[Samba] Browsing Issues

[Markus Iturriaga Woelfel]

Hi - I'm having some problems with network browsing using a Samba PDC  
(3.0.22) and I'd appreciate any hints that might push me in the right  
direction. One of the problems is that I am on a very crowded subnet  
that is being used by several different groups. There are a two  
separate WinNT/2000-style domains active on this network as well as  
an AD domain controller. Here are the relevant parts of my smb.conf

[global]
         netbios name = THOTH
         workgroup = XXXXXXX
         wins support = yes
         os level = 65
         log level = 2
         preferred master = yes
         domain master = yes
         local master = yes
         security = user
         guest account = nobody
         domain logons = yes

[netlogon]
         path = /sw/etc/samba/netlogon
         read only = yes
         write list = root

I have no problems with joining computer to the domain, with file  
sharing, authentication, etc. Only network browsing does not work. I  
know this has worked in the past even when we had two separate NT- 
style domains.

Nmbd *thinks* that THOTH is the master browser for the domain:

[2006/04/18 15:10:51, 2] nmbd/ 
nmbd_browsesync.c:announce_local_master_browser_to_domain_master_browser 
(110)
   announce_local_master_browser_to_domain_master_browser:
   We are both a domain and a local master browser for workgroup  
XXXXXXX.  Do not announce to ourselves.
[2006/04/18 15:10:51, 2] nmbd/nmbd_browsesync.c:sync_with_dmb(154)
   sync_with_dmb:
   Initiating sync with domain master browser THOTH<20> at IP  
W.X.Y.Z   for workgroup XXXXXXX

However, using the "My Network Places" on any Windows domain member  
doesn't show any computers in XXXXXXX and neither does "net view".  
I've had samba recreate wins.dat and browse.dat to no avail.

Running smbclient -L on the samba PDC (THOTH) doesn't seem to show it  
as a master for the domain:

Domain=[XXXXXXX] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.22]

         Sharename       Type      Comment
         ---------       ----      -------
         netlogon        Disk
         IPC$            IPC       IPC Service (Samba 3.0.22)
         ADMIN$          IPC       IPC Service (Samba 3.0.22)
Domain=[XXXXXXX] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.22]

         Server               Comment
         ---------            -------

         Workgroup            Master
         ---------            -------

However, if I run this on a generic samba domain member server, I get:

Domain=[XXXXXXX] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.22]

         Sharename       Type      Comment
         ---------       ----      -------
         homes           Disk      Home Areas
         IPC$            IPC       IPC Service (Samba 3.0.22)
         ADMIN$          IPC       IPC Service (Samba 3.0.22)
Domain=[XXXXXXX] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.22]

         Server               Comment
         ---------            -------
         ISIS                 Samba 3.0.22
         THOTH                Samba 3.0.22

         Workgroup            Master
         ---------            -------
         XXXXXXX                THOTH

I'd appreciate any help or suggestion.

---
Markus A. Iturriaga Woelfel, SysAdmin
Department of Computer Science
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
miturria at cs.utk.edu / (865) 974-3837