SAMBA not seeing network machines (save one)

[sea]

A copy paste of my scripts, hope they are of help (as examples):

SMBC="$(which smbclient)"
    if [ "" = "$SMBC" ]
    then	echo "Samba Client is missing, installing now: Hit CTRL+C _2_ times to abort!"
    		sudo yum install samba-client cifs-utils
    		SMBC="$(which smbclient)"
    fi
WriteSMBcred(){ # OUTPUTFILE USER DOMAIN PASSWORD
    # Write the Samba Credentials file
    #
        test -z $4 && echo "Usuage: WriteSMBcred OUTPUTFILE USER DOMAIN PASSWORD"
        printf "username = $2\n"   > "$1"
        printf "  domain = $3\n"  >> "$1"
        printf "password = $4\n"  >> "$1"
    }
NAS_Mount() { # NAS-NAME|NAS-IP  MOUNT-DIR
    # Mount the folders on the NAS to local environment
    #
        test  -z $2 && echo "Usage: Mount_NAS NAS-NAME|NAS-IP  MOUNT-DIR" && return 1
        sE "Mounting $1 to $2"
        [ ! -d "$2" ] && sudo mkdir -p "$2"
        test ! "root" = "$USER" && sudo chown $USER "$2"
		for each in $shares
		do      test ! -d "$2/$each" && sudo mkdir -p "$2/$each"
				text="Mounting: //$1/$each to $2/$each"
				sP "$text" "$PROGRESS"
		        cmds="mount -t cifs //$1/$each $2/$each -o rw,soft,credentials=$NAS_CONFIG"
		        sudo $cmds && sE "$text"  "$SUCCESS" || sE "$text" "$FAILURE"
		done
	}

    # Retrieve a list of folders on the NAS and connect to one of them
    SMB_Connect() { # NAS-NAME|NAS-IP
        select share in ${shares} back
        do  test $share = back && break
            $SMBC //$samba_device_name/$share -A $SAMBA_CRED
        done
    }

And the above striped down...

So basicly, to mount a certain share on the storage:

# Variables
export sharename=Downloads
export mountpoint=/mnt/nas/$sharename
export nasname=zoneminder

# actions
sudo mkdir -p $mountpoint
smbclient //$nasname/$sharename username=teraquad,password=password
or
mount -t cifs  //$nasname/$sharename $mountpoint -o rw,soft,credentials=/path/to/credential-file

Hope this helps.

BTW: I havent forgotten the random GDM background, the setup section is done, after the dev section is working too, i can (re-)approach the random selection thing again, and write a script to customize GDM in the setup section.

[Doug G]

Some guesses

Try specifying the windows username in smbclient with the -U switch

Try turning the windows firewall off temporarily on one of the unreachable machines and see if it magically becomes available

Review the windows network settings, particularly the workgroup settings on all machines.

[lightman47]

hostnames are a Windows function, I believe, and don't work well in Linux. I turned off DHCP on my router, and run DHCPD on my server, assigning specific addresses to machines in the dhcpd.conf file. Then, on the same machine, I populated /etc/hosts with all these now "pseudo static" addresses and names and then turned on dnsmasq. Works like a charm - all the other machines run DHCP but always get the same IP address within my network. Dnsmasq then spreads all the name/IP mappings across the network to each machine - they all "know about each other".

[teraquad]

Thanks for the replys!

I installed Smb4K on my machine and found some interesting results. Attached is a screen shot of the them. The only 2 that are correct are in the hosts file. The rest resolve to an unknown ip outside the network. An interesting note is that on installation Smb4K resolved all ip's correctly. Not sure what's up there. On the two that resolve the shares are browsable. But the one that appears erratically in network servers. Never appears in Smb4K.

What i do know is that either the wrong method of obtaining the ip's is being selected or the function selected is itself is defective. In fc16 they were distinctly different functions selected separately in dnsswitch.conf. file. wins for all things local and dns for all things outside.

Just to be clear there is not nor was there ever a wins server involved, wins seems to have simply told nmb to do the work of finding the ip's via whatever method. But that was f16.

Thanks for all the input. the scripts helped my understanding.



hosts:

127.0.0.1        localhost.localdomain localhost
::1        localhost6.localdomain6 localhost6
192.168.1.70    zoneminder
192.168.1.6    iomega_1tb

resolve.conf:

# Generated by NetworkManager
nameserver 66.76.227.40
nameserver 208.180.42.68

nsswitch.conf:

