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Windows Server 2008 (64-bit) servers can hang or become unresponsive after installing VirusScan Enterprise 8.8
Technical Articles ID:   KB87463
Last Modified:  12/12/2016

Environment

McAfee VirusScan Enterprise (VSE) 8.8 Patch 7 or earlier

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (64-bit)

Summary

A rare timing issue can occur with VSE 8.8 Patch 7 or earlier when installed on Windows Server 2008 (64-bit) that can cause the system to become unresponsive. We have resolved this issue in VSE 8.8 Patch 8 and later, which was possible only after receiving data from customer environments.

No catalyst for this symptom has been identified at this time. This article will be updated when more is known about the conditions for encountering this issue.

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Problem

Symptoms may include the following, observed on Windows Server 2008 (64-bit) servers:
  • Mouse/keyboard may be unresponsive.
  • CTRL+ALT+DELETE may be unresponsive.
  • Network connectivity may be partially or totally unresponsive.

System Change

There is no specific system change that can be attributed to introducing this symptom to an environment. However, it can only occur after installing VSE.

Cause

This deadlock symptom can occur when McShield, the On Access Scanner, attempts to stop and restart after encountering a hard scan-timeout. A rare and subsequent timing issue leads to a McAfee driver waiting indefinitely for a McShield thread to respond to scan requests, but the McShield process is hung attempting to shut down.

Solution

This issue is resolved in VSE 8.8 Patch 8.

Updates are available when you log on to the ServicePortal at: https://support.mcafee.com/downloads.

Workaround

A system reboot will restore operations. A reboot is not advisable as a troubleshooting step because data needed to investigate the root cause will then be lost, unless the issue can be reproduced again later. However, a reboot may still be necessary to configure the system to allow for more in-depth data collection (this problem requires a full system dump to identify).

Workaround

If VSE 8.8 Patch 8 cannot be immediately applied, a workaround exists in configuring the McAfee kernel driver not to wait indefinitely for a scan request to be fulfilled by McShield. However, using this workaround will result in files going unscanned. Work with Technical Support if you require this temporary workaround.

To contact Technical Support, log on to the ServicePortal and go to the Create a Service Request page at https://support.mcafee.com/ServicePortal/faces/serviceRequests/createSR:
  • If you are a registered user, type your User Id and Password, and then click Log In.
  • If you are not a registered user, click Register and complete the required fields. Your password and logon instructions will be emailed to you.

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