File access via VPN very very slow

Ran into this one recently:  WinXP Pro client,  checkpoint VPN, 2 mapped drives to different members of a windows 2000 cluster.  One of the mapped drives was noticeably slower than the other.  I moved the cluster resource group to the other cluster member, it still was slow.  When I had the root of the mapped drive displaying in explorer, I noticed that it had a file handle open on desktop.ini in one particular sub-folder (caught this by using the 'shared folders' snap-in (fsmgmt.msc or compmgmt.msc).  When I deleted the desktop.ini file, the mapped drive was much, much faster.  I restored the desktop.ini file and it slowed down again.  I then looked at the folder properties and it was marked with the read only (R) attribute (on the directory only, not the files).  I turned the R attribute mask off the directory and the mapped drive was fast.  Turned the read-only attribute on again, the it was slow.

 

It's weird that this combination of read-only attribute on the folder and the desktop.ini in that folder would cause a significant file access slow down.  I didn't notice any speed different when connected at LAN speeds, but via the check point VPN there was a definite difference.

 

Here's the contents of the desktop.ini file:

[{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}]
PersistMoniker=file://Folder Settings\Folder.htt
PersistMonikerPreview=%WebDir%\folder.bmp
[ExtShellFolderViews]
{5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}={5984FFE0-28D4-11CF-AE66-08002B2E1262}
[.ShellClassInfo]
ConfirmFileOp=0