Topic: Advanced Samba (ibay) Properties

[Gene Cooper]

Hi All,

I have a situation where, in order to share a database, I need to 'force user', 'force group' and force various permissions on a particular share.  Though there may be a better way (anyone?), I hav found I needed these options in order to support the multiuser databases in Peachtree Complete Accounting and Maximizer Enterprise (Pervasive.SQL 2000 WGE).

If there is a better way to support these databases, I'm sure listening.

Otherwise, since I know it works, I'd like to modify an ibay.

Should I try to modify the (custom) 90ibays script (I don't know how; what is that anyway? Perl?)?

Should I manually create another share and add another script to the (custom) dir? Like 91maximizer, or something like that, where I can use text to create a smb.conf snippet?

Any general suggestions on implementing advanced Samba attributes on a ibay?

TIA,

G

[guestFF]

Hi, maybe Dan Brown has more info for you at:

http://www.familybrown.org/howtos/advanced-ibay-howto.html

Maybe it helps.

Regards,

RequestedDeletion

[Dan Brown]

To clarify, my howto won't, by itself, do anything with Samba. However, it should be possible to use the same general technique.  Let me know how it works!

[guestFF]

Hi Dan,

Hope you don't mind to expose your expertise to the community

Just gave the man a lead to a source of knowledge, not to the answer.

Regards,

RequestedDeletion

[Gene Cooper]

Well Guys...

Thanks for the suggestions.  After a bunch of iterative testing (ugh!) (and today is a stinking HOLIDAY here in the US... LABOR DAY!), I've determined that I'm back to the drawing board.

It seems there have been too many changes since I last had this working.  Since I had this working (not too long ago), I've switched to E-Smith from Caldera eServer 2.3, I've added Service Pack 2 to my Windows 2000 workstations and I upgraded the server to Samba 2.2.1a.

As I mentioned before, I have been able to make Maximizer (contact manager, using Pervasive.SQL database) and Peachtree Complete Accounting work in multiuser mode by using this sort of brute-force nonsense in my smb.conf:

[public]
    comment = Public Files
    path = /home/samba/public
    write list = @users
    force user = nobody
    force group = users
    read only = No
    create mask = 0775
    force create mode = 0775
    directory mask = 0775
    force directory mode = 0775

It now appears even this no longer works...bummer!

I guess I'll hit the Pervasive support site one more time...before I dump Maximizer.  I have several customers in the field using Peachtree though.  I guess I'll have to do some more testing with that.

Does anybody (anywhere!) really know what's going on with all of the multiuser database problems I've read about with Samba?  I've a half-dozen books and about half a brain...few clues to be found.  I've scrounged through MANY mail lists (over time).  But I still hear about problems sharing Pervasive/btrieve, .dbf, .mdb and other databases in multiuser mode.  I'm willing to keep digging, but i'm looking for a direction to dig.

Thanks,

GGene Cooper wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I have a situation where, in order to share a database, I
> need to 'force user', 'force group' and force various
> permissions on a particular share.  Though there may be a
> better way (anyone?), I hav found I needed these options in
> order to support the multiuser databases in Peachtree
> Complete Accounting and Maximizer Enterprise (Pervasive.SQL
> 2000 WGE).
>
> If there is a better way to support these databases, I'm sure
> listening.
>
> Otherwise, since I know it works, I'd like to modify an ibay.
>
> Should I try to modify the (custom) 90ibays script (I don't
> know how; what is that anyway? Perl?)?
>
> Should I manually create another share and add another script
> to the (custom) dir? Like 91maximizer, or something like
> that, where I can use text to create a smb.conf snippet?
>
> Any general suggestions on implementing advanced Samba
> attributes on a ibay?
>
> TIA,
>
> G

[Vito]

I too, was pulling my hair out trying to get a pervasive, btrieve application to work on the e-smith server, after a bit of research, trial and error, I got it to work. Have not stress tested multiple user access, however it appears to be working.

