Irpstacksize too Small when Printing with DLC

 Last reviewed: May 8, 1997
Article ID: Q102021

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT operating system, version 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server, version 3.1

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause 

    serious, system-wide problems that may require you to
    reinstall Windows NT to correct them. Microsoft cannot
    guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of
    Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own
    risk.

SYMPTOMS

The following error may occur when printing using the Hewlett-Packard (HP) print monitor over the DLC protocol: 

   The server's configuration parameter irpstacksize is too small for
   the server to use a local device. Please increase the value of this
   parameter.
Irpstacksize specifies the number of stack locations in I/O request packets (IRPs) used by the server. It may be necessary to increase this number for certain transports, MAC drivers, or local file system drivers.

Another indication of this problem is that the status of the printer may be listed as "not available" in Print Manager.

RESOLUTION

To correctly configure irpstacksize, use the Registry Editor (REGEDT32.EXE) to edit the following registry key: 

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\
      Parameters

  • Create a new value called "irpstacksize." The value must be of type REG_DWORD.

  • The default value is 4. Increase the value by 1 until the error message stops. The range is 1 to 12. Each increment costs 36 bytes of memory per work item (number of work items multiplied by 36 bytes equals total memory cost).

    • Additional query words: prodnt irp event log
    Keywords : kbprint ntprint NTSrvWkst
    Version : 3.1
    Platform : WINDOWS

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    Last reviewed: May 8, 1997
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