VMWare ESX storage more likely to cause file corruption than installing directly on hard disk?

Question

On a ESX+Windows server, I help administrate, there is an accounting program using binary file storage, rather than a SQL-db with well-tested ACID properties. The binary files often have data corruption when multiple users use the system. The provider of the software doesn't have any solution (Mamut Stellar Business), and tells that the program supports multi-users just fine.

The support employee told that it is maybe our VMWare-setup that causes the problem. Is there some settings in VMWare I can look into for solving this? I have already looked at Windows settings for oppertunistic locking etc.

Answer 1

I agree with w00t's answer above. Having said that, I've often found that 1st line support people will often blame things like VMware for causing problems when the problem is elsewhere. However, you won't be able to demonstrate that without re-creating the problem on dedicated hardware, then that will prove that it isn't VMware.

I wouldn't have thought that the opportunistic locking settings would make much difference - the program should be opening the files with sharing mode anyway.