Introduction

With the 1.7 series clients of OpenAFS for Windows, OpenAFS is implemented as a native file system.

The Windows "Explorer" file management GUI has a bug resulting in an out of space error when copying or moving files into AFS. You may also not be able to delete files or move or rename files (these options will be missing from the menus in File Explorer). With CNF managed Windows computers, this will affect folders in the X: drive.

The best workaround is to map a Windows drive letter to the folder in which you are working.

Technical Details

The bug is that the Shell queries the root directory of the UNC Path or Drive Letter for free space instead of the path in which the Paste is being performed.

WorkArounds:

Map a drive letter to the folder in which you are working (Windows 10 instructions).

  1. Click the yellow Folder icon in your Task Bar to start File Explorer.
  2. In the left pane, find and click This PC
  3. Select the Computer tab  from the top of the window.
  4. Click Map network drive
  5. In the Map network drive wizard
    1. Choose a Drive letter - the drive letter chosen does not matter
    2. For the Folder, type in the full path of the folder in which you need to work, separating each folder name with a backslash, and starting the whole path with \\afs\cnf.cornell.edu
      1. For example, if you would like to map the folder at shares - public
      2. Start with: \\afs\cnf.cornell.edu
      3. and then separate each folder name with a backslash: \ followed by shares followed by \ followed by public for a grand total of:
      4. \\afs\cnf.cornell.edu\shares\public
    3. If you work in this folder a lot, leave checked Reconnect at sign-in . Otherwise, uncheck this box.
    4. Click Finish

#1

Select another folder in a different AFS "volume" and then return to the original intended target folder and try the Paste again. While there is no indication in the GUI of whether or not a particular folder is a different volume...

  • "home" is its own volume
  • "home\users" is its own volume
  • "home\staff" is its own volume
  • "shares" is its own volume
  • each folder directly under "shares" is its own volume
  • each user and staff home folder is its own volume

#2

The bug is usually triggered by attempting to Paste using Ctrl-V. Instead try performing the Paste using the Context (right click) Menu.

#3

Unmap and remap the X: drive (Windows 7 instructions).

  1. From the Start menu, choose "Computer"
  2. Right click on the X: drive and choose Disconnect
  3. Click Map network drive from the top of the window
  4. In the Map Network Drive wizard..
    1. Set the Drive to X:
    2. Set the Folder to: \\afs\cnf.cornell.edu
    3. Check the box labeled Reconnect at logon
    4. Click Finish
  5. Browse to the folder in which you are pasting files and paste in the files either by dragging them in or using the Context (right click) menu as detailed in WorkAround #2 above.
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