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Samba for the stupid?


bigjohn
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Obviously missing something here.

 

When I'd first installed, it seemed to work fine.

 

Since I screwed the system yesterday, nada, zilch, etc etc.

 

If I look in either network browsing or devices it tells me that it can't find any workgroup. I have to presume that it's refering to the workgroup on the linux box??? The W98 laptop is showing johnsgroup and mdkgroup in the "network neighbourhood".

 

I've tried what I think are the obvious choices, but the deluge of info otherwise, is leaving me lost.

 

Could someone point me in the right direction please ???

 

regards

 

John

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Hum? I'll have too read through that link very carefully and try to get it right - though it's gonna be a bit hit and miss, as the current "incarnation" of the samba wizard is very different (and hence rather confusing for someone like me who just doesn't seem to have the "technical mindset").

 

Thankyou for that link though ianw1974 - I shal study it very carefully then probably post back with a dumb question !

 

regards

 

John

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My opening thread title just about says it all.

 

ianw1974's link to that howto, was not as helpful as I'd hoped. Apart from it not showing the current version/view/screenies, I tried to follow it (which was in a "hit or miss" kind of way).

 

I'm now even more confused.

 

My aim is to be able to get Clares (my partner) laptop - W98 thinkpad - talking to the mandriva box/installed desktop, so that it can use the connected printer. It might be useful to be able to share files etc, but the printer is the main thing.

 

I don't follow whether I need to have a samba server and/or samba client installed (I think I've got both). I have swat and webmin installed as well, but am getting mighty confused what I need to select to make a usable smb.conf file.

 

The laptop is ready to do it's thing i.e. it's previously managed to connect - like when I first installed 2006 a couple of days ago, but I screwed the system up and all thats dis-appeared, but the workgroups are still listed on the laptop - Ideally I'd like to delete the workgroup listings, but can't see how that would be done.

 

theres stuff about "domain controllers" which I haven't really got a clue about - masters, slaves, etc etc do I need any of that stuff?

 

Do I need to add users or would that automatically happen during install ???

 

Do I need samba users for both myself and partner on the linux box ???

 

I really don't know - because I seem to be just messing things up whenever I try to sort this.

 

So if anyone knows of anything that I can read up, which would explain how to set this up in a non-techical manner, could you point me in the right direction please ?

 

regards

 

John

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John,

 

I'm not going to be of help but I am offering my sympathies because I'm in the same boat. I've been trying for a month to get my Mandriva 2006 printer accessible to my wife's winXP laptop. I've used Samba, Webmin, and smb4k. Nothing works. I've done Google searches for "simple directions" without success. Sometimes I wonder why I'm struggling with Linux, but I been a light user of Linux for years. I hate to say it but WindowsXP networks easily between my desktop (booted into XP) and my wife laptop. I don't understand why Mandriva has to be so convoluted and mysterious unless one has an advance degree in computer science. I'm sure that there is a simple configuration issue that I'm missing in Mandriva. The problem I see is that there are too many methods of configuring a printer and networks and I'm building conflicts between them. I'll keep watching your posts to see if you fine a solution.

 

Jerry

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The Samba set up from Swat, what I have used is pretty simple and you really only need the defaults in the global section, save setting the workgroup name. If you have your printer working properly in Linux and set to be shared (this can be done from MCC) Windows should find it. You do have to "add" the printer in Windows. You will need, if I recall correctly, to install the printer drivers in Windows, but when you add the printer Windows should prompt you for the driver. My only experience with this has been hooking up a Windows 2000 and XP box to my Linux box printer.

 

Questions: is the Linux printer working correctly on Linux? is the Linux printer set to be shared and is your workgroup on Linux the one Windows is on? when you went to add the Linux printer on Windows (Add Printer menu) what happened?

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theres stuff about "domain controllers" which I haven't really got a clue about - masters, slaves, etc etc do I need any of that stuff?

 

you dont need this domain controllers for that, its more complicated, you just need samba to act as a stand-alone server...

 

Do I need to add users or would that automatically happen during install ???

 

Do I need samba users for both myself and partner on the linux box ???

 

you need to add a user in your linux box that you should use on your windows 98, then add it again in your smbpasswd file.. say.. in you linux, you add an account named

"linuxuser" & "98user"

 

linuxuser is the one you're logging on your linux ( you can do so with "98user")

98user is for your windows 98.. for it to access samba.. you should as root;

#smbpasswd -a 98user        -- enter
password:
enter password again:

-- the password that you will be using on this dose not necesarilly be the same as the password you assign in your linux but no roblem if they are the same.

