[dba-SQLServer] HELP, server completely unresponsive

jwcolby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Thu Sep 24 11:17:42 CDT 2009


Is this the setup for Windows 2003 or the setup for SQL Server?

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com


Francisco Tapia wrote:
> In the configuration ( properties) of the server you'll want to leave  
> at least on CPU for the os so in your quad setup allow for 3 CPUs for  
> SQL but one for the os or if you don't want to do this then you can  
> always use the query hint option of MAXDOP=3 so only while the query  
> runs you only tie up 3 CPUs and not all of them and this allows you to  
> still have a responsive server.
> 
> Sent from my mobile
> 
> On Sep 24, 2009, at 7:56 AM, jwcolby <jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com>  
> wrote:
> 
>> I have a situation way outside my expertise.  Yea, yea, I know a lot  
>> of you would ask what is IN my
>> expertise, we can discuss that another day.
>>
>> Anyway, I run two Windows 2003 X64 servers.  Quad core, 16 gigs ram,  
>> RAID6 arrays.  Reasonably
>> powerful.  Mostly I run SQL Server on one and VMs on the other.  In  
>> BOTH CASES I have told the
>> software, SQL Server for instance, to only use X gigs of RAM, to  
>> leave 2.5 gigs for the OS and other
>> applications.
>>
>> And yet, SQL Server starts a long running process and the server  
>> becomes unresponsive.  In some
>> instances for example, I can load a spreadsheet or whatever... but  
>> it takes forever to load.  Just
>> clicking the start button I have to wait 30 seconds for the start  
>> menu to show.
>>
>> Like that.
>>
>> I have a query running which is updating a field in a medium size  
>> table - 8 million records or so.
>> I tried to load another instance of SQL Server.  It loaded, but when  
>> I clicked on the databases icon
>> to drop down and show me the databases it just put up expanding and  
>> locked up the entire system.
>>
>> I am at a loss to discover what is going on.  It APPEARS to be SQL  
>> Server, though there is nothing
>> else I run that uses all the memory in this thing so how do I know  
>> it isn't just Windows 2003
>> flaking out somehow?  I have run memtest-86 for an entire weekend  
>> without a single failure, so I
>> don't think it is the physical memory.
>>
>> I have no clue how to troubleshoot this problem.
>>
>> As I write this, the server is completely locked up.  I cannot  
>> switch between tasks, the little task
>> manager icon shows about 50% CPU usage but AFAICT that is just what  
>> was displayed when it locked up.
>>
>> In the end I have to do a hard reboot to regain control, and when I  
>> do that I corrupt whatever
>> database was being worked on.  This is insane!
>>
>> HELP.
>>
>> -- 
>> John W. Colby
>> www.ColbyConsulting.com
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