Err Msg: Not Enough Server Storage Is Available to Process This Command

ID: Q225782

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0, 4.0 SP1, 4.0 SP2, 4.0 SP3
Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

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 use a locally mapped shared and the IRPStackSize parameter is set too low, you may receive the following error message:

Not enough server storage is available to process this command.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur in the following operating systems:

Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or earlier

Windows NT Terminal Server 4.0 without Service Pack 4 (SP4)

Depending on the hardware configuration of the specific computer, the default value may not be large enough for the SRV service to properly administer shared folders on some of the physical drives. You may see one or both of the following event messages:

Event ID: 2011
Source: SRV
Description: The server's configuration parameter "irpstacksize" is too small for the server to use a local device. Please increase the value of this parameter.

Event ID: 0
Source SRV
Description: Description for Event ID 0 could not be found. It contains the insertion string \device\LanManServer.

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).

You can increase the IRPStackSize value. You must first add this value to the following key if it is not already present:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

Value Name: IRPStackSize
Data Type: DWORD
Default: 0x4
Maximum: 0xC

Increasing this value requires some memory from the non-allocated memory pool, but the impact should not be noticeable.

NOTE: It is not always advisable to set the IRPStackSize value to its maximum of 12. Generally, you should start the value at 4 and work your way up, increasing the value by 1 each time. The problem may still occur if the value is too high.

This error message may also occur after installing or uninstalling virus-scanning software. You may want to remove the virus-scanning software or increase the IRPStackSize if you need to use the software.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The default IRPStackSize for Windows NT 4.0 SP3 and earlier and Windows NT Terminal Server 4.0 is 4. The default value for SP4 is 11.

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q198386 Changes in IRP Stack Size in Lanman Server

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv kberrmsg
Version : winnt:3.1,3.5,3.51,4.0,4.0 SP1,4.0 SP2,4.0 SP3
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbprb