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Q293836: XADM: Information Store Performance Degradation

Article: Q293836
Product(s): Microsoft Exchange
Version(s): 5.5
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbExchange550preSP5fix
Last Modified: 11-JUN-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Exchange Server, version 5.5 
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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS
========

The of the Exchange Server information store process may perform poorly, and one
or more of the following error messages may be logged in the Microsoft Windows
NT Event Viewer Application event log:

  Event ID: 11
  Source: MSExchange Private
  Type: Error
  Description:
  Error 0xfffffbd3 occurred on message 1-EB1F8B1 during a background cleanup.

  Event ID: 160
  Source: ESE97
  Type: Warning
  Description:
  MSExchangeIS (359) Background clean-up skipped pages. Database may benefit
  from online or offline defragmentation

If you create a User.dmp file of the Store.exe process when the Information Store
service is in this state, the User.dmp file is similar to the following stack
frames:

  

  ChildEBP RetAddr  Args to Child
  315feef4 6febd4a8 00000001 00000000 fffffa01 ESE!FCB__ErrAlloc_+0x3a4
  315fef0c 6fe9d983 0027e1bb 315fef30 00000001 ESE!FCB__ErrCreate+0x16
  315fef40 6fe9159d 00000001 315fef68 00000000 ESE!ErrBTIOpen+0x4d
  315fef50 6fe9e703 00000001 315fef68 00000000 ESE!ErrBTOpen+0x14
  315fef60 6febf962 00000001 315fef88 315ff0f8 ESE!ErrDIROpen+0x11
  315ff030 6febe46a 006832d8 162eef60 1497fc70 ESE!ErrCATIInitIndexFCBs+0x4a6
  315ff0d4 6fe9e581 006832d8 00000000 315ff1fc ESE!ErrCATInitFCB+0x2c4
  315ff120 78021365 315ff138 0065d33e 315ff174 ESE!ErrFILEOpenTable+0x3f8
  315ff140 6fe9e171 315ff160 00000000 00060000 MSVCRT!Ordinal206+0x195f1
  315ff160 6fe9e03f 315ff1fc 315ff200 00060000 ESE!ErrIsamOpenTable+0xa5
  00000001 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 ESE!JetOpenTable+0x140

This thread scans the (last recently used list) LRU and continues to do so over
and over again, while holding on to a critical section that other Extensible
Storage Engine (ESE) threads need, as shown in the following stack:

  

  ChildEBP RetAddr  Args to Child
  396ef888 77f6ce61 000012bc 00000000 00000000 ntdll!NtWaitForSingleObject+0xb
  396ef8fc 77f67586 6ff40b18 6fe9cf7d 6ff40b18 ntdll!RtlpWaitForCriticalSection+0xaa
  396ef904 6fe9cf7d 6ff40b18 00000001 17074a60 ntdll!RtlEnterCriticalSection+0x46
  396ef928 6fe91532 17074a60 6fe9ce5a 00000000 ESE!FCB__Unlink+0x10c
  396ef930 6fe9ce5a 00000000 17074a60 396ef958 ESE!FCBUnlink+0x9
  396ef944 6fe9d1ab 16629e40 17074a60 17074a60 ESE!BTClose+0x109
  396ef958 6fe9d489 00665154 00000096 396ef9cc ESE!DIRClose+0x89
  396ef970 6fe9ec90 260ca320 6fe9ecd5 00665154 ESE!ErrFILECloseTable_245+0xb
  396ef978 6fe9ecd5 00665154 260ca320 00000000 ESE!ErrIsamCloseTable+0x3c
  00665164 00656c62 4241544a 5341425f 453a3a45 ESE!JetCloseTable+0x43
  00665238 00644967 4241544a 5341425f 453a3a45 store!HrAppendTextToCompressedRTF+0x262

CAUSE
=====

This problem can occur if the information store sets the MAX OPEN TABLES and
PREFERRED MAX OPEN TABLES values (which regulate the number of Open Tables in
the JET database) incorrectly when the information store starts. The calculation
to set these values is dependent upon many things and is very complex. The
PREFERRED MAX OPEN TABLES value is always set lower than the MAX OPEN TABLES
value. If the information store reaches the value set by the PREFERRED MAX OPEN
TABLES value, JET starts a scan to try to find resources that can be used to
comply with more requests for open tables. This scan repeats aggressively, which
results in the degradation of the information store process.

RESOLUTION
==========

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to
correct the problem described in this article and should be applied only to
systems experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional
testing at a later time, to further ensure product quality. Therefore, if you
are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait
for the next Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 service pack that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services
to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services
phone numbers and information about support costs, please go to the following
address on the World Wide Web:

  http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;CNTACTMS

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are normally incurred for support calls may
be canceled, if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific
update will resolve your problem. Normal support costs will apply to additional
support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in
question.

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

Component: Information Store

+-------------------------+
| File name | Version     | 
+-------------------------+
| Store.exe | 5.5.2654.89 | 
+-------------------------+

NOTE: Because of file dependencies, this fix requires Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5 Service Pack 4.



STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Exchange Server
version 5.5.

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


To resolve this problem in Exchange Server 5.5, the PREFERRED MAX OPEN TABLES
value must be set equal to the MAX OPEN TABLES value when the Information Store
service starts. To do this, the MATCH OPEN MAX TABLES registry key is added in
this fix. If this key is present and set to any value other than zero, the
information store automatically sets the PREFERRED MAX OPEN TABLES value equal
to the MAX OPEN TABLES value.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems
that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor
incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To add the registry key:

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

2. Locate, and then click the following key in the registry:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSExchangeIS\ParametersSystem

3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then add the following registry value:

  Value name: MATCH MAX OPEN TABLES
  Data type: REG_DWORD
  Radix: Hexadecimal
  Value data: 0x1

4. Quit Registry Editor.

Additional query words:

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbExchange550preSP5fix 
Technology        : kbExchangeSearch kbExchange550 kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : :5.5
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbfix

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

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