too many elections happening on my local subnet?

[Kerry Hoath]

Hi. I have a few Linux boxes running samba 1.9.17 on my local subnet here
at home. I have configured one machine (gotss1) as the local master
browser, i.e.
preferred master=yes
os level=33

The other machines on the subnet have:
os level=0
preferred master=no

For some reason yet to be determined an election takes place every 12
minutes or so, and gotss1 becomes the master browser again. I am using no
wins server, and unless it is necessary I have no desire to use a wins
server on my local subnet wich only has 9 machines, all Linux boxes.
These elections every 12 minutes add lines to my syslog and generate
broadcast traffic. Is this normal? the logs below show invalid election
packets coming from gots1, however setting local master=no on the other
machines seems to stop the rogue elections from taking place. I did not
think this was neccary, and a want a setup where other machines can become
a master browser _only_ if gotss1 is down. Logs below. Any ideas what I am
doing wrong? This never used to happen with 1.9.16p11,.
Regards, Kerry.
Election request from JOANA 192.168.1.5 vers=1 criterion=00000102 timeup=314
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Election request from JOANA 192.168.1.5 vers=1 criterion=00000102 timeup=324
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Election request from GOTSS1 192.168.1.1 vers=1 criterion=2100010f timeup=21002
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Election request from GOTSS1 192.168.1.1 vers=1 criterion=2100010f timeup=21003
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Election request from GOTSS1 192.168.1.1 vers=1 criterion=2100010f timeup=21004
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Name registration for name 
__MSBROWSE__(1) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Election request from GOTSS1 192.168.1.1 vers=1 criterion=2100010f timeup=21005
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Election request from GOTSS1 192.168.1.1 vers=1 criterion=2100010f timeup=21007
win_election: Losing election as local master == False
Name registration for name 
__MSBROWSE__(1) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Name registration for name 
__MSBROWSE__(1) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Name registration for name 
__MSBROWSE__(1) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Name registration for name COMPUTING(1d) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Name registration for name COMPUTING(1d) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Name registration for name COMPUTING(1d) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
Name registration for name COMPUTING(1d) at 192.168.1.1 - not found
process_announce_request: Announce request from GOTSS1 to COMPUTING(1e) token=0x1
sending host announce to 192.168.1.255 for COMPUTING(1d)
Updated server entry GOTSS1 of type 40049a03 (Samba 1.9.17) to COMPUTING 192.168.1.255
Wrote browse list /usr/local/samba/var/locks/browse.dat
response for COMPUTING(1d) from 192.168.1.1 (bcast=No)
Name query Removing dead netbios entry for 192.168.1.255 COMPUTING(1d) (num_msgs=1)


--
Kerry Hoath:
kerry at gotss1.apana.org.au or khoath at bitbox.tamtafe.nsw.edu.au