On Saturday 04 January 2003 3:54 am, FX Fraipont wrote:
I know this question has already been asked a zillion times, but I have done my homework (Teach yourself samba in x hours + newsgoup search + web search) and I have not been able to solve the problem.
Setup: Suse 8.1 samba server smb - nmb running
which version of samba? [just curious -- shouldn't matter, but later versions have "more features"...]
4 win98 boxes
any of them "NT" [and then, "workstation" vs. "server"?] [...]
No wins server
trivial question: why not? [as in, "why not make the linux box the wins server?"] without a "wins" server, systems that do not "broadcast" the fact that they exist must be included in the "lmhosts" file of /every client/ that expects to "see" them "in the neighborhood" [this might give you an inkling as to what the problem may be, but read on...] [...]
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, and best samba wishes for 2003.
[snipping shares & most-likely-unrelated options]
[global]
workgroup = WORKGROUP server string = Vertigo Samba Server security = user local master = yes os level = 33 domain master = no preferred master = yes wins support = no
From the "man smb.conf" pages: <take a deep breath>
domain master (G)
Tell nmbd(8)to enable WAN-wide browse list collation. Set
ting this option causes nmbd to claim a special domain spe
cific NetBIOS name that identifies it as a domain master
browser for its given workgroup. Local master browsers in
the same workgroup on broadcast-isolated subnets will give
this nmbd their local browse lists, and then ask smbd(8)
for a complete copy of the browse list for the whole wide
area network. Browser clients will then contact their local
master browser, and will receive the domain-wide browse
list, instead of just the list for their broadcast-isolated
subnet.
Note that Windows NT Primary Domain Controllers expect to
be able to claim this workgroup specific special NetBIOS
name that identifies them as domain master browsers for
that workgroup by default (i.e. there is no way to prevent
a Windows NT PDC from attempting to do this). This means
that if this parameter is set and nmbd claims the special
name for a workgroup before a Windows NT PDC is able to do
so then cross subnet browsing will behave strangely and may
fail.
If domain logons = yes , then the default behavior is to
enable the domain master parameter. If domain logons is not
enabled (the default setting), then neither will domain
master be enabled by default.
Default: domain master = auto
OK, what this is saying:
windows's "network neighborhood" works like this: every computer regularly
"broadcasts" a message to the effect, "hi, I'm a dos/windows machine on this
network, I'm offering the following 'services', please remember me; if not,
I'll tell you again in 15 seconds" [or maybe it is 5 seconds -- for fun and
giggles, hook up a dozen windows computers to a switch and leave them all
"idle" -- watch for "broadcast storms"] Every OTHER computer in the network
is supposed to grab that information and note it down somewhere. Linux does
this [via nmdb] and you'll see files under /var/lib/samba that reflect the
data gathered [browse.dat / wins.dat]
local master (G)
This option allows nmbd(8)to try and become a local master
browser on a subnet. If set to false then nmbd will not
attempt to become a local master browser on a subnet and
will also lose in all browsing elections. By default this
value is set to true. Setting this value to true doesn't
mean that Samba will become the local master browser on a
subnet, just that nmbd will participate in elections for
local master browser.
Setting this value to false will cause nmbd never to become
a local master browser.
Default: local master = yes
check the file /var/log/samba/