SAMBA server managing windows network. Problems from Vista.

Paulsuk · 02-23-2009, 06:00 AM

Hi!

I have a home network with a Linux-based SAMBA box as a server / internet gateway / DHCP server / etc. and windows clients. I also have a printer attached to a Windows XP client, which is shared.

My Windows XP clients don't seem to have (too much) trouble. They can all access the network shares on the SAMBA server as well as accessing the internet and the shared printer.

My wife has just got a Vista-based laptop, however. It simply doesn't want to play ball. It can't access the printer at all and is not reliable about accessing the shares. It can, however, get to the internet ok and reliably gets its DHCP assigned address etc. I'm up against it here, she is trying to complete a Masters and being able to access her docs and print is kind of important!

I'm suspecting WINS, but not being a Windows person (other than as a user), I'm not sure where to start looking.

I'm running LFS6.0 with SAMBA 3.0. Can anyone advise me?

TIA!

engelienart · 02-24-2009, 03:42 AM

DHCP and Routing is done without the help of samba, so it is normal for DHCP and Routing to work.

Is is a Vista Buisness version or a home edition?
Do you have configured your samba as a Windows 2000 AD or as an Windows NT domain?
I know for sure Windows Vista (and XP) home editions won't work with that.

Can you access sambashares with Vista?

Paulsuk · 02-24-2009, 04:42 AM

Thanks for the reply!

I have no domain set up and its Vista HE.

I think the problem lies with name resolution. If I try to access my server by name, no dice. If I use IP address, I can get in. The same is true when I try to access the XP machine hosting the printer.

Winbindd is running on the SAMBA server, but it would seem that the Vista machine isn't talking to it?

Any ideas?

engelienart · 02-24-2009, 04:54 AM

Vista Home Enterprise? Sorry, I had to look it up:
- Vista Home Basic,
- Vista Home Premium,
- Vista Business,
- Vista Enterprise,
- Vista Ultimate

Quote:

If I try to access my server by name, no dice. If I use IP address, I can get in. The same is true when I try to access the XP machine hosting the printer.

For name resolving, you have to have a DNS.

Can you place your smb.conf here?

Paulsuk · 02-24-2009, 06:57 AM

HE = Home Edition. Not sure if it is Basic or Premium, but I'd guess Basic.

Requirement for DNS - not strictly true. Yes, DNS might help, but that is what WINS is for. Remember, all the XP based machines work fine. The problem is that if I want to use DNS, then I'm going to have to set up dynamic DNS with my DHCP server. Doable, but a major PITA with no garuntee of success

Incidentally, even DNS isn't 100% on the vista box. I have an entry for "router" in DNS. From XP, "ping router" or "ping router.mydomain" works fine. From Vista, 20% success, if I'm lucky.

Will post SMB.conf shortly....

engelienart · 02-25-2009, 02:15 AM

WINS is Microsofts way of trying to eliminate DNS.
WINS is obsolete

plz use DNS instead.

If you have Home Edition, you probaly have in the smb.conf:

security = share

Mmm should work for Vista as well. . .

Is Vista in the same workgroup?

rsciw · 02-25-2009, 04:29 AM

is Vista Home that different from Vista Ultimate?
I've got Ultimate, and no problems with samba at all.
Also works fine with the XP Pro laptop
my global settings are:

Code:

        obey pam restrictions = Yes
        passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
        passwd chat = *Enter\snew\sUNIX\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\sUNIX\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
        syslog = 0
        log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
        max log size = 1000
        acl compatibility = win2k
        server signing = auto
        preferred master = No
        domain master = No
        dns proxy = No
        ldap ssl = no
        panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
        username = <names>
        invalid users = <names>
        valid users = <names>
        write list = <names>
        hosts allow = 192.168.
        include = /etc/samba/dhcp.conf

dhcp.conf is empty
difference to you though is that all my machines have a static address. I hate DHCP in a local network

Paulsuk · 02-25-2009, 05:34 AM

Thanks, folks, for the various comments and suggestions.

I have to be honest, I'm blaming Vista as it is the only machine that is experiencing issues, but the problem may actually be anywhere.

Whilst my network is primarily PCs, we also have a range of other devices like iPods, a Wii, PSPs etc on the wireless side connecting, so it isn't practical to go static. Apart from this, some of the devices are also used elsewhere (my work Laptop, for example) and need to get the correct settings as they move around, so DHCP is a given

My smb.conf is as follows:-

Code:

# Samba config file created using SWAT
# from 192.168.1.47 (192.168.1.47)
# Date: 2007/12/01 10:11:45

[global]
        unix charset = ISO-8859-1
        workgroup = MAGGIANDPAUL

[homes]
        comment = Home Directories
        read only = No
        browseable = No

[pictures]
        comment = Our Pictures
        path = /home/shared/pictures/
        valid users = <List of users>
        admin users = <me>
        read list = <same as valid list of users>
        write list = <same list again>
        force user = shared
        force group = user
        read only = No
        create mask = 0770
        force create mode = 0770
        directory mask = 0770
        force directory mode = 0770

Some of the settings may seem odd, but there was a lot of messing around initially to get the setup working. I no longer use SWAT to manage, but haven't made any changes since. There are a couple of additional shares, which are set up the same as "Pictures" above.

Moving on to the whole WINS/DNS thing. Due to the use of DHCP, DNS would need to be dynamic if that was the only resolution I was using. I don't currently have dDNS set up and would prefer not to having seen the problems it can cause elsewhere. If required, I could do it but would need some suggestions on how to do it

I'm going to try the

Code:

security=share

addition to see if it makes any difference and will post back results. I'm not hopeful as it isn't just the SAMBA box that is inaccessible. In the meantime, if anyone has any further suggestions, please feel free to pitch in!

