debugging login delay (problem solved)

[Todd Pfaff]

recently i posted this question...

> From todd at edge.cis.mcmaster.ca Thu Mar 12 17:52:48 1998
> Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 03:49:47 +1000
> From: Todd Pfaff <todd at edge.cis.mcmaster.ca>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <samba at samba.anu.edu.au>
> Subject: debugging login delay
> 
> I'm trying to determine what is causing an NT workstation login such a
> long time to complete.  It's only happening on one particular NT
> Workstation 4.0 system.  I've tried a couple of techniques to debug the
> problem and I'm not sure what to try next.
> 
> When I start the login, it completes some initial drive connections and
> then seems to be idle for a few minutes before the explorer and systray
> processes start.  If I start task manager I see that USERINIT.EXE is
> the only thing using any cpu but it never goes above about 10%.
> I don't get any messages regarding a slow network connection or profile
> unavailable.  The login eventually completes successfully.
> 
> I have turned up the samba debug level in a separate log for the host in
> question but it doesn't give any useful clues.  I can forward the log to
> anyone who thinks it might help.  Would it be helpful if I sent just the
> portion of the log written around the time of the pause?
> 
> Sorry for the vague description.  Is the cause of this problem obvious to
> anyone?  Can anyone tell me what I should try next?
> 
> My samba server is running 1.9.18p3.
> The workstation is running NT WS 4.0 SP3.

i discovered the source of the problem.  i have corel suite 8 installed
on my samba server and had done a client installation on this particular
nt workstation.  part of the client installation had added many fonts to:

\Registry\MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts

and 327 of these fonts files were coming from the samba server.  during
the logon, all of these font files are opened and resulting stat, open,
and locking that was going on was taking a few minutes to complete.
sorry, i should have noticed this before when looking at the smbd log.

i have solved the problem by editing this registry key and changed all
the samba server references to C:\WINNT\Fonts.  the logon is now quick
as usual.

i imagine i may have had the option of installing all the fonts locally
during the corel suite client setup but i don't recall.

--
Todd Pfaff                         \  Email: pfaff at mcmaster.ca
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