Subject: Local desktop aliases point to wrong server documents/folders

From: "Kevin M. Myer" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 14:30:32 -0500 (EST)

Hi,

We are running netatalk-1.5pre3 under Linux 2.2.17 on x86 hardware.
Recently, it was brought to my attention that some users are experiencing
problems with local desktop aliases having the original source being
changed, apparently at random.  For example, each user has a folder in
their home directory called MyDocuments.  One user logged on, made an
alias on his desktop of MyDocuments and began to work.  At one point,
before his very eyes, the alias changed from a folder to a trash can and
when I did a Get Info, the alias now pointed to Network Trash.  Strange.
This was on a ruby iMac running MacOS 9.1; another ruby iMac user has
reported similar problems and she is running either 9.0.4 or 9.1.  I have
not been able to duplicate on my machine this problem.

I see that the symptoms are also available from another OS at
http://www.macwindows.com/servtips.html, namely the portion about "jumping
alias" problem (not to be confused with the jumping icons).  That was
with Windows NT 4 and apparently there isn't a known fix.

Throw into the mix that I've pretty much confirmed that Apple Menu Items
does strange things with any server aliased in Recent Server Items and I'm
not sure whether to blame MacOS, netatalk, Apple Menu Items, or just
gremlins.  I could see this being a problem resulting from non-persistent
DIDs with netatalk, except that the aliases on the desktop change _during_
a single login, not across multiple afpd instances (i.e. right smack dab
in the middle of doing work, the alias will change to a different original
source).  I could definitely see this being an Apple Menu CDEV problem,
since the original problem I discovered with that was that when you
accessed a server using Recent Server Items, aliases on the server pointed
to the wrong place.  Accessed via Chooser or via an alias on the desktop,
the aliases worked.  I'm going to try disabling that control panel and see
if the problem goes away on the two problem machines.

I'm curious what anyone else makes of this and if they have experienced
simliar symptoms.  If so, drop me a line.

-- 
Kevin M. Myer
Systems Administrator
Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13
(717)-560-6140

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From: "Kevin M. Myer" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 16:57:00 -0500 (EST)

Ok, after more testing, I've found the cases where this can easily be
reproduced.  If anyone who is using 1.5preX could test this and see if
they can confirm, I'd appreciate it.

1) Open Chooser and login and mount a netatalk volume (note, its important
to use Chooser for this!!)
2) Create two aliases of folders or files on the server on your local
desktop (for my test case, folder one was inside of folder two but I don't
think it matters).
3) Drag the server volume to trash.
4) Reconnect to the server, _without_ using Chooser (i.e. double-click on
your freshly created aliases, or use Recent Server Items or...)
5) Check out both of your aliases - if the problem exists, at least one
and maybe both will point into LaLa land.

It seems that as soon as you don't use Chooser to access a server,
something (be it the AppleShare client or the server) changes some sort of
mapping so that aliases break.  I don't know what is done differently when
using the Chooser versus other access methods but this turns out to be the
same problem I encountered before and attributed to the Apple Menu Items
CDEV.  Its not the CDEV thats causing the problems, its something else,
since I disabled it totally and the problem still persists.

I have two strace'd logs of two afpd (one with Chooser, one with broken
aliases logged on without Chooser) and I'll look at them tomorrow to see
if that sheds any light on it.  In the meantime, if anyone can reproduce
this, then I'll at least know its not something with our local setup -
guess I should try disabling virus software as well just to be on the safe
side.

Kevin

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From: "Daniel E. Lautenschleger" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 16:18:28 -0600 (CST)

I *can* tell you that this does not occur with netatalk-1.5pre2-4 on a Mac
running 9.1.

-Dan

-- 

Daniel E. Lautenschleger
University of Wisconsin
R.M. Bock Laboratories
Network Administrator and Computer Support
[email-masked]