samba - Feb 2003 - Windows 2000 Terminal Server Environment

I am running Citrix Metaframe XP on Windows 2000 server and would like to
have the ability to access files on my AIX Unix server.  Are there any
issues with Samba in a Windows Terminal Server environment?

Thanks,
Tim Brooks

Yes, there are a few.

I'll try to explain what todo and why.

What: In your samba source directory before compiling change the
MAX_CONNECTION in smbd/conn.c to a larger value than the default 128. We
use 768.  

Why: In windows 2000 TS the connections (typically mounting disks) you
will fast run out of connections on the samba server.  This is due to
the samba server only having one smbd process for each TS.  So if you
have 30 users with 5 mounted disks on the TS you will use 150
connections through that one smbd process.  Thus you need to raise the
MAX_CONNECTIONS to more than 128.

What: Use the [homes] ( Path = /homes/%S )feature in smb.conf instead of
making a regular share as your home-disk ie [home-disk] Path=/homes/U%.

Why: if you use h: \\aixsamba\home-disk you will get conflict with
matching files across user environments.  Files will be locked by the TS
because it thinks a matching file is already being used by another user.

Scenario: 

User1 opens a file called 'iloveyou.doc' on his home directory the TS
will open \\aixsamba\home-disk\iloveyou.doc.
User2 opens a file called 'iloveyou.doc' on his home directory the TS
will open \\aixsamba\home-disk\iloveyou.doc.

Even though the *ix part opens up the /homes/User2/iloveyou.doc file for
User2 the TS has placed a lock on the file thinking it is the same as
User1 opened.

Using the [homes] special share for home-dirs the UNC path will be
\\aixsamba\User1\iloveyou.doc versus \\aixsamba\User2\iloveyou.doc thus
placing locks on two diffrent files.

What: If possible compile your samba for a 64bit environment.

Why: You might run out of filedescriptors.  

I have no knowledge on AIX systems and file descriptors there, but on
solaris a 32 bit application have max 256 filedescriptors unless you
compile it as a 64 bit application (gcc -m64 worked for me).  

You might want to change the /etc/system file (again i dont know how AIX
does it) to something like:

Set rlim_fd_cur = 512
Set rlim_fd_max = 2048

But these will not matter if you do not compile samba as a 64 bits
application.  Well, that is what the solaris documentation claims
anyway.  AIX.. You know best.

There might be some more issues, but at the moment I cant think of
others than you might get problems with 'oplocks'.  We turned all
oplocks off on all shares on the samba server after users having word
files corrupted on a daily basis.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Per Kjetil Grotnes

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Emne: [Samba] Windows 2000 Terminal Server Environment


I am running Citrix Metaframe XP on Windows 2000 server and would like
to have the ability to access files on my AIX Unix server.  Are there
any issues with Samba in a Windows Terminal Server environment?

Thanks,
Tim Brooks

> I am running Citrix Metaframe XP on Windows 2000 server and would like to
> have the ability to access files on my AIX Unix server.  Are there any
> issues with Samba in a Windows Terminal Server environment?
In addition to the suggestions already given:
1) Run the latest Samba 2.2.7a--there are some problems in 
2.2.5 with opening certain files (especially databases) over 
the samba share. This comes up rather dramatically in 
multi-user environments

2) Run at least SP2 on the terminal server. There were a few 
fixes (not all available as separate hotfixes) pertaining to 
multiple users on one terminal server having the same file 
open on the smb server--if one user closed the file, it was 
closed for all.

Otherwise I've been very happy with this configuration 
(although we're using Linux on the samba end).