KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q236426: XADM: Information Store or Directory Service Appear Hung

Article: Q236426
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): winnt:5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): exc55
Last Modified: 16-MAY-2002

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

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SYMPTOMS
========

- The information store service becomes unresponsive. Users are unable to log
  onto mailboxes, and Performance Monitor may show %Processor Utilization for
  Store.exe at 0 percent.

- The directory service becomes unresponsive. Various operations, such as
  resolving a name to a mailbox in the global address list, or checking a name
  during creation of a mailbox profile stop responding (hang) when users
  attempt to perform them. In addition, Performance Monitor may show %Processor
  Utilization for Dsamain.exe at 0 percent.

CAUSE
=====

ESE (Jet) hangs because all threads are waiting to acquire a resource that is
owned by another thread. The decision used by threads as to which resources to
acquire is based in part on a timestamp, and the timestamp comparison is being
performed incorrectly. This incorrect comparison can cause the owning thread not
to release the lock on the resource and leave all threads waiting.

The symptoms noted above are usually dependent on system uptime. Although this
problem is not reproducible, documented cases encountered this problem on
Exchange Server computers running for 30 days or more.


RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server
version 5.5. For additional information, please see the following article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q191014 XGEN: How to Obtain the Latest Exchange Server 5.5 Service Pack

The English version of this feature should have the following file attributes or
later:

Component: ESE

+----------------------+
| File name | Version  | 
+----------------------+
| Ese.dll   | 5.5.2608 | 
+----------------------+


This hotfix has been posted to the following Internet location as Psp2esei.exe:

  ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/exchange/exchange-public/fixes/Eng/Exchg5.5/PostSP2/ESE-fix/Psp2esei.zip


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5. This problem was first corrected in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5 Service Pack 3.

Additional query words: freeze frozen hanging ESE98 ESE97 100% spike

======================================================================
Keywords          : exc55 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : winnt:5.5
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

=============================================================================

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.