Setting up Samba on Red Hat Linux 6.1

[Peter Samuelson]

[Peter Nosko]
> No responses after a couple of days.  Maybe it isn't after all.  Or
> am I being impatient?  :>

It's the right list, no doubt about it.  You might also try the
newsgroup comp.protocols.smb, though I haven't looked in on them for
the past couple years.

The problem is that your question is at once vague and difficult.
Vague in that you didn't actually post your smb.conf file -- this can
help a great deal.  Difficult in that there are so many things that can
go wrong with a new Linux install, in terms of networking in general as
well as Samba in particular.

I have been on this list for several months, and your experience so far
is not unusual.  Many questions get answered, many do not.

> I don't know much about setting up DNS (yet), so all my machines are

Samba basically doesn't need DNS for anything, so don't worry about it.

> I generally followed the NHF at
> http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/network/samba/samba1.html

I see at least one typo on that page.  (Well, on samba2.html.)  The
config file parameter

  nterfaces = ...

should be "interfaces".

> I started following the troubleshooting checklist at
> http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/network/samba/samba1.html

What checklist?  Is it something that doesn't show up in Lynx?

> Test 4 returned my internal network address (192.168.2.0) instead of
> the IP address of the Linux/Samba machine (192.168.2.3).  Test 8 got
> me what I mentioned above (error #59), so I didn't bother with test
> 9.  Test 10 is a GUI version of test 9.

Since I can't see the checklist, please be more specific.  Also, do
post (or at least send me) your smb.conf file.

> Also, I've seen stuff about a compatibility issue between NT4/Win98
> encrypted passwords and Samba.  If I'm trying to do something that
> isn't yet fully supported, please let me know.  If so, I'd welcome
> suggestions for alternatives.

Well, you have basically three choices:

"encrypt passwords = yes" and "security = user" means you have to
maintain a separate password file, `smbpasswd' (I don't know where Red
Hat puts it; Debian uses /etc/samba/), instead of just using regular
user passwords from /etc/passwd.

"encrypt passwords = yes" and "security = domain" means that you don't
maintain the passwords locally at all; you designate an NT machine --
preferably a domain controller -- to authenticate users for you.  Note
that if you have "security = domain", you also have to fill in
"password server = YOUR_NT_DOMAIN_CONTROLLER" and make sure you join
the domain.  (See the docs for the `smbpasswd' command for how to join
a domain.)

"encrypt passwords = no" means you just use your Unix password list for 
Samba authentication.  But then if you are using Win95B or later, or
NT4SP3 or later, you have to apply a registry hack to your clients so
that they will allow sending unencrypted passwords.  See the docs
directory for these registry snippets.

> BTW, I've already downloaded RH6.2, and if that's part of the
p> solution, I'm ready to install it.

I doubt it.

Peter