SQL Server Performance Forum – Threads Archive
SQL client network utility – Enable Shared Memory
HI all, Hopefully someone can shed some light on this for me. We are having infrequent "general network error" reported for dbnetlib. The strange thing is, the job that get’s this is local – it is running on the data server. Last tnigfht – for the first time, we got the same message for a transaction log backup, also running local. These errors do not occur in any of our test environments (6 different dataservers). We have noticed a difference in configuration : On the production server, in the SQL Network cleint utility, "Enable Shared Memory Protocol" is disabled, whereas it is enabled in all other environments. From what reading I have done (BOL was not helpful on the topic), Enbles Shared Memory Protocol is apparently used for Local connections – to quote "The shared memory protocol is used to connect to a local installation of SQL Server, but you can turn it off if you want. You should get superior performance when connecting locally with the shared memory protocol." Has anyojne got any more definitive commentary on the "Shared Memory Protocol", and perhaps any links to the General Network Errors we seem to be getting ? TIA Panic, Chaos, Disorder … my work here is done –unknownCheck: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;827422 HTH Luis Martin
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SQL-Server-Performance.com
Thanx Luis, Don’t think it relates specifically to our issues, although we will check nup on connection pooling. Also will look to use the network monitor they mention. I am leaning to testing the enable shared memory protocol by turning it off in a stress test environment, and then seeing if we can replicate the production problem – something we haven’t been able to do until now. CiaO Panic, Chaos, Disorder … my work here is done –unknown
HI ya, yes it could be related. From what you are saying the shared memory protocol is disabled on the servers that are getting a General Network Error. If it is disabled then the traffic will go out to the NIC before it comes back into SQLServer. I would turn on Shared memory pool on all servers, as it is only for processes run on the server itself, and it will result in better reliability and performance for those processes Cheers
Twan
Hi Twan, Thanx for the response. I can see that if we actually had a network problem, that a local program could then actually get a problem, but we are not having any problems from any network jobs – I would definitely expect something else to have a problem if there was a physical problem, as opposed to 1 specific job consistently having a problem. The transaction log failure seems to have been a once off. Anyways, everything I am readying and hearing points to turning on the shared memory protocol, so we are establishing a test to prove that it won’t cause problems, and then we will hopefully enable it. Panic, Chaos, Disorder … my work here is done –unknown
I have the same problem but not for the trnasaction log
but I getting the general network failure when my maintenance
plan run for rebuil index for 150Gb database
I do flush dns and reregister wins for database server
and the error go away of course I have my enble share memory turn on
good luck
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