DOCUMENT:Q163213     [crossnet]
TITLE   :WebSTONE Benchmark of IIS May Show Poor Results for MP Systems
PRODUCT :Microsoft Windows NT/Microsoft Internet Information Server
PROD/VER:4.00
OPER/SYS:WINDOWS
KEYWORDS:kbnetwork kbbug4.00 kbfile

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The information in this article applies to:

 - Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
 - Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
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SYMPTOMS
========

Internet Information Server (IIS) performance drops dramatically on
multiprocessor systems when you test with WebSTONE, a popular web
benchmark, which uses a non-abortive (graceful) close method for TCP
sessions.

SPECWEB is another benchmark tool that has shown similar results.

NOTE: This problem does not occur when using regular real-world browsers
such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.

CAUSE
=====

There was a high rate of contention for a TCP resource, which lead to poor
performance.

RESOLUTION
==========

Microsoft has updated Tcpip.sys to correct the problem. Instructions for
installing it are available from Microsoft support channels, or directly
from the following Internet location:

   ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-public/fixes/usa/NT40/
   hotfixes-postSP2/TCPIP-fix

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.51 and
4.0. A supported fix is now available, but is not fully regression-tested
and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem.
Unless you are severely impacted by this specific problem, Microsoft
recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this fix.
Contact Microsoft Technical Support for more information.

KBCategory: kbnetwork kbbug4.00 kbfile
KBSubcategory: nttcp NTSrvWkst
Additional reference words: 4.00 prodnt

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