Log file failed to grow despite lots of free disk space

Hello -
I had a strange problem last night and I wanted to ask if anyone else
has ever experienced it.
I have a transaction log set to Auto-grow by 10% with unrestricted
file growth. When I left last night the .ldf file took up 3GB of
space but only about 10% of it was used. I also had an additional 2GB
of free space on the disk which holds the log.
When I came in this morning, queries were timing out because the log
was full. The log file had NOT grown and Windows was reporting 2GB of
free space.
I cleared out a few other files, freeing up another 1GB and all of the
sudden the log grew and queries started working again.
Does anybody know what could have happened here? Are there any
reasons why the log file would fail to grow into remaining disk space?
Or, alternatively, could Windows ever report an incorrect amount of
free disk space?
Thanks!
David SimardSometimes, grow doesn't seem to be fast enough for the modifications. Could be such a case...
--
Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
Archive at: http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=microsoft.public.sqlserver
"DaveS" <davesimard@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f8e708df.0310210656.2c65881b@.posting.google.com...
> Hello -
> I had a strange problem last night and I wanted to ask if anyone else
> has ever experienced it.
> I have a transaction log set to Auto-grow by 10% with unrestricted
> file growth. When I left last night the .ldf file took up 3GB of
> space but only about 10% of it was used. I also had an additional 2GB
> of free space on the disk which holds the log.
> When I came in this morning, queries were timing out because the log
> was full. The log file had NOT grown and Windows was reporting 2GB of
> free space.
> I cleared out a few other files, freeing up another 1GB and all of the
> sudden the log grew and queries started working again.
> Does anybody know what could have happened here? Are there any
> reasons why the log file would fail to grow into remaining disk space?
> Or, alternatively, could Windows ever report an incorrect amount of
> free disk space?
> Thanks!
> David Simard|||See if your error log contains a 'log file is full' message.
If so, it's the problem mentioned by tibor
This is the
"DaveS" <davesimard@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f8e708df.0310210656.2c65881b@.posting.google.com...
> Hello -
> I had a strange problem last night and I wanted to ask if anyone else
> has ever experienced it.
> I have a transaction log set to Auto-grow by 10% with unrestricted
> file growth. When I left last night the .ldf file took up 3GB of
> space but only about 10% of it was used. I also had an additional 2GB
> of free space on the disk which holds the log.
> When I came in this morning, queries were timing out because the log
> was full. The log file had NOT grown and Windows was reporting 2GB of
> free space.
> I cleared out a few other files, freeing up another 1GB and all of the
> sudden the log grew and queries started working again.
> Does anybody know what could have happened here? Are there any
> reasons why the log file would fail to grow into remaining disk space?
> Or, alternatively, could Windows ever report an incorrect amount of
> free disk space?
> Thanks!
> David Simard|||If that were the case, wouldn't the problem resolve itself in moments?
We had queries timing out over a period of a few hours.
"Tibor Karaszi" <tibor.please_reply_to_public_forum.karaszi@.cornerstone.se> wrote in message news:<uZTzBoGmDHA.372@.TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl>...
> Sometimes, grow doesn't seem to be fast enough for the modifications. Could be such a case...
> --
> Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
> Archive at: http://groups.google.com/groups?oi=djq&as_ugroup=microsoft.public.sqlserver
>
> "DaveS" <davesimard@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:f8e708df.0310210656.2c65881b@.posting.google.com...
> > Hello -
> >
> > I had a strange problem last night and I wanted to ask if anyone else
> > has ever experienced it.
> >
> > I have a transaction log set to Auto-grow by 10% with unrestricted
> > file growth. When I left last night the .ldf file took up 3GB of
> > space but only about 10% of it was used. I also had an additional 2GB
> > of free space on the disk which holds the log.
> >
> > When I came in this morning, queries were timing out because the log
> > was full. The log file had NOT grown and Windows was reporting 2GB of
> > free space.
> >
> > I cleared out a few other files, freeing up another 1GB and all of the
> > sudden the log grew and queries started working again.
> >
> > Does anybody know what could have happened here? Are there any
> > reasons why the log file would fail to grow into remaining disk space?
> > Or, alternatively, could Windows ever report an incorrect amount of
> > free disk space?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > David Simard|||Actually, now that you mention it: no, there weren't any 'log file is
full' messages in the log. I just assumed that was the problem since
the queries starting running again right after the log file grew.
But I guess I know what happens when you assume...
"Stressed" <k@.c.co.uk> wrote in message news:<#me0n5HmDHA.644@.TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl>...
> See if your error log contains a 'log file is full' message.
> If so, it's the problem mentioned by tibor
> This is the
> "DaveS" <davesimard@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:f8e708df.0310210656.2c65881b@.posting.google.com...
> > Hello -
> >
> > I had a strange problem last night and I wanted to ask if anyone else
> > has ever experienced it.
> >
> > I have a transaction log set to Auto-grow by 10% with unrestricted
> > file growth. When I left last night the .ldf file took up 3GB of
> > space but only about 10% of it was used. I also had an additional 2GB
> > of free space on the disk which holds the log.
> >
> > When I came in this morning, queries were timing out because the log
> > was full. The log file had NOT grown and Windows was reporting 2GB of
> > free space.
> >
> > I cleared out a few other files, freeing up another 1GB and all of the
> > sudden the log grew and queries started working again.
> >
> > Does anybody know what could have happened here? Are there any
> > reasons why the log file would fail to grow into remaining disk space?
> > Or, alternatively, could Windows ever report an incorrect amount of
> > free disk space?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > David Simard|||Any other 'interesting' messages in the error log on the run up to this?
"DaveS" <davesimard@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f8e708df.0310220842.f863fef@.posting.google.com...
> Actually, now that you mention it: no, there weren't any 'log file is
> full' messages in the log. I just assumed that was the problem since
> the queries starting running again right after the log file grew.
> But I guess I know what happens when you assume...
> "Stressed" <k@.c.co.uk> wrote in message
news:<#me0n5HmDHA.644@.TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl>...
> > See if your error log contains a 'log file is full' message.
> >
> > If so, it's the problem mentioned by tibor
> >
> > This is the
> >
> > "DaveS" <davesimard@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:f8e708df.0310210656.2c65881b@.posting.google.com...
> > > Hello -
> > >
> > > I had a strange problem last night and I wanted to ask if anyone else
> > > has ever experienced it.
> > >
> > > I have a transaction log set to Auto-grow by 10% with unrestricted
> > > file growth. When I left last night the .ldf file took up 3GB of
> > > space but only about 10% of it was used. I also had an additional 2GB
> > > of free space on the disk which holds the log.
> > >
> > > When I came in this morning, queries were timing out because the log
> > > was full. The log file had NOT grown and Windows was reporting 2GB of
> > > free space.
> > >
> > > I cleared out a few other files, freeing up another 1GB and all of the
> > > sudden the log grew and queries started working again.
> > >
> > > Does anybody know what could have happened here? Are there any
> > > reasons why the log file would fail to grow into remaining disk space?
> > > Or, alternatively, could Windows ever report an incorrect amount of
> > > free disk space?
> > >
> > > Thanks!
> > >
> > > David Simard