Windows Azure storage emulator Failed to covert date time string to valid time stamp

Question

I'm a newbi of Windows Azure. I'm developing a simple asp.net FileManager Portal wich use Windows Azure storage. I haven't an account on windows azure portal, so I tried to use storage emulator. Everytime I try to run the storage using Visual Studio i have the following behaviour:

1. start compute emulator
2. start storage emulator

3. start web role, but its shell shows me this messages:

   [MonAgentHost] Error: MA EVENT: 2013-04-24T23:58:59.234Z [MonAgentHost] Error: 2 [MonAgentHost] Error: 3108 [MonAgentHost] Error: 14084 [MonAgentHost] Error: SelfMonitoring [MonAgentHost] Error: 0 [MonAgentHost] Error: 824f03af-5b9b-4ea5-84fa-6bd04de [MonAgentHost] Error: selfmon.cpp [MonAgentHost] Error: MASelfMon::GetProcCntrs [MonAgentHost] Error: 1421 [MonAgentHost] Error: ffffffffc0000bb8 [MonAgentHost] Error: 0 [MonAgentHost] Error:
   [MonAgentHost] Error: PdhAddCounter(\\Process(MonAgentHost#0)\\ID Process) failed [MonAgentHost] Error: MA EVENT: 2013-04-24T23:58:59.277Z [MonAgentHost] Error: 2 [MonAgentHost] Error: 3108 [MonAgentHost] Error: 4508 [MonAgentHost] Error: FileListener.dll [MonAgentHost] Error: 0 [MonAgentHost] Error: a4827672-7864-4b12-9994-848f8d0 [MonAgentHost] Error: filelistener.cpp [MonAgentHost] Error: FileListener::StringToTimeStamp [MonAgentHost] Error: 281 [MonAgentHost] Error: ffffffff80010003 [MonAgentHost] Error: 0 [MonAgentHost] Error:
   [MonAgentHost] Error: ERROR: Failed to covert date time string 2013-04-24T23.58.56.001Z to valid time stamp [Diagnostics]: Checking for configuration updates 24/04/2013 23.59.08.

and it loops on this errors. any suggestions? maybe it's a datetime format problem... but how can i solve it?

