Samba in Lion and ML Server keeps disconnecting, PC InDesign crashes

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Level 1

16 points

Samba in Lion and ML Server keeps disconnecting, PC InDesign crashes

I've installed Lion Server as a server in a small design studio. There's four Macs and one W7 PC in the office running desing software, mainly InDesign.

While Macs are fine, PC InDesing crashes within a few minutes upon opening old or creating new document and saving on the server with this error:

The network connection was lost for the file \\SERVER\share\file.indd or the file was modified by another process.

The same happens on a different computer with same InDesign so network connection is irrelevant.

InDesign is updated to 7.0.4, but CS6 showed same behaviour.

I tried very short path with test.indd being in the root of share. Same crash.

It doesn't happen on an old server based on Linux/SMB so it must be new SMBX implementation.

Though, I had problems replicating it in other application than InDesign. Eg Word didn't crash at all when files are opened from the same location.

I also tried guest vs authenticated login - the same crash. Or IP vs DNS server name. And also logging properly as SERVERNAME\username as Winows logs as CLIENTNAME\username by default which is wrong.

The only other misbehaviour was an very rare message about server not being reachable when doubleclicked in Explorer > Network.

To get a log on the server, I unloaded smbd and started it in debug mode:

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.smbd.plist

sudo /usr/sbin/smbd -debug -stdout

and at the very moment it's happening, I'm getting this error:

ERROR [smb_dispatch.cpp:72] request has no session

And that's about it. I didn't get any further. No-one seems to have ahd this issue before.

Any insight into SMBX would be very appreciated.

Posted on Sep 7, 2012 9:06 AM

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Answer 1

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 17, 2012 7:55 AM in response to zpjet

One more thing: when this crash hapens, a note is made in this file:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\<version>\<lang>_<country>\Caches\InDesign Recovery\ProtectiveShutdownLog

Fromm dfferent paths there, I could confirm that this problem appeared in version 7 and 8, as well as in both en_US and other language.

The only usable troubleshooting information here is is a line

Lost network connection of open database

and as you see from exact google search, it is not very helpful, with experts recommending not to open files from server... Silly is that it's worked fine from Linux/SMB server.

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Answer 2

haykong

Level 1

119 points

Sep 17, 2012 8:33 AM in response to zpjet

What Windows OS are you running on your PCs?

Yeah I think I know what problem you dealing with since one of my clients has the same/similar problem but I have a script that restarts the SMB services once a day in the morning before they start work. They can normally go for about a 2 to 3 days SMB stops autheticating with Open Directory without the script.

Yeah the main problem you're dealing with is at some point SMBX implementation in 10.7.x Server becomes unstable and stops authethicating with Open Directory. The local users can still autheticate in this case. You should test that out.

Anyway there's whole main thread on this some suggestions for others while some did not work.

Hope this thread helps you,

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3206725?start=0&tstart=0

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Answer 3

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 17, 2012 8:36 AM in response to haykong

Sorry but no Open Directory there. Just one admin, and one user. And I did mention that above, using SERVER\user login in Windows.

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Answer 4

haykong

Level 1

119 points

Sep 17, 2012 8:39 AM in response to zpjet

If you only have a few users.. what about installing SMBup?

it uses Samba 3.2.15.. and disables SMBX.

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Answer 5

haykong

Level 1

119 points

Sep 17, 2012 8:49 AM in response to haykong

zpjet,

since you mentioned in your OP, users are using SERVER\user login in Windows. Open Directory users can still login using SERVER\user login in Windows in a Workgroup so I can not tell if you are using Open Directory on the Server or not. So are you saying you don't have Open Directory turned on Lion Server?

have you downloaded 10.7.4 Server admin Tools?

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Answer 6

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 17, 2012 9:08 AM in response to haykong

I had 10.7.4 and then upgraded to 10.8.1 hoping the issue got fixed. So no Admin Tools now. And no OD.

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Answer 7

haykong

Level 1

119 points

Sep 17, 2012 9:36 AM in response to zpjet

Sorry, Did not catch the ML server at the end of the Title Posting... Just assumed it was lion Server since that was at the beginning of the title

What windows clients are you using?

