Veto Files in the SMB.conf File

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product name: JovianDSS
product version: all / version
build: all / version

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Question:

In the veto files section of the smb.conf file, where it is red underlined, wouldn't it be ._*/.DS_Store?

Example of Veto file in SMB conf — Example of veto file in SMB.conf

Answer:

The reason the configuration specifies: veto files = /.nfs/._.DS_Store/ instead of: veto files = /.nfs/._*/.DS_Store/ is because ._.DS_Store refers to a specific file name, not a wildcard pattern.

MacOS sometimes creates an AppleDouble companion file called ._.DS_Store that holds extended attributes for the .DS_Store file itself. This happens on non-HFS filesystems (like SMB or NFS shares), where those attributes can’t be stored in the filesystem directly.

In other words:

.DS_Store – stores Finder view settings for each folder.
._.DS_Store – stores extra metadata about the .DS_Store file.
._* – a general wildcard that matches any AppleDouble companion file (e.g., ._filename).

Older or mixed macOS environments often generate that specific ._.DS_Store file, so it’s included explicitly for completeness. Modern configurations typically also include the broader ._* pattern to block all AppleDouble files, but the literal ._.DS_Store entry is still valid. It’s just more targeted.

If you want comprehensive filtering, you can safely include both forms, like this:

veto files = /.nfs/.DS_Store/._.DS_Store/._*/.AppleDB/.AppleDouble/.TemporaryItems/.Trashes/

That will hide both the .DS_Store files and any of their ._* AppleDouble counterparts.