samba - Sep 2002 - Strange issues with clients using Samba

Hi all,
Im currently having an issue with Samba (at least thats where I believe
the problem lies) and Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients.
The problem occurs when some of the clients will go to load a document
with Word or Excel, and lo, the client machine crashes, or the program
opening the document freezes. This is usually worked-around as the
offending program will generally work OK if the client tries opening the
document again.
Now, many people will be throwing their hands in the air and saying "Oh my
god, this guy has windows problems, this is nothing to do with Samba".
Thats what I thought until I found out that this problem has only been
happening since I installed the Linux server (which replaced windows 2000
server)
OK, the issue might be with networking, but I've found nothing there at
all. (Nothing that would cause a document to crash one moment and load the
next, at any rate). If anyone knows of any networking issue that could
cause this kind of instability in clients - please let me know, as I'm
tearing my hair out at the prospect of reinstalling all these windows
clients only to find out the problem remains.
The document loading problem only happens with a few of the clients and
with different frequency (apart from one person whose computer crashes
loading one out of four documents).
I originally thought this problem was something to do with the whole
Microsoft built-in incompatibility with crossing versions of MS Office..
(Office 2k versus Office XP) although after some rigorous testing, the MS
incompatibility is well separate from what is going on (it does exist, but
procedure prevents any conflicts).
So here I am in an almost sticky situation, ready to post my Samba config
file ;-)
# Samba config file (last edit by maniax)
# Global parameters
[global]
	domain master = True
	null passwords = yes
	encrypt passwords = Yes
	deny hosts = 192.168.7.
	max log size = 50
	interfaces = 192.168.10.1 127.0.0.1
 	print command = lpr -r -P%p %s
#	print command = pdq -P %p %s ; rm %s
	passwd program = /bin/passwd %u
	allow hosts = 192.168.10.
	printing = bsd
	dns proxy = No
	postscript = yes
	logon path 	socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192
	bind interfaces only = Yes
	min passwd length = 4
	printcap name = /etc/printcap
	preferred master = True
	admin users = Administrator
	logon script = logon.bat
	writable = yes
	lprm command = rm %s
	domain admin group = Administrator
	domain logons = Yes
	workgroup = MYDOMAIN
	server string = Samba Server %v
	lm announce = True
	log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
	netbios name = SERVER
	load printers = yes
	os level = 64
	logon drive = H:
	logon home 
[printers]   - section omitted
[print$]     - section omitted

[common]
	comment = Common (public) User Directory
	path = /home/common
	read only = No
	force group = users
	writeable = Yes
	write list = @users
	inherit permissions
	create mask = 777
	security mask = 777
	directory mask = 777
	directory security mask = 777
	force create mode = 777
	force directory mode = 777

[quickbooks] - section omitted -
[homes] - section omitted -
[cad]   - section omitted  -

# Disabled Roaming Profiles with 'logon home =' and 'logon path
=' due to
#profile file permission issues with WindowsXP (to be fixed)..# [profiles]
#        comment = user profiles
#	path = /home/profiles/%u
#	read only = No
#	inherit permissions = yes
#	browseable = no


[netlogon]
	comment = netlogon share
	path = /home/netlogon
	browseable = No


Now, I bet I have a few people asking why the heck all the mask's and
mode's on the common share ? This is because the directory is truly meant
to be public, ie : someone can change another persons files.. This is what
I wanted and the only way to get it happening properly (without windows
moaning about read-only access (when its not _meant_ to) was to set these
permissions.OK there might be another way but what is there works, and there is
no
external access to samba whatsoever thus I gave up caring about finding
alternative methods.
Anyway, if anyone can see anything in that config that might be causing a
couple of clients on the network to crash when loading documents - please
let me know !! I hate reloading windows ;)
Cheers,
Michael




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have you tried turning off oplocks?

