CIFS Issues (Files appear and disappear quickly)

[qanderson]

I am working on getting an application with a SQL Express backend moved to a netapp share. The application is installed locally, but we've pointed the SQL Server to write its DB files to the users home folder that is on the netapp Filer (Ontap 7.3.6). The first time this app talks to the "mothership" it creates a couple more databases in the same location as the others (users home folder). When the home folder is on the netapp filer, the DB files appear and then disappear rather quickly (and the application errors out). If I move the backend database files to a share hosted on a windows share everything works without error. (All perms are identical etc...). I've contacted netapp support with little help so far. Does anyone have and clue on how to get this working? (I hope this scenario makes sense to everyone, it's kind of hard to type out!)

[billshaffer]

What is the security style of the target volume?  NTFS hopefully?  How big is the volume?  It's possible that SQL starts to write stuff out, then runs out of space and aborts.  What error does SQL show?  It's obviously complaining about something, knowing what would probably help resolve the issue.

Bill

[anne_thom]

Microsoft generally recommends that you use a Storage Area Network (SAN) or locally attached disk for the storage of your Microsoft SQL Server database files because this configuration optimizes SQL Server performance and reliability. By default, use of network database files (stored on a networked server or Network Attached Storage [NAS]) is not enabled for SQL Server.

However, you can configure SQL Server to store a database on a networked server or NAS storage server. Servers used for this purpose must meet SQL Server requirements for data write ordering and write-through guarantees, which are detailed in the "More Information" section.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304261