Lock Count Exceeded Problem

[cascot]

We have several customers using our system. The system runs fine for them all, except recently, when one sufferred from a "Lock Count Exceeded" error. They were running a process which dealt with updating data against 10,000 records. They have a Novell network (I know about the Novell limitations/defaults etc), BUT the system and it's database(s) are all resident on a single client machine's C drive, so that will surely eliminate Novell from the equation??

Splitting the data into a batch of 1500 records, then a batch of 8500 resulted in the process running error free.

Before diving in to change the MaxLocksPerFile setting within the Windows registry (they are running Windows 2000), we got them to send us their data, and testing it on one of our machines resulted in the process in question running error free. The MaxLocksPerFile setting on our machine (also Windows 2000) is the same default setting of 9500 as is set on theirs.

Why would the process work on our machines without error, yet repeatedly fire the "Lock Count Exceeded Error" on theirs? Even though the process is all local to the client machine (on the C drive) could Novell be affecting it in any way?

Also let's say we change the Windows registry MaxLocksPerFile setting to 20,000. Will such errors be fired off again if theprocess involves 20,001 records at some point in the future?

If anybody has any thoughts, experiences with this aspect of Access, I'd be very grateful for any feedback.

Thanks.

 

[Sorcerer1]

I encountered the same problem using my Novell Network a few years ago. Are u running Access Version 2 by any chance? If the database has it's records stored on the network and the front end stored on the machine, the lock error could still occour.

The quick solution is to move the records stored on the network to local machine, and do the process their.

Also try to make sure you have the latest Novell client on the PC, in case this is factor. If the database is Access 2 you could try upgrading. If not then you will maybe want to explore the possibilty of doing the process of records in batches instead.

hope this helps

 

[cascot]

Hi Sorcerer1,

Thanks for your reply.

Both the front end AND the database are on the local client machine's C Drive, so I didn't see how Novell could be a factor, but in this game you can rarely be absolutely certain, which is why I mantioned it.

I should have mentioned the Access version info, sorry about that. We are running Access 2000.

Any other ideas would be much appreciated?

 

[Sorcerer1]

Have u tried disconnecting the PC from the Network and running the process just in case. Also worth making sure that their are no linked tables in the database, in case something has sneaked in, which might still be connecting to a file on the network somewhere.

 

[jfischer]

I've run into this situation outside of Novell, as well. Refer to Microsoft Article ID: Q161329, ACC97: Error: "There Isn't Enough Disk Space or Memory". Two other workarounds are discussed besides a permanent Registry change.

To change the Novell server file and record lock values, include the following settings in the AUTOEXEC.NCF file.

SET MAXIMUM RECORD LOCKS=200000
SET MAXIMUM RECORD LOCKS PER CONNECTION=10000
SET MAXIMUM FILE LOCKS=100000
SET MAXIMUM FILE LOCKS PER CONNECTION=1000