EDIT: this is the output of my shell

[fabric] Role Instance: deployment18(55).SafetyPlatform.SafetyPlatform.Web.0
[fabric] Role state Started
[Diagnostics]: UpdateState(Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics.DiagnosticMonitorStartupInfo, Microsoft.WindowsAzure.Diagnostics.DiagnosticMonitorConfiguration, )
[Diagnostics]: Acquired mutex
[Diagnostics] Information: C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor
[Diagnostics] Information: C:\Users\Antonio\documents\visual studio 2012\Projects\SafetyPlatform\SafetyPlatform.Azure\csx\Debug\roles\SafetyPlatform.Web\diagnostics\x64\monitor\MonAgentHost.exe -LocalPath "C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor" -StaticConfigFile "C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor\Configuration\mastaticconfig.xml" -ConfigFile "C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor\Configuration\maconfig.xml" -ShutDownEvent WADDM-ShutDown-3db0f5b65bf94bb793a6f8cebd833fe7 -InitializedEvent WADM-StartUp-3db0f5b65bf94bb793a6f8cebd833fe7 -parent 10416 -events
[MonAgentHost] Error: MA EVENT: 2013-04-25T16:47:04.167Z
[MonAgentHost] Error:     2
[MonAgentHost] Error:     4752
[MonAgentHost] Error:     11536
[MonAgentHost] Error:     SelfMonitoring
[MonAgentHost] Error:     0
[MonAgentHost] Error:     dcc23483-2ce0-4897-8675-0cb23d5
[MonAgentHost] Error:     selfmon.cpp
[MonAgentHost] Error:     MASelfMon::GetProcCntrs
[MonAgentHost] Error:     1421
[MonAgentHost] Error:     ffffffffc0000bb8
[MonAgentHost] Error:     0
[MonAgentHost] Error:     
[MonAgentHost] Error:     PdhAddCounter(\Process(MonAgentHost#0)\ID Process) failed
[Diagnostics]: Creating config channel server
[MonAgentHost] Output: Agent will exit when WADDM-ShutDown-3db0f5b65bf94bb793a6f8cebd833fe7 is signaled.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Will signal WADM-StartUp-3db0f5b65bf94bb793a6f8cebd833fe7 after the agent is initialized.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Registered as an event consumer.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Agent will exit when parent process 10416 exits.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Monitoring Agent Started
[Diagnostics]: Starting configuration channel polling
[runtime] Role entrypoint . CALLING   OnStart()
[runtime] Role entrypoint . COMPLETED OnStart()
[runtime] Role entrypoint . CALLING   Run()
[Diagnostics]: Checking for configuration updates 25/04/2013 18:48:04.
[Diagnostics]: Signalling process restart on event = WADDM-ShutDown-3db0f5b65bf94bb793a6f8cebd833fe7
[MonAgentHost] Error: MA EVENT: 2013-04-25T16:48:05.441Z
[MonAgentHost] Error:     3
[MonAgentHost] Error:     4752
[MonAgentHost] Error:     11536
[MonAgentHost] Error:     SelfMonitoring
[MonAgentHost] Error:     0
[MonAgentHost] Error:     dcc23483-2ce0-4897-8675-0cb23d5
[MonAgentHost] Error:     selfmon.cpp
[MonAgentHost] Error:     MASelfMon::StartTerminationCountdown
[MonAgentHost] Error:     1088
[MonAgentHost] Error:     10011
[MonAgentHost] Error:     0
[MonAgentHost] Error:     
[MonAgentHost] Error:     Not starting termination thread inside a client hosted monitoring agent
[MonAgentHost] Output: Exiting the monitoring agent 4752 after the shutdown event was signaled.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Monitoring Agent Stopped
[Diagnostics] Information: Diagnostic process exited with code: 0
[Diagnostics] Information: C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor
[Diagnostics] Information: C:\Users\Antonio\documents\visual studio 2012\Projects\SafetyPlatform\SafetyPlatform.Azure\csx\Debug\roles\SafetyPlatform.Web\diagnostics\x64\monitor\MonAgentHost.exe -LocalPath "C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor" -StaticConfigFile "C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor\Configuration\mastaticconfig.xml" -ConfigFile "C:\Users\Antonio\AppData\Local\dftmp\Resources\e2f7627c-4994-45f8-9faf-e6b79b9014d6\directory\DiagnosticStore\Monitor\Configuration\maconfig.xml" -ShutDownEvent WADDM-ShutDown-c5e4e166e3ca45a69d0f30d7785f20f9 -InitializedEvent WADM-StartUp-c5e4e166e3ca45a69d0f30d7785f20f9 -parent 10416 -events
[MonAgentHost] Error: MA EVENT: 2013-04-25T16:48:08.041Z
[MonAgentHost] Error:     2
[MonAgentHost] Error:     9400
[MonAgentHost] Error:     11948
[MonAgentHost] Error:     SelfMonitoring
[MonAgentHost] Error:     0
[MonAgentHost] Error:     8bc9ab18-a05b-4a5c-b054-963f010
[MonAgentHost] Error:     selfmon.cpp
[MonAgentHost] Error:     MASelfMon::GetProcCntrs
[MonAgentHost] Error:     1421
[MonAgentHost] Error:     ffffffffc0000bb8
[MonAgentHost] Error:     0
[MonAgentHost] Error:     
[MonAgentHost] Error:     PdhAddCounter(\Process(MonAgentHost#0)\ID Process) failed
[MonAgentHost] Output: Agent will exit when WADDM-ShutDown-c5e4e166e3ca45a69d0f30d7785f20f9 is signaled.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Will signal WADM-StartUp-c5e4e166e3ca45a69d0f30d7785f20f9 after the agent is initialized.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Registered as an event consumer.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Agent will exit when parent process 10416 exits.
[MonAgentHost] Output: Monitoring Agent Started
[Diagnostics]: Starting configuration channel polling

After that, it continues with diagnostics (i think this is normal)

Answer 1

I'm able to reproduce this error on my machine by changing my computer's locale to Italy. I believe you have stumbled upon a bug with compute emulator. What's happening is that compute emulator (rather diagnostics monitor agent) is not liking the default time separator ( . ) based on your locale (which is Italy).

I did find a workaround if it's acceptable to you. The workaround is to change the default time separator from . to : . I tried the same and it didn't give me the error after changing it. See the screenshot below for more details.

Hope this helps.