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smc.exe high CPU usage

  • 1.  smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 10:16 AM
    I am in the process of preparing a new PC for deployment.  I used the  Migration and Deployment Wizard to install the client on the PC as I have recently done with other PC's on the network.  This PC however, is now suffering from unually high CPU Usage by the smc.exe process.  More specifically, the process constantly runs and fluctuates between 18% - 70% CPU usage.
     
    Any thoughts?
     
    Thanks
    Kevin
     
     


  • 2.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Oct 31, 2007 03:03 PM
    Do you see any extreme fluctuation with the javaw.exe process when you first boot up the server?  I'm testing on a Virtual Server and see a lot of insane processor usage.  I used to use a virtual server with 256 MB of memory with SCS as my Primary Server.. Now with 2GB of memory it's still killing me...


  • 3.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 02, 2007 11:43 AM
    I too am experiencing extremely high scm.exe CPU usage after installing the SEP client on one of our PCs running 32-bit Windows XP SP2. Two other recently installed clients are not exhibiting this behavior. Very concerned about rolling this out to additional clients until Symantec responds.
     
    Marc


  • 4.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 04, 2007 03:06 PM
    I, too, am experiencing 50% cpu utilization in my virtual machines which has my physical server running at 80% utilization all the time.
     
    Any thoughts, Symantec engineers?


  • 5.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 04, 2007 03:11 PM
    To help in the isolation of root cause can you disable Network Threat Protection and check if the percentage of cpu taken up by smc is reduced?
     
    regards,
     
    JimW


  • 6.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 05, 2007 05:01 PM
    Jim,
     
    We've turned off all the extras and left basic file system scanning active.
     
    Another note: on these servers, when the machine is "idle" with no user, thats when smc.exe drives the cpu hard.  When you logon, it stops.  So some kind of idle loop code is not right.


  • 7.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 05, 2007 05:10 PM
    I'm confirming this phenomena,
    when there's no user logged onto the server, SMC.EXE cpu utilization runs at 50% per server instance.  (I have one physical Dell 2850 running 3 virtual servers)
     
    In each of the 3 cases, once the administrator was logged onto the server, SMC.EXE usage went to 0%.  When the user was logged off (no user logged onto the server anymore) SMC went right back to 50%.
     
    Please have your engineers address this soon.  Having all 3 virtual servers running at 50% is running my physical box at 80% overall, with no real work happening.


  • 8.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Jul 16, 2009 03:59 AM
    Hi Jim,

    Me too facing the same issue with the DELL brand PC.

    Check the below post..

    https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/forums/smcexe-takes-99-cpu#new

    Rgrds,
    SAM


  • 9.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 01:50 PM
    A couple of years have passed, and I'm experiencing high smc.exe CPU utilization with v11.

    Has there been any progress in fixing this?


  • 10.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 23, 2009 03:20 PM
     Guess it depends on what version of 11 you are on?  Specifically the build of the servers and clients.

    Usually depicted as 11.0.XXXX.  This will determine if you are on the later releases, or original builds that were problematic..


  • 11.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Nov 24, 2009 04:02 PM
    My client is v11.0.2010.25.

    Unless I get get the server version # through my client, getting the version # of the server from IT might be painful.

    Thanks.


  • 12.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Dec 04, 2009 06:30 PM
    So, is there a way for me to get the client to report the server version?


  • 13.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Dec 05, 2009 01:06 AM
    Doesn't matter too much actually. Your client version is a little outdated, but it is hard to say whether an upgrade would fix your issue or not. First we need to identify what you are doing when the scan takes up the CPU. So first the most typical questions:

    1. Are you utilizing any VPN client when you are seeing the high CPU?
    2. Is this happening during a scan?
    3. How many cores does your cpu have and what is the exact percent you are seeing? I ask this because certain problems will max out an entire core of the CPU and other "high" cpu usage can happen for other reasons. These other problems won't usually max out the whole core.

    Cheers
    Grant


  • 14.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Dec 10, 2009 01:28 PM
    Hi Grant -

    Thanks for the reply.

    Here are my answers.

    0. The version of the client that I run is enforced by my IT dept.  So, keeping myself on the very latest version is not necessarily an option for me.
    1. There is no VPN in use on this PC.
    2. No.
    3. My CPU has one core.  The percentages vary, but are not pegged at 100% if that's what you're asking.  I did not save a screen shot of Task Manager showing the CPU pattern, but if that would be helpful I can do so next time it happens.




  • 15.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Dec 10, 2009 03:28 PM
    Issue has been fixed in RU5, please upgrade your client. mos of time it was caused by incorrect default gateway setting.


  • 16.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Dec 10, 2009 04:12 PM
     If you are using 11.0.2010 and can't upgrade then you can't complain much as symantec also accepts that From MR3 (11.0.3000.xxxx ) onwards performance has been increased dramatically.Latest is 11.0.5 which is sometimes referred to 0bug build.

    Would suggest you to send this Release notes to your IT Department and tell them to have a look in it.
    http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ent-security.nsf/docid/2007121216360648


  • 17.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Dec 14, 2009 02:23 PM
    chenh and Vikram Kumar -

    Thank you for the replies.  You gave me exactly what I needed!




  • 18.  RE: smc.exe high CPU usage

    Posted Jan 15, 2010 12:49 PM
    I am running the above version, and am experiencing the smc.exe cpu drag - ONLY on this ONE workstation.  I don't know what it is -

    I tried to follow the instructions from JimW listed above by turning off the Network Threat Protection, but it's still beating the heck out of the box. 

    It's a Celeron 2.67 with a GIG of memory (no duo-core) - this meachine should scream, based on the few apps I've got running -

    Any ideas on how to fix this?

    Thanks!