# smbfs not supported by the kernel

## sbbeebe

I'm a newbie with Gentoo, so i expect i'll need to post more information, but here's what i know:

I have gentoo-sources 2.0.4.20r5.  In menuconfig, in file systems | Network File Systems, I have selected <*>SMB file system support.

Then

# make dep && make clean bzImage modules modules_install

# cp /usr/src/linux-2.0.4.20r5/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot

after restarting, i can browse both linux samba shares and windows shares through LinNeighborhood, but when trying to mount, i get:

"smbfs not supported by the kernel"

What else is important in figuring out where I went wrong?

tia,

----------

## madchaz

go to a terminal. su to root

type

```

smbmount --help

```

if that doesn't work, it means you need to emerge samba. even with smb file system enabled in the kernel, you can't use the mount command to mount a samba share. 

```

emerge samba

```

you should then be able to use smbmount to mount samba shares  :Smile: 

edit: I forgot to add. you DO need samba enabled in the kernel for samba to work at all. so you need both

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## sbbeebe

OK, i did some reading in smbmount --help and verified i had done emerge samba but still can't mount an smbfs fs.

```
mount -t smbfs -o username=steve,password=<mypswd> //LINUS/shared /home/steve/mnt/LINUS/shared

ERROR: smbfs filesystem not supported by the kernel

```

 Then i did

```
# smbclient //LINUS/shared <mypswd>  -U steve
```

and i got connected and was able to browse the remote share.

But, when i run LinNeighborhood or mount as above, i get the error.  Next steps?

i've verified i have smb support compiled in (not as a module).

tia

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## wan

sbbeebe....... I was with the same problem.... i found a solution....

WAN:wan# emerge -s lilo

Searching...

[ Results for search key : lilo ]

[ Applications found : 1 ]

*  sys-apps/lilo

      Latest version available: 22.5.1

      Latest version installed: 22.5.1

      Size of downloaded files: 373 kB

      Homepage:    http://brun.dyndns.org/pub/linux/lilo/

      Description: Standard Linux boot loader

WAN:wan# emerge -u /usr/portage/sys-apps/lilo/lilo-22.5.6-r3.ebuild

WAN:wan# emerge -s lilo

Searching...

[ Results for search key : lilo ]

[ Applications found : 1 ]

*  sys-apps/lilo

      Latest version available: 22.5.1

      Latest version installed: 22.5.6-r3

      Size of downloaded files: 373 kB

      Homepage:    http://brun.dyndns.org/pub/linux/lilo/

      Description: Standard Linux boot loader

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## antrix

I have the same problem... Did you ever get it fixed? (what does that lilo stuff have to do with it? i'm using grub).

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## SZwarts

The warning/error specificly says it is not supported by the kernel, so my first guess is, something has gone wrong with the kernel compilation/configuration/copy.

To check if you have smbfs support

su and

```

cat /proc/filesystems

```

smbfs should be listed, can you confirm that?

And can you also put the result from

```

cd /usr/src/linux

grep SMB .config

```

or replace /usr/src/linux with your source directory.

Some packets (don't know if samba does), do compile time checks and have to be installed after support is enabeld, so maybe it works to emerge samba after you turned on kernel support?

btw I mostly use smbmount //pc/share /mnt/mntpoint o=username=sbbeebe

instead of a mount -t smbfs... should make a difference though...

P.S. I have no clue what so ever what lilo has to do with it. I'm also using grub, so I suggest you don't emerge lilo if it's only for the smbfs support

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## antrix

thanks for your reply.

I can canfirm that smbfs is NOT listed in /proc/filesystems, I pasted the complete output in another post earlier today.

It's what I cannot understand, according to grep SMB .config It's enabled and all well, but it doesnt actually seem to be compiled into the kernel (because of /proc/filesystems output)....

Is there a logfile anywhere that I can check for errors when compiling the kernel?

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## SZwarts

Only thing I can offer you is that you have to make absolutely sure you have the new kernel booted from (for instance try to change your boot frame buffer logo if you have one, this gets your attention)

delete the old /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage

rebuild your kernel

mount /boot

(backup old bzImage)

cp new one

check date new one

As far as I know there is no log on your compilation as it is put more or less on your screen when compiling. If there is an error on a selected option compilation should stop. So if it sees and SMB option and it failed to compile this into the kernel it should not continue but stop make in the kernel. Then you can lookup the error on screen...

