In a multinode data processing system in which the nodes communicate with one another via communication adapters over a network or switch, the adapters are provided with a dual register mechanism for tracking microcode task status. Upon the issuance of a disruptive command that requires attention from one of the nodes, the task status maintained in one register is copied to the snapshot register. As tasks within the adapter are completed, both registers are updated, thus providing a mechanism for the nodes to determine that all tasks active at the time of the disruptive command have completed. This means that the nodes now have a mechanism for determining, as soon as possible, that all tasks that are active when a disruptive command occurs have completed, thus allowing the data processing node to perform such operations as releasing system memory that is associated with the disruptive command, thus eliminating temporal overhead that can affect performance.