Microsoft KB Archive/216171

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Server Performance Degrades During Work Item Allocation

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Q216171

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 4.0, 4.0 SP1, 4.0 SP2, 4.0 SP3, 4.0 SP4
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 4.0, 4.0 SP1, 4.0 SP2, 4.0 SP3, 4.0 SP4
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition versions 4.0, 4.0 SP4
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS
The Windows NT Event Viewer Application log may receive multiple Event ID 2021 entries every few minutes. The event description is:

The server is unable to allocate a work item.

CAUSE
The entry in the

"HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanManServer\Parameters\MaxWorkItems" value is not large enough to provide efficient server operation. This value determines the maximum number of receive buffers that a server can allocate. If this limit is reached, server performance may be degraded.

RESOLUTION
WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT or Windows 2000, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

To resolve this issue, increase the entry in the MaxWorkItems value using the Regedit32.exe tool. To do this, perform these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type regedt32, and then click OK.

On the Windows menu, click HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE on Local Machine.

Double-click the System folder, double-click the CurrentControlSet folder, double-click the Services folder, double-click the LanManServer folder, click the Parameters folder, and then double-click the MaxWorkItems value.

 If the value does not exist, on the Edit menu, click Add Value, type in MaxWorkItems, click REG_DWORD as the Data Type, and then click OK. Click to select the Decimal radio button, type 8192 in the Data field, and then click OK.

If the value already exists, but you are experiencing performance issues in conjunction with the error message listed above, increase the value's entry by a multiple of two. For example, if the default value is 4096, increase it to 8192. please insure that the new value is at least 4096. To increase this number to the next level:

 Double-click the MaxWorkItems value. Click to select the Decimal radio button, type 8192 in the Data field (or any multiple of 4096), and then click OK.

Close the registry editor and restart the computer.

Note that the maximun value is 0xFFFF or 65535.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv kberrmsg

Issue type : kbprb

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