PC Admin Account Places Database in a State Preventing an Attempted Action

[rjgriffin46]

I have wondered for some time why my PC's Admin account appears in lock files and sometimes prevents an action, such as pasting an object to replace another.



In our Citrix production environment, it is the Admin account on the Citrix machine and it also seems it keeps a lock file open when all users have closed their copy of our shared, Read Only front end.

In google searching I've not been able to discover the purpose of the Machine Admin account and how to manage it, so the following Questions:

1. Why is the Machine Admin account involved with Access - what is it's purpose?
2. How can a lock file be closed when only the Machine Admin is listed in it?
   
   1. I've looked at a process in which, as best I remember, a "dummy" file is placed in a folder and code runs in the front end file(s) that constantly checks for the existence of this file and when not detected, closes the front end. Then, in order to force all front ends to close, you simply rename the dummy file.
   2. In theory this would then cause the lock file to disappear. But would such a process also address the Machine Admin still seeming to be keeping the lock file open?

As always, I would appreciate any enlightenment on this issue that you can provide.

[CJ_London]

can you clarify what this actually means

when all users have closed their copy of our shared, Read Only front end.

each user should have their own copy of the front end, not share a copy. If they are sharing, chances are the file has become corrupted.

Also which file is being locked? the front end or the back end?

How can a lock file be closed when only the Machine Admin is listed in it?

usually, you would reboot the server

[rjgriffin46]

can you clarify what this actually means



each user should have their own copy of the front end, not share a copy. If they are sharing, chances are the file has become corrupted.

Also which file is being locked? the front end or the back end?

usually, you would reboot the server

A read only Access Front End is being used by 5 Citrix users as recommended by our IT team. It has been in operation for a good 18+ months without any indication of corruption. The back end is also in the same Citrix environment. Both the front and back ends open a lock file when any user has the database open in a function that accesses the back end.

Do you know why the host machine is involved when the database is open?

[CJ_London]

as recommended by our IT team. It has been in operation for a good 18+ months without any indication of corruption.

all I can say is you've been lucky. At least being a front end, it will only need replacing

with regards host machine, I would hazard a guess it is a citrix issue and possibly the fact the FE is in a shared area and not individual copies in users local areas (as recommended by microsoft)

[Micron]

Both the front and back ends open a lock file when any user has the database open

That is normal. The .ldb or lddb file will remain for as long as the associated Access file is open. If you're saying that these remain when no one has the associated file open, then AFAIK, it's a network thing. I'm no IT guy but when this used to happen to me, someone had to tweak some sort of Windows (Active Directory?) policy to get the network to refresh more reliably/frequently.

If you read 1,000 posts about splitting a db, you might find one who says it's OK for everyone to share but I doubt it. Seems that everyone says it's not a matter of IF, it is a matter of WHEN and when comes, it's often unrecoverable corruption.

I have no idea what this means

Do you know why the host machine is involved when the database is open?

The host machine holds either the front or back end? Then my first sentence still applies.

[rjgriffin46]

I appreciate all comments on the problem of sharing a read only front end. But unless it totally breaks we will continue this way.

My question is still why the Admin user on the machine Access runs on is engaged and appears in the lock file.

It's not just a Citrix phenomenon as I've had the experience working on a database on my PC where I'm prevented from doing something and a message will pop up saying that Admin on the machine name has placed the database in a state that prevents that action.

Thanks