Symptoms
After upgrading the Dell EMC Unity array to code level 5.0, when editing existing Microsoft Office files, the changes are not saved on exit. Instead a .tmp file remains.
This issue has been seen in the following Microsoft Office applications, but it can potentially affect all Office apps:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Photo Viewer
- Microsoft OneNote
Cause
When Microsoft Office saves a file, it uses a .tmp file for speed and performance. Also to ensure that there is always a persistent copy of the original data in the event of corruption during the save. The normal flow of a file save in Microsoft Office is the following:
- Create temp file
- Write changes to temp file
- Delete original file
- Rename temp file to target name
Due to an issue with Unity OE 5.0 and higher, under certain conditions these commands as delivered by Microsoft, are misinterpreted by Unity and the wrong file is being deleted. In this issue, the actual file is deleted, and the temp file remains. This leaves the file in the state in which it was in prior to the save.
The conditions which can produce this issue are:
- Having migrated the CIFS file system in question using IMT
- The CIFS file system containing more than 4.2 billion files.
Resolution
Fix
The issue has been addressed in the latest Unity OE version of 5.0.2.0.5.009 which is available on the Dell EMC support website.
Contact Dell EMC Technical Support or your Authorized Service Representative, and quote this Knowledgebase article ID.
Workaround
If you have experienced the issue, renaming the tmp files to their original name brings back the file prior to the change.