[olug] Samba rant and request for feedback

Fri Feb 9 00:44:07 UTC 2001

Derek,

I only use samba in a home file server configuration, but if you could post
or otherwise share your /etc/smb.conf file, it might help people troubleshoot
the problem.

Jason

dbw wrote:

> Concerning Samba.
>
> I am using Samba as 1)pdc for an NT network -w- all clients being
> NT Workstation 4.0 and 2) office file server 3) NT user authentication
> to the NT domain (which is Samba).
>
> Both at home and at work I am using a Linux Samba driven network
> server in very similar ways.  The primary difference is that the
> number of users on my company?s home office LAN is greater (10 or
> more during a given work day) than the users on my home network (my
> wife and I, and sometimes a third computer when we have a guest over
> for Quake).
>
> Getting right to the point, I haven?t really had any problems on
> my home LAN using Samba.  It works great and is a much better value
> as compared to buying a licensed copy of NT server for use at my
> home.  At home all the client pc?s are either Linux or win98 and
> I use NT domain authentication.  My wife and I are reasonably careful
> that we always log off properly and the setup-using Samba seems reasonably
> trouble free.  I have had this arrangement for nearly two years now
> using Slackware and Redhat and two different versions of Samba.
>
> The office is an entirely different matter.  Nothing but trouble!
> I thought that Samba worked so great on my home LAN that it would
> be a blessing at work.  The idea of getting rid of NT server and
> working in an environment I enjoyed, ie Linux, would complement that
> which I read about Samba being far more stable and easier to manage
> compared to an NT domain server.
>
> At least one office user?s profile is corrupted a week.  Usually
> because that individual did not log off properly or something, but
> still it seems quite fragile.
>
> Using ?create mask = 0777? for example, at home, works fine,  On
> the office LAN files are created so that the group permission do
> now allow write access.  So when one of the office staff tries to
> modify a file created on the public drive by another member of the
> office staff, they cannot save.  There are no directory redundancies
> or syntactical errors to explain this behavior.  All users are members
> of the ?user? group. Because my configuration at the office so closely
> resembles the configuration at home, there should not be a problem;
> given that it has always worked fine at home.
>
> Today for no apparent reason the Samba box will not allow half of
> my office users to log in.  Files that appear on the file system
> under the Linux server itself are invisible to the network neighborhood
> browser on the winNT workstations.  When Shari and Jamie log in all
> of their desktop icons are missing and they cannot access msie.
> Yet Tanya?s login and desktop is fine.  Keeping in mind that no one
> touches this server and that it is in a secure area + is not on the
> Internet at all to be exploited, I can find no reasonable explanation
> for all of these problems that have continuously plagued my office
> installation of a Samba file server.  After all, I went with Samba
> over NT because I have so little free time to baby-sit these servers,
> I wanted something closer to the idealistic ?maintenance free? concept.
>
> I?m a big advocate of Samba and I understand quite well the server
> message block protocol from my days as a MS NT network admin at Inacom.
> I want to prove to all of my old NT zealot colleagues that Linux
> can do the same thing and do it better thanks to free and open source
> technologies like Samba, but right now I am pulling my hair out and
> I have an office full of people that are ready to throw me under
> a bus and run over me.
>
> Other than being a rant, I am interested in hearing feedback from
> people that ARE using Samba in a WORK / COMMERCIAL environment to
> serve office staff of no fewer than 10 people.  Also, it would be
> additionally interesting to hear that it is being used as a pdc for
> an NT domain and NT network user authentication.  I am interested
> in knowing how well it is working for ?you? and how many problems
> you are having.
>
> My overall analysis will help me to decide if I want to keep going
> with Samba or go back to NT server 4.0 sp6a blah blah, which I really
> hate even thinking about. :o) But d at mn I am so frustrated right now,
> and the thought of having to go into work tomorrow during this icy
> crap when I could have otherwise worked from home further frustrated
> me with Samba.
>
> There may be things that I am overlooking or doing incorrectly.
> However, and no offence to anyone, they won?t be third grade level
> - easy to point out mistakes but there might be something concerning
> the use of the Samba box as a primary NT domain controller or something
> that I am.  I know that there are a lot of brilliant individuals
> in this group, so I am eager to receive feedback.
>
> Also, I have so little time to continue to baby-sit this project.
> Anyone that is thoroughly familiar with Samba and server message
> block; if you would please contract me if you are interested in doing
> some contract work in Lincoln. Basically, getting this thing up and
> running once and for all and/or pointing out to me what I am missing
> I would very much appreciate hearing from you.  I don?t simply want
> to re-install and start from scratch, I want to learn what I am possibly
> doing wrong OR conclude once and for all that *gasp* Samba is too
> immature in its development at this time to serve my needs.
>
> My samba is version 2.0.6 : and yes I do plan to upgrade to the latest
> to see if that fixes my problem.  I have no Win2000 pc?s on my LAN
> at this time nor do I have any plans to in the near future.  Maybe
> the upgrade is all I need to do, what do you think?
>
> -end of rant-
>
> -Derek
>
> ps: Adam at AIM who spoke after Jason during the OLUG meeting, I
> lost your b-card, could you please email me your name and contact
> information.  Thank you!
>
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