I just noticed the exact same problem today among other abnormalities with this product.  For a product that touts less overhead; it really makes a liar out of me.  My customer switched from Trend OfficeScan and is considering going back as well.

 

We need a fix for this issue as well as the size of the sem5.db.  In my test lab of 5 PC's this file ios over 650MB in just 3 days!

 

Also the dbsrv9.exe seems to spike with a great resource usage similar to the semsvc.exe but not as bad.  Usually around 80-100k from time to time

 

 

-J

My SBS 2003 is also dying from this CPU hog.  It's clocking over 90%.  This is absolutely pathetic.  I need an urgent fix for this also.

 

Regards

bc

Same issue here.. sem5.DB is getting HUGE..

 

is there any way to comprimise this?

There are some way to mitigate the bloat, but will take a good deal of configuration changing from the default.  Specifics on all of these things can be found here and in the Symantec KB.

 

1)  Overall, you'll be better off running SQL 2005 express (the freebie) than the Symantec database.  I've found SQL to be more robust and you can configure it to limit memory usage.

 

2)  A large amount of the db bloat comes from binary files that it stores such as install packages, client logs, and definitions.  Dig around in the admin section of SEPM console and you'll be able to change the settings to store less stuff and delete older items.  Reduce the amount of log entries stored and how long it keeps them.  For Database Maintenance, reduce the delete times and check "Delete unused virus definitions".  If you've already updated to MR1, delete the original client install packages.

 

3)  To reduce raw file space usage, dig around here in the forums to find the thread about keeping the Inetpub directory slim, which involves editing a config file.  You'll also want to find the thread about turning off IIS logging for SEPM.

 

Once you get all this done, you'll be in much better shape.

The last thing I already did, and is working fine.

 

Is it posible to switch from sem5.db into SQL?

 

On our server we us SQL Server 2005 so this tool must be usefull for this.

The "dig around in the forums" sounds good. 

 

Although "download the MR1 tweak and performance guide from Symantec" would be better. 

 

Symantec, there needs to be a missive published from you called "How to wrangle your SEPM" into working.  I have downloaded a KB here and there but you really need an all-in-one place manual update.  Plus the performance KB guide I did download was basically "turn everything off".

 

Also, my SEMSVC.exe process has grown from 95B to 114MB in the last 2 hours with only one client workstation.

 

 

Frank:  Yes it is.  The process is explained in Chapter 4 of the SEP Install Guide.

 

Mike:  I agree.  Been meaning to do up my own sort of FAQ before I forget the solutions to the dozens of problems I've had with SEP since we got it in early October.  Just haven't found the time to do so. 

 

Symantec:  The knowledgebase is horrible and clunky for a product with a tumultuous history like SEP.  In the 3.5 months since SEP was released, the KB entries have grown from 20-30 (as I recall) at release to a number approaching 300.  Many of these have been edited several times.  What the KB REALLY needs is the ability to show most recently added/modified for a given product.  This would make it possible for customers to keep up on the fixes for new issues and changes to existing ones.  I have submitted this suggestion to the web ppl.

I have 5 PCs on my network and it is up to 850MB.  

JML wrote:

 

We need a fix for this issue as well as the size of the sem5.db.  In my test lab of 5 PC's this file ios over 650MB in just 3 days!

 

-J