File cannot be saved 1

[Trevoke]

Howdy. We have someone trying to save a file (client OS: WinXP) to the Novell 5.1 server, and this error will sometimes pop up:

Windows was unable to save all the data for the file \\SERVER\VOLUME\DIR\SUBDIR\SUBDIR\FILENAME.EXT. The data has been lost. This error may be cause by a failure of your computer hardware or network connection. Please try to save this file elsewhere.

I checked, and the volume has space left on it, and (urg, forgot to write it down) when you run StartX and consoleOne and go to properties-> statistics of the volume, there's a red bar and a blue bar, neither are filled up.

What do you think it may be? The user's computer is fine, the server is fine, so.. What, maybe the router/hub in-between is going bad?

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[LawnBoy]

I have seen this once from W2K saving to NW6.5. No clue what causes it.

 

[Trevoke]

At first I thought the settings on the server were off because the user was trying to save a 15Mb file; but today the file is 83Kb ...
I'm purging the deleted files, just in case, but I doubt that that's the issue.

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[TheLad]

I have seen this on Netware 5.1 if File Caching is switched on?

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"It's true, its damn true!"
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[Trevoke]

Well, yes, file caching is on. Here are the options from MONITOR :

Read ahead enabled : yes
Read ahead LRU sitting time threshold: 10 sec
Min File cache Buffers : 20
Max concurrent disk cache writes : 750
Dirty dik cache delay time: 5 sec
Min file cache report threshold : 20

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[Datong]

Hi, this is quite a common issue with Novell 5.1 and MS products. The first things to try are turning fo the cache on the server as mentioned before. Goto the server console screen and type :

SET CLIENT FILE CACHING ENABLED=OFF
SET LEVEL 2 OPLOCKS ENABLED=OFF

Also the Netware Client version should be a minimum of 4.83 for this to be effective.

Try the same save file operation and see if it makes a difference.

Jeff

 

[Trevoke]

I'll go try that; what are the level 2 oplocks ?

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[Datong]

Hi, in response to the file caching parameters you reported, there are some simple troubleshooting procedures to try. In the monitor screen check
DIRECTORY CACHE BUFFERS XXX
Whatever this figure is, goto the SERVER PARAMETERS option and press return. Select DIRECTORY CACHING.

The MAXIMUM DIRECTORY CACHE BUFFERS should be set to double the current value.
The MINIMUM DIRECTORY CACHE BUFFERS should be half the new Maximum.
These settings will need to be monitored over a period of time for fine adjustments. Dont be tempted to set this higher than the recommended levels as it will impact on your server memory.

Change the following settings.
DIRTY DIRECTORY CACHE DELAY TIME 0.1 SEC
DIRECTORY CACHE ALLOCATION WAIT TIME 1 SEC
DIRECTORY CACHE BUFFER NONREFERENCED DELAY 0.1 SEC

Try these, see if it improves your file saving problem.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[marvhuffaker]

Poor guy.. you all are confusing the hell out of him.

Oplocks / File caching parameters have nothing to do with Directory cache buffers.

the original settings that were mentioned (SET LEVEL 2 OPLOCKS & SET FILE CACHING ENABLED) -- those will affect file save problems. The other settings are more for performance than anything else.

I would stick with changing the original parameters that were mentioned to see if your file save problem is fixed. THEN, if you want to tweak your server for performance, you can start to mess with those other directory cache settings. Just don't confuse the two or you're going to get in over your head.



Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[Trevoke]

The SET LEVEL 2 OPLOCKS did not work on the command line, in the first place, so I'm still there with a "?" over my head. I still don't know what that is, what it does, or why I should disable it.

Also, I printed some Novell optimization documentation a while back and the server recently got rebooted, so I'll wait a while (a week, maybe more) to see what the LRU looks like and such before making further modifications. Thanks though.

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[marvhuffaker]

That command may not be available on your version of NetWare. It's something that was added to newer releases and later support packs. The setting itself is completely worthless. Not having it is just as good as turning it off.

Marvin Huffaker, MCNE

http://www.redjuju.com

 

[Datong]

re "Oplocks / File caching parameters have nothing to do with Directory cache buffers." Indeed they dont but nobody said they did. Trevoke - if that post was misleading or unhelpful I apologise.
Turning File caching off usually is enough to solve the file saving problems but a little server tweaking at the same time will not hurt, and in this case this will generally improve overall performance.
To learn more about OPLOCKS lookup TID 10085899 on Novells support site. As Marv said it is not available on all versions depending on your SP level, but is mentioned throughout several TIDs regarding file locking/saving problems.
The advice given about the server tuning parameters with DC is basic Novell stuff which I feel you are quite capable of doing and is worth knowing, also changing these will not break your server, just improve file caching and saving.
Good Luck.

 

[JeffJS2]

It was useful for me, many thanks. My server has shown marked improvement. Nuff said.

 

[Trevoke]

Datong: it is my understanding that any kind of server parameter tweaking is dependent on server CPU, RAM and workload, isn't it?

So.. Just to make it clear, how do you know that those settings will improve performances on this particular box?

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[Datong]

Plenty of practice. When you install Novell it sets these values as the defaults and they sometimes never change. But reading through optimisation TIDs and just being around Novell servers for many years you get to know some useful tweaks and tricks. Changing these settings is common, just ask any other Novell guy on here and they will tell you the same. Its been posted here a few times as well. Even if your server has a min of 128MB RAM it can make a difference. If you have slower drives decreasing the cache wait time will improve saving speeds and put less strain on your memory. Optimising Directory cache buffers will increase file IO and reduce CPU time waiting to process requests. Of course, memoery is a big thing, the more the merrier, but 128 will suffice most times. Use something like Adrem Server Manager to do a trial monitoring of your system and see the results.

 

[Trevoke]

I was looking around here for a thread that discussed Novell optimization but couldn't find one. Can you point me to one or a few?

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[Datong]

support.novell.com TID 10012765 or search for Performance Tuning and read on.

 

[Trevoke]

I've already been to the Novell.com website and found the appropriate info; I meant on Tek-Tips

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.

 

[Datong]

Heres one thread478-926485.
Try searching DIRECTORY CACHE BUFFER in the search for keyword. You'll find mention of theses settings in some of those posts.

 

[Trevoke]

Great. Fits with what I read in the Novell documentation though.. It looks like you've poured out all the milk for me, so now I just have to lap it up. Thanks again for all your help!

-Haben sie fosforos?
-No tiengo caballero, but I have un briquet.