INS: NNTPBLD Takes Too Long to Rebuild a Server

Last reviewed: February 3, 1998
Article ID: Q170064

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Commercial Internet System, version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

When an MCIS Internet News Server (INS) fails due to an unexpected situation, such as loss of power, disk failure, and so forth, you must rebuild the server using the command:

   nntpbld -c -G -e

When you use this command, it may take from 24 to 48 hours for the rebuild to complete and allow the server to be put back online.

CAUSE

MCIS 1.0 Nntpbld.exe is not fully optimized for quick server recovery.

RESOLUTION

Nntpbld.exe was modified to include two new command line switches that can greatly reduce the amount of time to rebuild a server.

The new command line switches are not be listed when you enter this command at a command prompt:

   nntpbld -?

New Switches

-x      If this switch is specified, nntpbld will avoid rebuilding the XIX
        index files. Currently, nntpbld deletes all XIX files in its first
        pass through the news tree and then rebuilds them while scanning
        NWS articles. Because XIX files are almost as stable as NWS files,
        in most cases it makes sense to not delete and rebuild them. This
        saves the overhead of lots of WriteFile() calls.

        NOTE: This switch should be used when it is reasonably certain that
        Only the hash tables are corrupted. The safest course of action, if
        the extent of the corruption is not known, is to not use this
        switch.

-w n    Where n is the number of threads to use. The maximum number of
        threads is 64. Using 0 for the value of n results in the number of
        threads being 2 times the number of processors.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Commercial Internet System, version 1.0. A supported fix is now available, but is not fully regression-tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this fix. Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.

Version           : WinNT:1.0
Platform          : winnt
Hardware          : ALPHA x86
Issue type        : kbbug

================================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: February 3, 1998
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.