PRB: Stack Size Now 256 K in Internet Information Server 4.0

ID: Q189888

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Information Server version 4.0
Microsoft Internet Server Application Programming Interface (API)
Active Server Pages

SYMPTOMS

A "Stack overflow" or access violation error, or hanging of the server may occur due to an ISAPI DLL or custom Active Server Pages (ASP) component in Internet Information Server (IIS) 4.0. This problem does not occur when the same code and data are used in Internet Information Server 3.0.

CAUSE

The maximum stack size of a thread has been reduced from 1 MB in IIS 3.0 to 256 KB in IIS 4.0.

RESOLUTION

Reduce the ISAPI DLL's or ASP component's use of the stack to fit within the reduced size of the IIS 4.0 stack. See the MORE INFORMATION section below for hints.

STATUS

The change in stack size is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

The maximum size of a thread's stack is determined by the executable file of the process, not by the individual ISAPI DLL or ASP component that is running inside the process. Both the IIS 4.0 version of Inetinfo.exe (for in-process Web applications) and Mtx.exe (which hosts out-of-process Web applications) are set to a 256 KB maximum stack size. This follows the changed standard for all Windows NT system executables.

A function's arguments and local variables are stored on the stack of the thread they are executing on. Declaring extremely large local variables will rapidly use up the stack. For example, the following function would require 400,000 bytes of stack space (100,000 integers X 4 bytes per int) to store the array.:


   void func(void)
   {
     int i[100000];
     // more code
     return;
   }

This function could not be successfully called in IIS 4.0, but probably would have worked in IIS 3.0. To avoid using the stack, allocate the memory dynamically:


   void func(void)
   {
     int *i

     i = new int[100000];
     // more code
     return;
   }

Dynamically allocated memory is not stored on the stack, so the function no longer needs 400,000 bytes of stack space, and should work on IIS 4.0

Another way that stack space can be quickly exhausted is with recursive function calls. If a function requires 40 bytes for local variables and arguments, and calls itself recursively 10,000 times, then 400,000 bytes of stack space would be needed. Again, this would likely work on IIS 3.0, but not on IIS 4.0.

A CGI program would not be affected by the change in stack size. A new process is created when the CGI program is launched, and the stack size is determined from the CGI executable, not from Inetinfo.exe.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbnokeyword
Version : winnt:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb