What is SVCHOST.exe in Task manager?

Many time we opend the task manager to see the performance of the machine we found that there is a Process called SVCHOST.exe is using some of the resources.
Svchost.exe is a generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs).In General language its a Combination of many services in one file.
The Svchost.exe file is located in the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder. At startup, Svchost.exe checks the services part of the registry to construct a list of services that it must load. Multiple instances of Svchost.exe can run at the same time. Each Svchost.exe session can contain a grouping of services. Therefore, separate services can run, depending on how and where Svchost.exe is started. This grouping of services allows for better control and easier debugging.

Svchost.exe groups are identified in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Svchost
Each value under this key represents a separate Svchost group and appears as a separate instance when you are viewing active processes. Each value is a REG_MULTI_SZ value and contains the services that run under that Svchost group. Each Svchost group can contain one or more service names that are extracted from the following registry key, whose Parameters key contains a ServiceDLL value:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Service

To view the list of services that are running in Svchost:


Click Start on the Windows taskbar, and then click Run.

In the Open box, type CMD, and then press ENTER.

Type Tasklist /SVC, and then press ENTER.

Tasklist displays a list of active processes. The /SVC switch shows the list of active services in each process.

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List of the updates including in "ShadowProtect version 3.5.2" (19 March 2010)!!

• A workaround has been added to resolve a system-induced blue screen (BSOD) which occurred on Windows Server 2008R2 with Hyper-V at the start of a ShadowProtect backup.




• A fix has been made to eliminate a system-wide hang/deadlock which could occur on Windows Server 2008 at the start of a ShadowProtect backup.



• A fix has been made to eliminate a hung ShadowProtect backup job which could occur on Windows Server 2008 when at the start of a ShadowProtect backup.



• A fix has been made to resolve rare situations where VDiff (the fast incremental tracking) could not be enabled for some volumes.



• A fix has been made to the ShadowProtect NT service (ShadowProtectSvc.exe) so that when it is automatically woken up from sleep mode it will take the next backup if a scheduled backup was missed while the machine was asleep. In versions prior to 3.5.2, the missed backup would only be taken if the machine was manually woken up, but not when it was automatically woken up.



• A fix has been made to the installed ShadowProtect components to resolve an issue where a new manual differential image, immediately dependent upon an existing full image file, would not be created with the same compression and encryption settings as the full image file (as it should be).



• A fix has been made to the image.exe .MD5 text file processing code to properly process all possible text file types (ANSI, Unicode little-endian with preamble/BOM, Unicode little-endian without preamble/BOM, Unicode big-endian with preamble/BOM, Unicode big-endian without preamble/BOM, UTF-8 with preamble/BOM, UTF-8 without preamble/BOM).



• A fix has been made to the recovery enviornment post-restore code to preserve the drive letter of a restored OS volume. In the past this has been (and still is) done automatically as part of the post-restore HIR process. But in situations where the restore process did not involve HIR, the drive letter of the resored OS volume was not preserved. Now, regardless whether or not the restore uses HIR, if you are restoring an image of an OS volume then after the restore finishes the proper changes will be made to preserve that OS volume's drive letter when that OS volume is booted.



• A fix has been made to the post-restore BCD patching code to properly deal with hidden recovery partitions (such as the Win7 recovery partition).

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How can I check the version of my System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 installation?

There are now several different versions of SCCM 2007—RTM, SP1, SP2, R2, and R3. If you launch the SCCM administration console and select Help, About System Center Configuration Manager, you can check the version. The versions and their numbers are:

•RTM - 4.00.5931.0000
•SP1 - 4.00.6221.1000
•SP2 - 4.00.6487.2000
To check if you're using R2 or R3, open the properties of the SCCM site. The General tab once again shows the version, but also shows if R2 or R3 are installed, as shown here:

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Article ID: 2487376

Microsoft releases a fix for Stop error when you replace an iSCSI network adapter or a motherboard by using an identical device on a Windows Server 2008-based or Windows Vista-based computer: "0x0000007B"


Please visit :-
http://www.mskbarticles.com/index.php?kb=2487376
and download the Hotfix.

