Microsoft KB Archive/182333

= Excessive Processor Usage on Print Servers =

Article ID: 182333

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 3.51
 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q182333





SYMPTOMS
Print servers show high processor usage (70 percent to 90 percent) in Performance Monitor. The print servers also receive RPC Server Too Busy errors, and clients report slow printing problems.



CAUSE
These symptoms occur because named pipe connections and server sessions are not timing out and disconnecting, which causes an excessive load on the server. Other symptoms of this issue are a high handle count for Spoolss.exe (more than 15,000) and a high number of named pipes or spoolss sessions for any one user connected to the server.



Windows NT 3.51
To resolve this problem, obtain the following fix.

This fix should have the following time stamp for Windows NT 3.51

Windows NT 4.0
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

This is a client fix that will result in idle pipes from the client to the print server being closed. The more clients it is applied to, the more relief the print server will experience.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Additional query words: 4.00 spooler CPU utilization

Keywords: kbhotfixserver kbqfe kbbug kbfix kbqfe KB182333

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