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Preventing the Corruption of Libraries in Express 5.x and Below
Technical Note 1347
Last Reviewed 18-Jan-2002

Applies To
Express Software Manager version 4.x through 5.x

Summary
This technical note presents recommendations for preventing corruption of your Express Software Manager 4.x through 5.x library (Express.mdb) files. The note includes sections about locating libraries, avoiding the use of End Task, upgrading the Novell clients, and scheduling Express Metrix's library repair utility to run weekly.

If you suspect the library is already corrupt, follow the procedures in Technical Note 1334 to repair the library, and then return to this note for recommendations to prevent further corruption.

Library Logistics
To avoid corruption, follow these guidelines for creating and determining the locations of Express libraries:

  • Place each Express library on a server that is not heavily used as a print server or as an e-mail server.

  • Avoid placing an Express library on a Microsoft Back Office (SMS, Exchange, or SQL) server. For more information, see the Disable OpLock section below.

  • Create multiple libraries to avoid more than 800 workstations writing to one Express library.

    Express Software Manager has several shared files that need to be accessed by all clients during client startup, inventory, and metering. The potential for file locking issues increases when hundreds of workstations try to access the same files.

Never Use End Task to Close Express
If an Express database operation is taking a long time or if Express Console is not responding, do not end the task. The library will corrupt if End Task is initiated during any Express or Microsoft Access database operation.

Some Express database operations (including opening a library, running an update, running a report, or running a library repair) may take several hours to complete--particularly when performed across a WAN. Unfortunately, Express Software Manager may not give a visual indication that it is still active, and the progress bar may appear to be stalled.

Instead of pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del to open the Windows NT Task Manager (or the Close Programs dialog box in Windows 95 or Windows 98), look in the Event Viewer to check whether the Express procedure is active. The Event Viewer itself may update slowly, so refrain from ending the task. To reduce the waiting time, increase the RAM and upgrade the processor speed on the computer that runs Express Console. You could also increase the RAM and processor speed of the server where the library resides.

Disable Oplock on Windows NT Servers
When an Express library is located on a Windows NT 4.0 server, opportunistic file locking (Oplock) should be disabled on the server. For an explanation of the problem and the procedures to disable Oplock, see Technical Note 1316.

Note: Since Microsoft Back Office servers require Oplock to be enabled, an Express library should not be placed on an SMS, Exchange, or SQL server.

Upgrade the Novell NetWare Clients
Early versions of the Novell NetWare clients may cause library files to corrupt when multiple workstations attempt to rapidly write to the same file. To avoid corruption, upgrade the Novell Client on all workstations running the Express client.

Note: File corruption may still occur even if one machine continues to run an older Novell client.

Obtaining the Current NetWare Clients
Express Metrix recommends that you use the most current versions of the Novell NetWare clients available for the operating system running on the client workstations. The current client versions are detailed below.

Note: As an alternative to upgrading the Novell clients, you could move the Express library to a Windows NT 4.0 server with OpLock disabled. See Technical Note 1316 for details.

The following information was obtained from Novell's web site at the time this technical note was updated.

Workstation Operating System
Recommended NetWare Client Version
Windows 95 or
Windows 98
Novell Client v 3.2 for Windows 95/98
Windows NT 4.0 or
Windows 2000
Novell Client v 4.7 for Windows NT/2000 with File Caching disabled. See the caution below.
Windows 3.1x
Novell Client v 2.71 for DOS and Windows 3.1x
Windows NT 3.51
IntraNetWare Client v 4.11b for Windows NT

To download the Novell NetWare clients, go to the Clients-Network section on Novell's Software Downloads page:

Caution: Using Novell Client 4.7 for Windows NT/2000
By default, version 4.7 of the Novell Client enables File Caching on machines running Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. Previous versions of the Novell Client did not support file caching.

File Caching, like Oplock, interferes with Express Software Manager’s ability to rapidly share files. If File Caching remains enabled, you may encounter the following problems:

  • Cannot open file in Express console (see the Event Viewer for specific message)

  • Cannot copy a library folder to a different directory.

To avoid conflicts, disable File Caching on each machine that runs the Novell Client 4.7 for Windows NT/2000. Note: If you have the complete ZENworks product (not the Starter Pack), you could make the change globally. See your ZENworks documentation for details.

To disable File Caching on each client machine:

  1. In the system tray, click the red N (for Novell).

  2. Click Novell Client Properties, which opens the Novell Client Configuration window.

  3. Click the Advanced Login tab.

  4. In the Parameter Groups drop-down menu, select Performance, Cache.

  5. Change the File Caching setting to Off.

For more information about Novell Client 4.7 and file caching, search for Technical Information Document number 10023557 in the Novell Knowledgebase:

Express Library Repair Utility
Express Metrix recommends that you run the Express library repair utility, Exrepair.exe, once a week on each library to prevent corruption of the database. If you have either Express Software Manager version 5.0 or version 4.5 plus the patch, you can use a scheduling service to automate this process. For details, see the section entitled, Automating the Library Maintenance Procedures, in Technical Note 1334.

Note: You first need to update the Microsoft Jet database engine files and obtain files from Express Metrix. These steps are also documented in Technical Note 1334.

Related Technical Notes
1316 Express Meter and Windows NT Server File Locking
1334 Repairing an Express 4.5 Library
1561 Preventing the Corruption of Libraries in Express 6.0
9991 Express Software Manager Technical Notes (5.x or lower)