CIFS file limits on HPUX-Windows?

[Jeff Crew]

Are there file size or open file limits btwn HPUX 11.11 and a CIFS mount Windows system? Any other file limits I need to be aware of in my cifsclient.cfg file?

We are using CIFS A.02.01 to link a HPUX server to Loftware label printing Windows system. Periodically we get an application error from Oracle in writing a file to that directory.

But if the application writes to /usr/tmp and the file is moved to the CIFS directory for the Loftware system, that completes fine.

Our cifsclient.cfg is fairly generic (attached) with only 1 CIFS mountpoint and the baseline nfs/cifs information in those sections.
Thanks in advance.

[Yang Qin_1]

We use SAMBA (CIFS) to share a HP-UX 11.11 directory to a Windows server (in AD) where Loftware label printing program is installed. We do not have any problem since Loftware installed 4 years ago.
I didn't do anything special but "join Unix (Samba) to AD". The only file I have to configure is /etc/opt/samab/smb.conf

[Jeff Crew]

so you don't have anything in the smb.conf file that state you are using files up to # MB or GB in size or will have 100 files open btwn the two systems?

[Yang Qin_1]

NO, nothing but "domain" setup, directory setup

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = ABCD
realm = ABCD.COM
server string = Samba_Hostname
security = DOMAIN
null passwords = Yes
password server = ZZZDC1.ABCD.COM
syslog = 0
log file = /var/opt/samba/log.%m
max log size = 1000
local master = No
ldap ssl = no
idmap uid = 10000-20000
idmap gid = 10000-20000
template shell = /bin/sh
winbind separator = +
winbind use default domain = Yes
read only = No
short preserve case = No
dos filetime resolution = Yes

[homes]
comment = Home Directories
browseable = No

[hyparch]
comment = BaaN archive's file space
path = /xxx/yyy/tmp/DMS
valid users = sambausr

[Rita C Workman]

ditto to what was said above...but here is one thing to consider.

SAMBA on HPUX opens alot of files. For each SAMBA connection serveral files are 'opened'. So potentially, if you have alot of users and if they tend to stay logged in...you could hit a limit on number of open files (nfiles).
Have you checked your syslog to see if maybe you tipped the limit when you see this problem.

Just a thought....

Rgrds,
Rita

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

File limits have to do with ONLY the server operating system.

If file open limits are being breached on an HP-UX CIFS Server installtion there should be evidence in the samba logs, see the smb.conf file for your location.

There should also be relavent messaging in /var/adm/syslog/syslog.log

SEP

[Jeff Crew]

I haven't seen anything in the syslog that might complain about a file limit or ftp errors while connecting to that CIFS mount.

We're planning an outage to open the debug/logging options in the CIFS config file to see what trips to the logs.

So from everyone's experience there isn't a file cache or size parameter deep in the CIFS config?

[Rita C Workman]

Nothing like that in the smb.conf, or anywhere else around there that I recall.
Just recall it needs room in the nfile parm.

Might want to do some checking on nfs. Remember Samba is just sitting on top of nfs, so when your doing your stress testing use your nfs and rpc commands (man nfsstat and rpcinfo) to get a better picture on things.
Sounds like your Samba share is flaking out, and as anyone will tell you....nfs can be test-y at times.

Rgrds,
Rita

[Eric Raeburn]

Jeff,

This is Eric from the HP CIFS Client lab. First I'd like to make a few general comments, then we'll discuss a strategy to solve the problem.

From your description, I understand your environment to be as follows: Oracle is running on an HP-UX system, the HP CIFS Client, running on the same HP-UX system as Oracle, has been used to mount a share on a Windows server which in turn is running the Loftware application, and the Oracle application writes--via the cifs mount--to the Windows server, where Loftware takes some action on the files written. Now Samba is a completely separate software package from the CIFS Client, so if my understanding of your environment is correct, then Samba and its configuration file smb.conf, have nothing to do with this issue. (The assertion in the previous response that Samba sits on top of NFS is incorrect. The CIFS Client uses NFS as a frontend, but Samba does not interoperate with NFS in any way.)

Regarding your specific questions on file size and open limits, no the are none, and there is no configuration setting needed for the Client to support large files; that is always enabled.

Now, to pursue this problem. From your description, there is no obvious reason why the intermittent failure occurs, so it is clear that finding the root cause will be too complex to do in this forum--I urge you to open a call to HP support so we can solve it. We will need to see a CIFS Client logfile, with appropriate log levels enabled. Your support representative can help you with that. Mention my name and state that we've already "discussed" the situation here.

A critical part of this procedure, which we need your help with, is to ensure that you capture the failure in the CIFS Client logfile. To get a head start on this procedure, please start planning on how you can do this. Essentially, you will need to devise a method of grabbing the log immediately, when the failure occurs. That means figuring out a way to detect the failure and then either copying the logfile or stopping the CIFS Client. We can work with you on this much more closely once the support call is opened.

Feel free to post addition questions here before calling.

Good luck,
-Eric

[Jeff Crew]

We've started the debug logging on our Oracle-Loftware mount and watching the file transfers information.

Since Loftware looks for files to process via it's own "cronjob" and it could grab files that are not completely writen.

How does CIFS lock files that are being written so that another process can't touch?

[Eric Raeburn]

Jeff,

This CIFS Client does not request file locks.

The most efficient way to identify the source of this problem would be for you to place an HP support call, and send us a cifsclient logfile, as I urged you to do in my previous post. It would also be helpful for us, in addition to the cifsclient log, to have the Oracle log for the time period in which the error occurs.

-Eric