KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub
Q176517: SMS: Troubleshooting Inventory MIF Backlog Problems

Article: Q176517
Product(s): Microsoft Systems Management Server
Version(s): winnt:1.0,1.1,1.2
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbConfig kbDatabase kbDataLoader smshowto smsconfig smsdatabase smsdataloader
Last Modified: 31-JUL-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Systems Management Server versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

MIFs may build up in the ..SMS\Site.srv\Dataloder.box\Deltamif.col directory (or
the ..SMS\Site.srv\Dataloder.box\Deltamif.col\Process directory in version 1.2)
for a variety of reasons. This article outlines troubleshooting suggestions to
why the build up occurs and how to resolve it.

Before you proceed, verify the following information:

- The SQL Server tempdb has the SELECT INTO/BULK COPY option set.

- Successful network and communication links exists between SQL Server and the
  computer running Systems Management Server.

- The SQL Server login information is correct.

If any of these conditions is not true, take appropriate steps to correct it.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The ..SMS\Logs\Datalodr.log and the Windows NT Application Event Log on both the
SQL Server computer and the Systems Management Server site server provide
information about possible causes. You should also check the SQL Server error
log.

NOTE: Before you begin troubleshooting, dump the Systems Management Server and
Master databases and then back up the Systems Management Server directory
structure and the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SMS registry key.

Site Speed
----------

The site speed (set in Site Properties on the Services tab) should never be set
to Very Fast. A setting of Medium or Fast will process MIFs faster because the
Site Configuration Manager does not have to continually perform watchdog cycles
which gives the Dataloader utility a chance to run uninterrupted for a longer
period of time.

SQL Server Configuration
------------------------

If Open Objects is set to less than 5,000, Dataloader can get backed up. Tempdb
should be 20 to 30 percent of the largest database on the SQL Server. User
connections must be set appropriately.

For additional information about important tuning parameters, see the following
article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q166244 SMS: SQL Server Tuning Parameters for Systems Management Server

Use Performance Monitor to check the Cache Hit Ratio and make sure that the
database is in cache (it should be above 99 percent), not paging out. Add RAM
and/or dedicated memory to SQL Server if necessary.

Database and Transaction Log Size
---------------------------------

Make sure that the Systems Management Server database and its transaction log are
not full, and that the transaction log is 20 percent of the Systems Management
Server database size. If the database is less than 20 percent free, failures may
occur.

Services
--------

Make sure that the Systems Management Server Executive Service is running on the
site server.

Client Resynchronizations
-------------------------

Check the Windows NT event log for a high number of client resynchronizations
(Event 186). If there are several resyncs, they may occur because duplicate
SMSIDs are assigned. For additional information, please see the following
articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q127052 SMS Unique ID (SMSID) Allocation

  Q138021 How Inventory Dataloader Finds Matching Computers in SMS


SQL Server Service Pack
-----------------------

Apply (or re-apply) the latest SQL Server Service Pack.

SQL Server Tracing
------------------

You can enable SQL statement input and output in the Dataloder.log by setting
the

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\SMS\Tracing\SQL Enabled

registry parameter to 1. To disable SQL tracing, set the value to 0.

The Systems Management Server Executive service must be stopped and restarted for
the change to take effect.

NOTE: SQL Tracing should be disabled when you are not performing troubleshooting
steps. Leaving it enabled causes the Dataloader to slow down and the log to fill
up more quickly.

DBCC Checks
-----------

Run SQL Server DBCC CHECKDB and DBCC NEWALLOC statements on the Systems
Management Server database in Single User Mode.

Site Reporter
-------------

Check the ..SMS\Site.srv\Siterep.box to see if files are present. If there are,
and the site is a child primary site, ensure that site-to-site communication is
functioning properly. To determine this, do the following:

- Look in the appropriate sender log.

- Check the addresses.

- Check the Windows NT Application Event Log.

- Check the Outbox scheduling.

If files are present in the Siterep.box subdirectory, temporarily move them to
another subdirectory to see if the MIF processing improves.

User Group MIFS
---------------

Check the SMS\Site.srv\Dataloder.box\Deltamif.col directory for UMF files. If
there are several UMF files, and they are large, you probably have a large
number of users, groups, or a complicated trust matrix in your environment.

You may want to change the default polling interval for user and group
enumeration using the Setgug.exe utility. For additional information about the
utility, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q168724 SMS: List of Tools Available on the SMS 1.2 Compact Disc

  Q171005 SMS: Site Config Manager Service Locks Trusted Service Account

MIF Size
--------

Check the SMS\Site.srv\Dataloder.box\Deltamif.col and
SMS\Site.srv\Dataloder.box\Deltamif.col\Process directories and note the MIF
size. Larger MIFs (that is, MIFs that contain custom information or extensive
software inventory) will be processed more slowly.

I/O Errors
----------

If SQL Server devices and Systems Management Server directories are on the same
drive or the drive is mirrored with a single disk controller, check for I/O disk
errors reported in the SQL Server log file and/or Performance Monitor.

If disk I/O appears to be a bottleneck, you may need to move SQL Server devices
to another physical disk drive, install a second controller, and so forth.

SMSMaint Script
---------------

Run the SMSMaint.sql script from the BackOffice Resource Kit.

SPID Performance
----------------

Monitor the SQL Server spid performance by using SQL WHO and Performance Monitor
to correlate this to the Dataloader thread. For additional information, see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q117559 How to Correlate Spid, Kpid, and Thread


Inventory Frequency
-------------------

Decrease inventory frequency if necessary. For example, if there are six child
sites of 2,000 to 4,000 computers, plus clients that inventory every time they
log on, and they report to a central site, an expected backlog will occur.

Systems Management Server 1.2 Dataloader is multithreaded. If MIFs are large,
and/or the number of clients is large, a Systems Management Server version 1.0
or 1.1 site may have a MIF backup and the troubleshooting suggestions provided
in this article may not help. If the site is running Systems Management Server
1.0 or 1.1, consider upgrading to Systems Management Server version 1.2 (and the
latest Systems Management Server service pack).

Additional query words: prodsms

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbConfig kbDatabase kbDataLoader smshowto smsconfig smsdatabase smsdataloader 
Technology        : kbSMSSearch kbSMS100 kbSMS110 kbSMS120
Version           : winnt:1.0,1.1,1.2
Issue type        : kbinfo

=============================================================================
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.