The mysterious "growing Finder" problem appears to be an AlisaShare file named
ASROOT.CAT. This is a binary file used as an index datafile. ASROOT.CAT is a
root level directory that writes entries for every file written to a specific
volume. ASROOT.CAT is the file written to the Macintosh Finder for desktop
information.
ASROOT.CAT is initially allocated 32K (64 blocks) for its contents, which in
typical environments, would not be a problem. However, using a remote VAX
volume (DOCUMENT+, Virtual Files) makes this transactional in nature--an
application that more resembles a database. As DOCUMENT+ writes transaction
files on Virtual Files, ASROOT.CAT is updated with the new file index entry.
As the transaction files are deleted on Virtual Files, the associated index
entries in ASROOT.CAT are not purged. Consequently, ASROOT.CAT continues to
grow, which, in turn, forces the Finder requirements to increase respectively.