Computer intermittently performs poorly or stops responding when the Storport driver is used in Windows Server 2008 R2

Article ID: 2468345 - View products that this article applies to.
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Symptoms

Consider the following scenario:
  • You install some high-performance storage devices on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2.

    For example, you install a host-based RAID adapter or a Fibre Channel adapter that can access more than 4 gigabytes (GB) on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2.
  • The Storport.sys driver is used to manage these storage devices.
  • The computer has more than 4 GB of physical memory.
  • You install an application or service that uses a large amount of memory on the computer.

    For example, you install SQL Server or Exchange Server on the computer.
In this scenario, the computer may intermittently perform poorly or stop responding for a while.

For example, the computer stops responding for 10-20 seconds.

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Cause

This issue is caused by an incorrect memory allocation limitation in the Storport.sys driver. The Storport driver (Storport.sys) requires memory within 4 GB of computer memory for its own allocations and for implementing the miniport IOCTL that is used by storage configuration and by management utilities. Therefore, the driver unnecessary creates contention for memory within 4 GB of computer memory.

When little or no memory within 4GB of computer memory is available, the memory manager tries to trim the working sets of all processes for free memory. Therefore, the issue that is described in the "Symptoms" section occurs.
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Resolution

Note This hotfix is for use with Storport.sys miniport drivers that support full 64 bit physical addressing. We recommend that end-users that encounter this issue contact their miniport driver vendor to ensure the miniport driver takes advantage of the Windows changes first. You can apply this hotfix by using instructions from the miniport driver vendor.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
  1. 1. Install this hotfix on the affected computers that are running Windows Server 2008 R2.
  2. 2. Create a registry entry under the Storport miniport driver. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start
      Collapse this imageExpand this image
      start button
      , type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
    2. Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\<MINIPORT>\Parameters
      Note<MINIPORT> means the name of the Storport miniport driver.
    3. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
    4. Type Supports64BitAddressing, and then press ENTER.
    5. Right-click Supports64BitAddressing, and then click Modify.
    6. In the Value data box, type a nonzero value.
    7. Exit Registry Editor.
Note After you follow these steps, the miniport drivers that uses the Storport.sys driver can access more than 4 GB of physical memory.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support
(http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support)
Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix, you must be running one of the following operating systems:
  • Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
For more information about how to obtain a Windows Server 2008 R2 service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
976932
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976932/ )
Information about Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 and for Windows Server 2008 R2

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The global version of this hotfix installs files that have the attributes that are listed in the following tables. The dates and the times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The dates and the times for these files on your local computer are displayed in your local time together with your current daylight saving time (DST) bias. Additionally, the dates and the times may change when you perform certain operations on the files.
Windows Server 2008 R2 file information notes
Important Windows 7 hotfixes and Windows Server 2008 R2 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, hotfixes on the Hotfix Request page are listed under both operating systems. To request the hotfix package that applies to one or both operating systems, select the hotfix that is listed under "Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2" on the page. Always refer to the "Applies To" section in articles to determine the actual operating system that each hotfix applies to.
  • The files that apply to a specific product, SR_Level (RTM, SPn), and service branch (LDR, GDR) can be identified by examining the file version numbers as shown in the following table.
    Collapse this tableExpand this table
    VersionProductSR_LevelService branch
    6.1.760 0 . 20xxxWindows Server 2008 R2RTMLDR
    6.1.760 1 . 21xxxWindows Server 2008 R2SP1LDR
  • The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2" section. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are extremely important to maintain the state of the updated components. The security catalog files, for which the attributes are not listed, are signed with a Microsoft digital signature.
For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
Collapse this tableExpand this table
File nameFile versionFile sizeDateTimePlatform
Storport.sys6.1.7600.20927188,80018-Mar-201106:46x64
Storport.sys6.1.7601.21686190,84818-Mar-201106:40x64
For all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
Collapse this tableExpand this table
File nameFile versionFile sizeDateTimePlatform
Storport.sys6.1.7600.20927430,46418-Mar-201105:39IA-64
Storport.sys6.1.7601.21686430,46418-Mar-201105:33IA-64

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Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
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More information

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/ )
Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

Additional file information

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
Collapse this tableExpand this table
File nameAmd64_2122fab2388d4ef1f9978299fc0a4488_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21686_none_28bd4bb22bfa61e5.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size700
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)18:14
PlatformNot applicable
File nameAmd64_386ad48e34ff4d56acd1cf919a2dd5e6_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20927_none_ede1a31ef91c6988.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size700
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)18:14
PlatformNot applicable
File nameAmd64_microsoft-windows-storport_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20927_none_843dc6b562cb090f.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size15,727
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)07:38
PlatformNot applicable
File nameAmd64_microsoft-windows-storport_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21686_none_85e2420360230623.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size15,727
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)07:04
PlatformNot applicable
File nameUpdate.mum
File versionNot applicable
File size3,215
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)18:14
PlatformNot applicable
Additional files for all supported IA-64-based versions of Windows Server 2008 R2
Collapse this tableExpand this table
File nameIa64_22b45032cfa2d14633bb8fe07a4d9950_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20927_none_61abed847db2d952.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size698
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)18:14
PlatformNot applicable
File nameIa64_e0668499b6ebc754252ebf3331aeeb84_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21686_none_c53a1654452b8611.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size698
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)18:14
PlatformNot applicable
File nameIa64_microsoft-windows-storport_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.20927_none_2820cf27aa6ba0d5.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size15,726
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)07:35
PlatformNot applicable
File nameIa64_microsoft-windows-storport_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.21686_none_29c54a75a7c39de9.manifest
File versionNot applicable
File size15,726
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)07:04
PlatformNot applicable
File nameUpdate.mum
File versionNot applicable
File size2,168
Date (UTC)18-Mar-2011
Time (UTC)18:14
PlatformNot applicable
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Properties

Article ID: 2468345 - Last Review: December 27, 2012 - Revision: 3.0
Applies to
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
Keywords: 
kbautohotfix kbqfe kbhotfixserver kbfix kbsurveynew kbexpertiseinter KB2468345
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