9.8 Common Errors

Many questions are asked on the mailing lists regarding browsing. The majority of browsing problems originate from incorrect configuration of NetBIOS name resolution. Some are of particular note.

9.8.1 How Can One Flush the Samba NetBIOS Name Cache without Restarting Samba?

Samba's nmbd process controls all browse list handling. Under normal circumstances it is safe to restart nmbd . This will effectively flush the Samba NetBIOS name cache and cause it to be rebuilt. This does not make certain that a rogue machine name will not re-appear in the browse list. When nmbd is taken out of service, another machine on the network will become the Browse Master. This new list may still have the rogue entry in it. If you really want to clear a rogue machine from the list, every machine on the network will need to be shut down and restarted after all machines are down. Failing a complete restart, the only other thing you can do is wait until the entry times out and is then flushed from the list. This may take a long time on some networks (perhaps months).

9.8.2 Server Resources Can Not Be Listed

" My Client Reports 'This server is not configured to list shared resources'"

Your guest account is probably invalid for some reason. Samba uses the guest account for browsing in smbd . Check that your guest account is valid.

Also see guest account in the smb.conf man page.

9.8.3 I get an 'Unable to browse the network' error

This error can have multiple causes:

• There is no Local Master Browser. Configure nmbd or any other machine to serve as Local Master Browser.

• You cannot log onto the machine that is the local master browser. Can you logon to it as a guest user ?

• There is no IP connectivity to the Local Master Browser. Can you reach it by broadcast?

9.8.4 Browsing of Shares and Directories is Very Slow

" There are only two machines on a test network. One a Samba server, the other a Windows XP machine. Authentication and logons work perfectly , but when I try to explore shares on the Samba server, the Windows XP client becomes unrespsonsive. Sometimes it does not respond for some minutes. Eventually, Windows Explorer will respond and displays files and directories without problem. display file and directory. "

" But, the share is immediately available from a command shell ( cmd , followed by exploration with dos command. Is this a Samba problem or is it a Windows problem? How can I solve this? "

Here are a few possibilities:

Bad Networking Hardware ” Most common defective hardware problems center around low cost or defective HUBs, routers, Network Interface Controllers (NICs) and bad wiring. If one piece of hardware is defective the whole network may suffer. Bad networking hardware can cause data corruption. Most bad networking hardware problems are accompanied by an increase in apparent network traffic, but not all.

The Windows XP WebClient ” A number of sites have reported similar slow network browsing problems and found that when the WebClient service is turned off, the problem dissapears. This is certainly something that should be explored as it is a simple solution ” if it works.

Inconsistent WINS Configuration ” This type of problem is common when one client is configured to use a WINS server (that is a TCP/IP configuration setting) and there is no WINS server on the network. Alternately, this will happen is there is a WINS server and Samba is not configured to use it. The use of WINS is highly recommended if the network is using NetBIOS over TCP/IP protocols. If use of NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled on all clients , Samba should not be configured as a WINS server neither should it be configured to use one.

Incorrect DNS Configuration ” If use of NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled, Active Directory is in use and the DNS server has been incorrectly configured. Refer Section 9.3.3 for more information.