Disabling Thread Creation for CGI I/O in IIS 1.0

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Internet Information Server version 1.0

SYMPTOMS

Internet Information Server 1.0 (IIS) creates a separate thread for Common Gateway Interface (CGI) application processing. This was not configurable in Internet Information Server.

MORE INFORMATION

Some IIS installations may benefit from using server pool threads to perform CGI application processing. This reduces the overhead of creating a new thread for each CGI application running; however, if the CGI requests take an extended period of time, it can consume a server pool thread.

RESOLUTION

Obtain the fix referenced below (under STATUS), and then modify the registry as described here. W3svc.dll was modified to accept a registry entry that disables thread creation for managing CGI application I/O. The new registry entry is UsePoolThreadForCGI.

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.

1. Run "Net Stop w3svc"

2. Run Registry Editor (REGEDT32.EXE).

3. From the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE subtree, go to the following key:

         \SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W3svc\Parameters
   

   The parameters described below are located under this Registry subkey.

   The following describes a new value for the W3SVC service parameters key that can only be set by adding an entry in Registry Editor. This value entry does not appear by default in the Registry, so you must add an entry if you want to change its default value. The W3SVC service must be restarted for changes to take effect.

   UsePoolThreadForCGI

         Data Type = REG_DWORD
         Value:
                  0 - Use a server pool thread to do CGI processing.
        (Default) 1 - Create a new thread to do CGI processing.
   
   

4. Run "Net Start w3svc"

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Internet Information Server version 1.00. A fix to this problem is in development, but has not been regression-tested and may be destabilizing in production environments. Microsoft does not recommend implementing this fix at this time. Contact Microsoft Product Support Services for more information on the availability of this fix.