Failing to register as master browser

[Christian Worm Mortensen]

Hi,

I have searched intensively on the mailing list archive. The following
question has been asked in many variants many times but never been
replied to. So I try again ;-) :

On a big messy LAN on a dorm there is a central Samba 2.0.7 server with
the configuration:

   netbios name = DORM-SERVER
   workgroup = DORM-WORKGROUP
   os level = 254
   domain master = no
   local master = yes
   preferred master = yes

Now, there are severel Windows machines on the net which also have
DORM-WORKGROUP as workgroup and which have local firewalls installed.
This is very bad since it appears like they think they are alone on the
network and then announces themselves as local master browsers for
DORM-WORKGROUP.

Typically it goes like this:

---------------------------
[2001/04/26 22:07:46, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_incomingdgrams.c:process_local_master_announce(309)
  process_local_master_announce: Server BAD-WINDOWS-MACHINE at IP
2.2.2.2 is announcing itself as a
local master browser for workgroup DORM-WORKGROUP and we think we are
master. Forcing election.
[2001/04/26 22:07:46, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:unbecome_local_master_success(155)
  *****

  Samba name server DORM-SERVER has stopped being a local master browser
for workgroup DORM-WORKGROUP on subnet 1.1.1.1

  *****
[2001/04/26 22:08:03, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:become_local_master_stage2(405)
  *****

  Samba name server DORM-SERVER is now a local master browser for
workgroup DORM-WORKGROUP on subnet 1
.1.1.1

  *****
---------------------------

But sometimes it goes like this:

---------------------------
[2001/04/26 22:18:28, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_incomingdgrams.c:process_local_master_announce(309)
  process_local_master_announce: Server BAD-WINDOWS-MACHINE at IP
2.2.2.2 is announcing itself as a local master
 browser for workgroup DORM-WORKGROUP and we think we are master.
Forcing election.
[2001/04/26 22:18:28, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:unbecome_local_master_success(155)
  *****

  Samba name server DORM-SERVER has stopped being a local master browser
for workgroup DORM-WORKGROUP on subnet 1.1.1.1

  *****
[2001/04/26 22:18:44, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_nameregister.c:register_name_response(111)
  register_name_response: server at IP 3.3.3.3 rejected our name
registration of DORM-WORKGROUP<1d> with error code 6.
[2001/04/26 22:18:44, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:become_local_master_fail2(426)
  become_local_master_fail2: failed to register name DORM-WORKGROUP<1d>
on subnet 1.1.1.1. Failed to
become a local master browser.
[2001/04/26 22:18:44, 0]
nmbd/nmbd_namelistdb.c:standard_fail_register(294)
  standard_fail_register: Failed to register/refresh name
DORM-WORKGROUP<1d> on subnet 1.1.1.1
---------------------------

And the server just seems to give up and never try to become master
again until it is restarted :-(

Is there anything one can do to make DORM-WORKGROUP somewhat browseable
even when Windows machines with local firewalls are installed?

The samba server is also a wins server and (almost) every machine is
configured to register with this wins server via dhcp.


Christian