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GCamp1951Flag for United States of America

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Netware Server changing time stamps on directories and files.

Here is the scenario:  My boss uses Allway Sync to synchronize files from his Novell directory to a portable hard drive.  He then takes this drive to his home where he uses the same software to synchronize the portable hard drive to his home computer.  Twice now this year, he has reported that the files within his directories are one hour and thirty minutes behind the files on portable hard drive.  Previously when it happened he waited about a week and the files were back in sync time wise.  Allway Sync uses a rsync method for transferring  only the changed files as reflected in differences in the time stamp.   I would like to know what is going on in the file server that is changing the file time stamps.  The problem returned yesterday.  I do not have a clue as to what is causing this.
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BWaring

So you are saying it is the files on the server that have the incorrect (older) time stamps? And it is ALL the files - not just some? Have you confirmed that the time on the server is correct and is staying correct? The time stamps of files on the server are controlled from the server, so they depend upon the server's time. It is not that the time stamps on the portable drive are the incorrect ones?
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The server time was correct when we checked it within 15 minutes of the problem being discovered..  Normally only a few files from the server that had been changed would be copied to the portable hard drive, all other files would be skipped if the time stamp was the same. All things being equal the majority of the files on the hard drive should have had the same time stamp as the files on the server, they were all 1 1/2 hours off.
Here is some additional information that I found in the health.log file:  I do not know if this could cause a time stamp shift or not.  May be unrelated.

Saturday,  8-13-2011   3:05 am
CPU Utilization-0 on server SERVER2 was in a SUSPECT State
Current Value - 90
Peak Value - 100
Max Value - 100
Current SUSPECT threshold = More than  85 % Utilization and Critical threshold = More than  95 % Utilization
Current SUSPECT trigger delay = 60 and Critical trigger delay = 120
<HR NOSHADE ALIGN=RIGHT>
Saturday,  8-13-2011   3:07 am
CPU Utilization-0 on server SERVER2 was in a BAD State
Current Value - 96
Peak Value - 100
Max Value - 100
Current SUSPECT threshold = More than  85 % Utilization and Critical threshold = More than  95 % Utilization
Current SUSPECT trigger delay = 60 and Critical trigger delay = 120
But are you sure it is the server files that have the incorrect time and not the files on the portable drive?

Those are utilization errors. There is no normal process on the server that could 'back date' files...
Here is a new twist to this problem.  In getting a clarification as to whether the time went backward of forward between the server and the HD, the problem has resolved itself.  He connected his hard drive to the computer, ran the software and everything worked as it should have.  

The only thing that I have done to the server was to run DSREPAIR.

With this in mind, is there any settings that may be incorrect?  If I remember right I ran DSREPAIR the last time we had this problem.  But what could be causing it in the first place?  Is DSREPAIR something that I should be running on a regular basis?
A 'dsrepair' would not normally affect the time stamps on files... this really sounds more like an issue between the machine in the office doing the 'backing up' and the machine at home doing the 'restoring'. Have you confirmed that those two machine have the correct and same time setting - time and time zone? And that they are the same as the server?
I am assured most enthusiastically that his work computer, hard drive, and home computer all have the same system time and that the files all have the same time stamp (unless the file has been modified).  He is convinced that the problem is confined to the server.
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BWaring

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I am faily new to asking questions so how do we do this.  Technically speaking the question was not answered or at least partially answered.  Do I mark it as answered?
I am faily new to asking questions so how do we do this.  Technically speaking the question was not answered or at least partially answered.  Do I mark it as answered?
I can't really answer that for you.... it all depends on whether or not you think I (or generally, any expert) answered or helped you get to the answer of your questions.... this is what EE says: https://www.experts-exchange.com/help.jsp?hs=26#hs=29&hi=407
Considering the intermittent nature of this problem, I am awarding the points to BWaring for his expert help.  Although we did not come to a definative solution, his help in guiding me to the steps to take the next time this problem arises is worth the points