REST service throws an exception when first accessed

[agauch]

When accessing a map service REST endpoint the first time after a long time (several hours), it throws an exception:
Service 'xxx' of type 'MapServer' does not exist or is inaccessible.

And in the log file: Server Context creation failed on machine xxx

This error occurs in fact every morning, and then the services are working fine for the rest of the day.

This problem only occurs when the data are on an ArcSDE geodatabase. The map services based on file geodatabases or on personal geodatabases are not throwing this error.

Is there something to configure on ArcSDE for these map services to work?

Thanks.

[NickHetrick]

I have this same issue and I have not found any way around this yet. I am using a vb script to ping the services but I still am having issues. I have not seen any good solutions as well for this but this kind of a major issue I wish ESRI would address.

[RyanCoodey]

I'm having this same issue too... had it with 9.3.1 and with 10 and with 10 SP1... Sorry, I don't have any solutions but was going to post the same thing.

[RaviNarayanan]

Please see section "Check for Invalid Data Connections" in this help topic:
http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisserver/10.0/help/arcgis_server_dotnet_help/index.html#//009300000069...

[ShaningYu]

Got the same problem.  From Manager, I can see the services are started.  Also checked SDE using Catalog, and the data there are accessible.  But got this error message for all of the published map sevices.  What's the problem?