Browsing across subnets - some more problems

[Gerald Carter]

> Hi all,
> 
> - Machines on a subnet will periodically announce their existance by
> broadcasting to everyone their identity

Correct.  And these broadcasts names will be registered with the domain
brose master.

> - Other machines will hear these broadcasts, and add the machines to
> their browse lists.

Wrong.  Only one browse master per workgroup / domain.  There may be
local masters per subnet.

> - If one of the machines is a WINS server, that machine will keep note
> of the broadcasting machine in it's WINS database, as well aqs add the
> machine to it's browse list.

Wrong.  If you use WINS then the name registration is point-to-point
rather than broadcast.

> I am not getting the above, here are some questions / concerns:
> 
> - Why does nmbd appear to be running twice on some machines?

This was added in 1.9.18alpha series to prevent blocking DNS lookups
when nmbd was configured as a WINS server.  It's normal behavior

> - Why does the samba WINS server add machines to it's WINS database, 
> but not add machines to its browse list?

a WINS server is not the same as a BROWSE master.  See BROWSING.txt

> - Why does another samba server not receive an updated browse list 
> from the WINS server?

See the "remote announce" and "remote browse sync" parameters in
smb.conf man page.  Also check out BROWSING.txt again.




Hope this helps,
j-
-- 
________________________________________________________________________
                            Gerald ( Jerry ) Carter	
Engineering Network Services                           Auburn University 
jerry at eng.auburn.edu             http://www.eng.auburn.edu/users/cartegw

       "...a hundred billion castaways looking for a home."
                                  - Sting "Message in a Bottle" ( 1979 )