Constant corruption of User/Library/Cache files

Question

Constant corruption of User/Library/Cache files

In the last year, I've been dealing with a constant rash of intermittant user cache file/folders corruptions. Users reside on a OD Snow Leopard server (version 10.6.8), while clients are Intel (Westmere) PowerMac's running OSX 10.7.5. Problem is exhibited by client looging to his/her account. Machine loads all the way to the desktop, but when an app is selected, machine begins to endlessly beachball. Purging user's network stored Library/Cache files/folder on the the server side allows machine to work flawlessly for as short a time as 2 days up to serveral months, and not always the same user or same machine, however it does seem more prevailent with users that are moving from machine to machine. All local user's resident to the local machine, work fine with no corruption problems, only network users residing on the server.

There isn't any operation miss use I can determine. All machines are of the same family, same OS version, same app version, basically all are uniformally setup. Loop pinging server, shows no lose of data to/from server, and server has plenty of storage headroom, but there is obviously data corruption when local machine uploads back to server prior to shutdown. Network is over gigabit ethernet, to Intel Xserve of which a 30 terabyte RAID (6) stores Home folders. I've verified the RAID integrity is best I can, as RAID also serves project files, but I have not seen any shared file corruption.

As to which exact cache file is problematic, it would appear to be random, as I've seen Metadata, MS Office, spacific app's, Safari be the culprit. I've spent several hours with Apple Tech Support, and done and exhaustive search online, but no joy. Any recommendation would be welcomed. Thanks in advance.

Mac Pro (Mid 2010), Mac OS X (10.7.3), 3.33G Intel Westmere

Posted on Jul 25, 2013 9:57 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 27, 2013 5:45 AM in response to Steve Hallquist

Make sure that the network users aren't ever directly logging onto the server itself; there's a technote around on that one.

Run the hardware tests, and look for network-level errors, too. (ping is a connectivity test, and might not catch a network-level flaky.)

The console logs might also have a clue, though there's almost certainly going to be an issue finding those clues in the haystack of log data that configuration is going to generate.

You're clearly also approaching the level of swapping bigger pieces and parts; pieces of the network and pieces of the server (if not the whole server) and the software versions would be obvious candidates... What's known as "shotgunning", in the colloquial of troubleshooting.

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Answer 2

Jul 29, 2013 5:05 AM in response to MrHoffman

With regard to users logging in to server, they are logging in via user name/pw with each machine bound to sever.

I've tested local machines HD's, DRAM, as well as loop pinged machines and server - each ping on average of 1/2 ms.

It seems every other operation of the server/local clients seems normal. App's perform normally. Storage R/W's seem normal, as I loose no data.

My best guess at this point, is that one or more of the local caches is not getting back to users network cache on the server - randomly. When local machines read server stored cache, it hangs because of a corrupted cache file, and deleting these cache files seems to correct problem.

Thanks though for the reply, I'll keep looking

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Answer 3

Jan 29, 2014 12:03 AM in response to Steve Hallquist

I am having this exact same issue, have you ever found out the cause and sollution to this problem?

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Answer 4

Jan 29, 2014 6:46 AM in response to William Jonker

From what I was able to determine, the problem in our case is MS Office 2007 and in perticular Entourage, as it uses several daemons that don't seems to be compatible with the server.

Try flushing your User/Library/Cache folder, then run Onyx (free download) logged in to network user, flushing out the boot, and various cache folders. This seems to improve reliabily, but to-date has not completely eliminated all of them. Running Onyx for Mac (Snow Leopard) dorsn't seem to cause any ill effects, since most of the cache files are quickly rebuilt.

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