IMPORTANT:If your environment uses folder redirection, we strongly recommend reading the KB articles listed below and applying any relevant hotfixes before managing storage with Novell Storage Manager. In fact, we strongly recommend applying these hotfixes if you use folder redirection in your AD environment with the affected operating systems, even if you are not managing user storage with Novell Storage Manager. Microsoft’s continuing push to move away from NetBIOS and WINS might eventually introduce this issue into your environment with or without Novell Storage Manager installed.
Novell Storage Manager 4.1 exclusively uses DNS Fully Distinguished Names (FDNs) for server names in all UNC paths set in and by Novell Storage Manager. This is a change from Novell Storage Manager 3.x and earlier, where NetBIOS names were used (although a config file-only option to use DNS names existed in Novell Storage Manager 3.1.x). This is per Microsoft’s own recommendations, as Microsoft slowly attempts to phase out NetBIOS and WINS.
However, there are known bugs related to Folder Redirection when the DNS name for a server is used in a user’s home folder path (or any other path specified for folder redirection). These Windows bugs, which can result in loss of data in the redirected folders or the entire redirected folder, are described in the following Microsoft KB articles:
“You are unable to update the target location of offline file shares in the Offline File client side cache without administrative permission in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows 7.” http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977229
“After you apply a GPO to redirect a folder to a new network share, the redirected folder is empty on client computers that are running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008.”http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977611
These KB articles specifically apply to users logging on through Windows Vista or Windows 7 computers, as well as users logging on interactively on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. Users on other operating systems might be affected as well, however.
Both of the KB articles above include links to hotfixes that help resolve these issues.
While this is not a Novell Storage Manager issue per se, Novell Storage Manager 4.1’s exclusive use of DNS FDNs in UNC paths can exacerbate this problem, or introduce it into an environment that was previously exclusively using NetBIOS naming for servers and using folder redirection.