Also look if your /usr/src/linux links to the same release as which you are configuring compiling and installing from.

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## antrix

I am 100% sure I mounted /boot and copied over new kernel image. It is definately the new bzImage which is being used.

There are several other people that have had this problem, yet I have seen no solutions. Could this be a bug, perhaps?

If so it should be reported, I just want confirmation from other people experiencing the same problem.

The kernel compilation completes successfully, so I take it compiled smbfs support successfully too. I will write the output of the compilation to file so I can grep it, just to make sure nothing silly happens at the smbfs support stage.

Or any other ideas of what it could be?  :Idea: 

By the way, here is a link to another topic concerning the same problem:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=73377&highlight=

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## SZwarts

Well the error message clearly states still isn't in the kernel, so I suppose the problem still is there.

In that case there are 2 options

1. It realy is a bug

2. Although you are sure and know definately something nevertheless went wrong.

1. It is unlikely it is a bug, but bugs do appear. But because smbfs is rather old and checked more then once.

I have no experience with reporting bugs so I can't help you there.

2. I've been certain of things which went wrong anyway, not that I won't believer you, but the error message says the problem is here, and I don't know nor have heard of any similar problems. For example I guess that wan was still using a wrong image and emerge lilo made him load the correct one.

That is way I suggested you make another clear change to the kernel (one you can see easily, toggle on/off framebuffer/change boot logo etc.) and look if that will change. In that case, I have to say I'm out of options too.

The check of a change is also very good to say that you know the new kernel not only should work because you followed the procedure, but that you can see that the new kernel is used.

Some more hints:

You can check if smbfs is compiled...

```

cd /usr/src/linux

find | grep smbfs

```

With the .c files you should get .o files too. If you have those, delete these recompile and watch if these re-appear.

If they do this is a sign smbfs is being compiled.

When compiling the kernel and grep'ing on smb you should get results when these are being compiled... Another sign it really is compiled.

Also somehow you might have got corrupt kernel-sources... re-emerge the kernel source.

Another trick is to start again clean. Delete your /usr/src/linux/.config file and make the changes again. 

Which kernel version are convincing to make it come to it senses?

So if you do al this and it still doesn't work, I give up to... Maybe you should try to find out how bugreporting works in this case...

(if I'm being anoying for example still not believing entirly the new kernel is used, I appologise, I'm only trying to help, and I googled and didn't found several people with the same problem, but then again, I'm pretty new here)

Good luck

To summerize it:

have you:

Seen other changes to your kernel?

Re-emerge the kernel source?

re-made the .config (from scratch)?

Seen smbfs.o is re-appearing?

if all yes, then I'm out of options and suggest you start crying/drinking lots of beer/banging your head to the wall, whatever you like to do when the universe conspires against you.

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## antrix

Gets 200 pints of beer and 10 bottles of vodka.... + A personal headbanger-girl employed at £10 an hour.

It just won't work....   :Crying or Very sad:   :Crying or Very sad:   :Crying or Very sad:   :Crying or Very sad: 

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## antrix

Ok, I found my mistake thanks alot to you that helped me.

When I installed gentoo i followed the instructions very very close and ran genkernel, I configured grub.conf accordingly (pointing to /boot/kernel...).

In my mind, I swear I changed this to /boot/bzImage after recompiling my own kernel, but obviously I didnt!

My kernel recompiles have never actually been taken into use, but I got different results as I compiled different modules every time (in other words, the modules were updated and used, whilst the kernel image was not.

The fact that my computer booted differently every time (because of the module change) also made me think that I had reconfigured grub.conf already.

This was a big mistake on my part. But at least it means I can mount samba shares now!

Thanks for all  your help, I would have been lost without you. Linux newbies like me just have to learn from the mistakes made. I certainly have from this one.   :Wink: 

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## SZwarts

So this means you fired your head-banging girl? Or do you have other problems in need of head-banging too?  :Smile: 

This is the kind of mistake why I ussually, as I posted, change something obvious too (I use the boot logo) so I'm certain I know the changes have taken effect.

So now you have samba working, you could try a nativ linux network fs like coda or something  :Razz: 

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## MrPyro

NFS, surely.

Is the head-banger girl cute, by the way? Where did you hire her from   :Very Happy: 

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