After performing a metadata backup, you might see a message similar to the following in the Windows Event Viewer:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: SAS
Event Category: None
Event ID: 2400
Date: 1/15/2007
Time: 11:45:00 PM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: L13550
Description:
SAS Error Event: Error sending status, 1, to SCM.  Error 6:  The handle is invalid.

This message can generally be ignored, assuming that you have reviewed your metadata backup and verified that the backup did, in fact, complete successfully.

The prededing Event Viewer error usually indicates that the connection between the Microsoft Service Control Manager (SCM process: scm.exe) and the SAS^® process has been broken.

Sometimes what happens is that a process might still be running or might have already finished, but SCM never hears about it. In another case, what might be happening is that a SAS process might be called, and when the service is called, first it starts up, and takes a long time to complete. The Microsoft SCM then thinks that the service is not responding to control messages, indicating an error.

The scm.exe process is used to administer services that are running on your computer (that is, the starting, stopping and pausing of services). Scm.exe is required for Windows to function correctly.

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