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SFC (System File Checker)

System File Checker gives an administrator the ability to scan all protected files to verify their versions. If System File Checker discovers that a protected file has been overwritten, it retrieves the correct version of the file from the cache folder (%Systemroot%\System32\Dllcache) or the Windows installation source files, and then replaces the incorrect file. System File Checker also checks and repopulates the cache folder. You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group to run System File Checker. If the cache folder becomes damaged or unusable, you can use the sfc /scannow, the sfc /scanonce, or the sfc /scanboot commands to repair its contents.
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System File Checker Tool Syntax
Sfc [/Scannow] [/Scanonce] [/Scanboot] [/Revert] [/Purgecache] [/Cachesize=x]
/Scannow: Scans all protected system files immediately and replaces incorrect versions with correct Microsoft versions. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files.
/Scanonce: Scans all protected system files one time when you restart your computer. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files when you restart the computer. The SfcScan DWORD value is set to 2 in the following registry key when you run this command:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
/Scanboot: Scans all protected system files every time you start your computer. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files every time you start your computer. The SfcScan DWORD value is set to 1 in the following registry key when you run this command:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
/Revert: Returns scan to the default setting (do not scan protected files when you start the computer).The default cache size is not reset when you run this command. This command is equivalent to the /Enable switch in Windows 2000.
/Purgecache: Purges the file cache and scans all protected system files immediately. This command may require access to the Windows installation source files.
/Cachesize=x: Sets the file cache size to x megabytes (MB). The default size of the cache is 50 MB. This command requires you to restart the computer, and then run the /purgecache command to adjust the size of the on-disk cache. This command sets the SfcQuota DWORD value to x in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

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How to determine the page file size in 64bit servers?

The 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP can support more RAM than the 32-bit versions of these products. When lots of memory is added to a computer, a paging file may not be required. When you use the Pages/sec counter to measure paging file use, the value that is returned may not be accurate. To obtain an accurate measurement of paging file use, you must also use other performance counters. You can use System Monitor measurements to calculate the size of the paging file that your computer requires.

Windows Domain Controllers and DFS Replication, Certificate and ADAM/LDS Servers are not supported without a configured pagefile. Because the algorithm the LSASS database cache depends on the "transition pages repurposed/second" perfmon counter, a pagefile is required to make sure that the database cache is capable to release memory if memory is requested by other services or applications.
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INTRODUCTION
When you set up a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows XP, the operating system will create a page file that is one and a half times the amount of RAM that is installed in your computer. However, as the amount of RAM in a computer increases, the need for a page file decreases. The following guidelines and methods will help you determine the appropriate page file size for your system.
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Comparison of memory and CPU limits in the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows
When you set up a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP, a page file is created that is one and a half times the amount of RAM that is installed in the computer provided there is sufficient free space on the system hard disk. However, as more RAM is added to a computer, the need for a page file decreases. If you have enough RAM installed in your computer, you may not require a page file at all, unless one is required by a specific application.

The following chart illustrates the amount of RAM and the number of CPUs that can be installed on a computer depending on the operating system that is installed. RAM and CPU limits are much larger in 64-bit operating systems than in 32-bit operating systems.
Collapse this tableExpand this table
General memory limits 32-bit 64-bit
Total virtual address space 4 gigabytes (GB) 16 terabytes
Virtual address space per 32-bit process 2 GB, 3 GB if the system is booted with the /3GB switch 2 GB, 4 GB if the application is compiled with the /LARGEADDRESSAWARE switch
Virtual address space per 64-bit process Not applicable 8 terabytes
Paged pool 470 megabytes (MB) 128 GB
Non-paged pool 256 MB 128 GB
System cache 1 GB 1 terabyte

