T 4.72 Inconsistent databases in the trivial database format under Samba

Samba stores databases in several directories in the Trivial Database (TDB) format. The files in these directories are essential to the correct operation of Samba. For example, the databases by the smbd processes in order to communicate with each other.

For these databases, Samba places very high requirements on the underlying file system of the operating system in terms of its performance and consistency. These requirements are not fulfilled by all file system/operating system combinations. This applies especially to all older versions of operating systems and file systems.

For example, there was a scaling problem when locking files in file systems when running Samba 3 in connection with Solaris. This problem occurred as soon as about 600 users simultaneously accessed the Samba server. Linux is also affected by similar problems. There were problems in some older versions of the ReiserFS file system when it was used in connection with Samba.

If it is not ensured during installation that the operating system/file system combination used is suitable for the TDB files of Samba, serious performance issues or malfunctions may occur due to inconsistencies in the databases.