a "gotcha" regarding samba, win2kSP2, and Novell Client 4.80SP3

[Felix Schmitt]

Hi, folks!

Here's a nice one for you (a very special one, though: I did look into
about 928144652198 newsgroups but didn't find a similar problem; that's
why I thought I should write you, in order to save other people the
trouble I had):

I am an administrator of a bunch of university computers. The pool
consists of w2k clients, a BIG central novell server and a local file
server running linux and samba. When I set up the clients recently
(because of an hack attack), I installed w2k the usual way, put on the
SP2, and then I installed Novell 4.80-SP3 (mistake). I couldn't get a "net
view" of the local samba server by ANY CHANCE.(he reported sth like "name
not found". Tried everything out of "DIAGNOSIS.TXT" and more...) "nbtstat" 
worked fine, though. Took me four days to find out what it was:

Here is a view of my NetworkEnv->properties-->LANConnections->properties:
(excuse my english, I am sitting in front of a german w2k, trying to
translate all the icons back into english :-) )

WhiteBox - CHECKED "Novell Client for Windows 2000" (1)
GreyBox  - CHECKED "Client for Microsoft Networks" (2)
GreyBox  - CHECKED "ZENWorks Application Launcher NT Service" (3)
GreyBox  - CHECKED "Novell Workstation Manager" (4)
WhiteBox - UNCHCKD "File and Printer sharing for microsoft networks" (5)
WhiteBox - CHECKED "NWLink NetBIOS" (6)
WhiteBox - CHECKED "NXLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS-compatible protocoll" (7)
WhiteBox - CHECKED "Internet protocol TCP/IP" (8)

I guess, (1), (3), (4), (6), and (7) were installed by
Novell. Furhtermore, I thought, that a grey boy generally means, that this
option is NOT changeable. But not here: (2) IS changeable, (3), and (4) IS
NOT changeable, for some reason.
No net view.
What I did now: I did uncheck everything except (8), and (3),
(4) (unchangeable), and closed the properties menu. 
Still no net view.
I reopened it again, and selected (2), and the grey box magically turned
into a WHITE box. I closed the properties window.
net view works.
Now, i can open the LAN properties menu and liberally select everything
else - the (2) box stays white. I closed the menu:
net view still works, all other services (novell, samba) work fine....

Conclusion:

1) windows is a bunch garbage
2) novell even more
3) The only explanation i can offer with my limited knowledge of win
interna:
-w2k may have worked fine with samba BEFORE installation of NOVELL
(although I did not check that, I'm afraid)
-Novell installation screwed up (2) (i.e. de-selected some details of the
protocol that are inaccessible through the LAN prop menu)
-I homered it by deselecting all items possible, resetting it to the orig
win settings

I hope that helps that one or two people on the world who are also trying
to get to work an equally wretched setup like me.


With regards

Felix Schmitt

PS please write me if you had some use for those info:-)