Problems opening Excel files using DFS links

[Byron]

Hi,

I origianlly posted this question under networking, but this may be a better
forum for my question.

Have a weird problem. We're on a Windows 2000 domain where the users' home
directory has been redirected using this syntax: \\fqdn.xxx\dfs
root\sharename\%username%. The DFS root server is a member file server that
holds the majority of the network shares (including the user profiles and
home folders). The DFS root is registered in our AD.

Here's the problem: Occasionally someone will try to open an Excel file on a
share via a DFS link and will get an error message stating that the
"\\fqdn.xxx\dfs root\" cannot be found. After a few minutes they can open the
file and this has only been reported to me 10 times or so out of 70 users
over a 60 day period, but I don't have an answer why this happens.

There is no problem with the Excel files in their home folder (also using
DFS) and when you check the DFS status of the folder they are having problems
with, it shows the status is OK. Additionally, any other type of file in that
folder can be opened with no problem--Word and text files open normally, but
I haven't tried Access files, as the problem usually fixes itself within 10
to 15 minutes. I can't find anything in the client or server logs that
indicate a problem.

The big mystery is why only Excel files are affected.

Any thoughts?

Byron

 

[Stephen Knapp]

It is probably not a networking problem and probably not an Excel
problem but probably a "Networking with Excel" problem. And, you're pushing
the technical envelope for those of us who normally troll the Newsgroup
wanting to help.
Check the Excel options, General tab for the default files location of
some of the complaining users to determine if anything there smells funny.
My thought is that Excel is [somehow] throwing your networking software a
curve as Excel is looking for something, as in, are any of those workbooks
trying to OLE with some other workbook which may or may not be on the net?
The network cannot respond (for unknown reasons) and goes into something like
a "soft timeout." (This is, of course, hypothetical. You might have to do
homework with your IT staff.) I'd also do more of an investigation into the
users. What else are they trying to do? Are the same workbooks always
causing the problem? How about some selected time of the day (as in, is IT
doing back-ups, or something)?

Steve in Ohio

(To properly maintain the Newsgroup, click the YES or NO button on your
original posting to clear your entry, once you have or have not resolved this
issue with this correspondence thread – Steve.)

 

[Byron]

Hi Stephan,

Thanks for the reply. I'll try what you suggested first thing Monday morning
and let you know if the default file location is still pointing to the old
server location or any other non-networked path. I'm the only IT guy that
works here, so there weren't any backups going on when there were problems.
But our users move/copy and work on some pretty large datasets (200 to 900MB)
on a 10/100 network, so I'm guessing that the traffic hitting the main file
server (also the DFS root server) may be causing the problem.

Thanks again,
Byron

It is probably not a networking problem and probably not an Excel
problem but probably a "Networking with Excel" problem. And, you're pushing
the technical envelope for those of us who normally troll the Newsgroup
wanting to help.
Check the Excel options, General tab for the default files location of
some of the complaining users to determine if anything there smells funny.
My thought is that Excel is [somehow] throwing your networking software a
curve as Excel is looking for something, as in, are any of those workbooks
trying to OLE with some other workbook which may or may not be on the net?
The network cannot respond (for unknown reasons) and goes into something like
a "soft timeout." (This is, of course, hypothetical. You might have to do
homework with your IT staff.) I'd also do more of an investigation into the
users. What else are they trying to do? Are the same workbooks always
causing the problem? How about some selected time of the day (as in, is IT
doing back-ups, or something)?

Steve in Ohio

(To properly maintain the Newsgroup, click the YES or NO button on your
original posting to clear your entry, once you have or have not resolved this
issue with this correspondence thread – Steve.)

Hi,

I origianlly posted this question under networking, but this may be a better
forum for my question.

Have a weird problem. We're on a Windows 2000 domain where the users' home
directory has been redirected using this syntax: \\fqdn.xxx\dfs
root\sharename\%username%. The DFS root server is a member file server that
holds the majority of the network shares (including the user profiles and
home folders). The DFS root is registered in our AD.

Here's the problem: Occasionally someone will try to open an Excel file on a
share via a DFS link and will get an error message stating that the
"\\fqdn.xxx\dfs root\" cannot be found. After a few minutes they can open the
file and this has only been reported to me 10 times or so out of 70 users
over a 60 day period, but I don't have an answer why this happens.

There is no problem with the Excel files in their home folder (also using
DFS) and when you check the DFS status of the folder they are having problems
with, it shows the status is OK. Additionally, any other type of file in that
folder can be opened with no problem--Word and text files open normally, but
I haven't tried Access files, as the problem usually fixes itself within 10
to 15 minutes. I can't find anything in the client or server logs that
indicate a problem.

The big mystery is why only Excel files are affected.

Any thoughts?

Byron