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windows server 2012 Std ReFS limited to max path length of 256 Characters

Answered windows server 2012 Std ReFS limited to max path length of 256 Characters

  • Friday, October 05, 2012 12:13 AM
     
     
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    Hi. 

    I have a server with two drives. One drive is a SSD drive for the OS and the other set of drives is 8 drives attached to an adaptec 6805 controller in raid 5 config. The OS sees it as single drive. The file system of the OS is NTFS and I have formated the raid 5 drive as ReFS. I have attempted to make a path longer than 256 characters, however, the OS warns me when that limit is reached. I understand that ReFS has a 32k character limit for path names. 

    I have  created a folder on the drive and filled it with 256 chars and it won't let me make a new folder. I have created a folder with less than 256 and the next folder or file name maxes out with the rest of the chars.

    I have verified that the raid 5 is ReFS formated by looking at properties of the drive.

    My question is how do I make ReFS support maxpathlenght of 32k characters?

    Thanks,

     

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  • Friday, October 05, 2012 6:01 AM
     
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    On Fri, 5 Oct 2012 00:13:32 +0000, Master Artisan wrote:

    My question is how do I make ReFS support maxpathlenght of 32k characters?

    http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/01/16/building-the-next-generation-file-system-for-windows-refs.aspx

    Search the above for path as most of the relevant information is discussed
    in the comments that follow the blog entry.

    Also:

    http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365247(v=vs.85).aspx#maxpath

    Paul Adare
    MVP - Forefront Identity Manager
    http://www.identit.ca
    If it's stupid and works, then it ain't stupid!

     
  • Monday, October 08, 2012 8:57 AM
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    Hi,

    Here is a discussion about this, please go through it for more information:

    Maxpath length windows

    http://community.spiceworks.com/topic/195731-maxpath-length-windows

    Regards,

    Yan Li

    Yan Li

    TechNet Community Support

     
  • Tuesday, October 09, 2012 4:40 PM
     
     
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    Currently, my copy of windows server 2012 has a limit of 255 characters on a ReFS file system. If the first folder is 255 characters other files or folders are not allowed to be created. Once the sum of the characters have reached 255 characters no other file or folder is allowed to be created.

    The blog <http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/01/16/building-the-next-generation-file-system-for-windows-refs.aspx> claims there is a 32k limit for maxpathlength, however, I am experiencing a 255 character limit for maxpathlength.

    This link <http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/01/16/building-the-next-generation-file-system-for-windows-refs.aspx> says the same thing I am experiencing with no resolution.

    I guess it is time to call MS and see what they say.

    Thanks for your assistance. I will post the resolution when I find it.

     
  • Monday, October 15, 2012 5:12 PM
     
     
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    I have talked with Microsoft support. They said it is working as designed. They are unable to provide any documentation that says it is. They point to several articles that talk about NTFS and win32 API, which, server 2012 with ReFS is not limited the same as NTFS and it uses an API that is compatible with win32, but not win32 api.

    Still looking for the answer.

    Assuming that ReFS is limited by a win32 API that limits to a maxpathlength of 255 characters. Then, there is not much reason to upgrade to server 2012. Server 2008 R2 provides many more benefits.
     
  • Monday, October 15, 2012 11:47 PM
     
     
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    Windows server 2012 Server with ReFS does not solve any max path length issues. It uses the same win 32 API that restricts the path for users.  This article explains it all. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365247(v=vs.85).aspx#maxpath

    That means I am moving to a linux based file server so I can support long path names. MS is behind the times, Linux has support max path length since 2008.

     
  • Tuesday, October 16, 2012 8:23 PM
     
     
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    On Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:47:57 +0000, Master Artisan wrote:

    Windows server 2012 Server with ReFS does not solve any max path length issues. It uses the same win 32 API that restricts the path for users. ?This article explains it all.?http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa365247(v=vs.85).aspx#maxpath

    This is one of the 2 articles I pointed out to you back on the 5th.

    Paul Adare
    MVP - Forefront Identity Manager
    http://www.identit.ca
    Random access is the optimum of the mass storages.

     
  • Thursday, November 01, 2012 9:28 PM
     
     
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    Hey Paul, I'm trying to solve a problem that is occurring because I'm running into the 256 character limitation.  I've read your article and attempted to use the following as the file path to overcome this, but it hasn't worked. (\\?\C:\.....)  Can you give me any ideas?  Any help would be appreciated.

    Here is a link to another post where I am working on this problem with others.  http://rdsrc.us/dvxlm9

     
  • Wednesday, February 20, 2013 3:57 PM
     
     
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    Really cool resiliant file system made in 2012 to provide robust features. Haven't overcome some software developers blunder years ago hardcoding that maxpath into some header file getting any Win program compiled with it.

    At least Explorer in Win2012 could have been made to copy and move files around without interpretating the maxpath.

    Explorer is a Microsoft program ...

    But obviously desktop programs will still suffer from it.

    Why don't Microsoft deal with the problem - and make a hack fixing the 255 char blunder hack so any time the path is more than 255 char and some legacy program calling, the file is locked and a copy moved to a cache effectively shortening the path?

    I.e. for gods sake, virtualize the path ...

    I just read somewhere about the 32K paths for ReFS ... and assumed YES! Finally. I have one volume containing loads of files with a deeply nested file hierarchy.

    Before I went with ReFS ... I read a comparison with NTFS recalling NTFS also have the same support for 32K paths.

    I started moving file figuring well ReFS without dedupe and no compression ... well, so all those file chunks would go from 40 GB to 100 GB on a ReFS volume. But worth it, if ReFS fixed the maxpath problem on this volume. Hey, then the exceptions came with too long paths. It's the old bad friend maxpath .. on ReFS.

    So less options for mount points, no compression, even some 3rd party dedupe should be able to plugin MS did not plugin their dedupe for ReFS.

    What's the benefit? It's not like NTFS is particular unreliable. And the build in reliability is ok for NTFS data volumes.

    ReFS can may be to a chkdsk on the a system volume without a reboot ... if ReFS could be the system volume ... but it can not?

    So what is it with ReFs? Guess the interactions between ReFS and storage Spaces and build to be better. I.e. also general performance? But I am not going to test that now ... but wait.

    BUT NOW FIX THAT 255 CHAR PROBLEM. ITS NOT OK TO LET THIS LIVE FOR EVER. FIX IT.

    OR STOP ADVERTISING ReFS AS 32K paths - when it is pratically not. It is still a 255 CHAR file system from the 90'ties.

    And add the built in dedupe to ReFS ... .

     
  • Wednesday, February 20, 2013 4:07 PM
     
     
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    And remove the advertising meantime for ReFS as 32K paths.

    It will just add to anybodys fustration or be a disappointer for the progressive folks when they learn the 255 char problem still live.

    Anybody into file systems and Windows going for ReFS reading that 32K support will immediately assume the end of 255 char problem.

    Just please stop advertising for 32K paths. Practically it's is no so.

    May be potentially, if Microsoft will fix this practical problem with the 255 chars in desktop programs somehow (hopefully this did not progress to compiling programs in WinRT ... that would be a joke). I.e. mask the real path of those files - if you can detect a legacy program or mask the files all the time. Virtualize. Do an end of life for some desktop programs not compiled with VS2012, VS2012 or above. Update VS2012, VS2010 to not include the maxpath limit.

    Update Win2012 Explorer now - why should it have the maxpath limitations.

    Or do Microsoft want ReFS to just be 255 char i.e. no Explorer support for backward compatibility. . . then stop advertising ReFS as with 32K path support.