Thanks again!

Paulsuk · 02-25-2009, 05:53 AM

Ok, just tried

Code:

security = share

with no joy.

From my XP Laptop, I could no longer log in to access the shares as the username was greyed out and forced to "<server>\Guest".

Obviously, fixing Vista mustn't break XP

Any other ideas?

rsciw · 02-25-2009, 11:44 AM

I'll add here the stuff I have for my folders (all are usually same, just different path, so will only paste
1 setting

maybe there's something which will help you out

Code:

        comment = files
        path = /var/shares/
        valid users = <users>
        writelist = <users>
        readonly = no
        writable = yes
        create mask = 770
        directory mask = 770
        case sensitive = No
        strict locking = No

also I don't see the
obey pam restrictions = yes
in your globals
neither the
acl compatibility

add both and test that too

I remember that me not having obey pam restrictions = yes
caused some probs, adding it fixed it

your whole globals setting infact is quite 'empty' ^^
my previous reply with the code block is all my global settings.
probably might something else be missing.

if you have time to poke around, try out each setting from my global
if it helps

I do reckon you do a
/etc/init.d/samba restart (or however you restart smb in LFS)
or?
sometimes it's these small things we tend to forget, and wonder why it's not working ^^

engelienart · 02-27-2009, 03:33 AM

This

Code:

        readonly = no
        writable = yes

has the same results

So use one of the above.

Code:

        [global]
        unix charset = ISO-8859-1
        workgroup = MAGGIANDPAUL

Like rsciw said: Here's the place to put some extra stuff in.

Code:

[global]

# 1. Server Naming Options:
# workgroup = NT-Domain-Name or Workgroup-Name
   
  workgroup = WERKGROEP

# netbios name is the name you will see in "Network Neighbourhood",
# but defaults to your hostname

;  netbios name = <name_of_this_server>

# server string is the equivalent of the NT Description field
   
  server string = Samba Server %v

# Message command is run by samba when a "popup" message is sent to it.
# The example below is for use with LinPopUp:
; message command = /usr/bin/linpopup "%f" "%m" %s; rm %s

This should help a it I hope.
Do you use samba as an Active Directory, as a NT domain or as a basic Windows Workgroup?

@rsciw
is Vista Home that different from Vista Ultimate?
Yes, Home Edition doesn't support Windows NT domains and Win200* AD.

Further more a "/etc/init.d/samba reload" will work too. (If you work in a busy company and can't afford to disable samba for even two seconds

)

engelienart · 02-27-2009, 03:41 AM

Here is my smb.conf + comments. Comments are important

I have a smb.conf for a NT domain.
Windows Vista/XP home edition can't connect to a Windows NT domain/AD.

Code:

[global]

# Naam van de PDC
   netbios name = <MY_NETBIOS_NAME>

# server string is the equivalent of the NT Description field
   server string = <MY_SERVER>

# Change this to the workgroup/NT-domain name your Samba server will part of
   workgroup = <MY_WORKGROUP>

# os level controls what level Samba advertises itself as for browse elections
   os level = 65

# preferred master controls if nmbd is a preferred master browser for its workgroup
   preferred master = yes

# domain master enables WAN-wide browse list collation. Setting this option causes nmbd to claim a special domain specific NetBIOS name that identifies it as a domain master browser for its given workgroup
   domain master = yes

# "security = user" is always a good idea. This will require a Unix account
# in this server for every user accessing the server. See
# /usr/share/doc/samba-doc/htmldocs/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/ServerType.html
# in the samba-doc package for details.
# For NT domain with other PDC: "security = domain"
# for windows Workgroups: "security = share"
   security = user

# You may wish to use password encryption.  See the section on
# 'encrypt passwords' in the smb.conf(5) manpage before enabling.
   encrypt passwords = true

# Is this machine able to authenticate users. Both PDC and BDC
# must have this setting enabled. If you are the BDC you must
# change the 'domain master' setting to no
#
   domain logons = yes

# If you are using encrypted passwords, Samba will need to know what
# password database type you are using.
   passdb backend = tdbsam

# moet bij passdb backend = tdbsam??
   passdb expand explicit = no

# user and group modification scripts
   add user script = /usr/sbin/useradd -m %u
   delete user script = /usr/sbin/userdel -r %u
   add group script = /usr/sbin/groupadd %g
   delete group script = /usr/sbin/groupdel %g
   add user to group script = /usr/sbin/groupmod -A %u %g
   delete user from group script = /usr/sbin/groupmod -R %u %g
   add machine script = /usr/sbin/useradd -s /bin/false -d /var/lib/nobody %u

# null passwords allows or disallows client access to accounts that have null passwords
   null passwords = no

# hide unreadable prevents clients from seeing the existance of files that cannot be read
   hide unreadable = yes

# hide dot files controls whether files starting with a dot appear as hidden files
   hide dot files = yes

# logon path specifies the home directory where roaming profiles (NTuser.dat etc files for Windows NT) are stored
   logon path = \\%L\profiles

# logon drive specifies the local path to which the home directory will be connected and is only used by NT Workstations
   logon drive = Z:

# What naming service and in what order should we use to resolve host names
# to IP addresses
   name resolve order = lmhosts hosts bcast

# time server determines if nmbd advertises itself as a time server to Windows clients
   time server = yes

# file met samba users
   username map = /etc/samba/smbusers

This is just to give you some idea of what is possible. Read the man pages for your preferences