Network Drive recognition (DFS)

[Gerhard]

I have no ordinary environment.
I use windows DFS (distributed file system) links for network storage access.
This means: I access my storage in the format of \\mydomain.tld\picturesfolder\samplepictures
This link will be resolved in the background by one of the domain controllers to: \\pictureserver.mydomain.tld\sharefolder\samplepictures

The reason I'm posting this is:
IMatch recognizes every domain controller as separate location (id)
As it is random which domain controller answers, the id changes from time to time


Example:
first, everything works

Database
- \\mydomain.tld\picturesfolder
          - Samplepictures
          - Samplepictures2

days later

Database
- \\mydomain.tld\picturesfolder
          - Samplepictures (offline)
          - Samplepictures2 (offline)

I relocate samplepictures2 to the same path as before (\\mydomain.tld\picturesfolder\samplepictures2)


Database
- \\mydomain.tld\picturesfolder
     - [1E55-965E]
          - Samplepictures (offline)
     - [B0BC-4BC2]
          - Samplepictures2

this leads to a relocate of all folders every few days.
Alternatively, I could maintain all folders at both domain controller locations( ids) but this would double the size of the catalog db.

My possible workarounds are:
- rightclick the \\mydomain.tld\picturesfolder, select relocate and enter //mydomain.tld/picturesfolder/ and hit enter (takes quite some time until I can use IMatch again)
-  "faster" way: only relocate the folder I need; copy "folder to relocate" path to "new location for this folder" path
Do you think there is an easy solution?



Btw. Thank you very much so far.
Your support is amazing!

[Mario]

IMatch can work with all drives and shares Windows supports. But it tracks them by drive / share and media serial number.
If your media serial numbers change, IMatch will have to relocate. No way around that. This is not a typical environment, as you say.

Have you consider mounting your shares locally via the Windows Drive Manager?

[Gerhard]

I have several shares in use and don't want to map a network drive for every share. That's why I use DFS.
For your suggestion, I'm testing with
\\mydomain.tld
as mount point for the mapped network drive.

I will report back, if the media serial number stays the same.

Update:
This does not work.
x:
  - [1E55-965E]
      - Samplefolder1
  - [B0BC-4BC2]
      - Samplefolder2

I guess an expert option to disable media serial number comparison is no option.

[Mario]

I guess an expert option to disable media serial number comparison is no option.

No. For several reasons:

1. You are the first user ever having this problem.
2. To many changes required in the core of the IMatch engine.
3, DFS should not invent new media serial numbers. Makes no sense. It seems they change the unique media serial number all the time...?
Note: Older SAMBA versions on Linux NAS boxes had that problem - but they've got it fixed years ago.

[Gerhard]

1. You are the first user ever having this problem.
I know that I find strange problems ^^

2. To many changes required in the core of the IMatch engine.

I was expecting this.

To point 3.
I think each dns server has its' own media serial number.

my workaround will be, double size of db

Update:
IMatch Anywhere should not be used with a double source database.

So I stay with relocating.

[Mario]

Feel free to add a feature request to disable media recognition based on media serial number. If this is a problem for more than one user, your post will be +1 ed and then I can consider it.