The information in this article applies to:
Beginning with Version 15.3, all Tabs3 and PracticeMaster programs include an integrated Network Settings utility that is designed to check the current settings on the local computer and adjust them as necessary, and a Network Test, which allows users to test their basic network reliability. This article contains information about the Network Settings utility, and the settings recommended by Software Technology, Inc, the makers of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster. Information regarding the Network Test utility can be found in KB Article R11304, "All About Network Test".
The following information will be discussed below:
The embedded Network Settings program is designed to provide a reliable mechanism through which to implement a consistent and reliable set of network settings, with an interface that is fast and easy to use, and that works with diverse systems, including new operating systems and alternative networks.
The Network Settings program can be accessed from the Help menu, under Diagnostics, using the Network Settings option. There are no access rights associated with the Network Settings program, thus allowing all users to view the settings on their local workstations. However, only a member of the Manager access group can make changes to these settings.
CAUTION: Changes to the Windows registry are typically not recommended
except to help troubleshoot errors. Tabs3 and PracticeMaster is not responsible
for edits made to the registry. Any registry changes should be made by your
network administrator or a qualified professional. Once changed, you cannot
reset your network settings to their original settings without manually editing
your registry. (Tabs3 Support personnel
do not have the necessary training to help you with Windows registry changes.)
WARNING: The following disclaimer is used by Microsoft regarding editing
of the registry: "Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems
that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot
guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can
be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk."
IMPORTANT: Microsoft recommends making a back up copy of the registry
files before editing the registry. Refer to Microsoft documentation for details
on how to back up the registry.
The Network Settings program makes changes to the Windows registry, which is where all major network settings are stored. The program reads the current state of each network setting when the program is opened, and changes the settings selected when the Apply button is clicked. You must restart the computer for the registry settings to take effect. Each setting in the dialog consists of one or more registry settings. The Network Settings window includes the following sections:
The following information explains which Windows registry changes are made by enabling or disabling settings. The Recommended Settings section of this article discusses which settings are recommended when using specific combinations of Windows operating systems.
Each computer has two sets of Server Message Block (SMB) 1.0 settings. The first set affects the network traffic related to that computer accessing shared files on another computer. The second set affects network traffic related to that computer sharing its files with other computers.
Note that the Network Settings program cannot determine the network settings for another computer; therefore, the Network Settings program must be run on each workstation, and on the server, in order to properly configure all network settings.
The following options are available for Opportunistic Locking (SMB 1.0):
|
Setting |
Registry Changes Made |
|
|---|---|---|
|
When used as a Client |
||
|
Enabled |
OplocksDisabled = 0 (OFF) |
|
|
Disabled |
OplocksDisabled = 1 (ON) |
|
|
When used as a Server |
||
|
Enabled |
EnableOplocks = 1 (ON) |
|
|
Disabled |
EnableOplocks = 0 (OFF) |
|
If opportunistic locking is disabled on the server, you do not have to disable opportunistic locking on each workstation. However, it can be useful to allow opportunistic locking on the server, yet disable opportunistic locking only for the workstations that use Tabs3 and PracticeMaster. This allows users who are not operating in a database environment to gain the benefits of opportunistic locking, while protecting the users who do utilize Tabs3 and PracticeMaster from potential issues.
Technical Note: The registry settings for SMB 1.0 are stored in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\MRxSmb\Parameters.
Historically, opportunistic locking (i.e., caching) has increased the occurrences of errors, as files were not released timely in order for other calls to those files to utilize them properly. This was most prevalent in systems that relied on network redirector software, such as Windows Me, 98 and 95, or Novell clients. As technology has advanced, the need to disable opportunistic locking has decreased. However, if you are encountering fatal errors, particularly errors opening files or sharing violations, one method of troubleshooting is to disable opportunistic locking to determine if this has an affect on these errors. In some instances, the errors will decrease in frequency, or are eliminated.
