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Miguel Peralta
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No immediate idea except that I would advise to get rit of QDLS.

BTW, can the user connect to another normal IFS based share ?

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Paul Nicolay
Architect
Cegeka
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QDLS is an older file system associated, in particular, with MS/DOS. Users must be listed in the system directory (WRKDIRE).

Checks whether a user who does not have access to the folder is listed in this directory.

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Dominique Gayte
Président (CEO)
i.gayte.it
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Dear Miguel

When a File Share entry of IBM i NetServer is created, one of its attributes is Maximum Number of Users.  My guess is that whoever created this File Share entry for your /QDLS/FOLDER specified a value of 9 for  this attribute.   You need to adjust this attribute if more users are needed to gain concurrent access. 

I do not remember if this change is dynamic or not. If it does not work after the change, try restarting NetServer server. 

Another point is that there is also an exit point available for NetServer's File Share and it is named QIBM_QPWFS_FILE_SERV.  You need to check if this exit point is registered or not using the command WRKREGINF. If so, ask the owner of the exit program if the program limits concurrent users accessing File Share.

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Satid S
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As others have said in this thread, QDLS is an old filesystem and should not be used in today's environment.

A possible reason for your issue could be, that NetServer by default uses a threaded job QZLSFILET to handle all connections in one single job, one thread per connection, except when the user connects to QDLS, which is not tread-safe - then NetServer uses a non-threaded job QZLSFILE for each connection to QDLS.

The job responsible for all connections for a workstation is selected on the first connection. If the connection is for a QDLS folder, a new job QZLSFILE is spun up - else a new thread is started in job QZLSFILET for the connection. When the next connection is started from the workstation, the same job is used. However, if the user connections are handled by the QZLSFILET job, no connection to QDLS folders is allowed (since QDLS is not thread-safe).

This means you must always connect to a QDLS folder BEFORE connecting to other directories on the server.

As said, you should not use QDLS. Unless your applications use the CPYTOPCD or CPYFRMPCD commands, you can safely move the folder contents into a directory in the root file system and change your NetServer share and applications accordingly.

Another issue could be how the user password is typed when connecting. If the system is password level 0 or 1 (system value QPWDLVL), the system stores the password in two versions: UPPERCASE and lowercase. NetServer compares the specified password against the two stored versions, and if not equal to any of them disables the user FOR NETSERVER after a number of tries. The user must type the password in only uppercase or lowercase, not mixed case. Also note that NetServer does not disable the user profile for other interfaces, e.g. 5250, only for NetServer. You enable the user in NetServer using Navigator for i. Or you change the password on the user profile, in which case the user is also re-enabled in NetServer.

HTH.

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Christian Jorgensen
IT System Administrator | CEAC member
Network of Music Partners A/S
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I second Christian's suggestion.  QDLS file system should no longer be used UNLESS it is mandatory due to the continued use of some LEGACY APPLICATIONS that still require QDLS.   

Using QDLS file system in the current IBM i server HW and OS release is like driving a Porsche that uses the engine from Ford Model T !?!  :-) 

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Satid S
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Original Message:
Sent: 10/01/26 06:22 AM
From: Christian Jorgensen
Subject: Curious issue user VS NetServer

As others have said in this thread, QDLS is an old filesystem and should not be used in today's environment.

A possible reason for your issue could be, that NetServer by default uses a threaded job QZLSFILET to handle all connections in one single job, one thread per connection, except when the user connects to QDLS, which is not tread-safe - then NetServer uses a non-threaded job QZLSFILE for each connection to QDLS.

The job responsible for all connections for a workstation is selected on the first connection. If the connection is for a QDLS folder, a new job QZLSFILE is spun up - else a new thread is started in job QZLSFILET for the connection. When the next connection is started from the workstation, the same job is used. However, if the user connections are handled by the QZLSFILET job, no connection to QDLS folders is allowed (since QDLS is not thread-safe).

This means you must always connect to a QDLS folder BEFORE connecting to other directories on the server.

As said, you should not use QDLS. Unless your applications use the CPYTOPCD or CPYFRMPCD commands, you can safely move the folder contents into a directory in the root file system and change your NetServer share and applications accordingly.

Another issue could be how the user password is typed when connecting. If the system is password level 0 or 1 (system value QPWDLVL), the system stores the password in two versions: UPPERCASE and lowercase. NetServer compares the specified password against the two stored versions, and if not equal to any of them disables the user FOR NETSERVER after a number of tries. The user must type the password in only uppercase or lowercase, not mixed case. Also note that NetServer does not disable the user profile for other interfaces, e.g. 5250, only for NetServer. You enable the user in NetServer using Navigator for i. Or you change the password on the user profile, in which case the user is also re-enabled in NetServer.

HTH.

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Christian Jorgensen
IT System Administrator | CEAC member
Network of Music Partners A/S
------------------------------

While I agree with the others that you should run, not walk, away from QDLS.  Something in your original post is catching my eye: 10th person changed his password and could then get into NetServer.

Might this apply?  https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.6.0?topic=netserver-disabled-user-profiles 

In older versions of the OS one could do a simple CHGUSRPRF without specifying any thing to actually change and it would reset their NetServer.  The 7.2 documentation was the last one to list this capability.  https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.2.0?topic=profiles-enabling-disabled-user-profile

I'm also curious as to what your QPWDLVL is set to.  At certain levels, case matters.

Also, how long it's been since the last password change.  If it's been years perhaps the internal storage of the password needed to be reset.

There's also questions if the old password had certain special characters, or began with a number, or a Q followed by a number, etc.  But maybe, for security or the users personal reasons, we don't want to go down that road.

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Robert Berendt IBMChampion
Business Systems Analyst, Lead
Dekko
Fort Wayne
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