I know Apple's implementation of SMBX isn't too stable.

you should still look at the provided link since I know people had mixed SMBX problems some with OD and others just local users.. maybe some of their solutions could work for your case...

Note if you are good at command line and have experience dealing with Linux.. perhaps you can install Mac Port's Samba 3.6.7 with is available now.

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Answer 8

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 17, 2012 10:21 AM in response to haykong

Hi haykong,

thank you for yor efforts. I did see this link before try logging as SERVER\user, and I even went further after seeing that Kerberos log and changed LmCompatibilityLevel (the "regedit trick") of that Windows 7 client (also mentioned in the OP, sorry for the abbreviations) to 1.

I don't have any kdc failed lines in log any more. The PC connects fine. It's just this InDesign which fails so badly.

Yes I will probably eventually swap the Sambas...

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Answer 9

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 23, 2012 2:53 AM in response to zpjet

An update. I was able to repeat the error with another server and client and similar software.

I turned on FIle Sharing on my home Mac mini with OS X Server.
I installed CS6 InDesign 8 US Trial within fresh install of Windows 7 client.

The InDesign crashes a few minutes after a file is opened from the server. Apparently upgrade from CS5 to CS6 won't help.

Not sure what will help now. 10.8.2 doesn't seem to mention any file sharing fixes, neither OS X Server 2.1 update.

I eventually installed SMBUp. It was quite seamless.

http://eduo.info/apps/smbup

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Answer 10

Sep 24, 2012 2:25 PM in response to zpjet

I hate to say it, but I have the exact same problem! I just bought a Mac Mini Server and it has 3 computers with Indesign CS2 from Windows XP crashes constantly with any open files from the Server. I've changed 100's of things, but still a no go. I'm going to try what you did.

I have had a terrible day with my clients. I had a Buffalo before and it worked fine for Windows, but the macs were extremely slow in the finder, but at least it wasn't crashing programs. The only thing that could get me through the day was copying the files first to the desktops edit them and them move them back to the server.

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Answer 11

Sep 24, 2012 5:11 PM in response to zpjet

So far the SMBup seems to work. We'll see......

Obvously Apple has serious problems with synchronisation or something with their SMB implementation.

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Answer 12

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 24, 2012 11:33 PM in response to brycesteiner

I hate to say this as well and it won't help brycesteiner but I'm kind of glad that at least I'm not in this alone! So you have different WIndows and very different InDesign and it's the same. I wonder what InDesign does so special that it crashes when SMB apparently disconnects for a milisecond. Other apps handle it well, even Word. Ans I understand it's in nature of SMB that it can temporarily disconnect - as soon as it's there when the file needs saving, as opposed to Macs and AFP which warns user within a few seconds that network connection is lost or server down.

What is also strange that any linked files could reside at the server and InDesign is fine with them. So it looks like InDesing is constantly saving the file or something, which is strange as its recovery database is on local disk, or it seems so.

Well apparently this is Apple's problem as other SMB is ok with this InDesign behaviour, but it looks Adobe shoudl also have a look. Sadly their forum isn't helpful and people are just discouraging working off server in general.

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Answer 13

Sep 25, 2012 3:50 AM in response to zpjet

You just rained on my parade 🙂 zpjet

I was thinking of changing one other thing and that is forcing it not to use jumbo packets in OSX. It will slow it down a little, but it will be more "chatty" like SMB1 expects and perhaps Indesign requires, but it's just a theory.

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Answer 14

zpjet Author

Level 1

16 points

Sep 25, 2012 4:11 AM in response to brycesteiner

Hmm you mean Jumbo packets as in Ethernet settings? I didn't use these at all... and when I was testing with home server, it was even conected with WiFi.

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Answer 15

Sep 25, 2012 6:28 PM in response to zpjet

Well last night I installed the SMBup and now it all seems fine. All the clients were using indesign CS2 on Windows XP today with no issues and I tried this on mine with a network file open all day long just to see what would happen and nothing disconnected there were no issues and speed was great so either it was a fluke for SMBup really works. Apple has issues to work out with thier SMB for compatibility.

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