Clearing the SharePoint configuration cache

Sometimes you see some weird errors occurring when you change settings in SharePoint Server 2007  - such as when you try to modify an alternate access mapping (see KB939308 ). I also noticed some issues when changing settings concerning search.  A work around seems to be clearing the SharePoint configuration cache:

1. Stop the Timer service. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
2. Right-click Windows SharePoint Services Timer, and then click Stop.
2. Delete or move the contents of the following folder: %ALLUSERSPROFILE% \Application Data\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\GUID
3. Start the Timer service. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Services.
2. Right-click Windows SharePoint Services Timer, and then click Start.

Note The file system cache is re-created after you perform this procedure. Make sure that you perform this procedure on all servers in the server farm on which the Timer service is running.

PS Joe Rodgers talks about the same workaround in Clearing the SharePoint configuration cache for Timer Job and PSConfig errors.

Technorati tags: sharepoint, sharepoint+2007, wss3, moss, moss+2007, microsoft, wss