[Hardy] Can't share files

Bug #214556 reported by komputes
14
This bug affects 1 person
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
samba (Ubuntu)
Expired
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

I am attempting to share files with a computer on 7.10 and have not found a viable solution. Using Hardy Beta, I have installed all the optionals packages to have samba support and nautilus support for file sharing.

Packages involved: samba, samba-common, nautilus-share

Steps to reproduce:
1) Right click folder to share
2) Select all boxes allowing guest access to that directory, click ok
3) From remote computer (using 7.10) go to Places > Network > Windows Network > workgroup > Ubuntu > Share

Expected result: able to list, copy from and to the share
Actual result: The folder contents couls not be displayed. "Share" couldn't be found. Perhaps it has recently been deleted.

While developers are trying to correct smb/samba/cifs issues is there anything stable I could use for easy file sharing between two computers on a subnet.

Revision history for this message
Steve Langasek (vorlon) wrote :

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and help to improve Ubuntu.

What do you mean when you say the folder contents "could not be displayed"? Were you given an error message? Did the share open in nautilus but give you an empty file list?

Changed in samba:
status: New → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Patrice Vetsel (vetsel-patrice) wrote :

DO :
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get install samba libpam-smbpass

verify that your are in the group named sambashare. In terminal type "groups" if not go to user.group management and yourself to this group (samba share)

after that, logout and login

Create a dire named "test" on your desktop and try to share it

Revision history for this message
komputes (komputes) wrote :

Partrice, I have followed your instructions and still get the same error: "The folder contents could not be displayed. "Share" couldn't be found. Perhaps it has recently been deleted."

From the host itself (on 8.04) trying to look at its own share, the error is different: "Unable to mount location - Failed to mount Windows share"

I still can't list/view/copy files from/to smb shares. Keep in mind that my subnet is not the standard 192.168.0.1 or 1.1, but 192.168.5.1 (if that makes any difference, but it shouldn't).

Also are there any plans to create a meta-package that download all the smb packages and make the standard smb setup? It would be beneficial to have something like this in Add/Remove for new users who want to share with windows/mac users.

komputes (komputes)
Changed in samba:
status: Incomplete → New
Revision history for this message
Mathias Gug (mathiaz) wrote :

Could you try to connect to the share using smbclient from the command line ?

Changed in samba:
status: New → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Robin Winslow (nottrobin) wrote :

I have the same problem. Nothing complex, I simply create a new folder, share it (right click -> sharing options) with all the boxes ticked, but the share isn't there. Permissions are correct, I'm in the sambashare group etc. Using up to date Hardy Heron 8.04 LTS.

Robin.

Revision history for this message
Robin Winslow (nottrobin) wrote :

I found this post: http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/ubuntu-help/118877-samba-hardy.html - and when I did what they did and replaced my smb.conf with a skeleton one it did work properly, which suggests that there is an error in the way that Ubuntu handles the Samba conf file.

Just to clarigy, I haven't touched anything to do with Samba until I had this error. I'm running the 64 bit version of hardy, dunno if that makes a difference.

Revision history for this message
Robin Winslow (nottrobin) wrote :

From http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=4884372#post4884372:

   The "Sharing options" still don't work, but I did manage to share folders properly through shares-admin (Alt+F2 -> 'shares-admin' -> run).

   I ended up adding 'shares-admin' to the System->Administration menu.

Revision history for this message
enstardavid (enstardavid) wrote :

Hi,

nottRobin is on the right track - Hardy (very unkindly) does not prompt you to fiddle with the 'shares-admin' which has no gui interface. You just have to 'know' that such a thing exists and needs modifying - kinda like the hidden switch that operates the secret passage in an old B-movie. (It is really too bad.)

This thread gives a quick answer to problems with sharing in Hardy:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=4904711&postcount=4

Revision history for this message
komputes (komputes) wrote :

Here's a use case for the developers.

Autie May has just installed Ubuntu for the first time and would like to share a file with Little Sue who brought her super snazzy new wifi laptop. She goes to create a share when she gets this (see attachment). She cannot share her files and gives up.

