A couple questions regarding SAMBA

[paveway]

Hey, I'm pretty new to Linux and the configuration of system utilities/servers (first thing I learned was to search for answers to my questions before posting here ).

There are a couple questions that I can't seem to answer myself.

There are two issues that I have with my Samba server.

First is the fact that I can not use the hostname to actually connect to the server. When I want to browse the files or mount the drives on my windows machine, I have to use the IP address (for example, I must type \\192.168.10.xxx for my IP address as opposed to just \\linuxbox).

Second, when i try to browse a share, I am asked for credentials (user name and pass). I can not browse a share at all unless I supply ROOT username and password. Any other user name and pass will not work. I dont mind having to supply creds, I just want to be able to NOT have to user ROOT.

[rcgreen]

Ok, first, make sure your /etc/samba/smb.conf file
has an entry for the netbios name, and the work group,
and that the Windows machine is also in the same work group.

workgroup = home

   netbios name = blue

Also,

browseable = yes

so that the server will appear in network, my network places
network neighborhood or whatever.

On Windows, usually found in c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc
there is a file called lmhosts.sam.
Rename it lmhosts by removing the .sam extension.
Its syntax in similar to your hosts file

192.168.1.106	ocean
192.168.1.101	kirby
192.168.1.104	blue
192.168.1.102	shelly
192.168.1.100	lisa
192.168.1.110	gollum

Put the server's IP address, along with its netbios name.

While you are there, do the same to the hosts.sam file.
If you use the same name for the netbios name as the TCP/IP
hostname, it simplifies your life.

Another thing that will help make the system more robust
is to add the line

wins support = yes

to the smb.conf file on the server.

Then in control panel on Windows, select networking and check
the checkbox for "use lmhosts file" and also "use wins server"
adding the IP address of the server.

[paveway]

I was thinking about altering the hosts file as a temporary solution. I don't like doing that because it seems like a cheap and easy way out. There's no way to make Linux announce its hostname so that I don't have to change the hosts file on each Windows machine? Perhaps I just don't know much about network configuration in Linux. I mean, I go through all the steps I need to Using YAST but it seems to be flawed (when I try to define a static IP using YAST, i run ifconfig and it still says the old ip address, even after a reboot.)


Anyways, can anyone explain how the security/authentication in Samba works? Why do I constantly have to use my root username and password to connect to my linux shares from my Windows box? Of course, I do not want to use the root un/pass to connect to this share because it seems careless. If someone else wants to use this share later on, I don't want to have to give them my root credentials.

I have this set in [global]

security = user

Does this mean that the user that is logged into the Windows machine is sending the UN/Pass?

Also, the actual share [pave] that I am trying to use as storage on my LAN has the setting:

valid users = Pave

which is the user name for the Windows machine connecting to the box and the user name on the Linux machine that owns the share (in its home dir).

[rcgreen]

Name resolution in a mixed network can be confusing.
Ordinary TCP/IP networking uses the hosts file and DNS.
Unless you are running your own name server, the easiest
way to make your computers find each other's addresses
is to configure a hosts file on each machine. This
would be especially true in a network with several
Linux machines and no or few Windows.
This only works for TCP/IP services like ping, telnet, ssh,
ftp, http and so on. The Netbios (Windows file and printer
sharing) services use a different set of procedures for name
resolution.
The principal legacy method is by broadcast, and can (usually)
find other computers by magic, even if they are not properly
configured for TCP/IP.
Broadcast is slow, so things can be improved by adding the
lmhosts file, and a WINS server.
You should also configure your router properly. Most are set up
for Automatic address assignment by DHCP. There is
a setting in there somewhere to always assign a computer
the same IP address. This way you have the advantage of each
computer always having the same address.

As for the password issue, I am not an expert on that aspect
of SAMBA. I hope someone else can help you there.

[balaa]

Hi,


Please create new user account in linux and that user in samba database.
1.
use smbpasswd -a username to add your user to samba password database
so you can able to login with local-username.

2. Resolving your ip to name you have to configure DNS or local host file.


Regards
Bala.

[paveway]

Thanks guys! I got everything figured out with yalls help.