High File Handle Count with Windows Agent

Note: this article only applies to Windows agents version 5.3 or earlier installed on the Windows 2003 platform.  Contact uptime Support if you experience file handle issues with the up.time Agent on any other platform.

According to Microsoft KB938135, a file handle leak was introduced on systems that installed either hotfix 925104 or Windows 2003 SP2.  According to the Microsoft KB article, the handle count of applications that access performance counters (such as the up.time Agent) continues to increase and over time, this handle leak may exhaust system resources and cause performance issues.

Clients that notice a handle leak on their Windows 2003 servers in conjunction with the up.time Agent should review and consider applying the resolution described by Microsoft in KB938135.  If applying the resolution is not viable, setting the agent Restart Interval is a practical workaround.

To enable the up.time Agent to release the file handles with a Restart Interval, follow these steps:

• Open the up.time Agent Console.
• Click the > button.
• Enter 86400 in the Restart Interval field (to restart the agent every 24 hours).
• Click Save and Yes to restart the agent and apply the change.