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Managing file locks

You can display information about the current locks for an SVM as a first step to determining why a client cannot access a volume or file. You can use this information if you need to break file locks.

  • About file locking between protocols
    File locking is a method used by client applications to prevent a user from accessing a file previously opened by another user. How ONTAP locks files depends on the protocol of the client.
  • How ONTAP treats read-only bits
    The read-only bit is set on a file-by-file basis to reflect whether a file is writable (disabled) or read-only (enabled).
  • How ONTAP differs from Windows on handling locks on share path components
    Unlike Windows, ONTAP does not lock each component of the path to an open file while the file is open. This behavior also affects SMB share paths.
  • Displaying information about locks
    You can display information about the current file locks, including what types of locks are held and what the lock state is, details about byte-range locks, sharelock modes, delegation locks, and opportunistic locks, and whether locks are opened with durable or persistent handles.
  • Breaking locks
    When file locks are preventing client access to files, you can display information about currently held locks, and then break specific locks. Examples of scenarios in which you might need to break locks include debugging applications.