Sqlserver.exe process is eating my server

Hello all,

My server has been running pretty well, a few errors here and there, until recently that is.

I checked some error logs and found that my sqlservr.exe process, which as far as I can tell is Microsoft SQL. I think it is a pretty harmless process, however I have witnessed a few warnings and when I check the processes in the task manager it is literally eating my RAM.

I just checked it and it was taking up almost 1.5 gigs of 4 gigs of RAM. This to me seems somewhat ridiculous, and I really don't think it would be tripping system warnings if it were running properly.

I killed the process, and restarted it and now it is only taking up 38,484 kb of RAM, this is what I am used to seeing, but it seems like at some point in the evening it the process just takes over the system. The real kicker here is there isn't much of anything on the server that is actively using that process. It is mainly a file server right now.

Has anyone seen this before, and if so have you found a fix for it? I am stil lfairly new to Server 2003 sbs so tracking down the causes of these problems can be daunting at times.

Thanks,
Jake

 

No, the server is currently not running any sort of database applications. It is just managing back ups and hosting files (as well as the domain.) All our databases are currently being run from other machines, or are hosted outside of the company all together. That is why I am so puzzled by this SQL process. It isn't really doing much of anything, yet growing and growing until it takes up all the system memory...

Also, a side note. I just found another instance of this running. So there are who "SQLservr.exe" processes running on the box. I am not sure if that is supposed to be like that, but I really don't think it should have two instances of that process running at the same time, that just seems odd to me.

 

the backup software I am using is called "smart Sync." I guess it is technically a sync software before it is a backup software, but it works a lot better, and takes up a lot fewer system resources, that and there is no messing around with image files, and if something happens to a copy of a file I can replace just that file instead of the entire directory.

There isn't even an anti-virus running on the system, currently. This server is quite bare.

 

SQL Server likes to be on a server on its own and will tend to grab all the resources it can find. It's designed for performance. It is not the database to use if you want your database to have a small foot print. It is actually quite hard work to stop it eating up resources: that's one of the reasons it works best on a dedicated server.

Why is the amount of RAM being used a problem? Is it impacting other processed? There seems to be 2.5 Gb RAM available to the rest of the system.

Your choices are:

• Manage the SQL service and try to limit the resources it uses. Not easy.
• Reconfigure the applications that use the database to use another database available elsewhere on the network and uninstall SQL from this server.
• Live with it and make sure there are enough additional resources available for the other applications on the server.

 

There is extra RAM available now but since it is the only real server in the company it is going to be taking a few extra jobs in the coming weeks. Some of which are also system hogs (quickbooks.) At least from the other versions of this software that I have used and managed in the past.

I am really more worried about future problems. The only thing is I don't know what is actually using SQL on the Server. I am not running any sort of databases off of it that I know about, and no one else as access to the box.

I came in this morning and it was taking up over 2 gigs of system RAM. It looks like if I just restart the process it is a lot more manageable for quite awhile, I am just worried I am running into some underlying configuration problem with that process.

 

I have located the software that is using it, and it is a Microsoft Monitoring software for logs that are running on the server from the looks of it. So there is no way around it, looks like for now I am just going to have to let it eat my system RAM and restart the process once every 36 hours or so.

Thanks for the help, the idea to check ports was a big help.
Jake