multiple domain contr. not allowed?

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

On Thu, 7 Aug 1997, Charles Owens wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Using samba 1.9.17alpha5 on all servers, I'd like to configure one of my
> servers to be a failover domain controller in case my usual domain
> controller dies.

cool.  someone that wants to use this feature!  you thinking of using 
automount volumes, too, so that it _really_ doesn't matter which machine 
you use - they both appear to be the same?

>  Some verbage in BROWSE.TXT suggests that this is doable:
> 
> {
> It is possible to configure two samba servers to attempt to become
> the domain master browser for a domain.  The first server that comes
> up will be the domain master browser.  All other samba servers will
> attempt to become the domain master browser every 5 minutes.  They
> will find that another samba server is already the domain master
> browser and will fail.  This provides automatic redundancy, should
> the current domain master browser fail.
> }

hey, i recognise this!
 
> Though this could be read slightly differently, my assumption was that the
> server with the highest os level setting would actually become the active
> domain controller. 

nope.

os level is for local master browser elections.  local master browser 
elections are on broadcast-isolated subnets, on broadcast-only netbios 
names, and have nothing to do with the [unique in the WINS scope] domain 
master browser netbios name.

> What actually happens, though, is that nmbd on the
> backup server _refuses_to_start_up_ if it detects that there is an active
> domain control already running.  Here's a log.nmb snippet that
> demonstrates this:
> 
> 08/06/97 10:37:49 netbios nameserver version 1.9.17alpha5 started
> Copyright Andrew Tridgell 1994-1997
> Added interface ip=207.95.42.242 bcast=207.95.42.255 nmask=255.255.255.0
> 08/06/97 10:37:49 attempting to become logon server for SERVICES 207.95.42.255
> 08/06/97 10:37:49 attempting to become logon server for SERVICES 255.255.255.255
> 08/06/97 10:37:49 add_domain_names: attempting to become domain master  \
> 	browser on workgroup SERVICES 255.255.255.255
> add_domain_names:querying WINS for domain master on workgroup SERVICES
> response_name_query_domain: WINS server already has a domain master  \
> 	browser registered SERVICES(1b) at address 207.95.42.243
> ERROR: nmbd configured as domain master and one already exitsts !!!

well, who the xxxx put _that_ in???  charles, remove those lines of code.  
particularly the exit() one.  then let me know what happens.

luke