[Samba] Workgroup/Domain Browsing

[Vizitiu, Ciprian]

>(lmhosts.sam would not work for some reason though.)


:-D Been there done that. Lmhosts.sam is a sample! So copy it to lmhots,
alter it, run nbstat -R from a DOS box and that's it.


>However, browsing does not work.  The workgroup aip-ky does not show up,
and neither does the server aip-ky.  I guess that I have two
problems/questions:

>1)  How can I have the machine names resolve automatically (ala wins)
across the different network segments?

>2)  How can I enable browsing of the remote network resources from the
Windows client so that I don't have to manually specify the resource
address?

>Any help would be appreciated!


There are two different things involved here: browsing and resolving names.
Some times they're performed by the same machine sometimes not. Browsing is
about who is on the network in terms of names ( that is letters like
XPWkst_1 ). Every time a windows machine boots it sends a BROADCAST message
on the configured NIC stating "Hi, I'm XPWkst_1 is there anybody taking care
of this net?" and a designated machine called Master Browser answers "Yep, I
heard you! You are on the list now."; next WS2 asks the Master Browser "Give
me the list of other machines that you know about" and that's how you get to
"see the network neighborhood". Clicking on a name in that list implies the
next step: XPWkst_1 has a bunch of letters and it must know the
corresponding IP address so it can make a connection; that's where WINS
comes in: it's a thing that you ask questions like "which is the IP of
XPWkst_4?". Which machine XPWkst_1 will ask wins questions to, is configured
by the admin (either via DHCP or manually in the NIC settings). The Master
Browser is tricky game, MB gets "elected" (and like in any political system
you can cheat those elections to your benefit ;-) ). Beware that I left out
a lot of ugly details.

So in order to perform the functions that you have requested you have to
somehow "propagate" the BROADCAST from one net to another and configure the
machines on both nets to use the same WINS machine. The second one is simple
the first one is tricky at least...

Another idea (that I have tested myself) would be to have two samba machines
one in each net. Machines in 192.168.13.0 will use .3 samba as a MB and
machines in 192.168.10.0 will use their own samba to do the same. Then you
configure sambas to synchronize the browsing lists so each net "knows" about
lists in the other. If my memory serves me well is about "remote browse
sync" and "remote announce" in smb.conf; dig more, call for help after
you've done lessons.

IMO you should start experimenting with a simple config two nets and a
router. AVOID putting samba on router (that would be trivial) and try to
make both nets to see each other. Once you've sorted that out replace the
router box with the VPN and nothing should change. 


Remember: tail -f /var/log/samba/log.nmbd should be your friend but set a
decent debug level e.g. 6.