Network file and folder sharing completely broken

Support & Help Requests
#1

As per title.

Following release of ubuntu 16.04, the use of samba causing massive spike in cpu termp and other nonsense relating to having to use all kinds of passwords to access shares even though initial share configuration meant this should not be required.

Migrated back to 14.04 as a consequence of the above. But, following “updates” similar nonsense started occurring on 14.04. So can only assume this has been “back-ported” (or whatever the term is) from 16.04 to 14.04

Pulling hair out for several weeks. But, following further updates, problem seemed to settle down. But, in the last few days, following further updates, samba is now completely broken in both 14.04 and 16.04. Have also tested this on Lubuntu 16.04, Linux mint 18 and Debian 8 on different machines. All now have file and folder network sharing broken

I am now going to install Debian 7 in the vain hope network sharing on that is NOT broken

This is completely ridiculous

#2

Hi
Have you thought about using SSH for the file-sharing?
I’m asking because you don’t make mention anywhere in your post of Windows machines.

Also, have you located / created / marked yourself as affected on any bug reports relating to the issue and if so, can you please provide the links to those bug reports?
Cheers

#3

I need to use samba so that I do not have to use two separate system for sharing files and folders. I have several family members and friends who turn up with windows machines. Samba does both but SSH does not. I have not reported this as a bug yet but intend to do so tonight. However, little difference that is likely to make I suspect since this issue has already been reported by multiple users if my internet searches are anything to go by.

It doesn’t matter which way one cuts this, it is ridiculous that something as fundamental as simple network sharing is so messed up. How on earth is Linux ever going to be seen as being a viable alternative to Windows for the average user with this kind of nonsense to contend with? I am not even a noob to Linux and even I am pulling my hair out with it. What hope, then, for a newly converted user?

As I said, it’s ridiculous

#4

Is it a Samba problem or a caja-share problem? I see no problems with Samba here – just updated servers and clients today. Don’t use caja-share here.

#5

it is both samba and caja shares. Neither working on various debian derivatives as well as debian itslef going back to and including debian 7 and all derivatives.

Furthermore just installed opensssh server and followed procedure exactly for using sshfs. Worked once. Now not working with “server not found” error. Despite having put in precisely the same ip address the second time around and having double checked it.

Unless I personally am being outstandingly unlucky right now, Networking in domestic linux is a joke at the moment.

#6

sshfs is working from the console with the “allow_other” switch. It is not working from the “connect-to-server” caja gui

#7

When I suggested SSH I didn’t mean SSHFS, I never used that.
What I meant was:

  • Machine A:

sudo apt install ssh (or install openssh server from software boutique)

  • Machine B:

sudo apt install ssh
cd ~/.ssh
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
ssh-copy-id you@MachineA_IP
[enter your password on Machine A]

Then you should be able to connect to Machine A from Machine B using the rsa key.

Go to Caja, hit CTRL+L and enter:

ssh://you@MachineA:/home/you/

Then you should see your home folder on Machine A inside Caja.
Bookmark it to complete the procedure.

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Not seeing Windows network?
#8

following the above:

after entering ssh-copy-id [email protected] on machine B, machine A did not ask for apssword and machine B threw the error:

/usr/bin/ssh-copy-id: ERROR: ssh: connect to host 192.168.0.13 port 22:no route to host

#9

that last problem was my fault, I was on the wrong partition on machine A. It’s working, thanks. It also means the network folders are immediately available on login, which is good. Thanks O. Not good about Samba and windows. But, at least my internal linux network is operational again.

#10

I don’t see any updates to PAM (Portable Auth Modules), but that is where the password stuff in Samba usually breaks. Look in /var/log/auth.log on both the client and server to see if anything is messed up. There might be some clues in the logs in /var/log/samba directory too.

Sorry you are having trouble. I checked my tablets, phones, other Linux clients and my sole Windows user and everything still works. All of the accounts and passwords are still in sync.

#11

To reiterate, SSH is working well. So, that’s as good as it gets at the moment. My internal Linux network is back on the road and I will just have to live without using Samba for the occasional Windows machine for the time being.

#12

I can suggest two other ways too. If the Windows machines are just downloading/uploading files from Linux via SSH/SFTP (but not streaming), they could install FileZilla or run FileZilla Portable .

Or if there’s a folder you’d like to temporarily serve, Python can host a basic HTTP server on the spot:

cd /path/to/my/files
python -m SimpleHTTPServer 8080

(Useful for me as a Caja Script)

It will serve at http://<IP address>:8080 (8080 is the port, can be changed to anything except values under 1024 , which require root).

How to deal with the gvfsd-smb-browse bug and some non-Samba based solutions to sharing with MS windows machines
#13

Thanks for that Lah7.

However, as a side note, I have just installed btsync so that all members of my immediate family can sync our electronic photo albums together. It’s working absolutely outstandingly and is remarkably fast to sync. The album is over a gig and only took about 1/2 an hour to transfer the full album over the internet between me and my son’s MS Windows machine. It has immediately struck me that this is more than sufficient for file transfer needs when my sons and other extended family members come visiting with their various windows devices. No good for streaming of vids from my server to their machines of course. But, the sync time is sufficiently fast that with a slight amount of notice and delay I can simply transfer a vid over via btsync on request. So good enough for the relatively rare occasion when that is wanted.

I should also say, the SSH method Ouroumov outlined is able to stream vids across the network between my Linux machines very nicely.

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#14

As an extra aside…

I have just installed Syncthing which is a proper, open-source alternative to Dropbox and, even, Btsync which, although free, is closed source.

It works brilliantly and, although the usage involves a bit more of a learning curve, is just as good as Btsync.

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