[Samba] Remote subnet browsing using Samba for WINS.

Brian prosigma at prodigy.net
Thu Feb 17 20:50:10 GMT 2005


Been experimenting with Samba as a WINS server.
Need a WINS server as I am using VPN tunneling.
My goal was to set up a central WINS server and have all the computers
 talk to it for NetBIOS name resolution.
In the end I was hoping to have only one Samba server.

I have currently worked with:

Samba 2.2.7B on a uclinux.
Samba 3.0.10 on RedHat.
Samba 3.0.10 on Slackware.
Samba 3.0.10 on FreeBSD.

They all seem to do exactly the same thing:

If the remote subnet does not contain another Samba server which is synced
 with REMOTE BROWSE SYNC, then the only thing which appears in the Microsoft
 Network Neighborhoods from either subnet is the Samba server itself and not
 all the computers on the other respective subnet even after using REMOTE
 ANNOUNCE to the actual LMB (local master browser) or subnet broadcast.
However I can resolve the name with a standard UNC like \\2kas-server, it just 
 doesn't get an icon.
I have verified that Samba servers are able to communicate to the Microsoft
 LMB (local master browser)
That the Samba server acting as a DMB (domain master browser) will communicate 
 it's existance to the Microsoft systems.
I have verified I am not getting any errors in nmbd.log or smbd.log even with
 a log level of 2.
I have verified that there are in fact 2 copies of nmbd running when they
 should be and that they started without posting any errors to the syslog.
I have verified that there is 1 computer on either subnet with a MSBROWSE in
 the NBTSTAT -a indicating that there is a LMB (local master browser) for
 each subnet.
I can ping everything from everything else.
The DMB (domain master browser) does show a workgroup 1B in the nbtstat -a.
I have waited longer than 2 hours to insure that the systems have time to
 communicate the browse lists.


So what I am really looking for is someone to verify this:

If the only thing on a remote subnet to a Samba WINS server (acting as
 LMB (local master browser) and DMB (domain master browser) in a workgroup
 environment) is Microsoft workstations the best I can ever get will be
 the Samba server itself to appear in both Microsoft Network Neighborhoods.
 using the Samba server for WINS will NOT produce a unified browse list
 between the 2 subnets unless there is a SAMBA server acting as LMB (local
 master browser) in each and every remote subnet to the SAMBA server acting
 as the DMB (domain master browser).  Further that even that won't work
 unless all the computers point to that WINS server which is acting as the
 DMB (domain master browser).

I've read all the documentation I could get my hands on.
This fact is not spelled out either as yes or no.

Someone please enlighten me as to whether this is really the case.

TIA, Brian



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