You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Can't connect via SMB

Prior to installing Lion, I would connect to our shared drives at work via SMB. Today, after installing Lion, I can't connect to my shared drives. The one SMB connection that works is to an FTP server. I connect via SMB to map the drive in my Finder rather than using an FTP program. This still works fine.


However, I can't connect to the shared drive for file sharing. In the Connect to Server box, I have "smb://PathToFiles" . Is smb:// the correct prefix to use now that Lion is funky with SMB support?


I'm sorry...I really don't know much about SMB connections, what kind of server it is that I'm trying to connect to, or much else. I know we run Windows Exchange, but I'm not sure if that's the server that hosts these shared drives...I just need to connect to get back to work. Any help would be AWESOME.

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 1:55 PM

Reply
132 replies

Feb 1, 2012 10:41 PM in response to kkausu

kkausu,


About those folder rights on 2008 R2 server. Noticed few days ago, that OS X with VPN connection doesn't understand Bypass Traverse Checking (on by default on 2008). That caused some problems for us.


In short what it mean:

There's a shared folder in \\server\share. Users don't have any right for the share folder itself, just for some subfolders there. For example \\server\share\user. Bypass Traverse Checking on 2008 allows users to access user folder, even though they don't have any right on the share folder.


Now that OS X has problems with Bypass Traverse Checking, Finder reports that user cannot connect to \\server\share\user as there are no permissions. Setting Traverse Folder / Execute file rights to users fixes this, as it allows people with OS X to do what they're supposed to be allowed already.


As for removing the Traverse Folder / Execute file rights on users, it's quite pointless, unless there's some modifications for local security policies (see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc739389(WS.10).aspx). Traverse Folder / Execute files doesn't actually let people to "see" those folders, it just allows them to move past them to some subfolder they have rights to. Meaning connecting to \\server\share doesn't show them anything (probably doesn't even allow them to connect), but it let's them to connect \\server\share\user if they have rights to it.


Hope this helps someone someday, atleast it fixed some problems here. Even though I'd really like to see working the way it was intended 🙂

Feb 2, 2012 12:08 PM in response to upeace

The connection with my Amiga is also no more working. 😟


I am using Samba 2.2.5 und with Snow it was working fine. With Lion 10.7.3 I can see the Amiga in the finder, but if I try to connect, I get the message that this server version is not supported.



Only using Midnight Commander, I am able to connect and to exchange files!

Feb 3, 2012 7:31 AM in response to Jobster

SMB issues are NOT resolved with 10.7.3, it's better but still not there. I removed Samba and MacPorts and reconfigured my system to use the native SMB implementation in 10.7.3. Good news is that I can now see and connect to my main Mac system from my Windows 7 systems. The issues I am still having:


Seems that I have to remove and re-add the users to the SMB panel after each reboot before the connections work.

Streaming large video files is not working. They start to stream but within a few minutes they lock up.


Going back to Samba 3 again for now...

Feb 3, 2012 1:57 PM in response to Bart Pfeffer

"Seems that I have to remove and re-add the users to the SMB panel after each reboot before the connections work."


I think this is related to the race condition I outlined a couple of months ago, in which the authentication services come up after the SMB service, but there is no dependency or wait implemented by Apple.


If connecting Win7 --> OSx and you can turn off the service and turn it on a minute after reboot and it works, then that is the problem. I scripted the stuff below and stuck it in the startup flow. Reference my previous post on in this thread.


sleep 60

sudo serveradmin stop smb

sleep 5

sudo serveradmin start smb

Feb 20, 2012 3:49 PM in response to upeace

I am a network administrator and I found 1 workaroud so far...


Scenario: Unbound Lion Machine needs access to Windows 2008 Domain shares


If you just use smb://server/share it WILL work. You will see the authentication box, enter your Windows User Name and password. And a mere 15 minutes later the share WILL open.


If you think that is too much of a lag you can:

Create a user profile that uses the windows user name and password. It all works like magic. Just like it should. Shares mount on boot and everything.


Doesn't work so well, if like me you connect to shares on 10 or 12 networks.


The issue I have seen is that Lion is passing the local user name and password to Windows and it waits and waits. After a while it actually passes the credentials you entered.


I hope this helps someone somewhere.


I hope Apple fixes this problem because I can't upgrade until they do.

Feb 24, 2012 4:11 AM in response to aPEXMac

You should. The switch in Lion is finally forcing dozens of manufacturers to move their behinds and update what's now a two-decades old protocol famous for being the slowest and least secure out there.


Boxee, for example, now supports Lion's SMB implementation. Tons of others are doing the same and Samba itself has also switched gears to ensure their implementation is up to par.


Let's not forget Apple is implementing what's been the official version of the SMB protocol for years, which is also publicly available. And what Samba used to provide was an older, inefficient, hacked-together, reverse-engineered version of two dozen protocols collectively called "SMB/CIFS".


So, you probably shouldn't like that Apple has forced people to do this, but the update itself is a GOOD thing. It's a bit like when the iMacs only came with USB. It was a burden but it was GOOD for everyone (not just Macs or Mac Users).


There will be glitches, because not all services have upgraded yet and because it's a new implementation. But the fact that it's done on a documented protocol instead of the spaghetti that is Samba is a good thing.

Feb 24, 2012 3:11 PM in response to Eduardo Gutierrez De O.

Of course Eduardo isn't telling us that the same forced implementation of smb that others were using is also the one apple was using until Stallman turned the tables on them with gpl 3 at which point they dropped the forced reversed engineered one and decided to get off their behinds to implement their own version... Witt the great results that we ve been witnessing from it recently...

Can't connect via SMB

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.