Network shares on external USB drive are lost after reboot


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Basically have a server (2003 Standard) which has a USB drive connected to it and some folders on there are shared for users to access some files and various other small things. But everytime the server reboots. The shares are lost. Even though the USB drive is given the same drive letter and it's connected to the same port.

What causes this? Why aren't the shares remembered?

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I don't know why is that happening .. I know it's bad idea to have USB drives 24/7 connected to win 2k3 server. I've had tons of bad experiences with these things. Youre lucky your servers are running and not crashing when USB drives connected.

Some doods did backups on external USB HDD's. And every night servers crashed. There was two solutions :D

1. set a timer to HDD's when they come online (power timer)

2. replace these hdd's. Use NAS or something else.

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Some small clients I used to work with did nightly backups to USB connected drives, since they didn't want to invest in tapes: didn't really have any problems but I guess your mileage may vary :s Maybe they didn't have enough juice? Or were dodgy branded drives? Just speculating :)

One specific client even ran a share off one of the USB drives with client-side drive mappings as you describe. Don't remember having any problems with it though even when rebooting (which was rare though I must admit).

So the share itself is lost on the server? What SP are you running? Anything in the Event Viewer before/after the restart?

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So the share itself is lost on the server? What SP are you running? Anything in the Event Viewer before/after the restart?

Put it like this..

We have SERVER A with SP2 which has a USB drive connected and given drive letter F: (Maxtor Basic 500GB)

This F: drive has two folders

  • FolderA
  • FolderB

Both folders are shared and access given to the rightful users.

If SERVER A reboots as it did thanks to patch tues...

The shares setup on FolderA, FolderB will be lost upon rebooting.

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:(

  • Anything in the Event Viewer?
  • I assume when the server restarts, the USB drive is automatically remounted as F: drive and is available?
  • You don't have any login scripts on the server itself (e.g., GPO-based, local Start Up folder, ...) that might be trying to map F:\ to something else? (assuming in the previous question you answer "no")
  • What about changing the drive letter for the USB drive to something else (compmgmt.msc) then resharing the folders? Restart then test again.
  • How about when you do a manual restart yourself making sure that there are no open connections to any files (compmgmt.msc)?

Getting a bit desperate now... :hmmm:

Edited by fault
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Well I would guess when the server goes to create the shares on its boot up the usb drive has not been connected yet..

Look in your event log -- it most likely state hat the share path did not exist yet. You could create a script to kick off after the server has fully rebooted that would share out what you want.

But for the life of me I can not understand why anyone would do something like this.. if your server does not have enough space for files you want to share -- get more drives, or bigger ones. Or another server or NAS.

Sharing anything off an external USB would be a temp type of thing, not something that would be a perm type solution.

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:(

  • Anything in the Event Viewer?
  • I assume when the server restarts, the USB drive is automatically remounted as F: drive and is available?
  • You don't have any login scripts on the server itself (e.g., GPO-based, local Start Up folder, ...) that might be trying to map F:\ to something else? (assuming in the previous question you answer "no")
  • What about changing the drive letter for the USB drive to something else (compmgmt.msc) then resharing the folders? Restart then test again.
  • How about when you do a manual restart yourself making sure that there are no open connections to any files (compmgmt.msc)?

Getting a bit desperate now... :hmmm:

I'll dig up some event viewer logs 2moz as I'm not on site till then if I can squeeze in a visit.

There's no log on script that I know of. (But I'll dig around to see if there's something I have missed)

I'll do the further tests later. When I have access.

You want to talk about desperation; I was near enough thinking of just rippin it out the drive out of usb enclosure and sticking it in. :rofl: If I knew for deffo that it was SATA that is...

But for the life of me I can not understand why anyone would do something like this.. if your server does not have enough space for files you want to share -- get more drives, or bigger ones. Or another server or NAS.

Sharing anything off an external USB would be a temp type of thing, not something that would be a perm type solution.

Its not a PERM solution. Its something to just tie up some loose ends until an upgrade to 2008.

But I was just trying to see if it's something I'm doing wrong or not.

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Like I said already -- more than likely shares will be created in the boot process before an external USB would active. Share's not being able to be brought on line would clearly be in the event log.

You can duplicate the same by just deleting a folder that is shared, and not removing the share - you will see these errors that share x could not be created.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here is a possible solution to your problem:

. Get the junction tool from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinte...s/bb896768.aspx

. On one of your internal hard drivers, let's say C:, create an empty folder:

C:\> mkdir C:\FolderA

. Create a symbolic from this folder to the folder you want to share from your USB drive:

C:\> junction C:\FolderA F:\FolderA

. Share the directory C:\FolderA as 'FolderA'

C:\> net share FolderA=C:\FolderA

After the reboot, such share should still be there, even if the USB disk is offline.