Disabling opportunistic locking does have a side effect of slowing down some transactions. Although this slow down is not as noticeable when running the software in a normal traffic environment where all workstations are using the software, it may be noticeable when only a single workstation is using the software or when using other applications, such as word processing or spreadsheet applications. It is a tradeoff; reducing speed for higher reliability. If disabling opportunistic locking does not resolve your issues, it is recommended that it be re-enabled. A more thorough discussion of network disk caching can be found in Knowledge Base Article R10990, "Improving Performance - Client Server Versions (CSV) and Network Disk Caching".
SMB 2 is the updated networking protocol introduced by Vista and Windows Server 2008. Unfortunately, Microsoft has had reliability and performance issues with SMB 2 as mentioned in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles:
Many of the SMB issues seem to have been addressed in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The ability to disable SMB 2 is provided by Microsoft to assist in troubleshooting possible SMB 2 issues. The Network Settings program in Tabs3 and PracticeMaster includes an easy way to modify this setting. Therefore, SMB 2.x can be enabled or disabled, as necessary.
The following options are available for SMB 2.x:
|
Setting |
Registry Changes Made |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Server Message Block 2.x |
||
|
Enabled |
MRXSmb20\Start = 2 (AUTO) |
|
|
Disabled |
MRXSmb20\Start = 4 (DISABLED) |
|
Technical Note: The registry settings for SMB 2.x are stored in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services.
The Novell Client32 section is only shown when a Novell Client application is detected.
By default, Novell Client32 enables opportunistic locking. Other settings are also enabled, which can cause instability in changing data files stored on the Novell NetWare server. Because of this, the default settings for Client32 are not recommended. A tier-based system of recommendations is used because certain settings can result in slower performance. The settings for Novell Client32 are normally controlled within the Client32 properties.
The following options are available for Novell Client32:
|
Setting |
Changes Made |
|
|---|---|---|
|
When used as a Client |
||
|
Default |
Varies, depending on version. If set to Default, the
current values are: |
|
|
Recommended |
File Caching = 0 (OFF) |
|
|
Conservative |
File Caching = 0 (OFF) |
|
The default network settings are not recommended to be changed except as a troubleshooting step for resolving errors. Changes to the network settings should be made by your network administrator or a qualified professional. When using a Novell NetWare network, additional settings will need to be changed on all workstations and on the server.
Extending from the new Server Message Block protocol introduced in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 include a new SMB 2.1 protocol.
Note: When SMB 2.x is enabled, the opportunistic locking settings are only used when communicating between computers that are not using SMB 2.x. When using SMB 2.x, such as between Windows 7 workstations and a Windows 2008 R2 server, a type of opportunistic locking is used, but cannot be disabled. This type of opportunistic locking has not been reported to cause issues.
When using Multi-user versions of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software, opportunistic locking can be disabled as a troubleshooting step. Under ordinary conditions, there is no need to change network settings for these operating systems.
When using Multi-user versions of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software, opportunistic locking can be disabled as a troubleshooting step. Under ordinary conditions, there is no need to change opportunistic locking for these operating systems.
Refer to the Server Message Block 2.x section of this article for detailed information.
|
Field |
Setting |
|
|---|---|---|
|
SMB 2.x |
||
|
Server Message Block 2.x |
Disabled |
|
Windows XP and earlier utilize the same Server Message Block (SMB 1.0) protocol developed for early networking.
When using Multi-user versions of Tabs3 and PracticeMaster software, opportunistic locking can be disabled as a troubleshooting step. Under ordinary conditions, there is no need to change network settings for these operating systems.
When using a Novell NetWare network, it is important to use the latest Novell Client32 application. As of this writing (March 2010), the latest client is "Novell Client v9.91 SP5 for Windows XP/2003". Note that there are known issues when attempting to use the Novell NetWare Client 1.0 or Client 2.0 for Microsoft Vista; instead, we recommend using Native File Access in place of the Novell Client software. Additional information about this issue can be found in KB Article R11238, "How Windows 7 and Vista Affect Tabs3 and PracticeMaster Software".
