NetBIOS and visibility in Windows' Network menu

[anodos]

Mine seems to be working now. I think its just intermittent with my setup.

'NetBIOS has intermittent problems' is an analytic statement like 'square has four sides'.

 

[wintermute000]

Need reliable netbios name resolution, run a proper domain with a dc. Workgroups are a hack

 

[tmacka88]

Hi,

I am having the same problem. I am not using windows, however, I am using SMB to stream from FreeNAS to my XBMC (Openelec) system. For some reason browse master becomes my XBMC system and I have to shutdown both systems and startup FreeNAS followed by XBMC after to fi the issue.

My log.nmbd: (when XBMC became host)

*****
[2014/10/20 00:00:27.312038, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd.c:57(terminate)
Got SIGTERM: going down...
[2014/10/20 00:00:27.312124, 0] ../source3/libsmb/nmblib.c:873(send_udp)
Packet send failed to 192.168.1.255(138) ERRNO=Network is down
[2014/10/20 00:00:27.312224, 0] ../source3/libsmb/nmblib.c:873(send_udp)
Packet send failed to 192.168.1.255(138) ERRNO=Network is down
[2014/10/20 08:15:47, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd.c:904(main)
nmbd version 4.1.12 started.
Copyright Andrew Tridgell and the Samba Team 1992-2013
[2014/10/20 08:15:47.091337, 0] ../lib/util/become_daemon.c:136(daemon_ready)
STATUS=daemon 'nmbd' finished starting up and ready to serve connections*****
Samba name server FREENAS is now a local master browser for workgroup WORKGROUP on subnet 192.168.1.141
*****
[2014/10/20 09:04:44.787129, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd_incomingdgrams.c:311(process_local_master_announce)
process_local_master_announce: Server OPENELEC at IP 192.168.1.139 is announcing itself as a local master browser for workgroup WORKGROUP and we think we are master. Forcing election.
[2014/10/20 09:04:44.787351, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:150(unbecome_local_master_success)
*****
Samba name server FREENAS has stopped being a local master browser for workgroup WORKGROUP on subnet 192.168.1.141

Log after my reboot when FreeNAS is host:

*****
[2014/10/20 09:05:00.821308, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:418(become_local_master_fail2)
become_local_master_fail2: failed to register name WORKGROUP<1d> on subnet 192.168.1.141. Failed to become a local master browser.
[2014/10/20 09:05:00.821423, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd_namelistdb.c:320(standard_fail_register)
standard_fail_register: Failed to register/refresh name WORKGROUP<1d> on subnet 192.168.1.141
[2014/10/20 09:17:00.997519, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd.c:57(terminate)
Got SIGTERM: going down...
[2014/10/20 09:17:00.997606, 0] ../source3/libsmb/nmblib.c:873(send_udp)
Packet send failed to 192.168.1.255(138) ERRNO=Network is down
[2014/10/20 09:20:56, 0] ../source3/nmbd/nmbd.c:904(main)
nmbd version 4.1.12 started.
Copyright Andrew Tridgell and the Samba Team 1992-2013
[2014/10/20 09:20:56.059455, 0] ../lib/util/become_daemon.c:136(daemon_ready)
STATUS=daemon 'nmbd' finished starting up and ready to serve connections*****
Samba name server FREENAS is now a local master browser for workgroup WORKGROUP on subnet 192.168.1.141
*****

Is this a bug that has been introduced in the last couple of updates or something?

 

[anodos]

Your openelec box is configured to be local master. Fix its smb.conf file.

 

[RiBeneke]

NetBIOS problems wont go away. Some info that may help :
Should have only one master browser at a time. Always-on FreeNAS box is most suitable. Only boxes with Samba (eg FreeNAS) or Windows can do this.
Samba docs at < https://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/NetworkBrowsing.html > are quite old but relevant.
Some Windows PCs come pre-configured as master browsers. Only way to fix this is in registry.
See < https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc959923.aspx >
Start Menu search box regedit.exe. Expand down to find key mentioned. Check that registry key called MaintainServerList is set to Auto.
Often the IsDomainMaster is missing. So right-click in white area below MaintainServerList and create New / String Value called IsDomainMaster.
Then right-click the new entry and Modify and enter the value False. Close Regedit. May need to reboot computers.

 

[Jailer]

I had this same problem with mine recently. Freenas for some reason will always lose the election for master browser. Not only lose but get kicked by another machine coming on the network as well if it was master browser. A google search will result in several references to a couple of registry entries to add to a windows machine to prevent a workstation from winning the election but they don't work. Even my open-elec-plex box was kicking freenas from master browser when I turned it on.

First you have to disable the computer browser service on all your windows machines. Then add these lines to the auxiliary parameters in the CIFS settings menu in the services tab in Freenas

Code:

domain master = Yes
preferred master = Yes
os level = 65

Haven't had the problem since.

 

[GrumpyBear]

I had this same problem with mine recently. Freenas for some reason will always lose the election for master browser. Not only lose but get kicked by another machine coming on the network as well if it was master browser. A google search will result in several references to a couple of registry entries to add to a windows machine to prevent a workstation from winning the election but they don't work. Even my open-elec-plex box was kicking freenas from master browser when I turned it on.

First you have to disable the computer browser service on all your windows machines. Then add these lines to the auxiliary parameters in the CIFS settings menu in the services tab in Freenas

Code:

domain master = Yes
preferred master = Yes
os level = 65

Haven't had the problem since.

Thanks Jailer. I've had the same problem recently and come to think about it it was around the time I added my open-elec PLEX home theatre box too. I killed the Samba service on it when I noticed it was running as it was an unneeded service and things are working normally now but I'll try restarting samba and nmbd as well as the browser services and ensure that FreeNAS is configured with the highest priority.

I suspected it was a problem with the master browser election process as I remember seeing this using Samba years ago. Probably only happened because I recently recycled my Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Resource Kit manuals which had a really good description of the election process

 

[RichTJ99]

I am having a similar issue. When running the net domain command on my main freenas box (Nas1), my other freenas box which is supposed to be the backup only shows up N40L as the master browser.

How do i make my main freenas box (Nas1) the master browser & make my backup freenas box (N40L) just a backup?

 

[anodos]

I am having a similar issue. When running the net domain command on my main freenas box (Nas1), my other freenas box which is supposed to be the backup only shows up N40L as the master browser.

How do i make my main freenas box (Nas1) the master browser & make my backup freenas box (N40L) just a backup?

Under "services" -> "CIFS" on Nas1 add the auxiliary parameter "preferred master = yes". Make sure the "Local Master" box on both servers is checked.

"Preferred Master = yes" achieves two things - (1) it forces a master browser election when NAS1 boots and (2) sets the OS level of Nas1 high enough that it should win the election. When Nas1 isn't available, the computers on the network should perform a master browser election. Since N40L is currently the master browser, it should when the election if Nas1 is gone. If it doesn't then you will have to tweak the OS level setting until it does.

 

[RichTJ99]

I tried this & it seems to have worked:

https://www.reddit.com/r/freenas/comments/2yz0qt/how_do_i_configure_freenas_to_win_local_master/

 

[RichTJ99]

Thanks Anodos!