"Folder empty" on Samba-accessed NAS after a file operation

Support Network
1

Not sure when this began but I think it was after the 9-12-22 stable update:
I access my Synology Diskstation in Gnome Files using smb://192.168.x.x. In Files I’ve always been able to see all folders, all files, and to perform file operations. Now, after doing a file operation such as copying from the NAS to a local folder, returning to the NAS top level shows a “Folders Empty” message. Closing Files and re-opening does nothing but logging out/in works. This occurs each time I try. I have bookmarks for specific folders (volumes) on the NAS and curiously I can access their contents but not the NAS top level.

To help troubleshoot I installed EndeavourOS Gnome and set up the Samba access to the NAS in the same way as in Manjaro Gnome. The same problem occurred.

I’m not an expert but I’ll try my best to answer any questions. Thanks.

Steve

System:
  Host: mg8910 Kernel: 5.10.141-1-MANJARO arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc
    v: 12.2.0 Desktop: GNOME v: 42.4 Distro: Manjaro Linux base: Arch Linux
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: Dell product: XPS 8910 v: 1.1.12
    serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: Dell model: 0WPMFG v: A00 serial: <superuser required> UEFI: Dell
    v: 1.1.12 date: 06/16/2020
CPU:
  Info: quad core model: Intel Core i7-6700 bits: 64 type: MT MCP
    arch: Skylake-S rev: 3 cache: L1: 256 KiB L2: 1024 KiB L3: 8 MiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 3913 high: 4002 min/max: 800/4000 cores: 1: 4000
    2: 3866 3: 3969 4: 3776 5: 3941 6: 4002 7: 3853 8: 3898 bogomips: 54417
  Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel HD Graphics 530 vendor: Dell driver: i915 v: kernel
    arch: Gen-9 bus-ID: 00:02.0
  Device-2: AMD Ellesmere [Radeon RX 470/480/570/570X/580/580X/590]
    vendor: Tul / PowerColor driver: amdgpu v: kernel arch: GCN-4
    bus-ID: 01:00.0
  Device-3: Logitech HD Webcam C910 type: USB
    driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo bus-ID: 1-14:8
  Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.4 with: Xwayland v: 22.1.3
    compositor: gnome-shell driver: X: loaded: amdgpu,modesetting
    unloaded: radeon gpu: amdgpu resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz
  Message: Wayland GBM/EGL data currently not available.
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 100 Series/C230 Series Family HD Audio vendor: Dell
    driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 1-14:8 bus-ID: 00:1f.3
  Device-2: AMD Ellesmere HDMI Audio [Radeon RX 470/480 / 570/580/590]
    vendor: Tul / PowerColor driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 01:00.1
  Device-3: Logitech HD Webcam C910 type: USB
    driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo
  Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.10.141-1-MANJARO running: yes
  Sound Server-2: JACK v: 1.9.21 running: no
  Sound Server-3: PulseAudio v: 16.1 running: yes
  Sound Server-4: PipeWire v: 0.3.57 running: yes
Network:
  Device-1: Intel Wireless 3165 driver: iwlwifi v: kernel bus-ID: 03:00.0
  IF: wlp3s0 state: down mac: 7a:ff:cf:55:28:01
  Device-2: Qualcomm Atheros QCA8171 Gigabit Ethernet vendor: Dell
    driver: alx v: kernel port: d000 bus-ID: 04:00.0
  IF: enp4s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: f4:8e:38:d7:b9:a6
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: Intel Bluetooth wireless interface type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8
    bus-ID: 1-8:6
  Report: rfkill ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: down bt-service: enabled,running
    rfk-block: hardware: no software: yes address: see --recommends
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 931.52 GiB used: 13.76 GiB (1.5%)
  ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: Samsung model: SSD 970 EVO 500GB
    size: 465.76 GiB temp: 46.9 C
  ID-2: /dev/sda vendor: Samsung model: SSD 850 EVO 500GB size: 465.76 GiB
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 27.34 GiB used: 11.01 GiB (40.3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
  ID-2: /boot/efi size: 850 MiB used: 28.8 MiB (3.4%) fs: vfat
    dev: /dev/nvme0n1p1
  ID-3: /home size: 16.36 GiB used: 2.72 GiB (16.7%) fs: ext4
    dev: /dev/sda2
Swap:
  ID-1: swap-1 type: partition size: 9.81 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%)
    dev: /dev/sda8
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 44.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: amdgpu temp: 46.0 C
  Fan Speeds (RPM): cpu: 1593 mobo: 464 gpu: amdgpu fan: 300
Info:
  Processes: 283 Uptime: 21m Memory: 15.54 GiB used: 1.7 GiB (10.9%)
  Init: systemd Compilers: gcc: 12.2.0 clang: 14.0.6 Packages: 1200
  Shell: Zsh v: 5.9 inxi: 3.3.21
2

I should have mentioned that this is not a problem on Manjaro KDE or Linux Mint 21.

Steve

3

Using GVFS to access SMB shares is always a “hit-or-miss”. Not to mention it lacks features, has issues with thumbnails, and has a nasty performance hit.

Regardless of desktop environment, I recommend using the native cifs module to access SMB shares (mount, fstab, or systemd), rather than the file browser’s built-in smb:// protocol.

Sure, it might be less convenient at first, but once you set it up, you can make shortcuts / bookmarks on your side-panel.

4

Samba is using the cifs filesystem - gio is just a layer on top of smbclient functions.

The reason you cannot - anonymously - browse the root of the samba server is because netbios browsing has been disabled due to widespread ransomware propagating through netbios browsing.

Whether you choose to mount the share using the mount command, using an entry in fstab, using mount/automount units or gio, the cifs filesystem is the basic.

5

It may be a “layer” on top of it, but it comes with bad consequences. One of which is literally “half speed” throughput over a local network:

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=279282

There’s a patch to supposedly “fix” this, but not yet merged, nor likely to be any time soon. It’s been over 5 years since the bug was reported. :person_shrugging:

There are other issues too.

This is why I always recommend using pure cifs, whether through a manual mount, fstab, or systemd automounts. (Or Smb4K which is a native KDE application.)

6

Looks like I have a lot of studying to do should I ever find the time. There are many things here I don’t understand. For one, why could I browse the root of the NAS before but not now? And why am I able to browse the root without issue until I perform a file operation? Was there recently something in an update that implemented this? linux-aarhus, you said “The reason you cannot-anomymously-browse the root of the samba server…” but I don’t understand why it’s anonymous when I first set it up with a user name and password to gain access to the NAS and checked off “Remember forever.”

I’m sure these things are obvious to you but to me they are challenging. Thanks for your help but I’m lost.

Steve

7

I removed the bookmarks for smb:// access to the NAS and replaced them with afp:// access. I can’t explain a thing but it works.

Steve

8

Synology exports afp (Apple Filesystem Protocol) - not every NAS does so.

Synlogy also offers timemachine backup for mac

9

Thanks to both of you for your help. I will follow the links in your posts eventually and learn a few things. For now I’ll leave well enough alone.

Steve