Are you positive this is a web config issue? You yourself say you don't know
what is being returned.

When you resave web.config, this restarts the web app - thus your problem
goes away. It is possible that the problem is due to something else, but
restarting the app elminates it.

"MLS" <mls@bitstream.net> wrote in message
news:fd3eb670.0308120737.1750fc42@posting.google.c om...
> I have a web application, in this case a web service, that is running
> on Windows 2000, SP4 with the .NET 1.1 framework.
>
> Within the root folder of the application is my web.config, with
> several appSetting key/values.
>
> Periodically, the application will stop returning valid values from
> the web.config. I believe it to be returning something, probably a
> blank value, because the code doesn't seem to error when the value is
> returned. However, without a correct value, my application will error
> (gracefully in most cases).
>
> When this read error occurs, I can consistently reproduce the failure
> from multiple web clients, both local and remote.
>
> Once I determine this is the problem, the quickest way to clean up the
> problem is to open the web.config, and save it with no changes (thus
> changing the file date). Afterwards the application works perfectly
> again.
>
> Under current load, the application takes several days to a week
> before the issue manifests itself again.
>
> Does anybody have any thoughts?