"Search Service Host Controller" struck in "Starting" state

Errors:

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Application Error
Date:          12/30/2013 3:16:15 PM
Event ID:      1000
Task Category: (100)
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Description:
Faulting application name: hostcontrollerservice.exe, version: 15.0.4420.1017, time stamp: 0x50672c2d
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.1.7601.17965, time stamp: 0x506dcae6
Exception code: 0xe0434352
Fault offset: 0x000000000000bccd
Faulting process id: 0x1e2c
Faulting application start time: 0x01cf0543f8ebade4
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\15.0\Search\HostController\hostcontrollerservice.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\KERNELBASE.dll
Report Id: 38fba41d-7137-11e3-bb81-005056a04313
Event Xml:

 
    hostcontrollerservice.exe
    15.0.4420.1017
    50672c2d
    KERNELBASE.dll
    6.1.7601.17965
    506dcae6
    e0434352
    000000000000bccd
    1e2c
    01cf0543f8ebade4
    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\15.0\Search\HostController\hostcontrollerservice.exe
    C:\Windows\system32\KERNELBASE.dll
    38fba41d-7137-11e3-bb81-005056a04313
 

(Or)

Log Name:      Application
Source:        .NET Runtime
Date:          12/30/2013 3:16:15 PM
Event ID:      1026
Task Category: None
Level:         Error
Keywords:      Classic
User:          N/A
Computer:      XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Description:
Application: hostcontrollerservice.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.ServiceModel.CommunicationException
Stack:
   at Microsoft.Ceres.HostController.WcfServer.WcfService.StartService()
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()


 
    Application: hostcontrollerservice.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.ServiceModel.CommunicationException
Stack:
   at Microsoft.Ceres.HostController.WcfServer.WcfService.StartService()
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)
   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)
   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()


(Or)

"Search Service Host Controller" struck in "Starting" state

Reason:
You will get this error when you are trying to start the "Search Service Host Controller" or Your Search may not be started due to this service.

Solution:
This issue killed me a lot.. :(
After a long research I have found that this "Search Host Controller" will work only if some of the supporting services are running.
So make sure that the below services are up and running in the "Services.msc" console.

1. Net. Tcp Port Sharing Service
2. Net. Tcp Listener Adapter
3. Remote Registry
4. Appfabric Caching Service

Also I have changed the user name in the "C:\program Files\AppFabric 1.1 for Windows Server\DistributedCacheService.exe.config". See the screenshot below.

Previously the "account" attribute had "Local Service" and I changed to the "farm Administrator" account.
I am not sure the last step also helped me to resolve the issue.

But now the "Search Service Host Controller" is working fine and the Search crawler is started the "Full crawl"

Thats it...

Failed to connect to hosts in the cluster

Issue:

Use-CacheCluster : ErrorCode:SubStatus:Failed to connect to hosts in the cluster At line:1 char:1
+ Use-CacheCluster
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Use-CacheCluster], DataCacheException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Caching.DataCacheException,Microsoft.ApplicationServer.Caching.Commands.UseCacheClusterCommand

Reason:

You will get this error when you are running the " Use-CacheCluster" command in powershell. The reason is the "Remote Registry" service might not be running.

Solution:
1. Go to "Run" window and type "Services.msc"
2. If the "Remote Registry" service is stopped, then make it as "Automatic" and "Start" the service.

Thats it...

Cannot connect to the SharePoint site: http://MachineName:5000/sites/xyz/. Make sure that the Site URL is valid and that the current user has the necessary permissions to access the site.

Errors:

---------------------------
Microsoft Visual Studio
---------------------------
SharePoint Connection Error

Cannot connect to the SharePoint site: http://MachineName:5000/sites/dev/. Make sure that the Site URL is valid and that the current user has the necessary permissions to access the site.

Additional information:

"The remote server returned an error: (500) Internal Server Error."


(Or)

---------------------------
Microsoft Visual Studio
---------------------------
SharePoint Connection Error

Cannot connect to the SharePoint site: http://MachineName:5000/sites/dev/. Make sure that the Site URL is valid and that the current user has the necessary permissions to access the site.

Additional information:

"Cannot contact site at the specified URL http://MachineName:5000/sites/dev/."


Reason:
You might have provided entry to that SharePoint server in your "hosts" file. The "hosts" file will be under "c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc".

Solution:
1. Go to that folder and edit the "hosts" file in Notepad and remove the "mapping" for that server.
2. Reset the IIS.
3. Close and re-open the Visual Studio 2012.
4. Now create the Solution in Visual Studio and you will not see this error.

That't it....

"403 forbidden" Error when editing "Content Sources" in SharePoint 2013 to Configure the Search.

Errors:

"403 forbidden" Error when editing "Content Sources" in SharePoint 2013 to Configure the Search.

(Or)

"403 forbidden" error when adding "New Content Source" in SharePoint 2013 to Configure the Search.

(Or)

Faulting application name: hostcontrollerservice.exe, version: 15.0.4420.1017, time stamp: 0x50672c2d
Faulting module name: KERNELBASE.dll, version: 6.1.7601.17965, time stamp: 0x506dcae6
Exception code: 0xe0434352
Fault offset: 0x000000000000bccd
Faulting process id: 0xeb0
Faulting application start time: 0x01ceefdd94d681b1
Faulting application path: D:\Program Files\Microsoft Office Servers\15.0\Search\HostController\hostcontrollerservice.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Windows\system32\KERNELBASE.dll

(Or)

Application: hostcontrollerservice.exe

Framework Version: v4.0.30319

Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.

Exception Info: System.ServiceModel.CommunicationException

Stack:

   at Microsoft.Ceres.HostController.WcfServer.WcfService.StartService()

   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)

   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object, Boolean)

   at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback, System.Object)

   at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

Reason:

Microsoft only knows the actual reason. :) But the "Tasks" folder in the server does not have "Read" & "Write" access for the WSS_WPG account.

Solution:

You need to provide the Read & Write access permission to the "WSS_WPG" user in  "C:\Windows\Tasks" folder.