Windows shares auto dismount

tlfeet · #1 May 23rd, 2005, 01:51 PM

Hi,

Have not seen this Tiger bug reported.
May not even be a bug, I guess, may have some setting wrong.

Problem:
Mounted shares (folders) auto dismount from my Powerbook (1.67 ghz w 10.4.1 and same issue in 10.4) desktop, either:

1. as I am working - and length of time varies
2. always when PB goes to sleep

So then, if when they decide to dismount/eject themselves I have to remount them.
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I have no problem connecting, reconnecting, i.e.. mounting them, nor accessing files/folders within them. (e.g., i.e. not getting -36 error many are reporting)
Indeed, except for this auto-dismounts/ejects issue 10.4 works better than (10.1.4 thru 10.3.8)
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Procedure:
Mount various shares (folders) on various machines (XP wintel boxes) on our Windwos 2000 server network.

By going to Finder>Go>Connect to Server, have most of the ones I access listed, so select it, click Connect, the share appears on the desktop

That is, all works fine until here.

As I am working, either with files from the share, or say in email app. well to my utter amazament the shares disappear from the desktop.
In this case, the amount of time seems to be random, that is it may stay on my desktop for a few minutes, or a couple of hours, but eventually, the all on their own go bye-bye.

And/or if PB goes to sleep, well then they always go away.

In either case I have to remount/reconnect to them.
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Has anybody else seen this?
Or am I batty?

Is there some setting, somewhere, that I forgot to set up?
Any fixes? Any ideas?

Thanks.

michaelsanford · #2 May 24th, 2005, 03:05 PM

MacOS X Panther (and I assume Tiger but can't be 100% sure since I don't have it) uses an automounter to mount remote non-AFP shares like NFS and presumably Samba, which is Windows. If you request the share it will automatically be mounted, but the drawback to that is that it will be unmounted when inactive for some amount of time. Someone will be able to confirm this in Tiger, and probably tell you where you can change the timeout (it's probbaly in NetInfo somewhere).

About going to sleep, yeah your shares will unmount when it sleeps because your network connection gets broken--this isn't a bug, this is what going to sleep does.

tlfeet · #3 May 24th, 2005, 03:28 PM

Hi Michael,

Yes, there may be a setting somewhere ... I hope.
But the length of time varies ... seems to be random.

Sometimes a given share will stay mounted for an hour or so, the next time a few minutes.

As to sleep dropping shares, it may be it is suppose to work that way, but:
1. I wish it wouldn't (even if it dropped the connection, it seems to me it could get it back upon waking

2. In pre-Tiger it did not dismount shares when sleeping/waking ... they would still be there.

Thaks for the tips ... will have to dig around in NetInfo manager or such.

michaelsanford · #4 May 24th, 2005, 03:38 PM

My Panther AFP shares disappeared when I slept/woke, NFS shares didn't do anything special though.

I should point out though that what I said about the automounter is only if you're not accessing the share. If you're reading and writing to the share often then it shouldn't be unmounting it. That could be symptomatic of a problem with the Windows file server.

tlfeet · #5 May 24th, 2005, 03:47 PM

Hi again Michael;

"I should point out though that what I said about the automounter is only if you're not accessing the share."

Well, part of the problem or my lack of understanding.

I first noticed this, as I was working in/on an Excel file, located on the network, saving as I go along.
Then went to save and got error message, to te effect "Can't save to path, as it can't find the path."

So, panic mode sets in,

- so I look over and no icon for the share, minimized windows, not stuck in some odd spot on desktop, open finder ... not listed.

"Oh, I must have accidentally ejected it ... remount ... working on my Excel file ... keeping an eye on the share ... a voila, it disappears."

So by "not accessing the share"
Do you mean not navigating within it,
Or not using/accessing files saved/stoed there?

Thanks.

PS I do not think AFP is turned on for our server (do windows servers have such a feature?)

michaelsanford · #6 May 24th, 2005, 05:22 PM

No Windows doesn't have AFP, I was just menitoning it FYI.

By 'using' I mean any kind of reading or writing which includes navigating, saving a file, opening a file, whatever. Anything that would access the disk. Since you say you save often, automatic unmounting shouldn't be a problem.

I agree that it sounds a bit strange. It could well be a bug in Tiger (which I don't have). Possibly err someone with Tiger can lend some ingisht

cockneygeezer · #7 May 25th, 2005, 10:25 AM

Dear TLFeet

So you are connect to Windows Shares via SMB and after a certain length of time, the shares disconnect themselves? Is that the problem?

I have to admit, I have never had this problem with my Mac in my work environment, and I log on my windows shares all day.

Have you had a word with your Network Administrator. Maybe, they have a setting on the share to discount users after a certain amount of idle time?

It would make sense?

Or so, do you have a dodgey network cable?

Hope it helps?

tlfeet · #8 May 25th, 2005, 12:19 PM

Hi cockneygeezer,

Yes, had world w network admin.
No timeouts, no kick "X" out/off. etc.

Had no problem with this angle until 10.4, now 10.4.1

And yes, the problem is mount a share, can opne it, navigate it, open files, save files, delete files, move files, etc. etc.

It is just that after an apparantly random period of time, the share dismounts/ejects/disappears from desktop (and no longer shows up in finder, etc.)
Have to remount it to continue work.

Net admin has not turned on any of the features of Windows 2000 Server that are suppose to help Macs - whatever they are - but Net Admin has not done anything to make it more difficult or put up roadblocks or such.

Only thing is - and this is the pain, they will not support my Mac - e.g. do any debugging, testing, reconfiguring, add-ons or such ... if my Mac works, great, if not ... it is my tough luck.

This never happened until 10.4 (had other problems with Windows networking pre 10.4 - e.g. browse never worked, keychain would remeber login/password, but never actually use them & some others)

Indeed, other than this auto-dismount issue 10.4 is working like a charm vis a vis windows networking