How to Reclaim Disk Space from the Web Storage System
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Article ID : 285040
Last Review : April 25, 2005
Revision : 2.1
This article was previously published under Q285040
SUMMARY
This article describes how to reclaim disk space from the Web Storage System.
MORE INFORMATION
SharePoint Portal Server uses the Web Storage System to store its documents. When documents are
deleted, the disk space cannot be used until a process called online defragmentation is run. SharePoint
Portal Server defragments the Web Storage System database (wss.mdb) each night at midnight.
This online defragmentation process marks the deleted space as free so that it can be used again. This
online defragmentation process does not, however, reduce the size of the database. You must using the
Eseutil.exe utility to perform offline defragmentation to reduce the physical size of the database. The
database must be taken offline during the defragmentation.
To reclaim disk space, follow these steps: 1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type net stop msexchangeis.
3. Navigate to %programfiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Storage System\Bin.
4. Type the following:
eseutil /d "path/wss.mdb"
The path points to the location of the wss.mdb file. For example, if you installed the data files for
SharePoint Portal Server on C:\Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\Data, type the following:
eseutil /d "C:\Program Files\SharePoint Portal Server\Data\Web Storage System\wss.mdb"
5. When defragmentation completes, type net start msexchangeis.
The server is unavailable to users during the offline defragmentation process. For this reason, offline
defragmentation should be scheduled during non-production hours. The amount of time it takes to
complete the offline defragmentation depends on the size of the database and the server's hardware
configuration.
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APPLIES TO
• Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001
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