[SOLVED] MACs and NetGear ReadyNAS

[NoKnees_02]

Hello, We recently added a NetGear ReadyNAS to a hybrid MAC/Windows network. The PCs work fine but the MACs keep getting intermittent issues with dropping the connection to the SMB share so that when an application tries to save the data area is no longer accessible. If you drop the connection and re-enter the security details then it usually reconnects fine. Even Netgear seem flummoxed. Is there anything in smb.conf we should change to resolve this?

 

[COLGeek]

Is this a wireless or wired network?

 

[JustSomeJoe]

Also what OS? There are some known issues with the latest OSX.

 

[NoKnees_02]

The network is fully wired and the OS version is 10.6.8

NetGear themselves have tried to replicate the problem in the lab and can't and we also have a MAC book on site and it behaves itself perfectly. Someone has suggested there may be something in smb.conf that can affect the connection to the ReadyNas. From what we can work out, the problem is definitely with the MACs, not the NAS.

 

[COLGeek]

Fixed IPs or DHCP?

 

[NoKnees_02]

The MACs use DHCP but the NAS is obviously fixed

 

[scoobydoobry]

We had the same problem with an Iomega NAS box. They would drop the shares on Mac's running 10.6. 10.5 Mac's were fine. They ended up replacing the NAS with a newer version of the same device and the problem went away.

If you have a 10.5 Mac, check if that maintaines the SMB share.

Also a a fudgy workaround, try mapping an iSCSI drive to a PC or Server from the NAS and sharing that as a SMB share, I found that worked with the Mac's. Not ideal but it works.

 

[NoKnees_02]

We've got the Directors of Netgear UK involved now. It seems there is a problem with 10.6 and this has resulted from a change made by Apple that isn't documented anywhere. They're going away to see if they can come up with a fix as it doesn't look like Apple is likely to this century! If anyone knows anything more their help would be appreciated