Serv-U crashed, lost configuration and data for an unknown reason

While Serv-U is running, it makes frequent updates to a configuration file (Serv-U.archive) regularly. If you reboot your server while the configuration file is being updated, this file will be broken and will be removed. Before each write to a configuration file, Serv-U creates a backup of the current configuration, then deletes the original one, re-creating a new updated file. The same rule applies to a user's configuration file. Basically, each domain user has its own configuration file (UserName.Archive). If a domain user is logged in during the reboot, this user's configuration file may be lost as well.

A similar issue may occur not only during a reboot of the server, but also when a 3rd party software, such as anti-virus software, blocks access to a configuration file. Also, Serv-U's configuration folder should be excluded from DFS-R, if you are using this feature.

To avoid this issue, ensure that Serv-U is correctly turned off and exited before powering off the server. Regular backups can also help secure any information that could be lost. Scheduling updates to not automatically reboot the server when Serv-U is running can also help avoid loss of configuration data.