SNALINK.EXE - Cancel Timeout in \driver\DLC

ID: Q161768

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft SNA Server, versions 2.0, 2.1, 2.11, 2.11 SP1, 3.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you stop the SNA Server service, the following error message may be displayed:

SNALINK.EXE - Cancel Timeout
The driver \driver\DLC failed to complete a cancelled I/O request in the allotted time.

After clicking OK, the same message may appear over and over again. You may not be able to perform any other operations until this error is cleared.

CAUSE

The error message is a Windows NT "hard error popup" which occurs if the SNA Server 802.2 link service terminates while the underlying DLC.SYS driver has completed IRP's to return to the calling thread. However, the link service has already ended. This error causes Windows NT to report a system-modal hard error popup which freezes the application subsystem until the user cancels the dialog. If multiple IRP's are completing, each IRP will cause another popup to appear.

This problem will only occur when the SNA Server service is stopped, which causes underlying SNA Server link services to stop too.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

While this error may occur during SNA Server shutdown, it is recommended that the hard error popup be suppressed by configuring the following Windows NT registry setting:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Windows\ ErrorMode: REG_DWORD: 2

The default is 0 which causes the error popup to appear, requiring the user to manually clear the error. This option is not recommended for Windows NT servers which may not be accessible to users. A value of 2 causes the error to be reported to the event log and returns OK to the hard error so the system can continue. Popups don't appear. This entry is described in the Windows NT 3.5 Resource Kit Volume 4 "Optimizing Windows NT", Appendix B on page 614.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be an operational issue with Windows NT version 3.5, 3.51, and 4.0. It is recommended that the ErrorMode entry is modified for servers which aren't normally accessible to administrator personnel.

Additional query words:

Keywords : prodsna snadlc
Version : WINDOWS:2.0,2.1,2.11,2.11 SP1,3.0; winnt:3.5,3.51,4.0
Platform : WINDOWS winnt
Issue type : kbprb