Samba access or Apache server?

[Steve Fosdick]

Jeff Williamson wrote:
 
> Steve-thanks for the advice.
> I've changed my hostname on the 95 box from "95" to "win" but
> the problem persists. The Apache server is of course running
> on the Linux box.

> There is a trade-off here; either I have Samba access from my
> win95 box to the Linux machine, or I can access Apache-but not
> both. The way to change it is by including or omitting the
> reference to the Linux box in /etc/hosts.

> Is this a bug?

It could be a bug or it could be a bit of misconfiguration somewhere
else.  As I said in my earlier message a UNIX box should have its own
hostname and IP address in the /etc/hosts file and this is true even if
it normally uses DNS or NIS for hostname resolution as it may need to
look up its own hostname or its own IP address before either of these
services is started.

I have both apache and samba working successfully on a Unix box here
(actually HP-UX rather than Linux but there are many similarities) and
with the machines own hostname in the /etc/hosts file.  We also have DNS
configured and use that for hostname lookup too.

In my opinion samba is working fine in your case in that it is the
application that works when the machine is correctly configured with its
own name in /etc/hosts and it's apache we need to sort out.  My guess
would be that apache is either having trouble resolving its own name or
that of the client but rather than just guess it would help to have a
bit more information:

1.  Do you have the DNS resolver configured for host
    name lookup (see /etc/resolv.conf).

2.  Does Linux implement a name service switch
    (/etc/nsswitch.conf) and if so what does it have it in.

3.  What error message(s) do you get from the client when apache
    isn't working properly.

4.  Immediately after an unsuccessful attempt to access apache
    from a client, what are the last few lines in apache's error
    log file (usually called error_log under whatever directory
    apache is installed in.)

Armed with this extra info I sure this is solvable.

-- 
Steve Fosdick                  Internet: fosdicsj at aom.bt.co.uk
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