Managing Server Description Files

In most cases, there is no action to take for managing server description files. When you start a server instance with the data preparation interface, you specify the server description filename. The file is always written to a single configuration directory that is used for server description files.

When you stop a server instance, the software determines the server description file in the configuration directory that is associated with the server instance. The software deletes the server description file as the server is stopped.

This pattern of starting and stopping server instances with the data preparation interface results in server description files being written and deleted from the configuration directory in a controlled manner.

If a server instance is not stopped from the data preparation interface or with a scheduled job, the server can reach its maximum run time. When this happens, the server instance exits but does not delete the server description file as it stops. This results in server description files being left in the configuration directory. If any of these server description files are found, In-Memory Data tab shows them under the orphan user ID.

An orphaned server description files slows down SAS Visual Analytics clients because the file is read every time a client attempts view the in-memory tables. Each client attempts to connect to the server instance that is described in the file. A best practice is to delete the orphan server description files.

You can select an orphan server description file from the table and then click . You must have UNIX file system permission to remove the file.

Server instances that do not show a server description file in the In-Memory Data tab are unreachable from the data preparation interface. Do not attempt to stop the server, load tables, or unload tables with the server instance. These operations fail when the server description file is not available.

A server without a server description file is typically started with a different SAS application or a different version of the data preparation software. Determine how the server instance was started and manage the server with that SAS client.