brad
On Tue, 2002-09-10 at 22:40, Michael Hutchinson wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> Im currently having an issue with Samba (at least thats where I believe
> the problem lies) and Windows 2000 and Windows XP clients.
> The problem occurs when some of the clients will go to load a document
> with Word or Excel, and lo, the client machine crashes, or the program
> opening the document freezes. This is usually worked-around as the
> offending program will generally work OK if the client tries opening the
> document again.
> Now, many people will be throwing their hands in the air and saying
"Oh my
> god, this guy has windows problems, this is nothing to do with Samba".
> Thats what I thought until I found out that this problem has only been
> happening since I installed the Linux server (which replaced windows 2000
> server)
> OK, the issue might be with networking, but I've found nothing there at
> all. (Nothing that would cause a document to crash one moment and load the
> next, at any rate). If anyone knows of any networking issue that could
> cause this kind of instability in clients - please let me know, as I'm
> tearing my hair out at the prospect of reinstalling all these windows
> clients only to find out the problem remains.
> The document loading problem only happens with a few of the clients and
> with different frequency (apart from one person whose computer crashes
> loading one out of four documents).
> I originally thought this problem was something to do with the whole
> Microsoft built-in incompatibility with crossing versions of MS Office..
> (Office 2k versus Office XP) although after some rigorous testing, the MS
> incompatibility is well separate from what is going on (it does exist, but
> procedure prevents any conflicts).
> So here I am in an almost sticky situation, ready to post my Samba config
> file ;-)
> # Samba config file (last edit by maniax)
> # Global parameters
> [global]
> 	domain master = True
> 	null passwords = yes
> 	encrypt passwords = Yes
> 	deny hosts = 192.168.7.
> 	max log size = 50
> 	interfaces = 192.168.10.1 127.0.0.1
>  	print command = lpr -r -P%p %s
> #	print command = pdq -P %p %s ; rm %s
> 	passwd program = /bin/passwd %u
> 	allow hosts = 192.168.10.
> 	printing = bsd
> 	dns proxy = No
> 	postscript = yes
> 	logon path > 	socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192
SO_SNDBUF=8192
> 	bind interfaces only = Yes
> 	min passwd length = 4
> 	printcap name = /etc/printcap
> 	preferred master = True
> 	admin users = Administrator
> 	logon script = logon.bat
> 	writable = yes
> 	lprm command = rm %s
> 	domain admin group = Administrator
> 	domain logons = Yes
> 	workgroup = MYDOMAIN
> 	server string = Samba Server %v
> 	lm announce = True
> 	log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
> 	netbios name = SERVER
> 	load printers = yes
> 	os level = 64
> 	logon drive = H:
> 	logon home > 
> [printers]   - section omitted
> [print$]     - section omitted
> 
> [common]
> 	comment = Common (public) User Directory
> 	path = /home/common
> 	read only = No
> 	force group = users
> 	writeable = Yes
> 	write list = @users
> 	inherit permissions
> 	create mask = 777
> 	security mask = 777
> 	directory mask = 777
> 	directory security mask = 777
> 	force create mode = 777
> 	force directory mode = 777
> 
> [quickbooks] - section omitted -
> [homes] - section omitted -
> [cad]   - section omitted  -
> 
> # Disabled Roaming Profiles with 'logon home =' and 'logon path
=' due to
> #profile file permission issues with WindowsXP (to be fixed)..# [profiles]
> #        comment = user profiles
> #	path = /home/profiles/%u
> #	read only = No
> #	inherit permissions = yes
> #	browseable = no
> 
> 
> [netlogon]
> 	comment = netlogon share
> 	path = /home/netlogon
> 	browseable = No
> 
> 
> Now, I bet I have a few people asking why the heck all the mask's and
> mode's on the common share ? This is because the directory is truly
meant
> to be public, ie : someone can change another persons files.. This is what
> I wanted and the only way to get it happening properly (without windows
> moaning about read-only access (when its not _meant_ to) was to set these
> permissions.OK there might be another way but what is there works, and
there is no
> external access to samba whatsoever thus I gave up caring about finding
> alternative methods.
> Anyway, if anyone can see anything in that config that might be causing a
> couple of clients on the network to crash when loading documents - please
> let me know !! I hate reloading windows ;)
> Cheers,
> Michael
> 
> 
> 
> 
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