Hope this helps.

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Not creating shares when the location of the share does not exist ;) Yeah that's kind of a feature!

If your wanting to share y:\somefolder and Y: does not exist when the computer goes to create the share -- how exactly do you expect it to share anything??

You can have the same kind of issue on an iscsi disk if the disk is not reconnected when the server reboots. In a cluster as well, which is why in a cluster you make the share dependent on the physical disk being available.

The junction is kind of how you could do it -- but you might be better off just mounting your USB disk to a folder vs going thru all the hassle of a junction -- which might cause you issues in your share.

This way when the server goes to create the shares, the location of the shares will exist for it to create them -- even if actual files will not show up until the drive gets mounted later in the boot process. Or even after someone logs in, etc.

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The junction setup would've been ideal to keep this temp fix working, going to keep that in mind for next time I come across a similar problem with clients who don't want to listen to reason.

I personally went with the option of just ripping the drive out.

Sticking it in one of the servers and problem solved.

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  • 4 weeks later...
But for the life of me I can not understand why anyone would do something like this.. if your server does not have enough space for files you want to share -- get more drives, or bigger ones. Or another server or NAS.

Sharing anything off an external USB would be a temp type of thing, not something that would be a perm type solution.

Let's see. Tape drive - $3500.00. Tapes - $100.00 each. Terabyte sata drive with external enclosure - $200.00 max. Checked the price of SCSI drives lately? I switched from tapes to external HDD's for backups a while ago and have been quite happy with it. I also have a home system that the sata controllers on the MB packed it in. I run multiple linux distro's from external hard drives on it with no problems. I have found external drives to be a cost effective solution to quite a few problems.

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WTF does the cost of tape drives and tapes have to do with sharing external usb drives?

If you want to backup to external drives -- more power too.. That has nothing to do with the OP issue. Did he ever mention backup??

"some folders on there are shared for users to access some files and various other small things."

As to the price of SCSI disks -- I am well aware of their prices.. Again WTF does that have to do with your ma and pop cluster

F of a backup solution?

Did I ever state that external USB drives do not have use?

I have over 2TB of data on just the SAN in this one location, along with all the other servers -- your looking at over 6TB for this 1 location alone.. Sorry your solution $200 external usb drive might be fine for some ma and pop operation.. But I just have to much data to even allow for such a thing.

Just the SQL "data" alone for this 1 location is is over 120GB.. How fast can you backup 120GB to your external SATA drive? I highly doubt your anywhere close to 1GB a minute across the network to some usb disk ;)

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Total Size (Disk)............ 121,875.50 MB

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Total Size (Media)........... 122,961.00 MB

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Elapsed Time................. 1h 42m 42s

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Average Throughput........... 1,197.25 MB/min

I also need to always keep a backup copy off site for disaster recover reason. Oh and BTW not sure where you looking at buying tapes.. but they are not $100. A LTO 4 800/1600 GB tape is more like $70 retail -- even without compression that is still cheaper than your 1TB sata drive when you look at $/GB

Here you go $62 a tape

http://www.tapeandmedia.com/lto_4_tape_ult...4_tapes_tdk.asp

800GB/62 = 12.90 GB per $

What format is your 1TB drive using? Whats the actual usable space -- lets say its like 930, which its going to be lower.

930GB/120 (price on newegg for 1TB drive) = 7.75 GB / $

And with that tape your also going to get more than 800 with compression. So your easy more than 2x the cost of tape storing it on your sata drives.

But again -- the OP was not talking about backups anyway ;)

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WTF does the cost of tape drives and tapes have to do with sharing external usb drives?

...

That is a one-post-wonder you replied to.

I think Fisshbate is really just Trollbate, trying to get a rise out of you.

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Fine with me ;) Nonsense like that lets me blow off some steam -- which makes me nicer to my own users ;)

I always feel better after letting off some steam.. So if what they were trying to do is make feel better, then they succeeded..

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WTF does the cost of tape drives and tapes have to do with sharing external usb drives?

OK Genius - try backing up to an external usb drive without a share on it[/b].

If you want to backup to external drives -- more power too.. That has nothing to do with the OP issue. Did he ever mention backup??

"some folders on there are shared for users to access some files and various other small things."

As to the price of SCSI disks -- I am well aware of their prices.. Again WTF does that have to do with your ma and pop cluster

F of a backup solution?

So you don't agree with me, or your too stuck in your mode of thinking to look at alternative solutions, so you insult my client who you know nothing about.

Did I ever state that external USB drives do not have use?