The following settings are recommended:
In addition to the settings recommended for the workstation's operating system, the NetWare Client32 options should be changed, as follows:
|
Field |
Setting |
|
|---|---|---|
|
NetWare Client32 |
||
|
When used as a Client |
Recommended |
|
If errors are encountered when using the recommended settings, there is another level of changes that have been reported to address some rare networking issues. As a troubleshooting step, use the Conservative setting for NetWare Client32. Under ordinary conditions, the Recommended setting will work and there will be no need to use the Conservative setting.
When using a Novell NetWare network, it is important to use the latest Novell NetWare server. As of this writing (March 2010), the latest server is "Novell NetWare 6.5 SP8".
Novell NetWare includes an Opportunistic Locking feature. We recommend that Opportunistic Locking be DISABLED at the Novell NetWare File Server.
This setting can be disabled by:
The command to disable the setting is the same regardless of which method is used to implement it. The command is:
We recommend editing the AUTOEXEC.NCF file, which requires rebooting the server after adding the command. However, the command line method can be used temporarily until it is more convenient to reboot the server.
Note: The Network Settings window cannot be used to modify the settings on the Novell NetWare server directly, as Tabs3 and PracticeMaster will not run on the NetWare server. The above changes must be made by hand at the server.
When new network settings are applied via the Network Settings program, a log entry is created listing the computer where the changes were made, the settings before the change, the new settings, and other information about your network environment. An example of an entry in the log file is shown below. Note that the current network settings are also appended to the Network Test Log when that utility is run. For more information about the Network Test Log, please see KB Article R11310, "Network Test Log Technical Information."
The log file of network setting changes is maintained in a file named STNWSETS.LOG. This file is stored in the same location as the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster data files. To locate this directory, while in any Tabs3 or PracticeMaster program, click the Help menu and select About. In the middle section, locate the Current Working Directory. The Current Working Directory is the location of the Tabs3 and PracticeMaster data files, and this log file.
12/01/2009 18:14:13 | \\JEFF | Jeffrey | JMA:
WORKSTATION SETTINGS:
OpLocksDisabled: 0 -- 0
EnableOpLocks: 1 -- 1
EnableOpLockForceClose: 0 -- 0
CachedOpenLimit: 0 -- 0
Client SMB 2: 2 -- 2
Server SMB 2: 1 -- 1
Burst Mode: 1 -- 1
Large Packets: 1 -- 1
File Caching: 1 -- 0
File Commit: 0 -- 0
NetWare: Yes -- Yes
NetWare Vista: No -- No
SERVER INFO:
Workstation SMB 2.0: Enabled
Server Name (Local): SERVER1
Server Name (Server): SERVER1
Server OS: Windows Server 2003
Server Type: 0x00869203
Server Comment:
Each entry begins with the date and time of the network setting change, followed by the computer name, Windows login user, and Tabs3 User ID who applied the change. In the example above, Tabs3 User ID JMA applied a change on December 1, 2009 at 6:14pm, on the computer named \\JEFF.
The Workstation Settings section contains all of the Windows registry entries, and columns for their values before and after the change. For our example, you can see that File Caching was changed from a value of 1 (enabled) to 0 (disabled). Details about values shown here can be found in the Using the Network Settings Utility section of this article.
The Server Info section displays whether SMB 2.x is enabled or disabled, and what the workstation returns as its server name, followed by network information regarding the environment this computer is used in. The information in this section is designed to be utilized by a network technician for troubleshooting purposes, and includes the remote server name, platform and version, and server type.
If the server type cannot be detected, a message will be displayed in this section stating "Could not determine server path from <path>."
The Log File Submission feature in System Configuration allows you to submit this log file to a Technical Support Representative while on a support call. Details regarding the Log File Submission process are provided in KB Article R11236, "Automatic Error Reporting and Submitting Log Files."
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