SQLDiag running amok

[SQLBill]

I am having occurances of a server running out of disk space because SQLDiag.txt grew and took up all the disk. It will run amok until all the disk space is gone. I'm trying to record the when, where, etc. so I can find out if there is any consistency with the occurances. I haven't been able to find anything online about this issue and what might be causing it. Has anyone else seen this happen and might know the cause/solution?

-SQLBill

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[SQLBill]

Forgot to add, this happens on a few different servers (4 that I know of) and seems to only affect SQL Server 2000.

-SQLBill

The following is part of my signature block and is only intended to be informational.
Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[mrdenny]

I've never seen it grow like that before. Any strange trace flags causing more logging than default?

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Configuration / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007: Configuration)
MCITP Database Administrator (SQL 2005) / Database Developer (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[SQLBill]

Nope. We can't find anything consistent between all the occurances. Since SQLDiag is a process, I'm leaning to the idea that SQLDiag is reading a file while some other application or process is also accessing it. At my last job we had this happen when Netbackup attempted to backup files that were being accessed by antivirus. It created a runaway process and it would run out of disk space. So, I think this may be something similar...like SQLDiag copying the error log while it is being cycled.

-SQLBill

The following is part of my signature block and is only intended to be informational.
Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[mrdenny]

I could see that happening. What is the last info in sqldiag.txt, or is the file useless?

Try getting an IO handle monitor (I don't know the name of any off the top of my head) and see what the sqldiag process is hitting.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Configuration / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007: Configuration)
MCITP Database Administrator (SQL 2005) / Database Developer (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[SQLBill]

Can't see the file as it never quits growing until we stop the process and delete the file.

My biggest problem is that we don't know when it will happen next, nor on which of the servers that is most affected by it.

This is one of those issues that is almost impossible to track down and I was hoping that someone else had seen it once and could provide the 'AHA'.

-SQLBill

The following is part of my signature block and is only intended to be informational.
Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[mrdenny]

I'm afraid not. Sorry.

In fact our SQL 2000 server doesn't even have the file.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Configuration / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007: Configuration)
MCITP Database Administrator (SQL 2005) / Database Developer (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[SQLBill]

This job is strange...they run SQLDiag on every server with SQL on it so they can record information for Disaster Recovery. It runs daily and usually without any issues. Just every once in awhile the thing has issues.

Oh well, if everything was simple we would be out of jobs.

-SQLBill

The following is part of my signature block and is only intended to be informational.
Posting advice: FAQ481-4875

 

[mrdenny]

This is very true.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Configuration / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007: Configuration)
MCITP Database Administrator (SQL 2005) / Database Developer (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com