[Samba] Mac OS X Server 10.3: Monotonically increasing Samba processes?

[Keith Bettinger]

Through my Server Admin, a graph of Samba "connected users" shows that 
the number of smbd server processes grows and grows without end -- 
processes never time out/log out and die.  This was no problem under 
light usage, but when I moved a heavily used share to the server, the 
number of processes spun out of control.

What made it all worse was that many of the supposedly dormant 
processes still took up 0.5% of the CPU, which, when the process 
numbers grew into the hundreds, did a nice job of locking up the 
server.

Can anyone else report a similar experience?  Is there a fix?

------------------------------------------------------
Keith Bettinger
Lead Programmer/Head Systems Administrator
Stanford Psychiatry Neuroimaging Laboratory
(650) 498-4620
------------------------------------------------------

Technical Details:

Machine Model: Xserve
       CPU Type: PowerPC G4  (3.3)
       Number Of CPUs: 2
       CPU Speed: 1.33 GHz
       L2 Cache (per CPU): 256 KB
       L3 Cache (per CPU): 2 MB
       Memory: 2 GB
       Bus Speed: 167 MHz
       Boot ROM Version: 4.65f3

smb.conf:
[global]
	log level = 2
	display charset = UTF-8-MAC
	print command = /usr/sbin/PrintServiceAccess printps %p %s
	lprm command = /usr/sbin/PrintServiceAccess remove %p %j
	security = domain
	log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
	guest account = unknown
	encrypt passwords = yes
	password server = *
	printing = BSD
	allow trusted domains = no
	preferred master = no
	lppause command = /usr/sbin/PrintServiceAccess hold %p %j
	netbios name = spnlXserve
	wins support = no
	add machine script = /usr/bin/opendirectorypdbconfig -c 
create_computer_account -r %u -n "/LDAPv3/127.0.0.1"
	max smbd processes = 0
	printcap =
	server string = spnlXserve MEGA Server
	lpresume command = /usr/sbin/PrintServiceAccess release %p %j
	logon drive = H:
	domain logons = no
	lpq command = /usr/sbin/PrintServiceAccess jobs %p
	admin users = @admin
	passdb backend = opendirectorysam guest
	dos charset = CP437
	unix charset = UTF-8-MAC
	auth methods = ntdomain
	local master = no
	domain master = no
	map to guest = Bad User
	use spnego = yes
	printer admin = @admin, @staff, unknown
	logon path = \\%N\profiles\%u
	workgroup = SPNL-BNRC
[Yale-PT]
	oplocks = 0
	map archive = no
	path = /Volumes/SPNLBNRC-Server/Yale-PT
	read only = no
	inherit permissions = 0
	strict locking = 1
	comment = macosx
	create mask = 0644
	guest ok = 1
	directory mask = 0755
[Public]
	oplocks = 0
	map archive = no
	path = /Shared Items/Public
	read only = no
	inherit permissions = 0
	strict locking = 1
	comment = macosx
	create mask = 0666
	guest ok = 1
	directory mask = 0777
[printers]
	printable = yes
	path = /tmp