Samba - WINS - VPN

Hello all,

I am using a VPN and need to have a windows XP machine mount drives on a
Redhat Linux box. Samba cannot work over a VPN without a WINS server on
the network. I do not have a WINS server and cannot find adequate
instructions on turning a machine into one (either Win XP Pro or Linux).

Could someone please point me to simple instructions on creating a WINS
server or suggest some alternatives to Samba?

Thanks!

--
Gerald

Gerald Meazell wrote:

> I am using a VPN and need to have a windows XP machine mount drives on a
> Redhat Linux box.**Samba*cannot*work*over*a*VPN*without*a*WINS*server*on
> the network.**I*do*not*have*a*WINS*server*and*cannot*find*adequate
> instructions on turning a machine into one (either Win XP Pro or Linux).
>
> Could someone please point me to simple instructions on creating a WINS
> server or suggest some alternatives to Samba?

Unless I'm mistaken, you don't need WINS, if you have other means of mapping
host names to IP addresses. These can be either the hosts file or DNS
lookup, provided the same name is used for both IP and SMB.

On 2004-12-12, Gerald Meazell <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I am using a VPN and need to have a windows XP machine mount drives on a
> Redhat Linux box. Samba cannot work over a VPN without a WINS server on

The point isn't Wins or the Vpn, the point is to have the Wins service
(that is supposed to run on the samba server) talking trought the vpn.
For this you probably need to 'tune' the vpn itself and open some more
port. Talk to your system administrator.

Davide

--
Windows found - Remove? (Y)es (S)ure (F)ine (O)K

Davide Bianchi wrote:

> On 2004-12-12, Gerald Meazell <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> I am using a VPN and need to have a windows XP machine mount drives on a
>> Redhat Linux box. Samba cannot work over a VPN without a WINS server on
>
> The point isn't Wins or the Vpn, the point is to have the Wins service
> (that is supposed to run on the samba server) talking trought the vpn.
> For this you probably need to 'tune' the vpn itself and open some more
> port. Talk to your system administrator.

I can assess SMB shares via VPN, without using WINS at all. I just rely on
the hosts file. Windows can use WINS or DNS servers, or hosts or lmhosts
files to determine the IP. It can also use direct broadcast, when on the
same local network.

You do not need WINS, provided one of the other methods is available.

James Knott wrote:

>
>Unless I'm mistaken, you don't need WINS, if you have other means of mapping
>host names to IP addresses. These can be either the hosts file or DNS
>lookup, provided the same name is used for both IP and SMB.
>
>
>
Perhaps that is my problem. If I issue a NET VIEW command from another
machine on the network, the Samba box does not appear in the list of
servers. I do have the machine in my hosts file but when I issue NET
VIEW \\hostname, it cannot find the machine. I have to issue NET VIEW
\\192.168.X.Y to get the list of shares. Looking at the samba.conf
file, I noticed there was nothing in there about the machine name as I
have seen in the configuration files on Windows and other machines. How
do I get the Linux machine to publish its netbios name on the network?

Thanks!

--
Gerald

Gerald Meazell wrote:

> James Knott wrote:
>
>>
>>Unless I'm mistaken, you don't need WINS, if you have other means of
>>mapping
>>host names to IP addresses. These can be either the hosts file or DNS
>>lookup, provided the same name is used for both IP and SMB.
>>
>>
>>
> Perhaps that is my problem. If I issue a NET VIEW command from another
> machine on the network, the Samba box does not appear in the list of
> servers. I do have the machine in my hosts file but when I issue NET
> VIEW \\hostname, it cannot find the machine. I have to issue NET VIEW
> \\192.168.X.Y to get the list of shares. Looking at the samba.conf
> file, I noticed there was nothing in there about the machine name as I
> have seen in the configuration files on Windows and other machines. How
> do I get the Linux machine to publish its netbios name on the network?

One thing to remember, is that broadcasts won't go beyond the local network.
So, you won't see them, at the other end of a VPN. As for using the IP,
because the host name doesn't work, make sure the host name is mapped to
the IP, in hosts or other method.

James Knott wrote:

>
>
>One thing to remember, is that broadcasts won't go beyond the local network.
>So, you won't see them, at the other end of a VPN. As for using the IP,
>because the host name doesn't work, make sure the host name is mapped to
>the IP, in hosts or other method.
>
>
>
MachineA is my Linux box with Samba. MachineB is my XP Pro box.
MachineC is an XP Pro box outside the local network and connects via
VPN. MachineA is in the hosts file of both MachineB and MachineC. Here
is what I get as results from netbios commands

From MachineB:

NET VIEW \\MachineA
System Error 53

NET VIEW \\192.168.X.Y (MachineA's IP address)
List of shares

NET USE X: \\192.168.X.Y\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID
Command completed successfully

NET USE X: \\MachineA\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID
System Error 53 or System error 5 access is denied.

From MachineC:

NET VIEW \\MachineA
System Error 53

NET VIEW \\192.168.X.Y (MachineA's IP address)
System Error 53

While writing this, it occurred to me that in MachineB's hosts file,
MachineA is mapped to the external IP address of the router.