Changed in samba:
status: Incomplete → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
komputes (komputes) wrote :

On a brand new installation on Hardy (including samba-common) users are getting error:

Samba's testparm returned error 1: Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf
Processing section "[printers]"
Processing section "[print$]"
Loaded services file OK.
ERROR: lock directory /var/run/samba does not exist
ERROR: pid directory /var/run/samba does not exist

Any idea when this will be triaged/looked at by devs?

Revision history for this message
steve (africa44004-guard) wrote :

I have been using ubuntu for years now. I have had an interesting experience with Hardy and file sharing. My home network if fairly complicated - I have a seanix pentium 4 1.5gb ram dual harddrive which dual boots xp / ubuntu. My new desktop = dell amd dual core 2gb ram dual boot vista/ubuntu. I have an old sony vaio laptop with ext cdrom, running ubuntu. My wife has a lenovo laptop running xp and a dell desktop running vista home premium. Needless to say I have spent days, weeks, maybe months keeping everything working over the last several years with each upgrade - I am a ubuntu junky. The old desktop(Seanix) has been my file server for the rest of the house actually running xp with ubuntu 7.10(most recently) in a vmware virtual machine as the actual file server - lastest version all working well was gutsy. By working well, I mean every computer had access to our photos and music and movie collection with no password and my wife and I both had home folders available on all the machines with password protection. The only reason my server ran xp with virtual ubuntu was my old printer wouldn't work with ubuntu, nor would my scanner.
My printer broke so I got a new one, I got a new scanner -carefully choosen to work with linux.
So now is the time to get rid of the last of windows.
I downloaded hardy heron i386 desktop and burned one cd.
I installed it on my newer Dell desktop to try it out. Printer, scanner work and share. File sharing works out of the box. All looks great.
So I use the same install cd on the Seanix, Install hardy heron on its own partition with a separate partition for the home folder. AND file sharing is broken. Non of the folders are shared properly, even the ubuntu machines don't share well any more. I got all of the error messages about net usershare = permission denied etc. I learned about net usershare.I edited my smb.conf(repeatedly) I did the logout/login and even reboot suggestions and still NO proper sharing. I tried all combinations of sharing options after R clicking nautilus folders. There seemed no rhyme or reason to what happened. Allow guest = still need password, no guest - everyone had access to my home folder.

It is interesting that some users install hardy and everything works out of the box. Other install hardy and have a nightmare with sharing. I have had both - the only difference being the machine that I installed hardy on.

I am not a computer expert, but I hope that this information gets into the hands of someone who can make some sense of it.
I have now reinstalled Gutsy on the Seanix - file server and my home network is back to HAPPY with all working well.

I would be pleased to send any specific information about the machines, installation, or anything else if someone with the knowhow can help sort out this problem.
I am now windows free but would like to have hardy running on all my machines.
Thanks for your patience with this long post - I hope that it helps ubuntu and hardy improve.
swells5 is online now Report Post Edit/Delete Message

Revision history for this message
komputes (komputes) wrote :

I have attached the error message I'm getting when attempting to browse my smb shares. Here are ALL the steps I had to preform to get my samba share working (and I hope that nobody has to do this in Intrepid Ibex) - Note to developers: Please make this simpler for Grandma Ubuntu McEveryone. This is extremely complicated and should be simplified by the use of shares-admin.

1) Install packages on the server machine.

sudo apt-get install samba samba-common

2) Edit /etc/samba/smb.conf
scroll down to the section called
#======================= Share Definitions =======================

browseable = yes
read only = no

3)Create libuser configuration file
touch /etc/libuser.conf

4)Add user to samba group
adduser <username> sambashare

5)Add user password to samba user
smbpasswd -a <username>

6) Right click folder > Sharing Options (turned everything on)

7)Restart Samba
/etc/init.d/samba reload

8) On the client computer I had to go into a nautilus window's address bar and type in the folowing address to list the shares.
smb://<username>@<servername>

Revision history for this message
Rolf Leggewie (r0lf) wrote :

Is this still an issue in focal or later?

Changed in samba (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Incomplete
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

[Expired for samba (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

Changed in samba (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → Expired
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