FIX: sp_configure 'network packet size' Not Functional in SQL Server 7.0 SP3 and SQL Server 2000 (308016)

SYMPTOMS

In SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 3 (SP3), the sp_configure option 'network packet size' does not control the actual packet size used. Any client applications using a recent version of the SQL Server ODBC driver or OLEDB provider will default to a 4096-byte packet size, while client applications using DB-Library or an older ODBC driver will default to a 512-byte network packet size. This change may cause applications using DB-Library or an older ODBC driver to run slower than they did against versions of SQL Server 7.0 earlier than SP3.

RESOLUTION

SQL Server 2000

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft SQL Server 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

290211 INF: How to Obtain the Latest SQL Server 2000 Service Pack

SQL Server 7.0

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

301511 INF: How to Obtain the Latest SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack

NOTE: The following hotfix was created prior to Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 4.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   File name      Version     Platform
   -----------------------------------


   s701007i.exe   7.00.1007   x86

NOTE: Because of file dependencies, the most recent hotfix or feature that contains the preceding files may also contain additional files.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

SQL Server 2000
This problem was first corrected in Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 2.

SQL Server 7.0
This problem was first corrected in Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 4.

MORE INFORMATION

If an application does not explicitly request a specific network packet size, SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 2 and all earlier builds will default to the packet size specified by the 'network packet size' sp_configure option. However, SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 7.0 SP3 will always use a packet size of 512 bytes for older clients or 4096 bytes for newer clients.

Clients using a 512-byte packet may see some performance degradation due to the smaller network packet size. The degree of the performance impact depends on the application's data access patterns. "Older" clients that will default to a 512-byte packet size include all versions of DB-Library and any versions of the SQL Server ODBC driver prior to Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.1. Versions of the SQL Server ODBC driver or OLEDB provider after and including MDAC 2.1 version 3.70.623 will use a 4096-byte packet. The 4096-byte packet size is unlikely to cause any performance problems (4096 bytes is the default sp_configure value for 'network packet size').