Found this in the journal of smbd:
Sep 17 21:28:12 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378242]: [2023/09/17 21:28:12.182549,
0] ../../source3/smbd/server.c:1746(main)
Sep 17 21:28:12 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378242]: smbd version 4.18.6-Debian
started.
Sep 17 21:28:12 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378242]: Copyright Andrew Tridgell
and the Samba Team 1992-2023
Sep 17 21:28:12 pre01svdeb01 systemd[1]: Started smbd.service - Samba
SMB Daemon.
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.034325,
0] ../../source3/smbd/fd_handle.c:39(fd_handle_destructor)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: PANIC: assert failed at
../../source3/smbd/fd_handle.c(39): (fh->fd == -1) || (fh->fd == AT_FDCWD)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.034420,
0] ../../lib/util/fault.c:173(smb_panic_log)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]:
==============================================================Sep 19 06:17:34
pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.034509,
0] ../../lib/util/fault.c:174(smb_panic_log)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: INTERNAL ERROR: assert
failed: (fh->fd == -1) || (fh->fd == AT_FDCWD) in pid 1378756
(4.18.6-Debian)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.034610,
0] ../../lib/util/fault.c:178(smb_panic_log)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: If you are running a
recent Samba version, and if you think this problem is not yet fixed in
the latest versions, please consider reporting this bug, see
https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Bug_Reporting
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.034682,
0] ../../lib/util/fault.c:183(smb_panic_log)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]:
==============================================================Sep 19 06:17:34
pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.034742,
0] ../../lib/util/fault.c:184(smb_panic_log)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: PANIC (pid 1378756):
assert failed: (fh->fd == -1) || (fh->fd == AT_FDCWD) in 4.18.6-Debian
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.035794,
0] ../../lib/util/fault.c:292(log_stack_trace)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: BACKTRACE: 27 stack frames:
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #0
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libgenrand-samba4.so.0(log_stack_trace+0x2e)
[0x7f3284aa455e]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #1
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libgenrand-samba4.so.0(smb_panic+0x9)
[0x7f3284aa47b9]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #2
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(+0x506eb)
[0x7f3284e876eb]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #3
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtalloc.so.2(+0x47af) [0x7f3284a477af]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #4
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(file_free+0xd6)
[0x7f3284e8d456]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #5
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(vfs_default_durable_reconnect+0x11c1)
[0x7f3284f134f1]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #6
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(smbd_smb2_request_process_create+0x11d8)
[0x7f3284ef3dc8]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #7
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(smbd_smb2_request_dispatch+0x1a8a)
[0x7f3284ee91da]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #8
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(+0xb33b1)
[0x7f3284eea3b1]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #9
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(tevent_common_invoke_fd_handler+0x91)
[0x7f3284a348c1]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #10
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(+0xee07) [0x7f3284a3ae07]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #11
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(+0xcef7) [0x7f3284a38ef7]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #12
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(_tevent_loop_once+0x91)
[0x7f3284a33ba1]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #13
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(tevent_common_loop_wait+0x1b)
[0x7f3284a33e7b]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #14
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(+0xce97) [0x7f3284a38e97]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #15
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/samba/libsmbd-base-samba4.so.0(smbd_process+0x82f)
[0x7f3284ed71df]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #16 smbd: client
[192.168.16.173](+0x9e2e) [0x5624a7a51e2e]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #17
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(tevent_common_invoke_fd_handler+0x91)
[0x7f3284a348c1]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #18
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(+0xee07) [0x7f3284a3ae07]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #19
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(+0xcef7) [0x7f3284a38ef7]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #20
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(_tevent_loop_once+0x91)
[0x7f3284a33ba1]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #21
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(tevent_common_loop_wait+0x1b)
[0x7f3284a33e7b]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #22
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libtevent.so.0(+0xce97) [0x7f3284a38e97]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #23 smbd: client
[192.168.16.173](main+0x149b) [0x5624a7a4f29b]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #24
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(+0x271ca) [0x7f32848721ca]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #25
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0x85) [0x7f3284872285]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: #26 smbd: client
[192.168.16.173](_start+0x21) [0x5624a7a4fb81]
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: [2023/09/19 06:17:34.036893,
0] ../../source3/lib/dumpcore.c:315(dump_core)
Sep 19 06:17:34 pre01svdeb01 smbd[1378756]: dumping core in
/var/log/samba/cores/smbd
although that is ~1 week old
The issues with the access are there for months as far I am told. So
before 4.18
Additional fact:
the software uses some ISAM database ... there might be locking issues.
Some years ago I already did *something* related to this. But I don't
remember.