[Samba] Need Help Getting Windows XP To Use Samba Properly [Closed]

[Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520 SMXS/MXDEC]

Well, here's what's happening.

Microsoft Tech Support confirms that this is a problem with Windows XP.
There is no fix, and I don't expect one coming considering XP's end of
life in 2012.  All Microsoft has are workarounds.

Microsoft's recommendations are to add more servers to the mix (DNS,
WINS, etc) and if that doesn't work, then one of their several
"workarounds" is to dump the use of Samba altogether.  None of the
proposed workarounds work for us, we're locked into a specific
configuration.

So both Microsoft and my shop are throwing in the towel on this one and
we're resorting to simply mapping to all the shares instead of having
users browse to them.  Sounds simple, but this represents a huge config
and documentation change on many levels for us, a lot bigger than anyone
could know.  A very frustrating and expensive workaround if you knew the
scope.

This decision to pull the plug was made after I came across an online
forum where someone had this very same issue, worked with Microsoft Tech
Support for 7 months(!), and it never got resolved.

So, it sucks to be me.  

You folks are AWESOME, and came up with much better ideas that Microsoft
did, but still to no avail.

You all have my unwavering respect and thanks, and I really mean it.

-  Bob




-----Original Message-----
From: samba-bounces at lists.samba.org
[mailto:samba-bounces at lists.samba.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Novosielski
Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2010 10:45 AM
To: samba
Subject: Re: [Samba] Need Help Getting Windows XP To Use Samba Properly

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Hash: SHA1

There is a directive used to include other config files. I do not recall
what it is, but I do recall it being in the manual for smb.conf. ;)

Please keep replies on-list. Thanks.

On 12/29/2010 02:19 PM, Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520 SMXS/MXDEC
wrote:
> Good tip, thanks.  How to I make use of this "smb.conf.%m" option?
> 
> Bob
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: samba-bounces at lists.samba.org
> [mailto:samba-bounces at lists.samba.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Novosielski
> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 11:33 AM
> To: samba at lists.samba.org
> Subject: Re: [Samba] Need Help Getting Windows XP To Use Samba 
> Properly
> 
> You can set the logs to level 10 using the params in the manual for 
> smb.conf. Also a neat trick, though, is to include the config file 
> "smb.conf.%m", which may or may not exist for all machine names, and 
> include the debug parameter in there. This allows you to add the log 
> level 10 for only the client(s) you want so as not to waste disk space

> on a busy machine.
> 
> =R
> 
> On 12/29/2010 01:10 PM, Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520 SMXS/MXDEC
> wrote:
>> Jeremy,
> 
>> This makes sense, I'll try it.  Excellent idea.
> 
>> I'm new to Samba, so how do I get it to run in debug mode and do the 
>> logging option you mentioned?
> 
>> Sorry to sound so juvenile, my experience with Samba is in reverse - 
>> getting Linux boxes to use Windows servers.
> 
>> Bob
> 
> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jeremy Allison [mailto:jra at samba.org]
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 2010 10:33 AM
>> To: Hodges, Robert CTR USAF AFMC 520 SMXS/MXDEC
>> Cc: tms3 at tms3.com; samba at lists.samba.org
>> Subject: Re: [Samba] Need Help Getting Windows XP To Use Samba 
>> Properly
> 
>> On Wed, Dec 29, 2010 at 10:22:46AM -0700, Hodges, Robert CTR USAF 
>> AFMC
> 
>> 520 SMXS/MXDEC wrote:
>>> TMS3,
>>>
>>> Thanks for joining in, really appreciate it.
>>>
>>> I'm trying to keep it all straight, I'm relatively new to Samba (but
>> learning quickly).
>>>
>>> What I now know:
>>>
>>> 1.  Sniffer on XP box reveals that XP does see the broadcasts from
>> Samba. 
>>>
>>> 2.  The Microsoft support tool/command "Browstat status" shows that 
>>> XP
>> does recognize Samba as the server (if Computer Browser service 
>> disabled, otherwise XP may/may not elect itself as the master - 
>> unpredictable), but also shows that XP is unable to pull down the 
>> browse list form the Samba box.
> 
>> This is the key. Separate out the logs by incoming client name, run 
>> smbd at debug level 10 and then look in the log.<xp client name> to 
>> see if it's trying to fetch the browse list, and if so why it goes 
>> wrong.
> 
>> Jeremy.
> 
> 

- --
- ---- _  _ _  _ ___  _  _  _
|Y#| |  | |\/| |  \ |\ |  | |Ryan Novosielski - Sr. Systems Programmer 
|$&| |__| |  | |__/ | \| _| |novosirj at umdnj.edu - 973/972.0922 (2-0922)
\__/ Univ. of Med. and Dent.|IST/CST-Academic Svcs. - ADMC 450, Newark
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