[linux-cifs-client] Need help mounting Buffalo Terastation onto FC6 system

Sun Jan 14 21:23:33 GMT 2007

There IS a question here; it's about five lines down.... :)

I have a Buffalo TeraStation Home NAS which, according to Buffalo Tech
Support, is using Samba 2 (This NAS appears to operate normally in every way
when accessed from Windows-2000 and from Windows-XP Pro).

I need to mount the Buffalo TeraStation on a Fedora Core 6 Linux system
which supports CIFS but not SMBFS.

When I mount the NAS onto FC6 using the command "# mount -t cifs
\\\\NAS\\share /mnt/tmp", the mount appears to complete without error, and
operation with the NAS is normal so long as there are fewer than 126 user
files in the NAS directory. When more than 126 files are present, the FC6
box can no longer list the directory of the NAS.

I worked for a while to try and find how to install SMBFS on the FC6 system,
but I eventually discovered a discussion thread that pointed out that SMBFS
had been removed in FC5, and is still not in FC6; the writer of that thread
suggested that the reader should be using CIFS.

OK, when I mount the Buffalo TeraStation Home NAS using CIFS, it's pretty
useless with the 126 files per directory limitation.

__Have I missed some command line switch or option for CIFS mount___  that
will restrict mount's expectations to those which will be fully satisfied by
the older version of Samba that is in use on the Buffalo TeraServer?

Attached below are a few messages of historical interest to this problem:
(Read from top to bottom:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Sun, Dec 31, 2006 at 03:16:14PM -0500, Jerome Whelan wrote:
> Problem Symptoms:
> The "ls" command cannot list directory content of a remote CIFS directory
> when the directory holds more than 125 user files + dot + dotdot for a
> total of 127 files.  Fewer files works OK, but with 128 files or more I
> get
> "ls: reading directory /mnt/test/: Invalid argument"
>
> I'm guessing this is associated with the mounting, since the remote CIFS
> directory CAN be manipulated normally by Windows-XP clients, AND the Linux
> box can list local disk directories containing thousands of files.
>
> Any recommendations that will allow full access to CIFS server with large
> number of files in each directory?
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
>
> System is Fedora Core 6 with these versions installed
> samba-common-3.0.23c-2
> samba-3.0.23c-2
> samba-client-3.0.23c-2
> system-config-samba-1.2.35-1.1
>
> Remote filesystem is Buffalo TeraServer 1 TB model
> and I mount the remote filesystem using command
>
> # mount -t cifs   \\\\nas236\\test    /mnt/test

I'm guessing this is the Trans2findnext bug that
was in earlier versions of 3.0.x Samba servers that
has since been fixed. Can you find out what version
of Samba is running on the Buffalo TeraServer ?

Jeremy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Sun, Dec 31, 2006 at 06:51:35PM -0500, Jerome Whelan wrote:
> The web management page shows
> Firmware Version 2.03;
> I'm not sure about the Samba version
> on the Terastation, can it be queried
> over the CIFS interface?
>
> I do have a question though, about the
> possibility of Trans2findnext bug in the
> TeraStation: If that is the source of my
> problem, would it not also adversely affect
> the ability of a Windows machine to list
> directory contents.
>
> By the way, the Model # HS-D1.0TGL/R5
> appears on the back panel tag.

No, as it's a problem with an info level
that Windows doesn't use (until Vista,
that's when it was discovered).

Jeremy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Sun, Dec 31, 2006 at 09:36:27PM -0500, Jerome Whelan wrote:
> Good call, Jeremy.
>
> Based on your input I tried the same
> large-number-of-files test on a
> FREENAS server and my
> Fedora-6 Linux box has no problem
> mounting and listing that large remote
> directory.... That pretty clearly makes
> it a problem with the TeraServer
> code implementation....
>
> I sent a support Email to Buffalo
> over their web interface, maybe
> in a few days I'll hear something....

Hook me up with them if neccessary.
It was my bug so I can point them directly
at the fix (it's a one liner).

Jeremy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jerome Whelan,

The unit is using Samba 2, so it should not be affected by the bug in
question. I believe the issue may be with the way you are mounting the
share.
Try using the following command instead:

"smbmount //Terastation/share /mnt/server -o lfs" or "mount -t smbfs
//Terastation/share /mnt/server -o lfs"

Replace "Terastation" with the Network name or IP address if its static.
"share" should be the name of the shared folder you wish to mount. "server"
is
the directory you wish to mount to.

