Exchange 2003 freezes 12

[betanet]

Hi Guys,
Here is my problem; I have a Windows 2000 domain sp4 and a member server (2003) that is running exchange 2003. The problem is (and its getting worse) the exchange server keeps going belly up, it freezes up and the only way to get it going again is to switch it off and restart it again (I know, I know that’s against all the rules) Sometimes when it reboots the exchange store won't start, this has to be done manually. The exchange server is a very high speck server, so that is not an issue. Could this be something to do with the schema differences between 2000 and 2003, or should the exchange server be a DC as well?
Thanks in advance.
Betanet

 

[Zelandakh]

Schema - no, that's why you do netdiag before the install.
DC - no.

Probably RAM. Check with hardware vendor for some test software.

 

[nickpark]

event log errors?

 

[betanet]

Hi Lads,
First off, I didn’t do the original install so I can’t confirm if netdiag was performed (I’ll assume it was). It shouldn’t be the RAM (2GB of DDR2). The event logs tell me that the last shutdown was unexpected (hello!!). I haven’t installed sp1 on the 2003 server yet; I’m hoping this might solve the some issues. The exchange server accepts a lot of huge traffic so another suggestion is to install a gigabit backbone between the three servers to reduce the bottleneck, but I’m not hopeful on this idea,,,,, help, this problem is driving me nuts.

Thanks again in advance,
Betanet.

 

[nickpark]

Try Exchange 2003 sp1 first if not already.

 

[betanet]

Thanks Nick, I'll have a look later on today to see if exchange sp1 is installed.
Cheers,
Betanet

 

[asktheman]

what is the error in event log

 

[Zelandakh]

I'll bet there isn't one. Just event log saying shutdown was dirty.

 

[atodorski]

This reeks of hardware. I'd do as Zelandakh suggested and run a memory test. If the vendor does not have a tool then boot the system with a Debian or RedHat/Fedora Linux installer disk and type memtest86 at the bootloader prompt. This may take a long time to complete but it will certainly tell you if there are any hardware faults in your RAM.

 

[betanet]

Hi Lads,
Zelandakh is correct about the event log, I am also going to go with his advice and run a memory test. I'll do it this evening and let it run overnight. I'll keep you all posted as to the results. Once again thanks for all your help.
Cheers,
Betanet.

 

[betanet]

Hi Lads,
I did the stress test on the RAM and it came up with no errors, now I'm a little lost as to what to do next. Everything seems to point to hardware problems, but just in case I've done a Windows update. All that was left to update was a few security patches, they are all installed now. The server is running fine at the moment, but it always does for a while and then it freezes again. Once again thank you in advance for any help.
Cheers,
Betanet.

 

[markdmac]

I would install Windows 2003 SP1 and Exchange 2003 SP1 before pulling your hair out.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

 

[betanet]

Already done, still having the same problem. Hair pulling starts today!!!!!

 

[zoeythecat]

You didn't by chance add the /3gb switch to the boot.ini file? I've heard if you have Windows2003 Server Standard that you should not add this switch because it could cause freeze ups.

 

[markdmac]

I've run /3GB with Exchange Standard without problems. The only time I am aware you should NOT use it when you have more than 1GB of RAM is if you are running SBS.

It is however important to also include /USERVA:3030 when implementing /3GB on an Exchange server.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

 

[llevon]

Hi,

It does sound like a hardware issue. However if you want to run a health check on your Exchange server and its configuration then the 'Microsoft Exchange Server Best Practices Analyzer Tool' is a good place to start. You can download it from

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?

familyid=dbab201f-4bee-4943-ac22-e2ddbd258df3&displaylang=en

It will highlight any obvious configuration issues with Exchange.

Regards,

Llevon

 

[zoeythecat]

This article mentions you should not set the switch on a Windows2003 Standard Server system.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pr...ide/e834e9c7-708c-43bf-b877-e14ae443ecbf.mspx

 

[llevon]

The Best Practices Analyzer Tool also backs that up. But like markdmac I have had that configured before and never experienced any issues.

But if your server is freezing and you dont know why then sometimes anything is worth a go.

 

[markdmac]

Excellent link. If it isn't supported then I'm going to stay away from it in the future.

I hope you find this post helpful.

Regards,

Mark

 

[PScottC]

It is supported, but only for 2000 Advanced Server or 2003 Server Enterprise. But on those platforms you need the Usereva=3030 switch in addition.

For betanet's issue, does the system have the latest and greatest drivers / BIOS / Firmware?

PSC

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