--
Gerald

Gerald Meazell finally wrote on Mon December 13 2004 09:00 am:

> MachineA is my Linux box with Samba. MachineB is my XP Pro box.
> MachineC is an XP Pro box outside the local network and connects via
> VPN. MachineA is in the hosts file of both MachineB and MachineC. Here
> is what I get as results from netbios commands
>
> From MachineB:
>
> NET VIEW \\MachineA
> System Error 53
>
> NET VIEW \\192.168.X.Y (MachineA's IP address)
> List of shares
>
> NET USE X: \\192.168.X.Y\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID
> Command completed successfully
>
> NET USE X: \\MachineA\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID
> System Error 53 or System error 5 access is denied.
>

Hmm. I'm no expert on Windows' NET command error numbers (or Windows
itself), but it does seem coincidental (probably not) that your problem
appears to be name resolution, the error number is 53, and the standard
port for DNS is 53. Without going to TCP/IP Advanced properties for your
NIC (though you may try that if nothing else works; click on the WINS tab
and try entering the IP addresses there, or import LMHOSTS file), are you
using the '\[winxp_dir]\system32\drivers\etc\lmhosts' or the 'hosts' file
in that same directory? You probably need to be updating lmhosts.
Apparently Windows XP will only look at those files if the normal means of
name resolution (DNS/WINS) fails. (Note that Samba can also use an lmhosts
file (usually in /etc/samba/lmhosts). Are you able to access MachineB from
MachineA using hostname?)

> From MachineC:
>
> NET VIEW \\MachineA
> System Error 53
>
> NET VIEW \\192.168.X.Y (MachineA's IP address)
> System Error 53
>

I've never used a VPN, but I thought it allowed you to treat the network as
though it were totally local (as in virtually private), therefore being
able to use private IP addresses for access. Obviously this isn't working
here, since you can't access MachineA from MachineC (via VPN) with either
private IP or hostname. That sounds like a configuration error either in
VPN or DNS or routing or firewall or somewhere else, but again I've never
used a VPN so I can't say with any certainty there.

> While writing this, it occurred to me that in MachineB's hosts file,
> MachineA is mapped to the external IP address of the router.

MachineA needs to be mapped to its local IP address (at least in MachineB).
If it's the router, then it needs to be mapped to its local IP address, not
the Internet/WAN IP address. Or so I would think . Of course there
could be some sort of routing problems within your network. And a slew of
other things.


Cheers -
jab3

jab3 wrote:

>Gerald Meazell finally wrote on Mon December 13 2004 09:00 am:
>
>
>
>>MachineA is my Linux box with Samba. MachineB is my XP Pro box.
>>MachineC is an XP Pro box outside the local network and connects via
>>VPN. MachineA is in the hosts file of both MachineB and MachineC. Here
>>is what I get as results from netbios commands
>>
>> From MachineB:
>>
>>NET VIEW \\MachineA
>>System Error 53
>>
>>NET VIEW \\192.168.X.Y (MachineA's IP address)
>>List of shares
>>
>>NET USE X: \\192.168.X.Y\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID
>>Command completed successfully
>>
>>NET USE X: \\MachineA\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID
>>System Error 53 or System error 5 access is denied.
>>
>>
>>
>
>Hmm. I'm no expert on Windows' NET command error numbers (or Windows
>itself), but it does seem coincidental (probably not) that your problem
>appears to be name resolution, the error number is 53, and the standard
>port for DNS is 53. Without going to TCP/IP Advanced properties for your
>NIC (though you may try that if nothing else works; click on the WINS tab
>and try entering the IP addresses there, or import LMHOSTS file), are you
>using the '\[winxp_dir]\system32\drivers\etc\lmhosts' or the 'hosts' file
>in that same directory? You probably need to be updating lmhosts.
>Apparently Windows XP will only look at those files if the normal means of
>name resolution (DNS/WINS) fails. (Note that Samba can also use an lmhosts
>file (usually in /etc/samba/lmhosts). Are you able to access MachineB from
>MachineA using hostname?)
>
>
>
Well, I may have this partially figured out. I added MachineA to the
lmhosts file on MachineB. Now this command completes successfully:

NET USE X: \\MachineA\MyShare myPWD /USER:myID



However, doing the same to MachineC changes the message from Error 53
(network path not found) to Error 5 (access denied).

>> From MachineC:
>>
>>NET VIEW \\MachineA
>>System Error 53
>>
>>NET VIEW \\192.168.X.Y (MachineA's IP address)
>>System Error 53
>>
>>
>>
>
>I've never used a VPN, but I thought it allowed you to treat the network as
>though it were totally local (as in virtually private), therefore being
>able to use private IP addresses for access. Obviously this isn't working
>here, since you can't access MachineA from MachineC (via VPN) with either
>private IP or hostname. That sounds like a configuration error either in
>VPN or DNS or routing or firewall or somewhere else, but again I've never
>used a VPN so I can't say with any certainty there.
>
>
I can ping MachineA from MachineC. I can access the Web Server there as
well (although this is via the router). I just cannot issue netbios
commands to it. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a port problem.
MachineC is running a firewall and I don't what the netbios ports are so
I can open them up on the router. I'll see if I can google that
information.

>
>
>>While writing this, it occurred to me that in MachineB's hosts file,
>>MachineA is mapped to the external IP address of the router.
>>
>>
>
>MachineA needs to be mapped to its local IP address (at least in MachineB).
>If it's the router, then it needs to be mapped to its local IP address, not
>the Internet/WAN IP address. Or so I would think . Of course there
>could be some sort of routing problems within your network. And a slew of
>other things.
>
>
>
It is. I meant to say MachineC.