#
# /etc/nsswitch.conf
#
# An example Name Service Switch config file. This file should be
# sorted with the most-used services at the beginning.
#
# The entry '[NOTFOUND=return]' means that the search for an
# entry should stop if the search in the previous entry turned
# up nothing. Note that if the search failed due to some other reason
# (like no NIS server responding) then the search continues with the
# next entry.
#
# Valid entries include:
#
#    nisplus            Use NIS+ (NIS version 3)
#    nis            Use NIS (NIS version 2), also called YP
#    dns            Use DNS (Domain Name Service)
#    files            Use the local files
#    db            Use the local database (.db) files
#    compat            Use NIS on compat mode
#    hesiod            Use Hesiod for user lookups
#    [NOTFOUND=return]    Stop searching if not found so far
#

# To use db, put the "db" in front of "files" for entries you want to be
# looked up first in the databases
#
# Example:
#passwd:    db files nisplus nis
#shadow:    db files nisplus nis
#group:     db files nisplus nis

passwd:     files
shadow:     files
group:      files
initgroups: files

#hosts:     db files nisplus nis dns
#hosts:     files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns myhostname

hosts:      files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns myhostname



# Example - obey only what nisplus tells us...
#services:   nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
#networks:   nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
#protocols:  nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
#rpc:        nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
#ethers:     nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files
#netmasks:   nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files     

bootparams: nisplus [NOTFOUND=return] files

ethers:     files
netmasks:   files
networks:   files
protocols:  files
rpc:        files
services:   files

netgroup:   nisplus

publickey:  nisplus

automount:  files nisplus
aliases:    files nisplus

[sea]

Note: i lack of practical experience, but i also love to mess with things i dont know to extend.

From the look at the screenshot, an impression arises...
Do you have by chance, running samba server on 2 computers?
Or otherway around, running 2 DHCP servers?

Assuming the Vaio and/or Zoneminder, to run one of the above services on both machines,
which will obviously break any 'proper' result.

Further i GUESS, you would need to change "myhostname" in the nsswitch.conf, but no idea to what

EDIT:
resolve.conf has 2 entries, which are external from the look at it.
So i guess you would need to figure out which ip is which computer (vaio, zoneminder) and decide which of those shall be the nameserver, permanently... and 'close' the other one.
I would try to replace the external ip's with an internalm one, refering to the computer you had set up as nameserver (dhcp/dns).
As these ip's look external, i think you either have created your own personal cloud, or a great security leak, depending on what you want/ed.

[teraquad]

Thanks for the reply!

Hi,
I turned vaio off to eliminate any possibility of conflicts between it and others. This leaves Zoneminder the other misbehaving machine. the results are the same. I have also changed myhostname in both machines to properly indicate themselves.

Resolve.conf contains the ip of both of my outside dns servers. the ip's provided by my isp. I thought this file was for recurring addresses like for the local network.

I am wondering if there is a vital service that is not running. What should do local lookups.

An interesting note is that i can load the hosts file with the names and addresses and the 2 windows machines and 1 nas become available and usable under network servers. but not the ones that are usable and available with the Smb4K program .

When i did the smb install i did have trouble with the service starting.

Thanks again for the reply!

[teraquad]

Good news! I have it 1/2 working. i added "wins" in the hosts section of the nsswitch.conf file. Two of the hosts, iomega_1tb and teraquad are not working but i am sure there is somthing strange in the setup for them.

I am having trouble placing the wins in the proper location within nsswitch.conf because i am still having dns issues on line now. Small problem I am sure i can work that one out.

Thanks to all! any ideas of the order in which to put the hosts in would be appriceated
it is now as follows.

hosts: files mdns4_minimal dns zoneminder wins [NOTFOUND=return]


Thanks!

[byhisdeeds]

I am having the same problem since I upgraded to FC17. I have the wins entry in the nsswitch.conf file before the dns entry and everything used to work ok. I could refer to the machines by their name. Now it appears to be broken for me under FC17.

If you get it working where by you can refer to the machines by their names in the ping comand etc then please post your procedure.

---------- Post added at 05:58 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:48 AM ----------

Fixed on my upgraded FC16 to FC17 machine. It seems that I was looking at the wrong copy of the nsswitch.conf file when I was trying to debug the situation, and the upgrade had re-written the old nsswitch.conf file. It works ok on the upgraded machine but is still a problem on the freah install machine.

[teraquad]

Hi,

I knew i couldn't be the only one!

I'll be more than happy to post the results as soon as they are in. Samba definitely does not work the same as it did in fc16. I sure am not going to upgrade anymore machines until i have it solved.

Thanks for your reply!

[teraquad]

Well,

It looks like we can have one or the other and not both. I have gone through every iteration i can think of to get the hosts to be found by dns, wins, or whatever with no luck. Every time i place wins in the hosts section of the nsswitch.conf file it will find the hosts on my local network. But it screws up the normal operation of anything online.

I am at the end of my abilities I hope someone can fill in the blanks.

Thanks for the help! Any ideas would be welcome!

[teraquad]

Hi,
No further progress at this time! Thanks to everyone for the help.

Thanks!