windows sees 2 localhost's...

Hi.
not sure i'm in the right group but here goes...
i have a windows 2000 (professional) box networked with a red hat 9 box.
the 2000 box is running IIS (as \\localhost , the default).
by running samba i can see the windows box and directorie(s), but the
reverse is not true.
windows cannot see the linux box - it complains about duplicate server names
(or something like that). i think it cannot resolve the two \\localhost 's
on the network - one on red hat, the other on windows 2000 (IIS).

any ideas on how to resolve this?

Rick Retter wrote:

> Hi.
> not sure i'm in the right group but here goes...
> i have a windows 2000 (professional) box networked with a red hat 9 box.
> the 2000 box is running IIS (as \\localhost , the default).
> by running samba i can see the windows box and directorie(s), but the
> reverse is not true.
> windows cannot see the linux box - it complains about duplicate server
> names
> (or something like that). i think it cannot resolve the two \\localhost
> 's on the network - one on red hat, the other on windows 2000 (IIS).
>
> any ideas on how to resolve this?

Yes, the solution is simple. Do not use "localhost" as a network name, ever.
"localhost" is reserved for the loopback self-identity address 127.0.0.1,
and only that.

--
Paul Lutus
http://www.arachnoid.com

> Hi.
> not sure i'm in the right group but here goes...
> i have a windows 2000 (professional) box networked with a red hat 9 box.
> the 2000 box is running IIS (as \\localhost , the default).
> by running samba i can see the windows box and directorie(s), but the
> reverse is not true.
> windows cannot see the linux box - it complains about duplicate server names
> (or something like that). i think it cannot resolve the two \\localhost 's
> on the network - one on red hat, the other on windows 2000 (IIS).
>
> any ideas on how to resolve this?

It is unlikely that the host name "localhost" is causing the problem.
Typically, every networked Linux and Windows machine has a host name
"localhost" that points to the local machine, 127.0.0.1. If you "ping
localhost" you are in fact pinging the machine ping was initiated from.
If you connect a web browser to localhost, you will be connecting to
the web server on the machine the web browser is on. Does that make sense?

So, get the IP address of the Windows machine and the IP address of the
Linux machine. Try connecting to the separte machines using the IP
addresses. Hopefully that will work. If it does that means your
networking is good and there is possibly a problem with your host names
or your are using the wrong host names.

By the by, what are the following:
- host name of the Windows machine
- host name of the Linux machine
- IP address of the Windows machine
- IP address of the Linux machine

If the IP addresses are not on a private LAN, please mask the IP
address, i.e.: if your public IP address is 1.2.3.4, send x.x.x.4.

Thanks,
Hank

Hank Kingwood wrote:

>> Hi.
>> not sure i'm in the right group but here goes...
>> i have a windows 2000 (professional) box networked with a red hat 9 box.
>> the 2000 box is running IIS (as \\localhost , the default).
>> by running samba i can see the windows box and directorie(s), but the
>> reverse is not true.
>> windows cannot see the linux box - it complains about duplicate server
>> names
>> (or something like that). i think it cannot resolve the two \\localhost
>> 's on the network - one on red hat, the other on windows 2000 (IIS).
>>
>> any ideas on how to resolve this?
>
> It is unlikely that the host name "localhost" is causing the problem.

In fact, this is the problem, very likely the only problem. Local name
resolution is getting confused by two uses of the same name. The name
"localhost" must be reserved for the loopback interface. It cannot be used
for anything else without confusing name resolution.

--
Paul Lutus
http://www.arachnoid.com

>>>Hi.
>>>not sure i'm in the right group but here goes...
>>>i have a windows 2000 (professional) box networked with a red hat 9 box.
>>>the 2000 box is running IIS (as \\localhost , the default).
>>>by running samba i can see the windows box and directorie(s), but the
>>>reverse is not true.
>>>windows cannot see the linux box - it complains about duplicate server
>>>names
>>>(or something like that). i think it cannot resolve the two \\localhost
>>>'s on the network - one on red hat, the other on windows 2000 (IIS).
>>>
>>>any ideas on how to resolve this?
>>
>>It is unlikely that the host name "localhost" is causing the problem.
>
>
> In fact, this is the problem, very likely the only problem. Local name
> resolution is getting confused by two uses of the same name. The name
> "localhost" must be reserved for the loopback interface. It cannot be used
> for anything else without confusing name resolution.

Is localhost the NetBIOS name of one or more machines or made as a DNS
entry or assigned in /etc/hosts to multiple interfaces?