samba - Nov 2004 - Another try: apps can't see data files until use of Win. Expl.

[I posted this problem a couple of weeks ago and got no responses.  So I'm 
trying again]

I have a couple of applications on a WinXP/SP2 system that use data files 
on a Samba (v2.2.12, on Linux) shared drive.  Immediately after booting 
the WinXP system these data files cannot be seen, yet become visible when 
the share is browsed with Windows Explorer.

These applications are started automatically when the WinXP system is 
booted.  The Samba-exported network drive is also reconnected 
automatically at boot time.

After the WinXP system is completely booted these data files are still not 
seen by their respective application.  When I open Windows Explorer, I 
see that the share is present.  It is only after I browser that share 
(expand the directory tree with Windows Explorer) that the data files are 
seen.  I am informed by one of my automatically-run applications that the 
expected data files (previously not found) are now seen.

Can some please advise me on how to ensure that all data files on the 
share can be made visible at WinXP boot time?

Thanks.

More info:

With debuglevel=1 I see in the Samba log that the connection to the share 
is not actually made until the browser with Windows Explorer.

That is, the share is shown as being present after WinXP is booted.  It is 
only after expanding the directory tree on the share that I get this in 
the log file:

[2004/11/20 10:13:42, 1] smbd/service.c:make_connection(636)
  venus (192.168.0.3) connect to service nancy as user nancy (uid=501, 
gid=100)

So another way to state the problem decribed below is that my Samba share 
is not truly being connected at WinXP boot time.  What can I do to ensure 
that the connection is actually made?

On Saturday 20 November 2004 10:53 am, Steve Snyder
wrote:
> [I posted this problem a couple of weeks ago and got no responses.  So
> I'm trying again]
>
> I have a couple of applications on a WinXP/SP2 system that use data
> files on a Samba (v2.2.12, on Linux) shared drive.  Immediately after
> booting the WinXP system these data files cannot be seen, yet become
> visible when the share is browsed with Windows Explorer.
>
> These applications are started automatically when the WinXP system is
> booted.  The Samba-exported network drive is also reconnected
> automatically at boot time.
>
> After the WinXP system is completely booted these data files are still
> not seen by their respective application.  When I open Windows
> Explorer, I see that the share is present.  It is only after I browser
> that share (expand the directory tree with Windows Explorer) that the
> data files are seen.  I am informed by one of my automatically-run
> applications that the expected data files (previously not found) are
> now seen.
>
> Can some please advise me on how to ensure that all data files on the
> share can be made visible at WinXP boot time?
>
> Thanks.

> These applications are started automatically when the WinXP system is 
> booted.  The Samba-exported network drive is also reconnected 
> automatically at boot time.
Are they started as services. If so which account do they use? The system
account is not allowed to access the network.
> After the WinXP system is completely booted these data files are still not 
> seen by their respective application.  When I open Windows Explorer, I 
> see that the share is present.  It is only after I browser that share 
How do the apps access the files? Drive letter or UNC name? If by drive letter,
someone has to mount it.

No, the reconnection of the share and the launching of the applications 
that use the data on the share are both done at user login.

WinXP is configured to automatically reconnect the share as drive N: and 
the applications expect to find their data beneath N:\CommonData\.

More info that I should have mention previously.  I see this behavior with 
3 applications that expect their data files to be on the share.  Two 
application are started automatically at user login.  The noteworthy 
application (to me) is the 3rd app, the one that is not run as a service.  

Since the user must manually initiates the running of this app after 
login, it suggests that the problem is not a race condition.  I thought 
the problem might be a case in which an application is run (as a service) 
concurrently with the share reconnection at WinXP user login, so the 
share might not be available when the app is first launched.  The fact 
that a non-automatically-run app shows the same behavior minutes after 
user login suggests that no race condition is present.

Thanks for the response.

On Saturday 20 November 2004 11:26 am, Jarom wrote:
> When you say at boot time, do you mean before you actually log into
> the XP computer? If not then have you tried either mapping the share
> to a drive and checking the "reconnect at logon" box, or using a
batch
> file in the startup folder with a command along the lines of "net use
> \\server\share my_password /user:my_username"
> -Jarom
>
> On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 11:14:20 -0500, Steve Snyder 
<swsnyder@insightbb.com> wrote:
> > More info:
> >
> > With debuglevel=1 I see in the Samba log that the connection to the
> > share is not actually made until the browser with Windows Explorer.
> >
> > That is, the share is shown as being present after WinXP is booted. 
> > It is only after expanding the directory tree on the share that I get
> > this in the log file:
> >
> > [2004/11/20 10:13:42, 1] smbd/service.c:make_connection(636)
> >   venus (192.168.0.3) connect to service nancy as user nancy
> > (uid=501, gid=100)
> >
> > So another way to state the problem decribed below is that my Samba
> > share is not truly being connected at WinXP boot time.  What can I do
> > to ensure that the connection is actually made?
> >
> > On Saturday 20 November 2004 10:53 am, Steve Snyder wrote:
> > > [I posted this problem a couple of weeks ago and got no
responses.
> > > So I'm trying again]
> > >
> > > I have a couple of applications on a WinXP/SP2 system that use
data
> > > files on a Samba (v2.2.12, on Linux) shared drive.  Immediately
> > > after booting the WinXP system these data files cannot be seen,
yet
> > > become visible when the share is browsed with Windows Explorer.
> > >
> > > These applications are started automatically when the WinXP
system
> > > is booted.  The Samba-exported network drive is also reconnected
> > > automatically at boot time.
> > >
> > > After the WinXP system is completely booted these data files are
> > > still not seen by their respective application.  When I open
> > > Windows Explorer, I see that the share is present.  It is only
> > > after I browser that share (expand the directory tree with
Windows
> > > Explorer) that the data files are seen.  I am informed by one of
my
> > > automatically-run applications that the expected data files
> > > (previously not found) are now seen.
> > >
> > > Can some please advise me on how to ensure that all data files on
> > > the share can be made visible at WinXP boot time?
> > >
> > > Thanks.
> >
> > --
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