Unable to unlocalize a Folder in CMS - Time out exception

Question

I am unable to unlocalize a Folder which is at Level 1, where Level 0 is parent Publication. Time out error occurs while trying to unlocalize the Folder.

Is there a preferred timeout setting for such scenarios?

Time out settings tried

Seconds before a time out error is generated when executing a long query

Seconds before a time out error is generated when executing a query

Option 1 : 500 seconds 500 seconds (8 minutes)

Option 2 : 1800 seconds 1800 seconds (30 minutes) Option 3 : 14400 seconds 14400 seconds (4 hours)

Answer 1

Actually, timeout exceptions don't always depend on JUST timeout values defined in MMC snap-in console (Tridion Content Manager Config).

Before you start increasing timeouts to insane values, I suggest you verify that your CM database is properly maintained and therefore fast.

To do this, please update statistics and rebuild indexes. Also, you can use purge tool to remove old versions of items.

Answer 2

Timeouts usually indicate that there is a real issue. Increasing the timeout value is just a workaround, and sometimes there is no value large anough to fix the issue. Rather than a workaround, focus on the actual problem. My guess is that your database is not properly maintained and thus not performing well, causing the timeout.

Here are some steps for you to follow in solving that (focussed on MS SQL Server, if you have an Oracle database, contact your DBA):

1. Read the documentation on maintenance of your system, that is your job now (assume it is never done, and it won't be done automatically unless you schedule something) http://docs.sdl.com/LiveContent/content/en-US/SDL%20Tridion%20full%20documentation-v1/GUID-94283420-8A51-4F2C-913E-B18455E58D74

2. The documentation doesn't mention any specifics for MS SQL Server anymore, since that belongs in a standard MS SQL maintenance plan, but a trained DBA knows that there are some tasks he can better perform or schedule manually to keep DB performance up to par. You can read this old DB maintenance guide for some tips http://sdltridionworld.com/articles/MaintainingSDLTridiondatabases.aspx

3. exec sp_updatestats is a useful command for MS SQL Server, read up on that. It is the one command I would blindly run on a MS SQL Server Tridion DB and it has performed magical results (the longer it takes to run the first time, the more magic it will give you, as that shows how long it hasn't been run)

4. Truncating your transaction log on your database is the next best thing you can do. Especially for MS SQL Server, if it has never been truncated, chances are it is larger than 1GB which will bring the performance of your database to a standstill.

5. After you are sure the issue can't be caused by your database, i.e. you have performed and scheduled regular maintenance for it, then the next thing you should look into is possible issues on the CM server or the network to it. Is this only occuring for some clients, is it also occuring when the browser is opened on the server itself directly etc.