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I have found Samba to be a real pain to keep working at home (having half a dosen Windows & Linux computers)

Without a central server, samba keeps moving the domain master browser as computers are shutdown (or just removed from the network) and that makes it not work (**). The result is that samba is not working more that it works, both for Windows and Linux.

On a pure Windows network, the stuff just works. (Even though Windows prefers to have a central server to talk to.)

What settings are needed to have samba work without a central server?

How does Windows handle this?

** There are two levels of "not work" that occur on the network (even at the same time on different computers):

  1. Unable to browse list of workgroups.
  2. Unable to mount share ('Unable to get share list from server').

Also, linux log files (e.g. syslog) fill up with lines like

Dec 24 18:53:47 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   *****
Dec 24 18:53:47 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   
Dec 24 18:53:47 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   Samba server MYWIFIPLUG is now a domain master browser for workgroup W on subnet 10.1.1.2
Dec 24 18:53:47 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   
Dec 24 18:53:47 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   *****
Dec 24 18:54:00 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]: [2011/12/24 18:54:00.120652,  0] nmbd/nmbd_become_lmb.c:416(become_local_master_fail2)
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]: [2011/12/24 18:58:39.421309,  0] nmbd/nmbd_become_dmb.c:292(become_domain_master_browser_bcast)
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   become_domain_master_browser_bcast:
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   Attempting to become domain master browser on workgroup W on subnet 192.168.1.1
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]: [2011/12/24 18:58:39.422170,  0] nmbd/nmbd_become_dmb.c:305(become_domain_master_browser_bcast)
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   become_domain_master_browser_bcast: querying subnet 192.168.1.1 for domain master browser on workgroup W
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]: [2011/12/24 18:58:39.423376,  0] nmbd/nmbd_become_dmb.c:235(become_domain_master_query_success)
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   become_domain_master_query_success:
Dec 24 18:58:39 dreamplug-debian nmbd[2944]:   There is already a domain master browser at IP 192.168.1.35 for workgroup W registered on subnet 192.168.1.1.
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Your problem description is not helpful. All you say is that it makes it "not work". What exactly goes wrong? What problems do you have? – David Schwartz Dec 24 '11 at 8:32
We'll also need a bit more of an idea of set up. How many Windows/Linux computers, are there any that are left on that could be set to try and always be the master browser? – Matthew Steeples Dec 24 '11 at 8:40
edited question with details – Portablejim Dec 24 '11 at 9:11

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