Thank you,
Richard M

"Jerome Whelan" <whelanjh at verizon.net> wrote:

> Hello, Anthony of Buffalo Tech Support -
>
> I will answer your question about how I am connecting in a second, but I
> do
> want to tell you that while waiting for the reply from Buffalo, I have
> been
> contacted by a gentleman who appears to be the original author of the
> Samba
> code involved, and he suggests that that problem I am encountering with
> the
> Buffalo product is caused by an old error in the freely available Samba
> source code. He offered that I might place Buffalo in direct e-mail
> contact
> with him for a treatment of the problem; he says it is only a single
> line of
> code that requires correction.
>
> Here is an extract from some e-mail communications to me by the code's
> author:
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > From: Jeremy Allison <jra at samba.org>
> > Subject: Re: [linux-cifs-client] More than 128 files in a directory?
> > To: Jerome Whelan <whelanjh at verizon.net>
> > Cc: Jeremy Allison <jra at samba.org>
> > Reply-to: Jeremy Allison <jra at samba.org>
> > On Sun, Dec 31, 2006 at 09:36:27PM -0500, Jerome Whelan wrote:
> > > Good call, Jeremy.
> > >
> > > Based on your input I tried the same large-number-of-files test on a
> > > FREENAS server and my Fedora-6 Linux box has no problem
> > > mounting and listing that large remote directory.... That pretty
> > > clearly
> > > makes
> > > it a problem with the TeraServer code implementation....
> > >
> > > I sent a support Email to Buffalo over their web interface, maybe
> > > in a few days I'll hear something....
> >
> >  I'm guessing this is the Trans2findnext bug that
> >  was in earlier versions of 3.0.x Samba servers that
> >  has since been fixed.
> >
> >  Hook me up with them if neccessary.
> >  It was my bug so I can point them directly
> >  at the fix (it's a one liner).
> >  Jeremy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> NOW - ON to the answer of your question: Here is more information on my
> problem; this contains the answer to your specific question about how I
> am
> mounting the Buffalo NAS device:
>
> 1) The Buffalo system is Buffalo Home TeraServer 1 TB model, many
> directories contain one or two thousand of files; these were placed by
> both
> Windows and Linux.
>
> 2) MS Windows-XP systems are able to access the files on the Buffalo
> without
> problem.
>
> 3) The Linux system involved is Fedora Core 6 with the following
> versions
> installed:
> samba-common-3.0.23c-2
> samba-3.0.23c-2
> samba-client-3.0.23c-2
> system-config-samba-1.2.35-1.1
>
> 4) I mount the Buffalo filesystem onto the Linux system using the
> command
> # mount -t cifs \\\\nas236\\test /mnt/test
>
> 5) The Fedora Core 6 Linux "ls" directory listing command cannot list
> directory content of the remote Buffalo Home Teraserver directory when
> the
> Buffalo Home Teraserver directory holds more than 125 user files + dot +
>
> dotdot for a total of 127 files. Fewer files works OK, but with 128
> files or
> more I get "ls: reading directory /mnt/test/: invalid argument"
>
> 6) The Fedora Core 6 Linux box has no problem listing remote NAS
> directories
> containing thousands of files IF those files are served by a FREENAS
> server,
> so it does not look like a problem with the Linux system.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Buffalo Tech Support" <info at buffalotech.com>
> To: <whelanjh at verizon.net>
> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2007 17:38
> Subject: [Ticket#: 20151840] Contact Form: jerome whelan
>
>
> Jerome Whelan,
>
> Are you connecting to the TeraStation through an SMB mount?
>
>
> Thank you,
> Anthony B
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: whelanjh at verizon.net [mailto:whelanjh at verizon.net]
> > Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 7:58 PM
> > To: support
> > Subject: Contact Form: jerome whelan
> >
> > Region: United States
> > Area of interest: Wireless/Storage/Multimedia Support First Name: jerome
> > Last Name: whelan
> > Email: whelanjh at verizon.net
> > Buffalo Product: Network Storage
> > Operating System: WINDOWS XP PRO
> > Connection Type: LAN/WAN
> >
> > How may we assist you?:
> > Problem with my TeraServer Home 1.0GB.
> > If I have fewer than 128 files in a directory, operation is OK. As soon
> > as a directory contains more than 128 files, Linux machine cannot
> > retrieve a directory listing, but Windows works OK.
> >
> > Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc.
> > 4030 West Braker Lane, Suite 120
> > Austin, TX 78759-5319 USA
> > Phone: 512-349-1300
> > Fax: 512-794-8520
> > support at buffalotech.com
> > http://www.buffalotech.com/
> >
> >
>
>
>