Disk Caching with Novell 4.2 (AREV Specific)
At 10 NOV 1999 05:47:39PM Joe wrote:
I would like to know if it is ok to leave disk caching enabled on a windows 98 workstation running Novell 4.2 in a true client server network running an advanced revelation application. When we enable disk caching it substantially reduces our network backup time but it was my understanding this could cause problems with advanced revelation.
Thank You
At 10 NOV 1999 05:50PM Joe wrote:
I also would like to add that we use this particular workstation to run the backup hardware and software.
At 11 NOV 1999 09:21PM Steve Smith wrote:
If you are using the Linear Hash NLM Network product and have no local AREV files then you *may* be OK to enable caching on the workstation.
The reason that caching presents problems is that if the OS caches the LK portion of the file and not the OV portion, or vice versa, then GFEs may arise on records which span both physical files, because the files are not read/updated in tandem.
There is a cruel irony that your slow backups (minus caching) will reduce the need for backups, whereas fast backups (using caching) may be required more frequently if AREV is configured so it gets GFEs.
Steve
At 12 NOV 1999 11:03AM Don Miller - C3 Inc. wrote:
Don't enable write-behind caching unless you are using the NLM. That's like playing russian roulette with a machine gun. The desktop isn't smart enough to cache both segments of a REVnnnnn file (.LK / .OV) so that the pieces will quickly become de-synchronized (inevitably if the record spans both pieces), but resizing will also make a mess out of things. The base pointers are stored in the header of the .LK portion and must be updated with any change.
Don Miller
C3 Inc.