In the smb.conf file I changed the following two parameters to the SAMBA defaults:

strict locking = no
oplocks = yes

[Karl]

More info please,
We are about to invest in Pervasive for Linux to run a program called "MSA". It is multiuser and uses Pervasive as a db engine. Has anyone actually managed to make this work under Linux (even essg). If it is too difficult I will switch to Netware instead.
Any ideas or suggestions greatly appreciated, thanks.

Karl

[Gene Cooper]

Hi Karl,

I haven't tested this, but...

The Pervasive.SQL database is available in three formats:

1) Single User (Workstation Engine)
2) Workgroup (Workgroup Engine - peer-to-peer)
3) Server (Server Engine - server process runs on server)

My advice (after fighting with WGE): spend the extra $$ for the server engine.  There is a Linux version available.  I could be a $1000 US.

G

[Gene Cooper]

BTW,

Vito, with my current configuration, the suggestions you posted did not help.  But thanks for the input.

I'm in the process of switching from Maximizer to MS Outlook for contact management.  I was never overly excited about Maximizer anyway (nor about Outlook, for that matter, but I have it).  And I'm too cheap to buy the Pervasive Server Engine (even at wholesale).

G

[Vito]

That's too bad! BTW my configuration is as follows:

- Base SME 5.0 server
- RPM update of SAMBA to - samba-2.2.1a-4

and the two modifications I made to the /etc/smb.conf file as metioned in the prior note.

V

[Patrick Basile]

Hello,

I was wondering if any of you have any ideas of suggestions which might help me run an ACT! (.dbf) database from my SME5 server?  When I put the database (.dbf plus about 15 other files) on my shared i-bay - it takes FOREVER to access the data.  When I move it off to a Windoze machine, it opens in a normal time frame.  I assume this has to do with file locking / oplocks settings in Samba, and I did make some changes which haven't helped.  (Although I'm not sure I did the right thing - see this post: http://e-smith.org/bboard/read.php?f=3&i=7680&t=7680 )

If anyone can help me with this I would very much appreciate it.

Regards,
Patrick

[Des Dougan]

Patrick,

I run Act! 4.x on an e-smith 4.1.2 server (a P133). Occasionally, I've seen slow opening times, but they're not the norm. I had it opened earlier today and then opened a different database, which opened very quickly (but it has only 18 or so records). I am running the standard shipped samba.

I realise this is not much help, but it may help to set a context. How big is your DB? Have you looked at how the network is set up?


Des Dougan

[Patrick Basile]

Des,

Thanks so much for your thoughts/ideas/setup information.  Sure wish my ACT! database was working like yours.  I guess I'll post some of my setup info here in the hopes that someone else might see what is causing the problem.

Server hardware is: PII-333, 163mb RAM, 2-30gb Maxtor 7200 rpm drives setup in RAID1 array w/ hdparm enabled, 2-Realtek 8139 10/100 nic's (cheapos!).

Server software: SME5 patched with SMEServer-5.0_Update2-07 through the blades panel.  Samba updated to 2.2.1a (samba-2.2.1a-5.i386.rpm)(plus client/common) for my Win2k clients.

ACT! database is 9.43mb (24 files).  Located in an i-bay called 'efc' with Group set to Everyone, and access set to Write=Group, Read=Group.

I have seen a few other posts about modifying the oplocks entry in the smb.conf file, and the ACT! support site said to set the following on a Samba server:

fakeoplocks = no
oplocks = no
level 2 oplocks = no

I made the above changes in the '11oplocks' file in /etc/e-smith/templates/etc/smb.conf. Is this the correct spot to make such a change?

Also, I set the 'strict file locking' to no in the '10global' file, in hopes that this was the issue.

I expanded the smb.conf file and restarted Samba, but still have the slow response.

I'll try anything - so if you have an idea please post it here or drop me a note - thanks a lot!

Regards,
Patrick