Mixed network setup - WinXP Pro/Linux? [Solved]

[LoneWolf_53]

I could really use some guidance in configuring my home network which consists of two pc's running WinXP Pro SP3 and now two machines running Sabayon X86-64 KDE.

I've edited the Samba config file to contain my proper home network name and on this fresh install that's about all I've done to it.

I can see and browse my windows machines no problem but I can not see the other Linux PC from this Linux box and I can't see either Linux PC from the WinXP Pro PC's.

I have this feeling that I'm missing something simple that will make the Linux PC's visible on this network.

Some sort of folder permissions perhaps?

I've even followed a Samba tutorial and created my own config file on the other machine after which I managed to get the printer to work but still did not make the unit visible to the windows machines.

I need the sort of guidance one gives a complete noob as all I've ever really used to set up my home network is the setup wizard which is kind of hard to mess up.

I'm using a cable modem/router and Dynamic IP addresses. Static addresses is simply not something I'm willing to consider.

Security is also not much of a big deal as I'm the only user and for the most part these are distributed computing machines except for one.

Not sure what other info would be useful so if there's something just ask and I'll attempt to provide it.

[joeoden]

Using google search I typed kde samba and selected kde samba configuration from the list that appeared
Have a look at http://opensuse.swerdna.org/susesimpleshares.html

The above link has already been supplied in another thread within the sabayon forum

[LoneWolf_53]

Much appreciated and I shall go over that. Thank you kindly.

I'd like to just add that I'm not lazy and did in fact google however as I've indicated I'm new at this and with all the flavors of Linux out there I've been having a bit of trouble figuring out what articles to pay attention to and which ones not.

Your link for example seems to be based on SUSE whereas I thought I was limited to Sabayon or Gentoo tutorials.

I assumed that Samba configuration had no bearing on whether I use Gnome or KDE ergo did not bother with that in my search attempt.

I see now that I should have added KDE as a search term (an oversight on my part) whereas I was going with Samba, Sabayon, setup, and configuration, as terms which gave me hits but a number of hours of reading that proved relatively unproductive.

To alleviate wasting the gurus time with what to experts may seem needless threads it might be a good idea if there was some sort of sticky pointing new arrivals in the right direction when it comes to networking with Samba and getting printers working with the Sabayon distro.

Sort of a "if you're going to install "X" flavor of Sabayon then you'll also need to get "this" and read "this" type of thing if you know what I mean.

[wolfden]

that is what a wiki is for, it's open to members to create and share, but till someone creates it, hard to share it, hint hint

[LoneWolf_53]

Well I don't mind trying to help once I know what I'm doing.

Now as for the problem at hand, I've read the information in the link provided above and it has definitely gotten me close as I now see several of my chosen directories in "home" displaying the network share symbol.

*Note that I still can't see the Linux PC's from windows PC's but can read, write, and do what I wish to my Windows PC's from the Linux ones.

It seems to my limited eye that I've done most of what the tutorial describes however I do have a couple of questions.

First of all under the KDE section the first thing it tells me to do is check that I have the required RPMs samba, samba-client, and fileshareset by using the command

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# rpm -qa | egrep "samba|fileshareset"

Now I believe this exact command is incorrect for Sabayon as it does not use Redhat Packages so what would be the proper command for me to ensure everything that's required is in fact there?

The other question is once I followed all the steps (but the above command) it seems that I wound up with a /etc/security/fileshare.conf file that appears to have the appropriate information in it yet in the latter part of the article it mentions contents of fileshareset.conf? Is this one and the same thing? a typo? or am I supposed to have one of those files as well because I don't?

[LoneWolf_53]

I'm also beginning to wonder if there is some sort of firewall configuring to be done?

I don't see any firewall settings area so is there by chance something that I need in KDE which wasn't installed by default and could be preventing my network from seeing the Linux PC's?

I don't know if it's relevant or not but the Linux PC's can't see each other either.

[Fitzcarraldo]

I haven't read through everything in your previous posts, but there's no firewall installed by default in SL. However, if you've got an Internet security suite such as Norton or Kaspersky installed on your Windows PC(s) then you'll probably need to configure it to allow the SL PC(s) to access the public folders on the Windows PC(s) - I certainly had to do it in my case. Have you also set up file and printer sharing in Windows? If you're using Vista, see the SL Wiki article HOWTO: Vista printer sharing for how to configure printer sharing (at both ends, including Samba). It's worth studying even if you use another version of Windows. Google throws up instructions for Windows XP, which is easier to set up than Vista/7. Another recent SL forums thread that might also interest you is: Acess Windows computers in network by name [Solved].

[LoneWolf_53]

I haven't read through everything in your previous posts, but there's no firewall installed by default in SL. However, if you've got an Internet security suite such as Norton or Kaspersky installed on your Windows PC(s) then you'll probably need to configure it to allow the SL PC(s) to access the public folders on the Windows PC(s) - I certainly had to do it in my case. Have you also set up file and printer sharing in Windows? If you're using Vista, see the SL Wiki article HOWTO: Vista printer sharing for how to configure printer sharing (at both ends, including Samba). It's worth studying even if you use another version of Windows. Google throws up instructions for Windows XP, which is easier to set up than Vista/7. Another recent SL forums thread that might also interest you is: Acess Windows computers in network by name [Solved].

You misunderstand.

I have no issue at all accessing and working with files on the Windows PC's from the SL PC's but the SL PC's do not see each other on the network and they are not seen by the Windows PC's either.

I have configured shares and gotten network printers to function but no matter what I've read or tried the SL units do not show up in Windows network manager or in Dolphin.

The latest effort today was on a clean install after updating over 500 packages so I knew I wasn't dealing with the possibility of something I'd broken.

[LoneWolf_53]

Well I've cured the problem and the complete network functions as it should now.

I'm not 100% certain but in the process of doing a lot of experimenting I suddenly noticed the SL box as visible in network neighborhood and it happened shortly after I did a command line Samba restart.

Forgive my ignorance but I would have thought that something like Samba would be started at boot yet it seems in my case it was not and all the time I was adjusting the smb.conf file I was rebooting to effect changes. (I guess a holdover from Windows)

I think I assumed it was running as I was always able to see the Windows shares which I can't quite grasp but nevertheless I can shut down, restart, or do whatever and my network is there.

Thanks for trying to help.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Hmm... I thought samba is added by default to the default runlevel when one installs SL. Can't recall ever having to do it myself when I've done a new install.

Anyway, a tip in case you don't know it already: If you want to check what services are running/not running, the rc-status command is useful. Another command that is useful is:

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# rc-update show -v