stuartwilks
asked on
Exch. 2003 Servicepack Problem - Uninstall??
Hi,
I recently installed servicepack 2 on my exchange server (2003) which is running on SBS 2003. All is fine - but I'm getting an error message which tells me that store.exe is using an abnormally large amount of memory. This points to a problem which arose in SP1. Unfortunately (yes I know) - I didn't install SP1, and the hotfix from MS will only allow me to apply it to a server which has SP1 installed. I imagine that the problem I'm experiencing is because the same fix to exchange is in SP2 as was in SP1, but MS (in their wisdom) won't let me apply the hotfix to SP2???
Does anyone know a way around this, or know if it's possible to undo the application of SP2 against the 2003 Exchange, or should I just throw myself off the nearest high building?!
Thanks,
Stuart.
I recently installed servicepack 2 on my exchange server (2003) which is running on SBS 2003. All is fine - but I'm getting an error message which tells me that store.exe is using an abnormally large amount of memory. This points to a problem which arose in SP1. Unfortunately (yes I know) - I didn't install SP1, and the hotfix from MS will only allow me to apply it to a server which has SP1 installed. I imagine that the problem I'm experiencing is because the same fix to exchange is in SP2 as was in SP1, but MS (in their wisdom) won't let me apply the hotfix to SP2???
Does anyone know a way around this, or know if it's possible to undo the application of SP2 against the 2003 Exchange, or should I just throw myself off the nearest high building?!
Thanks,
Stuart.
ASKER
Hi,
Thanks for your response - the error message is:
"Alert on CONFUCIUS at 06/07/2006 15:08:21
The store.exe process is allocating more memory than usual.
Check to see if you are having problems with e-mail. If so, stop and then restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.
You can disable this alert or change its threshold by using the Change Alert Notifications task in the Server Management Monitoring and Reporting taskpad."
The reason I think it's a problem is because a coresponding problem - the requirement to provide a domain and a username when logging into OWA is occurring. The hotfix for the problem is only applicable to SP1, and I've only got SP2 - which is where my problem lies... any help / advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks for your response - the error message is:
"Alert on CONFUCIUS at 06/07/2006 15:08:21
The store.exe process is allocating more memory than usual.
Check to see if you are having problems with e-mail. If so, stop and then restart the Microsoft Exchange Information Store service.
You can disable this alert or change its threshold by using the Change Alert Notifications task in the Server Management Monitoring and Reporting taskpad."
The reason I think it's a problem is because a coresponding problem - the requirement to provide a domain and a username when logging into OWA is occurring. The hotfix for the problem is only applicable to SP1, and I've only got SP2 - which is where my problem lies... any help / advice would be much appreciated.
To avoid the requirement for a domain in the username field for OWA, simply set a default domain and a default realm on the /exchange virtual directory in IIS Manager.
If you are using SSL, then enable forms based authentication, then you don't have to do anything. There was an undocumented change in the service pack that removed the requirement for domain\ but they didn't update the web page.
If you have seen the same KB article that I have just found, then the error is very old and would have been fixed in Service Pack 2 for Exchange 2003.
I therefore don't think that the issue about the login page is the cause of that error message.
Simon.
If you are using SSL, then enable forms based authentication, then you don't have to do anything. There was an undocumented change in the service pack that removed the requirement for domain\ but they didn't update the web page.
If you have seen the same KB article that I have just found, then the error is very old and would have been fixed in Service Pack 2 for Exchange 2003.
I therefore don't think that the issue about the login page is the cause of that error message.
Simon.
ASKER
You're right. To an extent...
However, I'm still getting that store.exe error. It's been there consistently for the past few days since installation of SP2.
However, I'm still getting that store.exe error. It's been there consistently for the past few days since installation of SP2.
There are other causes of the warning message.
How much memory is store.exe using?
What else is on the server?
If there is antivirus on the server, has it been configured correctly to ensure that it is excluding the Exchange directories.
Simon.
How much memory is store.exe using?
What else is on the server?
If there is antivirus on the server, has it been configured correctly to ensure that it is excluding the Exchange directories.
Simon.
ASKER
Store is using 636MB, the server is also running all the standard SBS packages - IIS, Windows server 2003, etc. As far as I'm aware the anti-virus is configured fine - it certainly hasn't changed since pre-SP2.
Thanks,
Stuart.
Thanks,
Stuart.
store.exe is designed to use as much as required. On most of the servers I administrate it uses anywhere between a third to half of the available RAM. Looking at the server I am working on right now, it has 1gb of RAM and store.exe is using 356mb of RAM.
There is always the possibility that something changed in SP2 that has upset a third party product.
Is the rest of the server up to date? Windows 2003 service pack? SBS service pack?
Simon.
There is always the possibility that something changed in SP2 that has upset a third party product.
Is the rest of the server up to date? Windows 2003 service pack? SBS service pack?
Simon.
ASKER
will check and update this thread shortly...
ASKER
Updated with servicepacks but still have the same problem with store.exe using a lot of memory.
store.exe is designed to use a lot of memory. It will use as much as it can. It should then release that RAM back to the system if it is required. You bought that RAM to use it - not to watch it be unused.
Now if the memory isn't being released, then you have a more serious problem. First place to look is third party applications - as they are the usual cause.
Simon.
Now if the memory isn't being released, then you have a more serious problem. First place to look is third party applications - as they are the usual cause.
Simon.
ASKER
Hi and thanks,
Is there a 'normal' amount of memory which I ought to see being used by store.exe - it seems to keep on rising. Articles I can find on the web seem to range anywhere between 100Mb and 1Gb.
Stuart.
Is there a 'normal' amount of memory which I ought to see being used by store.exe - it seems to keep on rising. Articles I can find on the web seem to range anywhere between 100Mb and 1Gb.
Stuart.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
I will accept this as the correct answer on the basis of what I've seen supporting it, not quite what I thought I'd get, but seems to be correct - if some servers use up to 2Gb, mine's only on 468Mb, so I guess I can't complain! Silly that MS don't automatically warn you to increase the threshold on store.exe alerts when you install the servicepack, which seems to be the source of the problem.
You shouldn't have to install SP1 before installing SP2 for Exchange 2003. I haven't done so since Exchange 2003 SP2 was released.
Have you rebooted the server since installing the service pack?
Can you post the exact error message that you are getting?
Is the server actually using a large amount of memory, some of the monitoring is known to be rather sensitive and by the time you get to the server the memory use has dropped.
Simon.