[Samba] Re: [Samba]RE: Syncing WINS

[Eirik Thorsnes]

On Tuesday 29 January 2002 16:42, you wrote:
> > WINS by itself doesn't care about subnets.  Clients are told the IP of
> > the WINS server and they speak to that IP.  End of story.  Of course
> > this may only work for NetBIOS over TCP/IP scenarios, but I don't know
> > the guts of WINS & how it may or may not work over other protocols.
> >
> > NetBIOS, yes, generally has this subnet limitation because of it's
> > (rather annoying) desire to broadcast.  This limitation goes away over
> > TCP/IP;  broadcast is only one of 4 different methods that Samba can use
> > for finding out which NetBIOS name belongs to which machine.  Broadcast
> > is also the least desirable of the four (because it's very noisy on the
> > network).
>
> Here's the oddity that I'm running into.  As you already know, I have 2
> segregated subnets, that I wish to merge into one, big happy Network
> Neighborhood..... via WINS.
>
> I currently have 2 WINS servers running, 1 on each subnet (172.28x.x &
> 192.168.100.x)
>
> So I took my one machine, on subnet 172.28.x.x, and pointed it look at
> the WINS server on located on the other subnet (192.168.100.x).
>
> However, when I boot Win98, I still see all the computers on the local
> subnet, and NO Computers that are linked via the WINS server on the
> other subnet.  Does that make sense :)?
>
> If I go to Start -> Run, and then specify a computer (ie: \\Fileserver),
> then I get the computer & shares.
>
> perhaps I just don't understand the full functionality of the WINS
> server.  I thought it was a replacement for broadcast.  Yet it seems as
> if Win98 still does a broadcast to populate Network Neighborhood.
>
> Any clarification or corrections to me madness is appreciated.

Browsing is quite complicated, my understanding of it are as follows:

For cross-subnet browsing to work you need to have the following:
* 1 - ONE - WINS server that ALL - and I mean ALL - machines points to.
* One master-browser (preferably samba-box) per subnet (and per workgroup if 
you have more than one workgroup) 

Easiest thing to do is to have two samba boxes where one is WINS server (and 
master browser - make sure it wins the election) and 'remote browse sync' 
with the samba box on the other subnet (which also has to be sure to win the 
elections)

Be aware that protocols on the windows machines besides TCP/IP causes the 
election to be 'messy'.

The reason you see the computer when you do a start->run (or search for it) 
is that it is found through the wins server, whereas the browse-lists are 
given from the master-browser (when the windows box register with the WINS at 
boot, it gets to know which box is the master-browser on its own subnet and 
thus can contact it directly to get the browse list).

Hope that wasn't too confusing.

Eirik Thorsnes