Microsoft KB Archive/919221

= FIX: SQL Server 2000 may take a long time to complete the synchronization phase when you create a merge publication =

Article ID: 919221

Article Last Modified on 11/2/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Personal Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Workgroup Edition

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Bug #: 771 (SQL Hotfix)



Microsoft distributes Microsoft SQL Server 2000 fixes as one downloadable file. Because the fixes are cumulative, each new release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2000 fix release.



SUMMARY
This article describes the following about this hotfix release:
 * The issues that are fixed by this hotfix package
 * The prerequisites for installing the hotfix package
 * Information about whether you must restart the computer after you install the hotfix package
 * Information about whether you must make any registry changes
 * The files that are contained in the hotfix package



SYMPTOMS
Consider the following scenario. You create a merge publication in Microsoft SQL Server 2000. SQL Server 2000 may take a long time to complete the synchronization phase when one of the following operations occurs:
 * You add a new subscriber to the merge publication.
 * An existing subscriber is reinitialized during synchronization.

For a list of all publicly released SQL Server 2000 Post-Service Pack hotfixes, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

894905 Cumulative list of the hotfixes that are available for SQL Server 2000 SP4



CAUSE
This problem occurs because SQL Server makes redundant and unnecessary calls to the sp_MSinitDynamicSubscriber stored procedure when SQL Server downloads the initial data for each batch of generations.



RESOLUTION
The installer does not install this hotfix correctly on x64-based systems. This installation issue occurs when the following conditions are true:
 * The system uses the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) AMD64 processor architecture or the Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology (EM64T) processor architecture.

Note This issue does not occur on systems that use the Intel Itanium processor architecture.
 * The system is running a 64-bit version of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system.
 * The system is running a 32-bit version of SQL Server 2000.

We have corrected this installation issue in later builds of SQL Server 2000, starting with version 8.00.2244. When a customer who is running SQL Server 2000 on an x64-based system requests this hotfix, we will provide a build that includes this hotfix and that can be installed correctly on an x64-based system. The build that we provide will be version 8.00.2244 or a later version.

Hotfix information
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 SQL Server 2000 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone 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 usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Prerequisites
You must have Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4) installed before you apply this hotfix.

For more information about how to obtain SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

290211 How to obtain the latest SQL Server 2000 service pack

Registry information
You do not have to change the registry.

Hotfix file information
This hotfix contains only those files that are required to correct the issues that this article lists. This hotfix may not contain of all the files that you must have to fully update a product to the latest build.

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the &quot;Applies to&quot; section.



MORE INFORMATION
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

After you have noticed the slow performance, you can use SQL Profiler to trace the instance of the publisher. In this scenario, you will notice that the sp_MSinitDynamicSubscriber stored procedure is called more than one time by using the same parameters.

In the SQL Profiler output, you may notice the RPC:Completed event multiple times with the same third parameter that is a row GUID. The output may resemble the following output: starttime                               textdata

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2006-05-09 09:41:00.657    exec sp_MSinitdynamicsubscriber 400, 5727001, 'AA513AF5-2D1E-4104-97B5-D596C9AD7F23', 'EF504338-01EE

2006-05-09 09:41:04.577    exec sp_MSinitdynamicsubscriber 400, 5727001, 'AA513AF5-2D1E-4104-97B5-D596C9AD7F23', 'EF504338-01EE

2006-05-09 09:40:34.297    exec sp_MSinitdynamicsubscriber 400, 5727001, 'AA513AF5-2D1E-4104-97B5-D596C9AD7F23', 'EF504338-01EE

