SOS hangs when using network drive for working folder

[tbadera]

SOS Version 4.2
VSS Version 6 (Visual Studio 2003)

Our developers use a network drive for their working folder. I can set this up fine, but when I try to browse the project SOS hangs. It doesn't happen for folder with a few files in it, but when I get to the main project with many sub-folders and files it hangs up indefinitely (usually have to end task).

Any workarounds?

[tbadera]

I should add... The network drive we're using is a Samba share off a linux server.

[Beth]

Are all the developers using the same working folder? That might cause some conflict and confuse their cache, which could get in the way. I know it's possible to use a network drive, and when I tried it myself, I think i was hitting a Samba share also. Try having everyone else close their SOS clients and Visual Studio if using IDE integration, then try your task again. Does it work that time?

If it doesn't, note the time that you started to perform that action and when it ended, and take a look at your SOS server log for that section and post it. The SourceOffSite log file (log.txt) is located on the machine where the SOS server resides in this path C:\Program Files\SourceOffSite Server.

[tbadera]

Yes, we all use the same working folder, which is the document root for the development web server. That's how we've operated for some time. It has only become an issue recently as we started a telecommuting program and have developers working from home over VPN. The speed issue is only encountered over the VPN.

I will try tonight when the other developers have left and no one else will be logged into sourcesafe and see if there is any improvement in speed.

[Beth]

What you are asking it to do is to add in extra trips across the network for 1 action. The client, sends a command to the server, for example, a Get. The server responds and sends the data to the client. The client takes the data and places it in the working folder, which essentially sends it back across the network. Then to update the cache, it has to send data across the network again. Every single thing a person does now is going to require multiple network communications across the VPN. The next version of SOS will be faster, but I don't know how much it will help you due to the unique nature of your situation. You may have worked with a shared working folder for a long time, but yet another unrecommended layer has been added. I'm not sure that this is going to work.

After checking this with only one user, try using SOS on the VPN with working folder and cache on the client machine. There should be a huge difference in speed.

How long has a user waited for an action to complete with the setup you are using across the VPN? Does it eventually complete? Have the user try a smaller action, such as just working with one small file. Is there some difference there?

[Beth]

Is it possible that what you really want is web deploy? Is that server the user connects to really a production server or just development only?