Project - Microsoft "Opportunistic Locks in Windows NT 4 SP1" TechNet Article

I had just finished implementing a new Windows NT file server and the users had started storing their files on a secured, backed up network drive when it was brought to my attention that Microsoft Office files were taking long periods of time (upwards of 5 minutes) to save across the network. Users had started to ask for permission to save their files on their local hard drives again.

Goal:

• Reduce time required to save documents on the file server

I could not explain the delay, as other network operations could be performed quite quickly, so I used the Network Monitor found in the Windows NT 4 Resource Kit to analyze the network traffic (packets) specific to the issue. I noticed that the transaction time was increasing each time the same file was opened and then closed, and that this would repeat until the file was closed. If the file was re-opened, the problem would start over again. This implied that there was an issue with the Operating System.

I called Microsoft, who asked me to prove that it was not a hardware issue, forcing me to open a technical support ticket with Dell Canada (the hardware vendor). After explaining the issue, the support agent built a test environment using the same computer models as we were using. Working with me to mirror my work, the support agent agreed it to be an issue with the Windows Operating System and suggested I reconnect with Microsoft. I instead asked him to leverage the partnership between Dell and Microsoft and include me in on the call, so that we could quickly and automatically escalate the issue. The agent agreed, contacted a partner resource at Microsoft, and we proved he issue was caused by an problem with the Operating System.

Within a day, the Microsoft development team provided me with a temporary work-around until a fix could be released. This was quickly followed with a published Microsoft Technical Article, “Opportunistic Locks in Windows NT SP1” and relating technical bulletin (released on Microsoft TechNet), and was later followed by an official patch.