Background
Customers using the VPN (vpn.mtu.edu) to connect to file shares (for example, a Multidrive share) may encounter issues when multiple people attempt to simultaneously edit the same files in those shares. This is most commonly seen in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel) on Windows, but can also affect any SMB clients, including those on macOS and Linux.
Problems occur more often when client connections aren’t stable, such as when using WiFi, long-running VPN connections, and laptop suspend/resume.
Problems
Several problems have been observed:
- Files sometimes open in read-only mode.
- When opening a file, a warning may be shown, indicating that the file is locked by another person.
- A file that is open by two people may have its changes overwritten by the last save, losing previous changes.
- A file can’t be saved using its original name.
These problems are related to file locking, which doesn’t always work consistently when VPN or unstable connections are a factor.
Recommendation
While none of these suggestions fix the underlying issue, they may help avoid problems.
- Adjust your workflow so that only one person is editing a single file at a time.
- Save and close shared files before changing networks or disconnecting from the VPN.
- Open shared files as read-only when appropriate. This can be done in Windows File Explorer by right-clicking the file while holding down the Shift key and selecting open as read-only from the menu.
- Consider using Google Docs in a shared Google Drive for collaborative editing.