Your network access was interrupted. To continue close the database and then open it

[DBinPhilly]

We have a network with about 12 users. We have no server, but are using a NAS as our file source. We have the data in a back end database on the NAS, and each user has a version of the programming on a front end copy on his own workstation.

Several of the users are getting the above message. A couple say they get it several times a day, others never get it. Our systems are a mixed bag of Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and XP. We are running MS Access 2010.

The error message does not hit everyone, and it appears to be a random event, nothing specific.

Any ideas?

[HiTechCoach]

Sounds like network connectivity issues.

Is every workstation hard wired to the LAN, NO WiFi?

Do they get the message after their workstation hibernates?


Some potential problem areas include WiFi connection, bad NIC, bad cable connection, workstation hibernates with front end opened, bad switch post, and static electricity.

[DBinPhilly]

thanks for your response.

all computers are connected via LAN, although WIFI is available for transients with their laptops.

the message comes when they are performing their daily work, not after the computer hibernates.

Some get the error message more often than others.

[HiTechCoach]

In my experience working with multi-user Access databases on a LAN for 15+ years ( Access 2.0 to present) with 600+ users this is rarely an Access issue. 99.9% of the time it is a networking issue. There were some issues when Access 2000 and Jet4 were first released over 10 years ago.

The JET (.mdb) and ACE (.accdb) database engines used for the Access database formats require a consistent (always active) connection to the back end. If this drops at all then you get the error you described. The Access database engines are very sensitive to any network interruption and does not automatically recover.

Since it is some not all, I would try using different ports on the network switch. If you don't have any open ports then try switching cables to see if the issue stays with the port or move with the workstation.

[DBinPhilly]

Thanks. I will attempt to implement your suggestions.

I've done quite a lot of access work myself with dozens of customers and 100's of users, starting with Access 2.0 thru 95, 2000, 2002,2003,2010,2013
Never saw this at any of my users before -- but this is a very mature network, that is, it's old. Maybe you've hit on the problem.

[HiTechCoach]

Diagnosing network issue can be difficult since they are hard to reproduce.

In a past life I did network cable installation and trouble shooting. There lots of unexpected things that cause network interruption. . Ii the past few years I had a client with a used getting bumped of randomly. The probem ened up being that the netwirk cable was run through the ceiling and went over the top of a ceiling florescent light. The cable was actually laying on the top of the fixture int he ceiling. It was in a store room that was not access a lot. Every thine someone went in the store room and turned on the light for anut 10 minutes it caused "noise" that created network interruption. My past experience insalled network cable helped me know places to look for issues.

I also find that lower end routers last about 2-3 years. If they are not on battery backup and in a climate / temperature control environment the life span can even be shorter.

[DBinPhilly]

thanks - - everything you say makes sense.

I suspect that they did not get a top-of-the-line network switch at the time of purchase, and the switch is 6-8 years old now, anyway.



Edit By Moderator: The posts following this are from a new thread on this subject that has been merged with this thread to show the history of the request.

[DBinPhilly]

a client which has been operative for over 20 years has started getting the following message from time to tim:

Your network access was interrupted. To continue, close the database, and then open again.

Is this a hardware problem or a software problem?
They are using a RAID array for their database strictly as a network access device. No server - it's a pier to pier network.

any suggestions are gratefully accepted.

[SamT]

They're using ca 1993 equipment and software and it's still mostly working? Awesome.

But the problem is probably related to both hard and soft ware. Those old SCSI drives were never expected to last 20+ years, and software back then was designed to run on 25Mhz to 100Mhz where as today's software is expected to have internal timings that handle 3+ Ghz.

The only real solution is to bite the bullet and upgrade to a complete new system. The good news is that the cheapest computer available today will outperform in every aspect that 20+ yo stuff, and will come with all the software needed preinstalled. For about 20% of the real money they spent in the early '90's, they can have a near state of the art system today.

Can you tell us if they are using DOS, Unix, or some other OS. I am guessing a Unix variant since it's still working.

[DBinPhilly]

Sorry - didn't make myself clear. Their hardware isn't 20 years old. They are mostly on Windows 7 and Windows 8 workstations. The RAID array however is about 7 to 8 years old. it's a Terabyte with 3 redundant backups.

The software has gone through a number of revisions/upgrades. Started as an RPG II system in the 80's using IBM System/34 emulation, believe it or not. Then migrated to Access 95 thru 97, 2000, 2003, and now is Access 2010 accdb.

[SamT]

so. Tell us about the Raid hardware and software, the network config and the conditions under which you get the interuptions.

Are the DB files used by Access or other Office Applications or a combination of all the above?

[DBinPhilly]

The RAID array is a ReadyNAS NV+ . There is a control program for the array and according to it, all systems are go. All hard drives look good, the temperature is good, etc. It is reporting no problem.

It is a stand alone network device which stores all the critical data that is shared by all users. I have set up several folders on the device - a database folder for the access application, a shared file folder for (you fill in the blanks), another folder for all documents related to a particular aspect of the business.

This is a pier-to-pier network with about a dozen workstations, but only 4 or 5 are constantly in use. So far the only error messages that I am aware of have appeared during the MS Access application. They have only appeared twice to my knowledge and in different parts of the application, so I have no pattern to see, as yet.

I am wondering if this is a router problem in the making. The problem would most likely appear within the MS Access application since it is the one that requires a lot of network traffic in executing commands. The other uses for the NAS are strictly as a storage device - a document is copied to the device, and then it is done, requiring a minimum of network traffic.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[SamT]

Anybody wanna jump in ?

[jonh]

Nope. But it's not really a new problem.

http://www.vbaexpress.com/forum/show...d-then-open-it

[SamT]

Well, i that case, I will merge these two threads so that everyone can tell what has already beeen suggested.

One would think that DBinPhilly has already tried and disproven those popssibilities.

[DBinPhilly]

It shows how old I am. I forgot that I had an active thread on the very same subject.

No solution found, I guess, but the problem is transitory.

[jonh]

Well you might want to try another forum that deals in network issues. Or talk to the IT department and ask them if they can do a trace or something.

I don't know the first thing about networks and I don't know what circumstances this error is produced by Access but I'd start with the most obvious assumption - that it would only occur if an object has a connection to the database.

In which case start by looking at what forms are open the longest. Do they need to be open? Do they need to be bound?

It's like anything that is prone to errors; try to use it as little as possible. Close connections when they aren't being used. Use queries instead of code. Just make the application as efficient as possible which is just good practice anyway.

Otherwise, I don't know. Maybe changing these values in settings could help.

Refresh interval (sec) The number of seconds after which Access automatically updates records in Datasheet or Form views. Valid values: 0-32,766. Default value: 60. A value of 0 prevents updates.

OLE/DDE timeout (sec) Controls the interval after which Access retries a failed OLE or DDE attempt. Valid values: 0-300. Default value: 30.