Cluster SMB Share Resource Causes Momentary Disconnection

ID: Q243469

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server, Enterprise Edition versions 4.0 SP4, 4.0 SP5
Microsoft Cluster Server

SYMPTOMS

When you share folders on a shared cluster drive with the Share Subdirectories feature introduced in Service Pack 4, some or all of your folder names may end with a dollar sign (for example, Foldername$). Because these shares are automatically hidden, you are not using the Hidden option for the file share resource itself. In this situation, users connected to these shares may be intermittently disconnected.

CAUSE

When a change in the folder structure is detected, Cluster Server scans for folders that have been deleted to remove the appropriate share. When a dollar sign is used as the last character in a folder name, Cluster Server assumes that it created the share as a hidden share. Therefore, it scans for the folder name without the dollar sign and removes the share when it cannot find the folder name without the dollar sign. Then, the folder is shared again when Cluster Server scans for new non-shared folders.

RESOLUTION

A supported fix that corrects this problem is now available from Microsoft, but it has not been fully regression tested and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem. If you are not severely affected by this specific problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Windows NT 4.0 service pack that contains this fix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/overview/overview.asp

The English-language version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:


   File Name     Platform
   ----------------------
   Clusres.dll   Alpha
   Clusres.dll   Intel

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, rename the folders so that they do not end with a dollar sign. To create the shares as hidden, use the Hidden option in the file share resource instead.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q185212 Cluster Server Does Not Support More than 900 Shares

Q194831 Cluster Shares Must Be Reset to Recognize Added Subdirectories

If you enable cluster logging, you see the following entries:

0bc.034::28-12:54:40.138 File Share <user1$>: SmbpCheckForSubDirDeletion: Dir 'u:\test$\user1' not found ...
0bc.034::28-12:54:40.138 File Share <user1$>: SmbpCheckForSubDirDeletion: Removing share 'user1$'...
...
0bc.034::28-12:54:46.826 File Share <user1$>: SmbpCheckAndBringSubSharesOnline: Adding share 'user1$'...

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00
Version : winnt:4.0 SP4,4.0 SP5
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug