Multiworkgroup browsning

Baldur Norddahl bbn at dark.x.dtu.dk
Tue Sep 16 13:04:21 GMT 1997


We finally got browsning working right. We have a setup with 6 broadcast
isolated subnets, each with its own workgroup/domain. 5 subnets are run by
Windows NT systems, while we have been trying to run the last subnet
without any NT PDC. Ie. the last subnet has a samba as browsemaster, but
all kinds of clients that have ever been made, incl. windows NT
workstation and server computers. The WINS server is a NT server on one
of the other subnets.

Here is what we did:

The samba workgroup is called "KAMPSAX". The domain that hosts the WINS
server is called "OSTENFELD", and the rest is called "BERGSOE", "VKR",
"POP" and "NYBRO".

The smb.conf on our samba server is like this:

[global]
   log file = /var/log/samba
   lock directory = /var/lock/samba
   share modes = yes
   security = share
   workgroup = kampsax
   os level = 40
   wins support = no
   wins proxy = yes
   dns proxy = no
   domain logons = yes
   wins server = danbo.ostenfeld.dtu.dk
   server string = Kampsax server 2
   preferred master = yes
   domain master = yes
   local master = yes
   case sensitive = no
   preserve case = yes
   short preserve case = yes         
   debug level = 1

At this point everyone can browse kampsax, but kampsax can still only
browse itself. This was expected since samba only supports one workgroup.

Now we created 5 ip aliases for the samba server: 212.5, 212.6,
212.7, 212.8 and 212.9. We also created an smb.conf file for each of the
other domains. I will just take one of them, since they are almost the
same:

/etc/smb.ostenfeld.conf:

[global]
   log file = /var/log/samba.ostenfeld
   lock directory = /var/lock/samba/ostenfeld
   workgroup = ostenfeld
   interfaces = 192.38.212.5/255.255.252.0
   os level = 40
   dns proxy = no
   wins server = danbo.ostenfeld.dtu.dk
   server string = Kampsax Ostenfeld browsmaster
   preferred master = yes
   domain master = no
   local master = yes
   debug level = 1
   socket address = 192.38.212.5
   netbios name = carlsberg2

Start this with "nmbd -D -s /etc/smb.ostenfeld.conf -l
/var/log/log.ostenfeld". There is no need to start smbd for the extra
smb.conf files.

The idea is simple. Just run as many nmbd as you have workgroups. But in
theory this should not work, becouse only the first nmbd is receiving any
broadcasts. And in practice the extra nmbd seems a bit defunct. They never
answer any requests, properly becouse they never receive them. I can't
explain why it is working anyway, but it is.

Here is what "smbclient -L carlsberg" says: (carlsberg is the samba
server)

[bbn at carlsberg /mnt/hda1/home/bbn] smbclient -L carlsberg
Added interface ip=192.38.212.1 bcast=192.38.215.255 nmask=255.255.252.0
Server time is Tue Sep 16 15:00:45 1997
Timezone is UTC+2.0
Domain=[KAMPSAX] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 1.9.17]

Server=[CARLSBERG] User=[bbn] Workgroup=[KAMPSAX] Domain=[KAMPSAX]

        Sharename      Type      Comment
        ---------      ----      -------
        bbn            Disk      Home Directories
        IPC$           IPC       IPC Service (Kampsax server 2)
        loke           Disk      Gateway til loke.popnet.dtu.dk
        public         Disk      Diverse offentligt software
        web            Disk      Brug dette share til HTML filer


This machine has a browse list:

        Server               Comment
        ---------            -------
        CARLSBERG            Kampsax server 2
        CHIM-CON             CoN-ChiM
... there is about 100 entries ...
        THE POINT ORIGO      Be Specific !
        TUBORG               Kampsax kollegiets server


This machine has a workgroup list:

        Workgroup            Master
        ---------            -------
        BERGSOE              CARLSBERG4
        KAMPSAX              CARLSBERG
        NYBRO                CARLSBERG6
        OSTENFELD            CARLSBERG2
        POP                  CARLSBERG3
        VKR                  CARLSBERG5

"nmblookup -M ostenfeld" returns nothing, but the windows boxes are happy.

Baldur



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