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Files disappear after copying them with Finder to a Linux Samba share

Hi,

I've spent some time looking for posts concerning my problem but the only one which seems to be specific is this old thread from 2003:
http://lists.samba.org/archive/samba-technical/2003-November/033053.html

I run a Samba server (v3.0.26a) under Ubuntu Linux and share an ext3-harddisk via smb.
Under Windows XP I can write files to this share without problems, under the Finder of OS X (I only tried 10.5.2) I encounter the following issue:
When I copy a file that hasn't been created on a Mac (e.g. a jpg or a pdf) to this share using Finder, it seems to work ok but a split second after the copy process is finished the file gets deleted again. The file just disappears without an error message.
If I copy the same file for up to 3 times it will eventually stay. Deleting a file on the share leads to analogous problems.
I found two workarounds:
If I create a folder e.g. on my OS X desktop and copy all the files I want to copy to the Samba share first to this folder and then drag the whole folder to the share, all files arrive without problems.
If I use a different application than the Finder to copy files it also works without a problem, e.g. KopyMac ( http://www.tcsn.net/mont/DigitolDisturbance/DigitolDisturbance.html) or muCommander ( http://www.mucommander.com/).
I tried to disable .DS_Store files on network drives as described in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301711
but it also didn't help.

So, to sum up, if I copy files with the Finder to a Samba share these files disappear again directly after copying.

Does anyone know a solution to this issue?

Thanks in advance

Till

iMac, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on Mar 6, 2008 4:00 AM

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Posted on Apr 1, 2008 5:56 AM

I am having exactly the same problem you report, and know no solution. Like you, I discovered that it only happens if the share is empty and the file I am copying is the first file; if there is already another file or folder, the copy proceeds normally.

I've watched the directory on the server and can see both the filename.ext and the ._filename.ext being created during the copy, and then when Finder finishes copying they both disappear. If there is another file or folder already in the share, that doesn't happen.
21 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 1, 2008 5:56 AM in response to tillpopill

I am having exactly the same problem you report, and know no solution. Like you, I discovered that it only happens if the share is empty and the file I am copying is the first file; if there is already another file or folder, the copy proceeds normally.

I've watched the directory on the server and can see both the filename.ext and the ._filename.ext being created during the copy, and then when Finder finishes copying they both disappear. If there is another file or folder already in the share, that doesn't happen.

Sep 21, 2008 4:51 PM in response to tillpopill

It seems to be an OS bug -- there are over 1K views of this thread and rising - it is obviously an issue..

questions:
1) do Apple developers read these topics?
2) if so will one of the Apple developers please respond?
3) does anyone know of a work around - I have spent a few hours trying to track down a way to make this work and have found nothing useful.

Sep 26, 2008 2:19 PM in response to tillpopill

I have a similar problem.

Here is my scenario:

I have shared a home folder for users on a Windows 2003 R2 server.

I have mapped users to this folder in my Active Directory accounts by going to the Profile tab for the user, and specifying my Windows host and drive letter Z under the Home Folder connect option (Connect Z: to \\server.domain.com\home\%username%)

This works, and it automounts on my macs that are connected via the Active Directory option in Directory Services.

However, when I create a folder for the first time, or copy files, they just disappear.

They are NOT deleted. The show up on the Windows side and I can see them. When I log out and back in, everything works fine, and as it should be.

Apparently empty directories for SMB shares seem to cause finder/terminal/smb on macs not to see newly created/dragged/moved/copied files/folders.

I've also verified that the permissions are set properly, and that the current user has read/write access. Nothing fixes this until a file/folder ALREADY exists, and you eject & re-connect, or until you re-login.

That's just my scenario, but they sound similar.

Solution: create a file called .empty and put it in the ROOT of the users folders.

That's what I will do. It *****, and I hope Apple fixes this issue. But we all know how responsive they are.

If anyone else has a better solution, or knows why SMB is acting this way, please let the rest of us in on it! Thanks,

-Josh

Oct 18, 2008 7:07 AM in response to NYNoodle

this has just started happening to me on a watch folder on a pc. i can only assume that this must be related to a recent update, as I've been using the same folder for months without issue until today. creating a dummy file and remounting the share does seem to work.
however, unlike other people, i found that the files copied across were being deleted (or at least corrupted).

edit: it also seems that the folder contents are not refreshing properly.

Message was edited by: jackjames

Files disappear after copying them with Finder to a Linux Samba share

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