FIX: Memory Leak with DB-Library Connection Using TCP/IP or IPX/SPX

A memory leak can occur after opening a DB-Library connection when the application is using the TCP/IP or IPX/SPX network libraries. This leak persists for each connection to SQL Server through DB-Library even after the connection is closed.

To work around this problem, do either of the following:

• Keep a single connection open when using DB-Library.
  
  -or-
• Use a different network library, such as named pipes or multiprotocol.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SQL Server 7.0. This problem has been corrected in U.S. Service Pack 2 for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:For more information, contact your primary support provider.

The memory leak is roughly 4 KB for each DB-Library connection opened to the server.

This problem is specific to the use of the 32-bit DB-Library API, and the problem only occurs when using the TCP/IP or IPX/SPX network libraries.

For an application that uses a single DB-Library connection, the memory leak will hardly be noticeable. But for applications that either connect/disconnect for each query ("make/break connections") or use multiple connections, the problem can be more severe, causing all of the memory on the computer to be consumed.