11.7 DFS

11.7.1 Junction Target Changes Require DFSUTIL Command Execution to Clear the Cache

Cause: Junction target has changed, but the Windows client is still pointing to the old target as it caches junction target information.

Action: To refresh the Windows environment, do the following:

  1. Restart the Windows client.

    or

  1. Download the DFSUTIL utility from the Microsoft download site.

  2. Disconnect from the mapped drive and clear the cache using the following DFSUTIL commands:

    DFSUTIL /PKTFLUSH
DFSUTIL /SPCFLUSH

  3. Remap the drive.

11.7.2 Unable To Access DFS Junctions On A Novell CIFS Share From The Windows Client

Cause: The Windows client is not able to resolve the target OES server's IP address through NetBIOS.

Action: Add an entry with the CIFS server IP address and the NetBIOS name in the HOSTS and LMHOSTS files on the Windows client.

11.7.3 After Modifying the Junction Target, Accessing the Junction Still Leads to the Old Target

Windows does not prompt the server to resolve the junction every time it is accessed. It prompts the server only the first time and then caches it. When the junction is accessed the next time, Windows does not prompt the CIFS server to resolve the junction; instead it uses the target location that it received previously.

On a restart of the Windows machine, if the same mapping is used, it points to the correct location. Because there is no cached value, it prompts the CIFS server to provide the location of the target that the junction points to and retrieves the latest value from the CIFS server.