Can't connect to samba from foreign network --- 'Gethostbyaddr failed' error in log.smb

[Frank R. Brown]

I have a samba server at ip address
	aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd

I can connect to it from clients on subnets aaa.bbb.eee. and
aaa.bbb.fff.

I can't connect to it from clients on ggg.hhh.

smb.conf has
	hosts deny = all
	hosts allow = localhost, aaa.bbb., ggg.hhh.

The client can successfully 'ping mysambaserver' (resolves to
aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd).  Doing 'net view \\mysambaserver' fails with
'network path not found', and coincident with this the following
error message appears in mysambaserver's log.smb:
	Gethostbyaddr failed for ggg.hhh.kkk.lll
This is different from the client's address of ggg.hhh.iii.jjj

Note that clients on ggg.hhh. connect quite gracefully to
native nt shares on aaa.bbb.

I'm suspicious that this might be the key to the problem, but
I really don't know what's going on here.

By the way, log.smb is filled with a slew of 'Gethostbyaddr failed'
messages, from lots of ip addresses on aaa.bbb. and ggg.hhh.
I assume these are somehow associated with browsing, because
these would definitely not be (human) clients trying to connect.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for any ideas.

     Frank R.Brown
     Frank.R.Brown at MailAndNews