"But for the life of me I can not understand why anyone would do something like this.. if your server does not have enough space for files you want to share -- get more drives, or bigger ones. Or another server or NAS.

Sharing anything off an external USB would be a temp type of thing, not something that would be a perm type solution."

I have over 2TB of data on just the SAN in this one location, along with all the other servers -- your looking at over 6TB for this 1 location alone.. Sorry your solution $200 external usb drive might be fine for some ma and pop operation.. But I just have to much data to even allow for such a thing.

Just the SQL "data" alone for this 1 location is is over 120GB.. How fast can you backup 120GB to your external SATA drive? I highly doubt your anywhere close to 1GB a minute across the network to some usb disk ;)

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Total Size (Disk)............ 121,875.50 MB

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Total Size (Media)........... 122,961.00 MB

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Elapsed Time................. 1h 42m 42s

[10/23/2008-03:16:43 ,0,0,0,0,0,2,0,0,0] Average Throughput........... 1,197.25 MB/min

I also need to always keep a backup copy off site for disaster recover reason. Oh and BTW not sure where you looking at buying tapes.. but they are not $100. A LTO 4 800/1600 GB tape is more like $70 retail -- even without compression that is still cheaper than your 1TB sata drive when you look at $/GB

Here you go $62 a tape

http://www.tapeandmedia.com/lto_4_tape_ult...4_tapes_tdk.asp

800GB/62 = 12.90 GB per $

What format is your 1TB drive using? Whats the actual usable space -- lets say its like 930, which its going to be lower.

930GB/120 (price on newegg for 1TB drive) = 7.75 GB / $

And with that tape your also going to get more than 800 with compression. So your easy more than 2x the cost of tape storing it on your sata drives.

You are not including the price of the drive. You are also not taking into account that when (not if) that drive fails in a few years. Those tapes will now be useless because the format will not work with whatever the new drives are at the time, so you will have to replace those tapes.

The time it takes to backup is irrelevant as it is all completed overnight. Now...the time to restore is relevant which is considerably faster from disk than from tape.

But again -- the OP was not talking about backups anyway ;)

"Again WTF does that have to do with your ma and pop cluster

F of a backup solution?"

I see this arrogant attitude all through the IT industry. I catch anyone in my employ with it, and their a$$ is out the door.

Basically have a server (2003 Standard) which has a USB drive connected to it and some folders on there are shared for users to access some files and various other small things. But everytime the server reboots. The shares are lost. Even though the USB drive is given the same drive letter and it's connected to the same port.

What causes this? Why aren't the shares remembered?

Try a cold boot. You will find that your shares are back.

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That is a one-post-wonder you replied to.

I think Fisshbate is really just Trollbate, trying to get a rise out of you.

Trollbate...lol

One post wonder...close - two posts It justs frustrates me when I see wannabees like budman giving bad advise and trying to sound like he knows something. He did not even come close on his guesses at a solution to the OP's problem. If the OP wants to contact me, I will give him the fix.

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But your nonsense about using a external USB drive as a backup solution was just right on the money to what the OP was asking about :rolleyes:

Contact you?? How about you post your "fix" so everyone can bask in your wisdom..

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Contact you?? How about you post your "fix" so everyone can bask in your wisdom..

And re-distribute the knowledge? What do you think I am a socialist? You want the answer - look here URL link deleted

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Solution for any help should be talked here and not in pm if possible. Alternative solution ca be discussed by many of us.

Also, not everyone here can read arabic language

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Solution for any help should be talked here and not in pm if possible. Alternative solution ca be discussed by many of us.

Also, not everyone here can read arabic language

Discussion is not necessary. This is the fix, along with an explanation of what has happened. My preference would be just to leave neowin forums to the flounders. I do not see an option to delete my profile though. Guess I just change my email to a disposable one.

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It has already been gone over what happens, and method given on how to get around it - mount the USB drive to a folder. You can not create a freaking SHARE for something that does not exist yet.. If the USB disk is not available when the server goes to create the share -- then NFS it will not be available.

If you wanted to you could restart the server service after the OS has fully booted, and the external disk is available.

You could also run a script to recreate the share after the OS has fully booted as well..

Something as simple as

net share something=usbdiskdriveletter:

Pink Floyd's point was this is a FORUM, quite often these threads are found on a google search when users are looking for fixes to their issues... PM'ing a user a solution to their problem might help that guy -- what about the next guy? Or in the case of someone finding this thread -- they get your nonsense about using usb drives as a backup solution vs tape libraries :rolleyes: -- which had freaking NOTHING to do with the OP question or even the topic at hand.

Go troll somewhere else!

Edited by BudMan
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