[Samba] samba as client, adding to browse list

[Brock Nanson]

Well, I've poked around the documentation without any success...

I've got several samba servers running, but I've never been required to deal
with Samba as a client on a workstation until now.  The workstation is RH
7.2, Samba-common 2.2.1a and it's on a LAN with a 2.2.0 server and a pile of
winXX workstations (no NT).  KDE is the X environment.

I needed to get linpopup going to converse with winpopup on the MS boxes.
Fine, I found it, installed it and proved that it can send messages.
Problem comes when I try to send a message to the Linux workstation!  The
netbios name is not known on the network.  Looking in browse.dat and
wins.dat on the Samba server reveals that the workstation is not on either
list.  This is presumably because the workstation is quiet in the true Unix
way.  But, as the network is DHCP controlled, I can't use static hosts files
to specifically map the workstation to an IP.

Because the workstation is not configured to be a server, it doesn't have
any more samba packages installed than RedHat specified in the default
install.  There is an smb.conf file however.  Does it have a use in a client
computer?  I've set a WINS server entry, netbios name, etc. but still don't
see the box on the network.

So, how does a person cause a Linux workstation to be visible on the DHCP
network from Windows machines?  Is there documentation out there somewhere
dealing with samba as a client?

A final note, linpopup starts, but does mutter something about not finding
'smbstatus'.  Not sure if that relates or not, as linpopup does successfully
find MS boxes by netbios name... presumably it uses WINS, but it could be
doing a broadcast too I guess...

R Brock Nanson, P.Eng.
Kamloops BC
Canada