How to Reclaim Disk Space from the Web Storage System (285040)

MORE INFORMATION

SharePoint Portal Server uses the Web Storage System to store its documents. When documents are deleted, the disk space cannot be used until a process called online defragmentation is run. SharePoint Portal Server defragments the Web Storage System database (wss.mdb) each night at midnight.

This online defragmentation process marks the deleted space as free so that it can be used again. This online defragmentation process does not, however, reduce the size of the database. You must using the Eseutil.exe utility to perform offline defragmentation to reduce the physical size of the database. The database must be taken offline during the defragmentation.

To reclaim disk space, follow these steps:

1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type net stop msexchangeis.
3. Navigate to %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Storage System\Bin.
4. Type the following:

   eseutil /d "path/wss.mdb"

   The path points to the location of the wss.mdb file. For example, if you installed the data files for SharePoint Portal Server on C:\Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\Data, type the following:

   eseutil /d "C:\Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\Data\Web Storage System\wss.mdb"

5. When defragmentation completes, type net start msexchangeis.

The server is unavailable to users during the offline defragmentation process. For this reason, offline defragmentation should be scheduled during non-production hours. The amount of time it takes to complete the offline defragmentation depends on the size of the database and the server's hardware configuration.