Can I delete ServiceHub.* in Visual Studio 2017?

Question

In VS2015 there was various stuff running in the background, like \"VsHub\", etc. It connected to MS servers, and possibly leaked stuff. So the common approach was to delete tho

Answer 1

I turned off CodeLens and it instantly went down to 0%.

In VS: Tools->Options: TextEditor->AllLanguages->CodeLens

Uncheck Enable CodeLens

If you don't want to completely disable it you can try turning various things. TFS related things like Incoming changes would explain the Network activity as highlighted earlier.

Answer 2

I use Glasswire free edition* (https://www.glasswire.com/) to monitor outgoing network traffic. The free version is not 100% ideal as it only reports connections as they happen, where the paid for version has an "ask first" option, but costs $50 per pc! If you want to flog the money to buy the full version it has some firewall tools to pre-emptively block outgoing traffic, which might be good enough to give you peace of mind that VS isn't sending data off into the unknown.

Today it caught VS (d:\program files (x86)\microsoft visual studio\2017\community\common7\servicehub\hosts\servicehub.host.clr.x86\servicehub.host.clr.x86.exe) initiating traffic to cs9.wpc.v0cdn.net (v0cdn.net seems to be registered by Verizon when do a registrar lookup https://www.whois.com/whois/v0cdn.net) IP: 93.184.221.200

The best solution I could find was to add hosts file entries to block the communication and telemetry reporting. (granted, it's not a permanent fix)

Here's a list I compiled from various blogs - review it line-by-line for your own use as things like skype and windows updates might stop working due to the hosts file blocks.

# W10

0.0.0.0 cs1.wpc.v0cdn.net
0.0.0.0 df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 i1.services.social.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 pre.footprintpredict.com
0.0.0.0 reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net 
0.0.0.0 statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 telemetry.appex.bing.net
0.0.0.0 telemetry.urs.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 vortex.data.microsoft.com

# http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r30676597-Complete-Win10-blocking-host-file

#0.0.0.0 fe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
#0.0.0.0 sls.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
0.0.0.0 134.170.30.202
0.0.0.0 137.116.81.24
0.0.0.0 204.79.197.200
0.0.0.0 23.218.212.69
0.0.0.0 65.39.117.230
0.0.0.0 65.55.108.23
0.0.0.0 a-0001.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0002.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0003.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0004.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0005.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0006.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0007.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0008.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-0009.a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a-msedge.net
0.0.0.0 a.ads1.msn.com
0.0.0.0 a.ads2.msads.net
0.0.0.0 a.ads2.msn.com
0.0.0.0 a.rad.msn.com
0.0.0.0 ac3.msn.com
0.0.0.0 ad.doubleclick.net
0.0.0.0 adnexus.net
0.0.0.0 adnxs.com
0.0.0.0 ads.msn.com
0.0.0.0 ads1.msads.net
0.0.0.0 ads1.msn.com
0.0.0.0 aidps.atdmt.com
0.0.0.0 aka-cdn-ns.adtech.de
0.0.0.0 apps.skype.com
0.0.0.0 arc.msn.com
0.0.0.0 az361816.vo.msecnd.net
0.0.0.0 az512334.vo.msecnd.net
0.0.0.0 b.ads1.msn.com
0.0.0.0 b.ads2.msads.net
0.0.0.0 b.rad.msn.com
0.0.0.0 bingads.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 bs.serving-sys.com
0.0.0.0 c.atdmt.com
0.0.0.0 c.msn.com
0.0.0.0 cdn.atdmt.com
0.0.0.0 cds26.ams9.msecn.net
0.0.0.0 choice.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 choice.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 compatexchange.cloudapp.net
0.0.0.0 corp.sts.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 corpext.msitadfs.glbdns2.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 db3aqu.atdmt.com
0.0.0.0 df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 diagnostics.support.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 ec.atdmt.com
0.0.0.0 edge.quantserve.com
0.0.0.0 fe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
0.0.0.0 feedback.microsoft-hohm.com
0.0.0.0 feedback.search.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 feedback.windows.com
0.0.0.0 flex.msn.com
0.0.0.0 fpt.live-partner.com
0.0.0.0 g.msn.com
0.0.0.0 h1.msn.com
0.0.0.0 i1.services.social.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 i1.services.social.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 lb1.www.ms.akadns.net
0.0.0.0 live.rads.msn.com
0.0.0.0 m.adnxs.com
0.0.0.0 m.hotmail.com
0.0.0.0 msedge.net
0.0.0.0 msftncsi.com
0.0.0.0 msnbot-65-55-108-23.search.msn.com
0.0.0.0 msntest.serving-sys.com
0.0.0.0 oca.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 oca.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 onesettings-bn2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 onesettings-cy2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 onesettings-db5.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 onesettings-hk2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 pre.footprintpredict.com
0.0.0.0 preview.msn.com
0.0.0.0 pricelist.skype.com
0.0.0.0 rad.live.com
0.0.0.0 rad.msn.com
0.0.0.0 redir.metaservices.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 reports.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 rpt.msn.com
0.0.0.0 s.gateway.messenger.live.com
0.0.0.0 s0.2mdn.net
0.0.0.0 sO.2mdn.net
0.0.0.0 schemas.microsoft.akadns.net
0.0.0.0 secure.adnxs.com
0.0.0.0 secure.flashtalking.com
0.0.0.0 services.wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 settings-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 settings-win.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 settings.data.glbdns2.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 sls.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
0.0.0.0 sqm.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 sqm.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 ssw.live.com
0.0.0.0 static.2mdn.net
0.0.0.0 statsfe1.ws.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 statsfe2.update.microsoft.com.akadns.net
0.0.0.0 statsfe2.ws.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 survey.watson.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsat­c.net
0.0.0.0 telecommand.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 telemetry.appex.bing.net
0.0.0.0 telemetry.appex.bing.net:443
0.0.0.0 telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 telemetry.urs.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 ui.skype.com
0.0.0.0 v10.vortex-win.data.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 v10.vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 view.atdmt.com
0.0.0.0 vortex-bn2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 vortex-cy2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 vortex-db5.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 vortex-hk2.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 vortex-sandbox.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 vortex-win.data.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 vortex-win.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 vortex.data.glbdns2.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 vortex.data.metron.live.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 vortex.data.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 watson.live.com
0.0.0.0 watson.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 watson.ppe.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 watson.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 watson.telemetry.microsoft.com.nsatc.net
0.0.0.0 wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.com
0.0.0.0 wes.df.telemetry.microsoft.comne

• Disclaimer: I'm in no way affiliated or paid by Glasswire - It's just a tool I found at random and found useful over the years

Answer 3

Stumbled upon this question while looking for a similar fix myself. In my case ServiceHub.Host.CLR.x86.exe alone was consuming ~50% CPU even when Visual Studio was not running anything.

I was able to kill the process without any side effects, mid-running a project too, and was happy to note that it didn't come back up. ServiceHub.IdentityHost.exe appeared to be impervious to me trying to end the process, but it wasn't consuming any CPU.

The other processes listed above also did not consume much CPU (~0%), so I let them be.

Tl;dr: It may depend on what you're running on Visual Studio (I was running a C# project), but ServiceHub.Host.CLR.x86.exe can be killed without any side effects.