SQL Agent memory issue

Question

SQL Agent memory issue

MVDBA (Mike Vessey)

SSC-Insane

Points: 21797
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September 5, 2012 at 3:37 am

#261567

Hi
I have a bunch of(6x) 64 bit sql 2008 (not R2) standard edition servers that seem to be leaking memory
the sql agent process is ramping up to 3GB in a single day (approx 40Kb per second) (note this is sqlagent.exe NOT sqlserver.exe)
the SQL agent is quite busy (29 jobs on 15 minute schedules)
Jobs simply perform remote proc calls on a linked server then wait for a specified period and then loop (until a specified amount of time has elapsed)
if i stop all of the jobs and disable them then the memory is not released.
also there is no SSIS use or CLR use. purely TSQL
i found the following article
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971622
i'm not using sql variants and all of my servers are on sp3 (well above sp1 cu8)
Has anyone seen this before ? or have a fix?
MVDBA

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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Robert Davis One Orange Chip Points: 28027 More actions · Answer 1

Doesn't sound like a memory leak. You're over-working SQL Agent running linked server queries (which do not use the buffer pool) and it's requiring 3 GB of memory. I would not expect SQL Agent to release memory it has taken even if it's not currently all in use.

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MVDBA (Mike Vessey) SSC-Insane Points: 21797 More actions · Answer 2

thanks for that - but on other servers we can see the memory being released.... thats what looks unusual

MVDBA

Orlando Colamatteo SSC Guru Points: 182279 More actions · Answer 3

Same Windows and SQL Server Build # on all servers?

There are no special teachers of virtue, because virtue is taught by the whole community.
--Plato

MVDBA (Mike Vessey) SSC-Insane Points: 21797 More actions · Answer 4

yes all of them - originally i posted 6 servers, but it's actually 18.. the other 50 or so servers (all win 2008 datacentre with sql 2008 sp3) seem to run at about 18Mb

MVDBA

Orlando Colamatteo SSC Guru Points: 182279 More actions · Answer 5

Well something must differ between the servers. I am thinking code now. Are they running the exact same set of jobs?

Relevant link?

http://blogs.us.sogeti.com/sqlserver/monitor-sql-agent-memory-consumption/[/url]

There are no special teachers of virtue, because virtue is taught by the whole community.
--Plato