I jst built my win2003 server and installed Plesk7, however all my processors up at 30-38% cpu usage...

processor used up by named.exe

I assume named.exe is Bind service, correct me if I am wrong..

is this normal or I need to do something about it

I am experiencing the same thing. Named.exe starts eating 30% of resources on all processors. Plesk said something about it being a multiprocessor problem, and their solution is to manually use windows dns and disable bind (which is very unhelpful). I notice that a reboot makes the process stop looping, but it always comes back.

I also tried setting the priority for the named.exe process down to the lowest possible setting, but it gave me access denied. I hope they issue a hotfix cause this is unacceptable, especially since theyve known about it for weeks.

Plesk said something about it being a multiprocessor problem, and their solution is to manually use windows dns and disable bind (which is very unhelpful)


Yes, it isn't a solution. ISC BIND is far more popular than Microsoft DNS Server and people want to use it.


I also tried setting the priority for the named.exe process down to the lowest possible setting, but it gave me access denied.


You cannot set the process priority of windows services running under 'Local System' account using the Task Manager. The procedure for setting the priority for them would be a little more complex and will need customizations:

i) Disable BIND service.
ii) Write a windows service (you will need to consult a programmer), which creates named.exe process with the desired priority.
iii) Install that service and set it to automatic startup instead of BIND.

Actually in normal circumstances, it's not recommended to do it.

I've also got the same problem.
I have disabled it on services.
I had 100% cpu usage on win 2003 std.

I have disabled it on services.


Have you installed Microsoft DNS service? I mean what DNS server you're using now. Have you written a service to fire up BIND?

This is not a dual CPU issue unless they are including hyperthreading as a dual CPU. I had this running on a p4 hyperthreader single CPU and had the same issue.

Originally posted by sirVIPER
This is not a dual CPU issue unless they are including hyperthreading as a dual CPU. I had this running on a p4 hyperthreader single CPU and had the same issue.

Good then. How to turn off the hyperthreading, is it software based?

I have a dual xeon, there is really no point to turn on hyperthreading. While the CPU is half taken once named.exe kicked in, one CPU becomes almost useless and my CPU is pushed to near 100% with only half the capactiy of the web site used be hosted on a linux box.

How to disable the "bind" or hyperthreading? Please advise. The web site is on the edge to collapse now.

HT is normally considered 'dual CPU', but not the same as dual core, there are sometimes problems with SMP versions of Linux distros as well (certain circumstances), so it' not just under Windows Server OS, nor just Plesk related...

You should be able to disable Hyperthreading in the system board's CMOS settings. If nothing else, just to test to see if it is HT related. Wow, I didn't notice this thread was over 2 months old... Hope this helps anyone else who comes by it...

After turned off HT, it's appeared some performance degrading, so I turned it back on. Plesk is removed after all. It's not worth it.