Xinet SMB Copy/Duplicate Creates 0-Byte Files from macOS Finder (Fixed in 2025.12.19)

Solution

Symptom

• SMB copy/duplicate appears to complete successfully, but the destination file is created as 0 bytes.
• Common macOS Finder actions that can trigger this:
  • Duplicate (Command+D)
  • Copy via Option-drag

How to recognize you are affected

• Destination files on the SMB share are created but remain 0 bytes (empty).
• Filesystem permissions may be permissive (for example, 0777) and still show the issue.
• Copying works with a “vanilla” Samba configuration, but the issue returns when Xinet SMB/VFS integration is enabled (for example, with Xinet-related modules and integration settings in smb.conf such as:

vfs objects = xinetvolumes
registry shares = yes

Affected and fixed versions

• Affected (reported): Xinet 2025.8.5
• Fix introduced: Xinet 2025.11.14 (with separate server builds for Samba 4.21.3 and 4.22.4)
• Fully resolved (recommended target): Xinet 2025.12.19 (per official release notes)

Root cause

A defect in Xinet’s SMB integration layer (Xinet SMB/VFS modules used with Samba) could cause SMB copy/duplicate operations to create the destination file but fail to transfer contents, resulting in a 0-byte file.

Recommended resolution: upgrade to Xinet 2025.12.19

1. Determine your Samba version
   • Check your installed Samba package/version using your standard OS method (for example, via your package manager).
   • This matters because Xinet Server builds may be provided for different Samba versions.
2. Download the correct Xinet Server build for your Samba version
   • Obtain Xinet 2025.12.19 from your software distribution portal.
   • Select the build variant that matches your environment, for example:
     • Build for Samba 4.21.3
     • Build for Samba 4.22.4 (commonly the standard/default on RHEL 9)
3. Upgrade Xinet Server
   • Follow your standard Xinet upgrade procedure for your platform.
   • After installation, ensure required service restarts are completed (Xinet services and Samba services, as applicable).
4. Validate the fix
   • From a client workstation (for example, macOS Finder), test both:
     • Duplicate a file on the SMB share (Command+D)
     • Copy a file to another folder on the SMB share (Option-drag)
   • Confirm the resulting file size matches the source file size (not 0 bytes).
   • Repeat with multiple file sizes/types that previously reproduced the issue.

Engineering tracking (reference)

• This defect was tracked internally in engineering via JIRA (for example, <jira_id>), and a release-tracking JIRA was created to follow delivery in a product release (for example, <jira_release_id>).

Post-upgrade SMB Authentication / Share-Mount Issues (Environment-Specific)

In at least one environment using Active Directory integration via Centrify, post-upgrade testing required additional review when symptoms included:

• “Cannot authenticate to SMB”
• Authentication succeeds but the client cannot mount a share

If you see these symptoms, collect the following for troubleshooting and re-test after any recommended configuration adjustments for your directory-services integration stack:

• Sanitized output of: sudo testparm -s
• Current /etc/samba/smb.conf
• Relevant Samba logs (for example, log.smbd) and system logs around the test window