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Physical memory and CPU limits 32-bit 64-bit
Windows XP Professional 4 GB / 1-2 CPUs 128 GB / 1-2 CPUs
Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition 4 GB / 1-4 CPUs 32 GB / 1-4 CPUs
Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition 64 GB / 1-8 CPUs 1 terabyte / 1-8 CPUs
Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition 64 GB / 1-32 CPUs 1 terabyte / 1-64 CPUs
Windows Server 2003 SP1, Enterprise Edition 64 GB / 1-8 CPUs 1 terabyte / 1-8 CPUs
Windows Server 2003 SP1, Datacenter Edition 64 GB / 1-32 CPUs 1 terabyte / 1-64 CPUs

There is no specific recommendation for page file size. Your requirements will be based on the hardware and software that you use and the load that you put on the computer. To monitor page file usage and requirements, run System Monitor, and gather a log during typical usage conditions. Focus on the following counters.
Collapse this tableExpand this table
Counter threshold Suggested value
Memory\\Available Bytes No less than 4 MB
Memory\\Pages Input/sec No more than 10 pages
Paging File\\% Usage No more than 70 percent
Paging File\\% Usage Peak No more than 70 percent
Process\\Page File Bytes Peak Not applicable

Note Page file use should be tracked periodically. When you increase the use or the load on the system, you generally increase the demand for virtual address space and page file space.
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The Pages/sec counter
When you use System Monitor, the values that are returned by the Pages/sec counter for the Memory performance object may be more than you expect. These values may not be related to either paging file activity or cache activity. Instead, these values may be caused by an application that is sequentially reading a memory-mapped file.

The Pages/sec counter counts the number of pages that are read from the disk or that are written to the disk to resolve memory references to pages. These pages were not in memory at the time of the reference. The Pages/sec value is the sum of the Pages Input/sec and Pages Output/sec counter values. The Pages/sec counter includes paging traffic on behalf of the system cache to access file data for applications.

Pages/sec is the primary counter to watch if you are concerned about excessive memory pressure (thrashing) and the excessive paging that may result.

However, the Pages/sec counter also accounts for other activity, such as the sequential reading of memory-mapped files that are either cached or not. Typically, the Pages/sec counter is counting other activity when you see the following:
A high value for the Memory: Pages/sec counter.
An average value, relative to the system being monitored, or a high value for the Memory: Available Bytes counter.
An average or small value for the Paging File: % Usage counter.
For a non-cached memory-mapped file, you also see average or low cache activity. (Low cache activity is also known as cache fault activity.)
Therefore, a high value for the Memory: Pages/sec counter does not necessarily indicate memory pressure or a System Monitor reporting error. To gain an accurate reading of your system, you must also monitor other counters.
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How to calculate page file size
Use one or more of the following methods to help you calculate page file size.
Method 1: Use performance logs to understand the paging activity on your computer
Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Performance.
Expand Performance Logs and Alerts, click Counter Logs, right-click the blank space in the right-pane, and then click New Log Settings.
In the Name box, type a name for the log, and then click OK.
On the General tab, click Add Counters.
Click Use local computer counters.
In the Performance object list, click Paging File.
Click Select counters from list, click % Usage, and then click Add.
In the Performance object list, click Memory.
In Select counters from list, click Available Bytes, and then click Add.
In Select counters from list, click Pages Input/sec, click Add, and then click Close.
Click OK.
Use the log that you collect during typical computer use to understand the paging activity on your computer. Then, adjust the page file size accordingly.
Method 2: Use the Page File Bytes Peak counter to calculate page file size
Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Performance.
Click System Monitor.
In the right pane, click + (the Add button).
Click Use local computer counters.
In the Performance object list, click Process.
Click Select counters from list, click Page File Bytes Peak, click Add, and then click Close.
Let the counter run during typical use of your computer.
Note the maximum value for the Page File Bytes Peak counter, and then multiply the value by 0.70. The sum of the equation is the size to set for your page file.
Method 3: Calculate the minimum and maximum page file size
To determine the approximate minimum page file that is required by your system, calculate the sum of peak private bytes that are used by each process on the system. Then, subtract the amount of memory on the system.

