How to debug VB.NET windows service without Visual Studio

Question

I have the source code of an windows service which is written in VB.NET

I came through various methods to debug this service using development environment (Visual Studio). But the challenge is, I need to deploy it in one of our servers as other application on that server need to access it. The server doesn't contain any development or debug tools. I am not allowed to install visual studio in it.

Is there any other way to debug the windows service on this server?

My intention is to understand the method call hierarchy, as this is a very complex code and I didn't write it. It has a very complex architecture and it is not possible to track the data flow only by looking at it.

Answer 1

If the only restriction is you can't install Visual Studio, I'd suggest you get the Remote Tools for VS 2012 , which don't even need to be installed to the server, just a machine with a share accessible from the server. Then follow the instructions .