FW: IP-resolve issues.

[Christopher R. Hertel]

> Giving both a name and an ip should work where the name can't be looked
> up
> % mount -t smbfs -o username=bla,ip=1.2.3.4 //server/share_name
> (where server is the netbios name, not the dns name, of 1.2.3.4)
> 
> This should be the same for smbclient.

Yes, this works for smbclient.

> It would be nice if this worked too, but I don't know if it does:
> % mount -t smbfs -o username=bla,ip=elviriabridge.mercuryin.es //server/share_name

Urban: Can Linux SMBFS do a NetBIOS name lookup?  That is, can you perform
       the mount operation without specifying the IP.  I have not worked 
       with SMBFS (to my own shame and horror) so I don't honestly know.

> And it would of course be nice if the ip number could be used as server
> name alone and smbmount (and smbclient?) would try to find the netbios
> name (which it apparently could for you using nmblookup).

Yes.  If the server does not respond to "*SMBSERVER" (the generic name
introduced with NT4, I believe) then you could, if you have only the IP,
send an Adapter Status request to retrieve the name list.  Then search for
the #20 name and you've got your server name.  I think I've seen some 
flavor of Windows do this, but I'm not sure.

> And if the server name given wasn't a netbios name it could be looked up
> in the DNS and then looked up again for the netbios name (and now we
> connect this query to the thread on what exactly the rules are for a
> netbios name ... :)

If smbmount needs to be kept small and simple, I can help put together
simple code that does the lookup I'm talking about.  Only one problem: 
some versions of Windows/95 have a bug that causes them to send the status
query reply to port udp/137 rather than the original source port.  That
means that some W/95 boxes will not be 'visible' using the method I
described above. 

Chris -)-----

-- 
Christopher R. Hertel -)-----                   University of Minnesota
crh at nts.umn.edu              Networking and Telecommunications Services

    Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them
    with your hands...you choose them as your guides, and following
    them you will reach your destiny.  --Carl Schultz