OT: browsing between subnets

[Simo Sorce]

isyn at isi.wat.waw.pl wrote:
> 
> > I do not know how to solve this problem, but just a idea:
> >
> > Did you try setting wins server on cyber and mamut to dino IP address.
> > I an not shure that this make sense, but what do you know.
> Yes I did this, it made nothing, all what happend was that the dino saw
> mamut and cyber, but they were not browseable for it...
> 
> I have an idea to.
> One can write a ip and the name of computers to the lmhosts file. Maybe it
> will help...
> 
> --
> ROBERT MAGIER

You have a problem resolved many times and documented somwhere in samba
faqs!
However, there are some experiences explained (hope you will understand
my bad english:( )

First of all: The windows smb protocol discovers machine on a brodcast
basis, so if you have two separeted subnets the machines of one subnet
do not see the ones of another subnet.

To resolve this and other weird problem with broadcast discovery, wins
were introduced. The wins server may reside in any subnet, the ckients
must be configured to connect to wins server.
Once a client come up, it register himself on the wins ang get back the
list of currently registered machines, then it will resync every
x-minutes with the wins to get updated browse lists.


At this point however you have two scenarios:

1. you have only workgroup and no domains, once wins is activated, after
some minutes(or hours) the wins clients should see all the other
registered clients.

2. You have domains.
In this case you will probably see al the windows domains but you can
access other domains only if the other domain server permit this (the
last statement is based on personal testing).


So if you have more subnets you should really use a wins server (this
will reduce also the brodacast trafic), if you have domains you should
grant correct permissions (trusting) to access others domains.

Ciao,
Simo.

-- 
Simo Sorce - Integrazione Sistemi Unix/Windows - Politecnico di Milano
E-mail: simo.sorce at polimi.it
Tel.int: 02 2399 2425 - Fax.int. 02 2399 2451
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