Changes made via NCP or AFP are not seen via CIFS

Document ID:7004200
Creation Date:12-Aug-2009
Modified Date:27-Apr-2012
- Micro Focus Products:
  Client for Open Enterprise Server (Novell Client)
  Open Enterprise Server

Environment

Open Enterprise Server 2 SP1
CIFS
Novell Client
Mac OS X

Situation

1. From a Windows machine, map a CIFS drive. Create a file via WordPad and add some text,
save, close.
2. From another machine (with Novell Client), map an NCP drive. Edit the file and add
more text. Save, close.
3. From the original Windows machine, open the file again via CIFS. Changes made via NCP do not show.
4. rcnovell-cifs restart. Changes made via NCP can now be seen.

Similar behavior occurs when using AFP instead of NCP.

Resolution

OES2 SP1 does not support cross-protocol locking for CIFS (this is mentioned in the documentation). At first glance, it would seem this should not be an issue as the files are not being accessed simultaneously by different protocols. However, it is not just simultaneous file access but asynchronous file access. To be more specific, accessing the same volume via CIFS and NCP, or CIFS and AFP, is not supported in OES2 SP1.