Linux and win2k network peace?

Ok, before I proceed, please understand that just like many of you feel, I am quite VEEEERY happy with windows 2000, and its is definately my first choice for an OS, no questions asked. Now, I was hoping to find a linux guru in this crowd, so please bear with me if you hate linux (just like i do).

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672 Posts
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Ok, before I proceed, please understand that just like many of you feel, I am quite VEEEERY happy with windows 2000, and its is definately my first choice for an OS, no questions asked.
Now, I was hoping to find a linux guru in this crowd, so please bear with me if you hate linux (just like i do).
Ok, this pertains to Linux and Windows 2000 communicating over a simple hub-based Microsoft Windows network. I am no expert at this, but I know linux Mandrake 7.1 (the distro I'm running) comes with SAMBA which can be used to connect to a SMB (windows) network. However, After using this command, I could not get SAMBA to communicate succesfully to any of the 2 other windows 2000 machines that are on the network. Does anyone know how this can be done in such a way that i can share files between windows 2000 and linux, or AT LEAST from windows 2000 to linux? Please note that my current windows configuration for the network is as follows:
installed protocols / services:
 
TCP/IP (protocol)
NETBEUI (protocol)
Client for Microsoft Networks (client)
File and Print sharing for Microsoft networks (service).
 
As you can probably tell this is a simple home network running on a hub, and nothing really funky.
 
Also note, that EACH of the windows 2000 machines are/were logged on with full administrator privelages.
 
when i used samba to tyry to connect to any windows 2000 machine it returned an error like "connection failed to \\computername\resource" or something similar!
 
Someone please help! Again, bear in mind that I am a beginner with linux, so please use "gentle" terminology and desciptions. thanx!

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391 Posts
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Don't blame me, blame whoever wrote it: (NOT me)
 
I did this at residence to be able to share files. It was a pain in the *** but I never used the command line, cuz it sux. I used software like LinNetworkNeighborhood http://www.bnro.de/~schmidjo/ or gnomba, etc. Do a search for samba at freshmeat and you should find some links to good front ends to the command line. Works fine under ***-Window (I mean X-Window)
 
Also make sure your version of samba is up to date.
 
Samba's weird cause it searches by subnet for shares, which works in most situations, but not all. I don't know how windows does it.

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I can give you a start. The main issue between SAMBA and Windows OSs is the fact that all the modern ones communicate in an encrypted manner. You will see this in the "HOW-TOs" on the subject that accompanies SAMBA. Windows NT4 (Pre SP3) and Win95 (pre version "C" I think) would communicate via encryption on the first try, then would try plain text afterward. Now, plaintext was great for *nix platforms since that is (was?) their default methodology. What you will have to decide on, is whether you want to "cripple" Win2K and have it broadcast in plain text (please, no ) or make SAMBA use encryption. SAMBA does work perfectly fine in encrypted mode, so try to use that one first. Also, use SWAT, the HTML based front end for SAMBA to get your shares up and running, it's pretty nice to work with.
 
Linux has a lot going for it on the networking front, so stick with it. You can learn a lot that way.

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OP
Thanx everyone. I am currently "messing" with LinNeighborhood AND the console. So far, no success. Samba keeps returning an
"connection to (computername) failed!". It never even asks me for a login (username/password) to ligin to any win2k machine. I already have a username and password ready for me to login to win2k. If someone knows how to solve this, please let me know.
Again, I am running on a 10BT hub / Windows Network. My linux distro is Mandrake 8.0. I would appreciate some help. thanx. :):

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364 Posts
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make sure the other computer u r trying to connect to have an ip address assigned to it say 192.168.0.2 and the computer with samba has 192.168.0.2 . One more important thing is that they both have the SAME SUBNET mask: 255.255.255.0 . if u can network the two computers within windoze then u can do it with samba.
 
remember if u make any changes in samba.conf then goto console and type 'samba restart' without ' .
 
let me know how u went

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wow wow wow, slow down. Subnet? subnet mask? easy now!
I **think** we're on the same subset since windows has no problem netowrking the machines together. This network is jothing funky. Its running on a 10BT hub with the regular Windows network services/protocols/slients/etc.../ The problem is samba STILL returns a "connection failed to (computername\resource)".
Somebosy please reply, in plain for-dummies english!

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just make sure all ur computers DO NOT obtain their own ip addresses automatically but instead u give them one, eg:
 
computer 1: 192.168.0.1
computer 2: 192.168.0.2
...
and so on. also make sure the subnet mask are the same ie. 255.255.255.0 in all computers. One more thing everybody must have the same workgroup name.
 
after u have made the changes try to ping the other computers on the network. if u can then great u got them to be networked. to ping them just use the "ping" command; this is the same in the consoles of win2k and linux.
 
let me know of the results.

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OK, I have just set up windows to use my current IP as a static IP. The problem still persisits. This is what I type in:
smbmount //computername/resource /mnt/s -o username=usernam
e password=password
 
(note: removing the user name / password arguments does not help either)
 
Samba returns this:
 
Connection to computername failed
SMB connection failed
 
Of coarse "computername" is a valid computer name that's on the network! Someone please help. Also remmeber that my IP is not physically static, its only dynamic. I can't change this due to my ISP. Also note that I have also tried LinNeighborhood but it also seems incapable of browsing the network.
ALL MACHINES ARE ON ONE WORKGROUP, AND NETWORKING IN WINDOWS WORKS GREAT, but when i boot into linux, it fails to connect to the network. It connects to the internet just fine, but fails to connect to any windows machines. ALL WINDOWS MACHINES ARE WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL machines.
 
 
someone please help! thanx!

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make sure all your computers on the network have their own ip addresses THAT DO NOT CHANGE when u turn on your computer.
 
goto system>network properties in linux (redhat has this feature) and configure the network- make sure u have eth0 set and there should already be la0 (i think) set up.
 
linneighbourhood is good - but make sure u can ping each other first!!
 
also there should also be a guest account active so samba can "interact" with other computers. once getting the computers to ping each other u can browse the network with linneighbourhood by using "scan as user" function.
 
tell me of the results