Microsoft KB Archive/266746

= FIX: Transactional Message Delivery May Be Slow After You Apply Windows NT 4.0 SP6 =

Article ID: 266746

Article Last Modified on 10/12/2005

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Message Queue Server 1.0

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This article was previously published under Q266746



SYMPTOMS
After you apply Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6 (SP6) to a system with Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ), transactional message throughput from one computer to another may decline. Performance Monitor shows messages being sent from one computer to another; however, the message count in the target queue shows plateaus where no new messages are being placed in the queue, even though messages are being received by the MSMQ service.



CAUSE
The MSMQ timer that checks to see whether transactional message acknowledgements have been properly received incorrectly triggers a resend of transactional messages, starting with the message following the last transactional order acknowledgement received. The message resend process delays delivery of new transactional messages as messages that were already received by the target computer, but not yet acknowledged, are resent.



RESOLUTION
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows NT 4.0 service pack that contains this hotfix.

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, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical 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:

  Date         Time    Version    Size     File name    Platform --  26-JUN-2000  02:45   1.0.0.308  504,080  Mqqm.dll     Windows NT 4.0 26-JUN-2000 02:45   1.0.0.308  106,768  Mqutil.dll   Windows NT 4.0



WORKAROUND
MSMQ sends order acknowledgements (transactional messages) on a static interval from the target computer. This acknowledgement interval is controlled through a registry key. Use of this registry key may be a viable workaround for customers who cannot implement the hotfix.

MSMQ 1.0 (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 9x)

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters

SeqMinAckInterval 15 (RegDword, in seconds)

MSMQ 2.0 (Microsoft Windows 2000)

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\MSMQ\Parameters

SeqMaxAckDelay 10 (RegDword, in seconds)

This entry provides for message batching, which saves unnecessary traffic. Too large a value may cause resending of the messages because the sending computer may not know that packets have arrived. Too small a value can cause excessive network traffic.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbqfe kbhotfixserver KB266746

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