Windows file share: why sometimes newly created files aren't visible for some period of time?
I was experiencing a similar problem and, eventually, I found the cause of this issue. The specific problem is the SMB2 Directory Cache, which is one of the SMB2 Client Redirector cache components:
This is a cache of recent directory enumerations performed by the client. Subsequent enumeration requests made by client applications as well as metadata queries for files in the directory can be satisfied from the cache. The client also uses the directory cache to determine the presence or absence of a file in the directory and uses that information to prevent clients from repeatedly attempting to open files which are known not to exist on the server. This cache is likely to affect distributed applications running on multiple computers accessing a set of files on a server – where the applications use an out of band mechanism to signal each other about modification/addition/deletion of files on the server.
The default value for this wonderful little cache is 10 seconds, which is producing the behavior you're seeing. When your code asks the system about that directory/file it's getting the cached result, which is 10 seconds old, so it says the file does not exist. Setting HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Lanmanworkstation\Parameters\DirectoryCacheLifetime (DWORD) to a value of 0 will disable the cache and resolve the file doesn't exist issue. Surprisingly this change does not require a restart of the client machine! This will also allow you to keep SMB2 enabled, which should be better for a number of reasons vs. forcing SMB1.
Furthermore, the cache is not used when the share in question is opened in Windows explorer, as having it open tells the system to bypass the cache to keep a live view going. Modifying something in the share via code, however, does not.
I think this whole issue is fixed in Windows 2008 R2/7 and higher, but I cannot absolutely confirm it. This is still an issue in modern versions of Windows. See the comments below for details.
A month passed and no answer...
So, we stayed with "Disable SMB 2.0" solution. At least it works.
http://www.petri.co.il/how-to-disable-smb-2-on-windows-vista-or-server-2008.htm
There is also a bug in Windows 7 SP1 for which there is a hotfix available