samba problems

["Carl Wilhelm Soderstrom" <carls@agritech.com>]

I'm trying to get SAMBA working on my new server here, (RH6.1 w/ stock
2.2.12-20 kernel, samba 2.0.5a) and it refuses to start for some
inexplicable reason. with my original configuration, here's what I got in
/var/log/samba/log.smb:

[1999/11/04 14:22:20, 1] smbd/server.c:main(628)
  smbd version 2.0.5a started.
  Copyright Andrew Tridgell 1992-1998
[1999/11/04 14:22:20, 0] lib/util_sid.c:string_to_sid(262)
  string_to_sid: Sid ~ does not start with 'S-'.
[1999/11/04 14:22:20, 0] passdb/passdb.c:read_sid_from_file(812)
  unable to generate machine SID.
[1999/11/04 14:22:20, 0] passdb/passdb.c:pdb_generate_sam_sid(873)
  unable to read file /etc/MACHINE.SID. Error was No such file or directory
[1999/11/04 14:22:20, 0] smbd/server.c:main(658)
  ERROR: Samba cannot create a SAM SID.

so I went to a simpler /etc/smb.conf to see if it made a difference:
#this is taken from one of the example files in the samba docs
[global]
   workgroup = <deleted>
   guest account = pcguest
   log file = /usr/local/samba/log.%m
[homes]
   comment = Home Directories
   browseable = no
   read only = no
   create mode = 0750

but it still fails when I try to start it. (gives a [FAILED] error message,
and doesn't show up in ps ax)
this is the result in /var/log/samba/log.smb:

[1999/11/04 15:10:37, 1] smbd/server.c:main(628)
  smbd version 2.0.5a started.
  Copyright Andrew Tridgell 1992-1998

even invoking the daemon by hand (/usr/sbin/smbd), it exits immediately;
dying without an error. 

OTOH nmbd can be started and stopped just fine; smbmount works reasonably
well (loses it's connection occasionally, but otherwise works); smbclient
works too. 
so the problem seems to be with just smbd.

does anyone have an idea what's going on here? or should I report a bug to
the samba team and see what they have to say?

thanks,
Carl Soderstrom
System Administrator	307 Brighton Ave. 
Minnesota DHIA		Buffalo, MN	
carls@agritech.com	(612) 682-1091