To determine the approximate maximum page file space that is required for your system, calculate the sum of peak private bytes that are used by each process on the system. Then, add a margin of additional space. Do not subtract the amount of memory on the system. The size of the additional margin can be adjusted based on your confidence in the snapshot data that is used to estimate page file requirements.

Note This estimate is accurate only if the snapshot of data that is used to make the calculations is accurate.
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Page file input/output rates
To avoid overloading the system or other disks with page input/output (I/O) activity, use the following guidelines when you set up the page file on your computer:
If the page I/O (real disk I/O) rate is more than 10 pages per second, we recommend that you do not put the page file where the I/O activity occurs on the system disk. When the page I/O rate is 10 pages per second or more, we recommend that you dedicate a separate hard disk for paging.
If the page I/O rate to a particular disk that is used for paging is more than 60 disk I/O operations per second, use more than one dedicated page hard disk to obtain better performance. To do this, use multiple non-striped disks for paging, or use raid 0 striped disks for paging. Dedicate approximately one I/O hard disk to paging for every 60 pages per second of I/O activity.

For example, if a system is averaging 150 pages of I/O activity per second, use three individual hard disks, or a three-disk raid 0 stripe set for the page file.

Note These estimates are for hard disks that run at 7200 revolutions per minute (rpm). If you use a hard disk that runs faster, the I/O rate a disk can handle for page I/O will increase.

Note If peak performance is critical to your system, use peak I/O rates instead of average I/O rates for these calculations.
Important Supportability Information: This article is specifically for computers that do not need kernel mode or full memory dump analysis. For business-critical servers where business processes require to server to capture physical memory dumps for analysis, the traditional model of the page file should be at least the size of physical ram plus 1 MB, or 1.5 times the default physical RAM. This makes sure that the free disk space of the operating system partition is large enough to hold the OS, hotfixes, installed applications, installed services, a dump file, and the page file. On a server that has 32 GB of memory, drive C may have to be at least 86 GB to 90 GB. This is 32 GB for memory dump, 48 GB for the page file (1.5 times the physical memory), 4 GB for the operating system, and 2 to 4 GB for the applications, the installed services, the temp files, and so on. Remember that a driver or kernel mode service leak could consume all free physical RAM. Therefore, a Windows Server 2003 x64 SP1-based server in 64-bit mode with 32GB of RAM could have a 32 GB kernel memory dump file, where you would expect only a 1 to 2 GB dump file in 32-bit mode. This behavior occurs because of the greatly increased memory pools.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
294418 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/294418/ ) Comparison of 32-bit and 64-bit memory architecture for 64-bit editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
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MORE INFORMATION
Technical support for x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows
If your hardware came with a Microsoft Windows x64 edition already installed, your hardware manufacturer provides technical support and assistance for the Windows x64 edition. In this case, your hardware manufacturer provides support because a Windows x64 edition was included with your hardware. Your hardware manufacturer might have customized the Windows x64 edition installation by using unique components. Unique components might include specific device drivers or might include optional settings to maximize the performance of the hardware. Microsoft will provide reasonable-effort assistance if you must have technical help with a Windows x64 edition. However, you might have to contact your manufacturer directly. Your manufacturer is best qualified to support the software that your manufacturer installed on the hardware. If you purchased a Windows x64 edition such as a Windows Server 2003 x64 edition separately, contact Microsoft for technical support.

For product information about Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.mspx)
For product information about x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/64bit/x64/default.mspx (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/64bit/x64/default.mspx)
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APPLIES TO
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-Based Systems
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

http://www.mskbarticles.com/index.php?kb=889654

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