Domain Browsing Issues with Samba Servers

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.5, 3.51, 4.0
• Microsoft Windows 95
• Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.11
• Microsoft TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups version 3.11b

NOTE: The information contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only. Microsoft cannot guarantee Microsoft Networking functions Server Message Block (SMB) will work as expected when servers running SAMBA are present within the workgroup or domain.

SYMPTOMS

When browsing from one domain to another across a router you may receive a message saying "No domain server available..."

However, you can connect to shares on the primary domain controller (PDC) and even set up trusts.

CAUSE

Samba appears to force browser elections in a way that is incompatible with the normal Windows NT browser election process. That is, by issuing election criteria guaranteeing it will win the election and become the domain master browser. The IsDomainMaster registry setting still cannot force the Windows NT computer to be the master browser.

[From the Samba FAQ] Samba is a suite of programs which work together to allow clients to access to a server's filespace and printers via the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol. Initially written for Unix, Samba now also runs on Netware, OS/2 and VMS.

In practice, this means that you can redirect disks and printers to Unix disks and printers from LAN Manager clients, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 clients, Windows NT clients, Linux clients and OS/2 clients. There is also a generic Unix client program supplied as part of the suite which allows Unix users to use an ftp-like interface to access filespace and printers on any other SMB servers. This gives the capability for these operating systems to behave much like a LAN Server or Windows NT Server machine, only with added functionality and flexibility designed to make life easier for administrators.

The components of the suite are (in summary):

  smbd, the SMB server. This handles actual connections from clients,
    doing all the file, permission and username work
  nmbd, the Netbios name server, which helps clients locate servers,
    doing the browsing work and managing domains as this capability
    is being built into Samba
  smbclient, the Unix-hosted client program
  smbrun, a little 'glue' program to help the server run external programs
  testprns, a program to test server access to printers
  testparms, a program to test the Samba configuration file for

  smb.conf, the Samba configuration file
  smbprint, a sample script to allow a Unix host to use smbclient to
    print to an SMB server

RESOLUTION

Make the PDC the master browser. This can be verified with Browser Monitor.

This may require disabling Samba, the Samba computers, or moving these computers to another workgroup.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on General TCP/IP Browsing Issues, please see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q150800
   TITLE     : Domain Browsing with TCP/IP and LMHOSTS Files

   http://lake.canberra.edu.au/pub/samba/