Preventing the Corruption of Libraries in Express 6.x
Technical Note 1561
Last Reviewed 14-May-2002
Applies To
Express Software Manager version 6.0 and higher
Summary
This technical note presents recommendations for preventing corruption of your Express Software Manager 6.x library files. The note includes sections about locating libraries, avoiding the use of End Task, and upgrading the Novell clients.
If you suspect the library is already corrupt, follow the procedures in Technical Note 1562 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 or Exchange) server. For more information, see the Disable OpLock section below.
Note: The Express library is not the same thing as the MSDE (SQL) database.
- 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.
- Use multiple databases and/or installations of MSDE to avoid more than 800 workstations writing to libraries in one MSDE database.
MSDE has a size limitation of 2 gigabytes of data per database. This effectively limits the total number of client workstations to 800 for any one database in MSDE. An alternative to using multiple databases or multiple installations of MSDE is to use a full version of SQL Server (not included with Express Software Manager 6.x).
Never Use End Task to Close Express
If an Express database operation is taking a long time or if Express Administrative Console is not responding, do not end the task. The library could corrupt if End Task is initiated during any Express library 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 Task Manager, 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 Administrative Console. You could also increase the RAM and processor speed of the server where the library resides.
Disable Oplock on Windows 2000/NT Servers
When an Express library is located on a Windows 2000 or 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.
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 or Windows 2000 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
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Recommended NetWare Client Version
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Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT
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Novell Client v 4.83 with patch.
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Windows 95 or
Windows 98
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Novell Client v 3.2 for Windows 95/98
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To download the Novell NetWare clients, go to the Clients-Network section on Novell's Software Downloads page:
Caution: Using Novell Client 4.83 for Windows NT/2000/XP
Version 4.83 of the Novell Client requires a patch from Novell in order to work properly. At the time this technical note was last updated, the update was available at:
By default, version 4.83 of the Novell Client enables File Caching on machines running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Window XP.
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 Administrative 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 4.83 for Windows NT/2000/XP. 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:
- In the system tray, click the red N (for Novell).
- Click Novell Client Properties, which opens the Novell Client Configuration window.
- Click the Advanced Login tab.
- In the Parameter Groups drop-down menu, select Performance, Cache.
- Change the File Caching setting to Off.
For more information about Novell Clients and file caching, search for Technical Information Document number 10023557 in the Novell Knowledgebase:
Related Technical Notes
| 1347 |
Preventing the Corruption of Libraries in Express 5.x and Below |
| 1562 |
Repairing an Express Library in Express Software Manager 6.x |
| 9989 |
Express Software Manager 6.x Technical Notes |
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