XCLN: Win95 NW Clients Disconnected from Mail on Novell Server (168718)

SYMPTOMS

When you click on a folder, you may receive the following error message:

The command you specified could not be carried out. The file
<path>\mailbox.pst could not be accessed because another workstation has
modified it. Close and then restart all mail-enabled applications.

This error message indicates that the connection between the client and the server was lost after a certain period of time. This error was found to be associated with specific types of Windows clients.

When you leave open, for an extended period of time, a Microsoft Exchange client that uses a personal store file (PST) and runs on Novell Internetware Client 32 (NW 32), the client loses connection to the Microsoft Mail for PC Networks (MS Mail PC) on a Novell server or connection to Exchange Server. The only way to restore the connection is to log off and log back on to the network.

This problem happens in the earlier and the new versions of the NW 32 client. This problem is not encountered when you use only the Microsoft Client for Netware that ships with Windows 95. Some users need to use the NW 32 client in order to run Novell's 4.x Netware Admin utility, to support Novell's Netware Directory Services (NDS), and a few other things.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, perform one of the three following procedures:

Reinstall the Novell 32 Client for Netware by doing the following: The default is to upgrade the network driver interface specification (NDIS) to NW ODI. Instead, you should clear this check box so the client remains as NDIS. With this setup, the problem of losing connection to the PST file, placed on a Novell server, may not occur.
If you move the PST file to a local drive, the problem should disappear. This may not be an acceptable solution, however, because the administrator may be running roving users and dial-up access, but it is sufficient proof that it is a network problem.
Create an Exchange profile for the same user on a Microsoft Windows 95 computer. This probably will eliminate the problem. If the problem disappears, then the problem is associated only with the Netware clients and not with the Exchange Server computer or the Exchange client.