[Virtualacorn-list] ShareFS producing triplicate unusable files on VRPC

[Dr Peter Young]

On 20 Sep 2008  Jeremy Nicoll - virtualacorn 
<jn.ml.vac.83 at wingsandbeaks.org.uk> wrote:

> Dr Peter Young <pnyoung at ormail.co.uk> wrote:

>> In the last two or three days ShareFS has been behaving very oddly. If
>> I try to transfer files from this Iyo to either of two copies of VRPC
>> for Windows, I get on VRPC three copies of each file, with seemingly
>> random dates, and with two copies of each of zero length. Rather than
>> try to explain further, I've uploaded a screenshot of what I see,
>> having transferred an OPro and a DataPower file, in VRPC to
>> http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk/screen.jpg

> Do all three copies get created at the same time?

Yes, within less than a second.

> If you look at the directory that contains them using Windows
> Explorer, and select each in turn, then right-click and choose
> Properties, what does it say for all of them?

Running out of time today; I'll have a good look tomorrow. I certainly 
see three files in Explorer.

> It strikes me as interesting that the files showing date/time
> "DEADDEAD E1CA496E" etc are the ones with non-zero size.  I have no
> idea how this works, but I wonder if ShareFS when copying files first
> creates a dummy file, then transfers data into it, then if it all
> worked, renames it to the required target name and sets its filetype.
> Possibly what you're seeing might suggest the dummy files have failed
> to have a subsequent rename/settype work ok.

Interesting, but I've also no idea how these things work.

> Also in RO the date/time fields are the same ones as used for load and
> execute address for files that contain some forms of program.  Because
> those addresses are commonly represented as hexadecimal values, dummy
> files etc sometimes take advantage of that to store what looks like
> sensible words (eg DEAD).  Really you're seeing hex DE AD DE AD E1 CA
> 49 6E (etc).


>> If I try to delete any of the zero-length files, they all three get
>> deleted.

> Is that deleting them from RO (on the VRPC system), or from Windows?

As I remember, yes. I don't have Windows running at present, and can't 
write any more at the moment. I'll have another go tomorrow.

With best wishes,

Peter.

-- 
Peter, \  /      zfc Tm       \     Prestbury, Cheltenham,  Glos. GL52
Anne    \/ __            __    \                              England.
and     / /  \ | | |\ | /  _    \      http://pnyoung.orpheusweb.co.uk
family /  \__/ \_/ | \| \__/     \______________ pnyoung at ormail.co.uk.