Print Server may experience occasional performance degradation (180863)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft SNA Server 3.0
  • Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 SP1
  • Microsoft SNA Server 3.0 SP2
  • Microsoft SNA Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q180863
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When a print job is sent to a printer attached to a workstation that has been unplugged from the network or has encountered a blue screen STOP screen, all SNA Server printer sessions start printing very slowly (for example, five minutes per page) until the workstation has recovered.

CAUSE

SNA Server Print Server is not optimizing the use of threads for the number of print sessions that are running.

WORKAROUND

If the print job that caused the problem (that is, the print job on the workstation that had previously encountered a blue screen STOP message) is deleted on the host side, printing for the other print sessions will resume normally.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SNA Server versions 3.0, 3.0 SP1, and 4.0.

This problem was corrected in the latest SNA Server versions 3.0 and 4.0 U.S. Service Packs. For information on obtaining these Service Packs, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

MORE INFORMATION

The SNA print service threading architecture has been changed. The print service now runs with a maximum of 32 threads:
  • A new thread is created for each new device until there are 32 threads running.
  • After this, each device will be assigned to the thread with the fewest devices on it.
The maximum number of supported devices is 1024 (32 threads multiplied by 32 sessions per thread). This design helps ensure that a separate thread is handling the first 32 active sessions. If a Windows NT printer becomes unavailable, this new design helps to minimize the impact on any unaffected sessions that may happen to share a thread with the affected printer.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:4/28/2005
Keywords:kbbug kbfix KB180863
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