I started having a problem with randomly losing browsing capabilities. Eventually I figured out that it was due to my son's new MAC computer, which was recently attached to my network. Through much research, I discovered two things.

1. The MAC was becoming the master browser.
2. the MAC operating system ( OS-X ) was really running "on top" of linux!



So my first thing was to figure out how to remotely connect to the MAC with ssh. So Here is how you do it:

1. On the MAC, click on the little apple in the upper left corner of thescreen / toolbar
2. Click SYSTEM PREFERENCES then SHARING
3. Check the box: ENABLE REMOTE LOGIN

This will now allow you to ssh into the MAC G4 from another computer. For Windows PC's, I use Putty.

Apparently what is happening is that when a Mac is turned on, it forces what is known in the "Microsoft World" as an election. This is a complicated process that determines which PC on the network will be in charge of the "master list" of computers on the network. So when you click on Network Neighborhood all the computers on the network will appear. For a detailed explanation of this whole thing, you can go here. The problem is that the Mac for some reason ALWAYS wins the election! So when the Mac gets turned off, All browsing on the network quits.

Connect to the Mac via SSH. Login with a username (and password) with administrative privledges for the Mac.

Type the following: sudo pico /etc/smb.conf. This will open an editor, and you will find a very basic samba configuration file. Use the down arrow key until you find the "[globals]" section. Add the following lines at the bottom of the globals section.

os level = 1
lm announce = No
preferred master = No
local master = No
domain master = No

Press the control key and the X key. A line will be printed at the bottom asking if you want to save the modified buffer. Type a Y and press Enter. You can now close your Terminal window.

Reboot the Mac.

On your Samba Server, in the /etc/samba/smb.conf file, you will need to set the following: OS level = 255 This is the highest value that can be set, and will insure that your Samba server will win all elections to be the master browser. Once this is set, restart Samba, and your MAC's will no longer take control of your browse lists.