Netware 5/Win2K client - says closed Word files are in use...

[xandre]

I have a problem opening Word files from our network. Word gives a message that the file is in use, but it isn't being used by anyone. Some files will open fine, some won't, and sometimes if I go back to the same file that wouldn't open a minute ago, it opens. I close and re-open it. People on Win 98 machines seem to have no problem, only the Win2K machines. Help! I'm going crazy!

Thanks,

Dawn

 

[TorbjornGortz]

I have exactly the same problem, and some more which I
have written the following text in another forum:

____________________
I have installed about 6-7 Windows 2000 Professional pc:s
and are having the same problem in all of them:

1) If I copy a directory with many files from the Novell Netware 5.1 server
to a local unit, it copy very slowly. The first 10-20 files copy fast
and then each file takes about 3-4 seconds, although they are only
a few kb each.

2) If I open a directory with many files on the Novell server, in explorer,
and then click on a file, it sometimes takes 3-4 seconds until the
file is visually marked. It also seams that Windows locks for this
period. - An easy test is to mark the first file and then press and
hold down the down-arrow-key. The first files are marked quickly
but then after maybe 10-20 files Windows locks 3-4 seconds until
the next file is marked.

I have Novell Netware 5.1 (sp2a) and client 4.8.
Windows 2000 is with Service Pack 1. (The first service pack on Win2000)
I have found the same problem if I use Microsofts own Windows 2000 Netware client.
However Microsofts client seams to be a little better so I use this for the moment.
All Windows 98 seams to work well - without this problem.

Two Novell consults have looked into this but not found any solution.
Please confirm if this problem occur for you as well.
If anyone know the solution - please answer this mail.
(I am waiting for the next Netware client.)

Torbjorn Gortz
Sweden
_____________________
The locking of Word documents has almost disappeared when I changed to Windows own NetWare client.
_____________________
I also had some other locks which I had to restart the server to correct.
And the server even locked itself when I ran the DOWN command.
I had to swich off power.
Really not good.
_____________________
I have not got any real answers but the following may be a solution:

Found this on one of Novell's support forum newsgroups and figured I'd make
sure others saw it, too:


From: brokkena@missouri.edu
Newsgroups: novell.support.os.client.winnt-2k
Subject: Slow Client 32 file access RESOLVED!
Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 21:20:51 GMT


Over the last 4 months I've been getting intermitent and overall vague
reports of poor performance connecting to NetWare servers. At first due to
the overall lack of clarity in the reports I dismissed it as some sort of
odd network error, or some such thing. Then more recently I noticed some
similar symptoms myself. Finally due to a number of strange things I found
some very bizarre, repeatable, and disturbing behavior.

I could take a 50MB file, and copy it to my server via NCP to my Novell
5.1SP1 server over 100MBhalf duplex and it would take 2-6 minutes depending
server or client settings. I did approximately 30 trials with various
combinations of settings. Copying the same file back to the workstation
took between 7 and 10 seconds. So this is like a 2000% difference in
performance. The exact same behavior could be seen over FTP to the same
server as well.

However, if you did an IPX connection to the server you would get the file
going both ways to copy in 10 seconds or less. If you took the same file to
a Windows 2000 server you would see a 13 second either way transfer.

After many trials and tribulations (and some packet captures) we determined
that it was infact a client problem, and not server side, as the above
might suggest.

In general if the OS auto-detects a NIC driver we let it go and move on.
As it turns out that was exactly the problem. Using the default windows
driver killed performance for 3com, Intel, and SMC cards we dealt with.
Going to the vendor and downloading the current driver fixed everyone of
our performance problems related to NetWare running over IP.

So it's not client 32, it's older default windows drivers.

Allen Brokken
LaDS - IAT Services
University of Missouri - Columbia
BrokkenA@Missouri.edu
________________________
I have not yet tried this.
But it might solve out problems.
Windows 2000 service pack 2 also
might solve the problem.

With best regards,
Torbjorn Gortz
Sweden
torbjorn.gortz@swipnet.se

 

[michigan]

I've had the exact same issue in the past. It ended up being that particular PC's antivirus software. Disabled it and everything worked fine.