JSI Tip 9486. You are unable to find Microsoft Office files on a DFS (Distributed File System) share?

When you save / close Microsoft Office files (.doc, .xls, etc..) on a DFS share that is located on Windows Server 2003 or Windows 2000 server, and the files have been replicated using NTFRS (Windows NT File Replication Service), you may not be able find the files.

This behavior is the result of a timing problem with how Office handles temporary files and how NTFRS processes the corresponding changes.

Using REG.EXE built into Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, or REG.EXE installed from the Windows 2000 Support Tools on the CD-ROM, I have scripted OfficeDocRep.bat to set the Changeorder Aging Delay In Seconds, that the Windows NT File Replication service (NTFRS) uses to to determine the the value of the aging cache, to 5 seconds. The default is 3 seconds, which is not enough time to find office files on a DFS (Distributed File System) share. Setting it higher than 5 seconds may lead to unpredictable results.

The syntax for using OfficeDocRep.bat is:

OfficeDocRep ComputerName1 [ComputerName2 ... ComputerNameN]

Where each ComputerNameX is the NetBIOS name of a computer that hosts DFS shares.

OfficeDocRep.bat contains:

@echo offIf {%1}

{} @echo Syntax: OfficeDocRep ComputerName1 [ComputerName2 ... ComputerNameN]&goto :EOFsetlocal ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION@echo.:loopif {%1}

{} endlocal&goto :EOFset computer=%1shiftset computer=%computer:"=%set computer=%computer:=%@echo REG ADD "\%computer%HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlsetServicesNtFrsParameters" /V "Changeorder Aging Delay In Seconds" /T REG_DWORD /F /D 5REG ADD "\%computer%HKLMSYSTEMCurrentControlsetServicesNtFrsParameters" /V "Changeorder Aging Delay In Seconds" /T REG_DWORD /F /D [email protected] loop