.exe (0x100C)                       0x22B4  Nintex Forms                     Front End                            0000                Unexpected       Failed to add enabled attribute. Error: Object reference not set to an instance of an object., Stack Trace    at Nintex.Forms.FormControls.BaseBindableFormControl.OnPreRender(EventArgs e)        068c9db2-2f88-42a1-b5e2-3272b9f66bfe

10/31/2018 11:32:48.43 w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x1D0C Nintex Forms                     Feature                                0000                Unexpected       No image found in sharepoint library 'http://ourURL/_layouts/styles//SiteAssets/searchboxleftpad.bmp' to print to pdf , Actual Exception: Microsoft.SharePoint.SPException: The file or folder name contains characters that are not permitted.  Please use a different name. ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x81020073): The file or folder name contains characters that are not permitted.  Please use a different name.     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequestInternalClass.GetFileAsStream(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebRelativeUrl, Boolean bHonorLevel, Byte iLevel, OpenBinaryFlags grfob, String bstrEtagNotMatch, String& pEtagNew, String& pContentTagNew)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequest.GetFileAsStream(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebRelativeUrl, Boolean bHonorLevel...      ae2d9322-b029-4aea-b190-377ee52fc8f7

10/31/2018 11:32:48.43*               w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x1D0C Nintex Forms                     Feature                                       0000       Unexpected       ..., Byte iLevel, OpenBinaryFlags grfob, String bstrEtagNotMatch, String& pEtagNew, String& pContentTagNew)     --- End of inner exception stack trace ---     at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPGlobal.HandleComException(COMException comEx)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequest.GetFileAsStream(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebRelativeUrl, Boolean bHonorLevel, Byte iLevel, OpenBinaryFlags grfob, String bstrEtagNotMatch, String& pEtagNew, String& pContentTagNew)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFile.GetFileStreamCore(OpenBinaryFlags openOptions, String etagNotMatch, String& etagNew, String& contentTagNew)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFile.GetFileStream(OpenBinaryFlags openOptions, String etagNotMatch, String& etagNew, String& contentTagNew)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFile.OpenBinary(SPOpenBinaryOpt...       ae2d9322-b029-4aea-b190-377ee52fc8f7

10/31/2018 11:32:48.43*               w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x1D0C Nintex Forms                     Feature                                       0000       Unexpected       ...ions openOptions)     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.ApplicationPages.PrintPdf.GetImageBinaryFromSharePointLibraries(String imageUrl)                 ae2d9322-b029-4aea-b190-377ee52fc8f7

10/31/2018 11:32:48.43 w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x1D0C Nintex Forms                     Feature                                0000                High       No image found in directory 'http://ourURL/_layouts/styles//SiteAssets/searchboxleftpad.bmp' to print to pdf, , Actual Exception: System.IO.FileNotFoundException: C:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft SharedWeb Server Extensions14TEMPLATELAYOUTSstyles\SiteAssetssearchboxleftpad.bmp     at System.Drawing.Image.FromFile(String filename, Boolean useEmbeddedColorManagement)     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.ApplicationPages.PrintPdf.<>c__DisplayClass1.<GetImageFromSharePointDirectory>b__0()                 ae2d9322-b029-4aea-b190-377ee52fc8f7

10/31/2018 11:32:48.44 w3wp.exe (0x0940)                       0x1D0C Nintex Forms                     Feature                                0000                Unexpected       No image found in sharepoint library 'http://ourURL/_layouts/NintexForms/themes/base/images/animated-overlay.gif' to print to pdf , Actual Exception: Microsoft.SharePoint.SPException: Cannot open file "_layouts/NintexForms/themes/base/images/animated-overlay.gif". ---> System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException (0x81070211): Cannot open file "_layouts/NintexForms/themes/base/images/animated-overlay.gif".     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequestInternalClass.GetFileAsStream(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebRelativeUrl, Boolean bHonorLevel, Byte iLevel, OpenBinaryFlags grfob, String bstrEtagNotMatch, String& pEtagNew, String& pContentTagNew)     at Microsoft.SharePoint.Library.SPRequest.GetFileAsStream(String bstrUrl, String bstrWebRelativeUrl, Boolean bHonorLevel, Byte iLevel, OpenBin...          ae2d9322-b029-4aea-b190-377ee52fc8f7

10/31/2018 11:43:32.72*               w3wp.exe (0x0940)                        0x0DB4 SharePoint Foundation                 General                                       90hv      Unexpected       ...User()     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.FormControls.PeoplePickerFormControl.<EditModeDataBinding>b__33(SPFieldUserValue u)     at System.Linq.Enumerable.WhereSelectListIterator`2.MoveNext()     at System.Linq.Buffer`1..ctor(IEnumerable`1 source)     at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToArrayfTSource](IEnumerable`1 source)     at Nintex.Forms.SharePoint.FormControls.PeoplePickerFormControl.EditModeDataBinding(String value)     at System.Web.UI.Control.OnDataBinding(EventArgs e)     at System.Web.UI.WebControls.CompositeControl.DataBind()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindChildren()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBind(Boolean raiseOnDataBinding)     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindChildren()     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBind(Boolean raiseOnDataBinding)     at System.Web.UI.Control.DataBindCh...                fafe6434-09b6-464d-ab4a-8ddbcec53c4b

I have submitted a separate question for the entries with too many slashes like 'http://ourURL/_layouts/styles//SiteAssets/searchboxleftpad.bmp'

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

These two references suggest the following as possible solutions:

  • Increase throttle size

  • Increase batch size

  • Time out

  • Workflow Timer Interval

http://melick-rajee.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-improve-workflow-performance-in.html

https://praveenkasireddy.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/workflow-due-to-heavy-load-the-latest-workflow-operation-has-been-queued-it-will-attempt-to-resume-at-a-later-time/

I will try these options. Does anyone think that they are a bad idea?

We’re running Nintex Forms and Workflows 2010 Standard on SharePoint 2010.

We're having the same issue. Were you able to resolve it?


Hi Kathleen

Yes we were finally able to resolve this by adding one more trust that wasn't included in Microsoft's solution -

<authorizedType Assembly="System.Workflow.ComponentModel.XmlSerializers, Version=3.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=31bf3856ad364e35" Namespace="System.Workflow.*" TypeName="*" Authorized="True" />


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