SES TIMEOUT PARAMETER FOR SNA SERVER.

BACKGROUND.

BCOM for Windows NT uses Microsoft SNA Server as a gateway to the SNA network. Many of SNA Server functions can be fine tuned through parameters in Windows NT Registry. One of the parameters, SESTIMEOUT, if set incorrectly, can cause problems with BCOM operation. This Technical Note discusses the required setting.

THE PROBLEM.

If you activate a requester on BCOM for Windows NT, and immediately queue a request, the request is performed correctly. If, later on, you submit the same request, this request aborts with the message "BCOM_E_4035A TEMPORARY FAILURE PREMATURELY ENDED THE CONVERSATION" in the BCOM log. Any subsequent request queued to the same requester will fail in the same way.

THE SOLUTION.

SESTIMEOUT (this is found in the Windows NT system registry in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ SnaServr \ Parameters) must be set to 999999. This variable sets the number of 5-second timer ticks before the node deactivates contention winner sessions that are no longer in use.

The default value for this parameter is 4, for a time-out value of 20 seconds.

BCOM needs the session to remain active at all times, even if there is no conversation (BCOM request) active.

Once the change has been made to the Registry, do not forget to Stop SNA Server and restart it for the change to take effect.