Hubot does not respond to Azure

[ryanwwt]

Hi,

I'm attempting to setup a connection between Azure -> EC2 -> botframework-hubot. I've managed to get a response(error 401) from hubot when sending via POSTMAN.

After setting up, the appId and appPassword in botframework, I tried to send a message to hubot via Azure but there's not response.

Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

[MatSFT]

I think we need a lot more details here. Does the azure portal report any errors?

[ryanwwt]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the reply. Azure is only showing something generic like “There was an error sending this message to your bot.”

[tom-halpin]

@mattsf I am encountering a similar issue having followed the instructions in the readme. What I think would help is a link to worked example which included a Hubot script that has the end point exposed at api/messages as I suspect the issue is being caused by something small in my interpretation of the instructions provided in said readme.md.

[MatSFT]

Here is what I did:

1. yo hubot (yeoman generator for a hubot) and choose botframework as the adapter
2. Configure a bot channel registration in azure skipping the endpoint (we don't have one yet)
3. Getting the MS App Id and Secret from Azure after registration
4. Setting the BOTBUILDER_APP_ID and BOTBUILDER_APP_PASSWORD to the correct values you got in Doesn't support Image Embeds #3
5. ./bin/hubot -a botframework should get you a bot running on port 8080
6. ngrok or some other tunneling service to expose the localhost on the internet
7. Configure azure bot channel registration to your internet accessible messaging endpoint.
8. I uncommented the first script in scripts/example.coffee (the one that responds to hearing 'badger')
9. Seems to work in azure

[mattsf]

Hello matt. I believe you have the wrong matt. Please check the source of the question carefully. Thanks. matt

…

On Jun 29, 2018, at 10:07 AM, Matt Stankiewicz ***@***.***> wrote: Here is what I did: yo hubot (yeoman generator for a hubot) and choose botframework as the adapter Configure a bot channel registration in azure skipping the endpoint (we don't have one yet) Getting the MS App Id and Secret from Azure after registration Setting the BOTBUILDER_APP_ID and BOTBUILDER_APP_PASSWORD to the correct values you got in #3 ./bin/hubot -a botframework should get you a bot running on port 8080 ngrok or some other tunneling service to expose the localhost on the internet Configure azure bot channel registration to your internet accessible messaging endpoint. I uncommented the first script in scripts/example.coffee (the one that responds to hearing 'badger') Seems to work in azure — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the thread.

[tom-halpin]

@MattSFT thanks,

followed those steps and got it working from the test feature end point that worked for me was

https://nnnnnn.ngrok.io/api/messages

[MatSFT]

@ryanwwt were you able to get yours working?

[ryanwwt]

Hi Matt,

After installing ngrok, I was able to send messages to hubot. From hubot's response, it seems like it was able to receive the message and send the reply out.

[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] DEBUG Message 'badger' matched regex //badger/i/; listener.options = { id: null }
[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] DEBUG Executing listener callback for Message 'badger'
[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-adapter: send
[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-adapter: reply
[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-middleware: creating middleware...
[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-middleware: TextMiddleware toSendable

I was not able to view the response in Azure though. Is there something that I left out?

Thanks.

[paulsancer]

@ryanwwt I think it listens but it can't reply back due to either wrong environment variables (app id and key) or some kind of network issue (like porxy, but if ngrok works it should not be a proxy issue I guess).

Also, I noticed a different behavior when using azure test chat vs using teams: sometimes you need to mention the bot's alias (ie hubot badger).

[ryanwwt]

@polkien thanks for the feedback.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I'm able to send the message over from Azure to Hubot, then I think the "wrong AppId and Key" theory should be invalid as well.

I tested with hubot badger etc, it shows the same response as above.

I did test with something that was not in the script (eg. Test) and this is what I see
[Tue Jul 03 2018 05:58:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-adapter: onBotEvents
[Tue Jul 03 2018 05:58:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-adapter: Handling activity Channel: webchat; type: message
[Tue Jul 03 2018 05:58:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-middleware: creating middleware...
[Tue Jul 03 2018 05:58:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-middleware: TextMiddleware toReceivable
[Tue Jul 03 2018 05:58:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] DEBUG No listeners executed; falling back to catch-all

[paulsancer]

The fact that Azure can post messages to your bot only means you successfully exposed your bot to internet and configured the endpoint in azure to point to it (ie https://yourRandomID.ngrok.io/api/messages), but anyone with the endpoint address could post messages to your bot even if they don't have the app id and key as far as I know.

So, Azure can talk to your bot, but for some reason your bot cannot reply back... Even when you see it trying in the logs. Which still could be due to wrong id and key. Is it showing the correct ID when it first boots?

[tom-halpin]

@ryanwwt how are you trying to reply to the room, msg.send worked for me having followed the instructions above re the setup of the Bot?

[MatSFT]

If you are getting this far:
[Tue Jul 03 2018 03:31:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)] INFO hubot-botframework-middleware: TextMiddleware toSendable

Then the bot is responding properly and you should see the response in the web chat in azure. Not sure what is failing for you =(. Anything interesting in the logs?

@polkien while anyone can technically post to your api/messages endpoint, the message coming in has a JWT token signed by AAD to verify that it came from a proper source. The botbuilder SDK (package that this adapter relies on) does this check for every message. Every response is also authorized with a JWT token that your bot retrieves from AAD for us to verify as well.

[ryanwwt]

@MattSFT I tried looking for something in the logs but can't find anything. If hubot is working fine, then the response might be stuck at EC2. Not sure what could be the issue and any help/suggestions are appreciated.

On a different note, ngrok refreshes every 8 hours, and I'll have to configure Azure's endpoint again. Is there a long-term solution for this instead of ngrok? A static address maybe?

[MatSFT]

There are long term solutions.

1. Run hubot on a public cloud such as Azure. This will give you a public web URL. This might not be an option if your hubot needs access to local resources.
2. Configure your network and firewalls to expose your local hubot on the internet.
3. Register for ngrok with a free account. This will give you a static endpoint that does not expire
4. Try an alternative to ngrok. I've enjoyed using serveo in the past.