Do we really need "local master" with Windows 7 ?

[Black Ninja]

It's time for me to leave and watch movie. Good night and thanks;)

 

[cyberjock]

Thank a lot for the script. I'll try it.
You didn't answer me on the part: Is mapping it as drive has anything other benefits than giving you a drive letter which you can use to trick a software is a drive ?:p

Not really. In fact it can make things difficult because if you reboot the NAS it may not let you reconnect until you unmount and remount the share. Hence my script blindly unmounts and remounts the share every time I run it.

 

[nightshade00013]

Just remember that when you save a script like that you may want to make sure that user does not have shell access in FreeNAS. I know it's put on your desktop but some jerk decides to look at the script with your username and password in plain text and before you know it problems start popping up. Probably shouldn't use a root account either but that's just my two cents.

I have mapped the network folder as a drive and make sure that I save the username and password as enterprise in the credentials manager. Reboot and after a second or so on the first use it comes right back up, same if the FreeNAS gets rebooted once it is available again.

 

[Black Ninja]

Not really. In fact it can make things difficult because if you reboot the NAS it may not let you reconnect until you unmount and remount the share. Hence my script blindly unmounts and remounts the share every time I run it.

That's what I thought. I rather not map them- the way I've doing it now. That's how any client can access freenas server on a need bases , as long as is freenas is there won't matter reboots. Credentials are will be saved in windows, so no need for mapping. At least for my case

 

[Black Ninja]

I just want to thank all of you who help to resolve this issue . Now I can eliminate this error without just disabling this feature from freenas but adding the proper information in the DNS. I wish I knew that earlier. Now I can answer another question myself which I'll post below.:):

Q: How come this issue is not a common problem for the most freenas users ?Am I the only freenas home user who is not running DNS and active directory on his home network and therefor experience this error.

A: NO. Most people don't run that on their home network and they do get this error. They just igrone it and consider everything that shows in the console to be "gibberish" so it must be ignored.

 

[Jailer]

I have my FreeNAS set to local master. Without it, it doesn't show up in the network locations in explorer on windows machines. To get it to work "somewhat reliably" you need to do a couple things.

First disable the computer browser service on all windows machines. If you don't your FreeNAS box will lose the election every time.

Second you have to add some auxiliary parameters to your cifs settings or FreeNAS will lose the election to linux boxes and devices on your network. Mine was consistently getting dropped as master browser when I turned on my openelec/Plex client or Rasplex. These can be added from the GUI in the services menu by clicking on the little wrench icon next the the CIFS switch and adding the following lines to the auxiliary parameters box and saving the changes.

Code:

domain master = Yes
preferred master = Yes
local master = Yes
os level = 255

 

[Black Ninja]

I have my FreeNAS set to local master. Without it, it doesn't show up in the network locations in explorer on windows machines. To get it to work "somewhat reliably" you need to do a couple things.

First disable the computer browser service on all windows machines. If you don't your FreeNAS box will lose the election every time.

Second you have to add some auxiliary parameters to your cifs settings or FreeNAS will lose the election to linux boxes and devices on your network. Mine was consistently getting dropped as master browser when I turned on my openelec/Plex client or Rasplex. These can be added from the GUI in the services menu by clicking on the little wrench icon next the the CIFS switch and adding the following lines to the auxiliary parameters box and saving the changes.

Code:

domain master = Yes
preferred master = Yes
local master = Yes
os level = 255

Even if freenas looses master election , then it will be given to another windows machine , so what difference does it make who is local master then ?

 

[Jailer]

Because at least for me if FreeNAS isn't the local master it doesn't show up in the explorer window under network places on my windows machines. It's still accessible but just isn't listed.

 

[Black Ninja]

Because at least for me if FreeNAS isn't the local master it doesn't show up in the explorer window under network places on my windows machines. It's still accessible but just isn't listed.

When your freenas is not elected as master browser, did you check if some other machine is elected as master browser instead ?
http://scottiestech.info/2009/02/14/how-to-determine-the-master-browser-in-a-windows-workgroup/

 

[Jailer]

When your freenas is not elected as master browser, did you check if some other machine is elected as master browser instead ?

When I was first trying to figure this whole thing out yes. It was my windows desktop that was always winning the election. Once I disabled the computer browser service FreeNAS would become master browser again.

The openelec/Plex client was a bit easier to figure out. As soon as I turned it on there would be a message in the footer in the FreeNAS GUI that it was no longer master browser. As soon as it was turned off FreeNAS would revert to master browser again.

 

[Black Ninja]

When I was first trying to figure this whole thing out yes. It was my windows desktop that was always winning the election. Once I disabled the computer browser service FreeNAS would become master browser again.

The openelec/Plex client was a bit easier to figure out. As soon as I turned it on there would be a message in the footer in the FreeNAS GUI that it was no longer master browser. As soon as it was turned off FreeNAS would revert to master browser again.

By the way where in windows you turn off master browser ?

When your desktop was a master browser were you able to see other pc's in "network places" , it shouldn't matter who is local master as long as there is one , right ?

 

[Jailer]

By the way where in windows you turn off master browser ?

It's in the services menu. Right click the Windows icon and select run. In the run prompt type services.msc, the one you want to disable is called "computer browser". Right click and select properties and from the dop down menu select disable. Make sure you stop the service if it is running as well.

When your desktop was a master browser were you able to see other pc's in "network places" , it shouldn't matter who is local master as long as there is one , right ?

Other pc's yes but not anything else, just windows PC's.

 

[Black Ninja]

Other pc's yes but not anything else, just windows PC's.

So that's what you should see in first place right ? Are you saying you are seeing more PC's in "network places" when Freenas is master , compared to if some windows machine is master ? Did I got that right ?

 

[Jailer]

So that's what you should see in first place right ? Are you saying you are seeing more PC's in "network places" when Freenas is master , compared to if some windows machine is master ? Did I got that right ?

Yes, my rasplex rpi2 and openelec/plex box when it's on. If FreeNAS isn't master browser then all I can see are other windows PC's. Don't ask me why, that's just been my experience.

 

[Black Ninja]

I see. I don't have a plex and stuff like that so no experience with that.