 

after that, the usename "98user" ( or what ever username you created) should be the username that you will be using when logging on your win98 laptop, that would allow the laptop to access samba ( assuming that the samba has been configure and the problem was with users accounts)

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The Samba set up from Swat, what I have used is pretty simple and you really only need the defaults in the global section, save setting the workgroup name. If you have your printer working properly in Linux and set to be shared (this can be done from MCC) Windows should find it. You do have to "add" the printer in Windows. You will need, if I recall correctly, to install the printer drivers in Windows, but when you add the printer Windows should prompt you for the driver. My only experience with this has been hooking up a Windows 2000 and XP box to my Linux box printer.

 

Questions: is the Linux printer working correctly on Linux? is the Linux printer set to be shared and is your workgroup on Linux the one Windows is on? when you went to add the Linux printer on Windows (Add Printer menu) what happened?

Sorry for the delay in replying - work (4 x 13 hour shifts + sleeps + eats = zero linux meddling time :wall: ).

 

Anyhow, as far as I can see, my printer is set up ok i.e. it works. How would I go about checking that it's setup for sharing ?? in the mcc - checked out what I suspect are the correct "things" but can't see any place to allocate "sharing" ???

 

When I had "it" working during the first install of mandriva (pre-screwing it up) I managed to get it printing with just the generic W98 hpdeskjet facility (on the laptop that is). Post screwup, nada!

 

 

theres stuff about "domain controllers" which I haven't really got a clue about - masters, slaves, etc etc do I need any of that stuff?

 

you dont need this domain controllers for that, its more complicated, you just need samba to act as a stand-alone server...

 

Do I need to add users or would that automatically happen during install ???

 

Do I need samba users for both myself and partner on the linux box ???

 

 

you need to add a user in your linux box that you should use on your windows 98, then add it again in your smbpasswd file.. say.. in you linux, you add an account named

"linuxuser" & "98user"

 

linuxuser is the one you're logging on your linux ( you can do so with "98user")

98user is for your windows 98.. for it to access samba.. you should as root;

#smbpasswd -a 98user        -- enter
password:
enter password again:

-- the password that you will be using on this dose not necesarilly be the same as the password you assign in your linux but no roblem if they are the same.

 

after that, the usename "98user" ( or what ever username you created) should be the username that you will be using when logging on your win98 laptop, that would allow the laptop to access samba ( assuming that the samba has been configure and the problem was with users accounts)

 

Standalone server? OK I seem to recall seeing that somewhere - I'll check.

 

The bit about adding samba users? Ok I think I can see that, but do I need just root and my user ? or as the laptop is Clares, do I need to have a username/password for her as well?

 

I can't work out whether this is partly the reason I'm confusing matters or not - i.e. I set the laptop so that it has user logins for me and Clare, but with different accounts/profiles, whatever you'd call them with W98 (sure I understand that it's different for XP) and if it would be necessary for me to be logged into to my "account/profile" or either and whether that has anything to do with it not seeing the linux system and/or the printer etc.

 

sorry to keep asking for clarification about this, but it's really got me confused as hell!

 

regards

 

John

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When you are on the Windows machine can you see the printer on Linux when you go to the add printer menu? I'm assuming each system is part of the same workgroup. Your scedule sounds pretty daunting! You also may want to go through the file and printer sharing routine in MCC --> Sharing, for what you want that may be the simplest "setting up samba" route. For just sharing a printer you don't have to worry about samba users, etc. Hope this helps and that you get some good rest. Good luck.

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When you are on the Windows machine can you see the printer on Linux when you go to the add printer menu? I'm assuming each system is part of the same workgroup. Your scedule sounds pretty daunting! You also may want to go through the file and printer sharing routine in MCC --> Sharing, for what you want that may be the simplest "setting up samba" route. For just sharing a printer you don't have to worry about samba users, etc. Hope this helps and that you get some good rest. Good luck.

Sorry, this is making me seem really stupid!

 

I'm not sure where I'm going wrong with this. The MCC>sharing>"Set up a file and print server for workstations running linux and non-linux systems is what I've been following.

 

I select the "standalone server" and make it the same workgroup, I don't really know what the rest is so I just hit enter till the wizard finishes. So I have to presume that thats correct - I don't know.

 

If I then look in the desktop "Network browsing" icon/facility, konqueror opens at smb:// and appears to be looking for something, but it always hits me with the same error i.e. could not connect for host smb://myworkgroup.

 

Hence the lame questions - I'm just confused to hell with this one!

 

regards

 

John

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What happens on the Win98 box when you try to add the printer you have set up on Linux? As I recall Win98 did not have much as far as networking and Win ME had the first MS networking tools, but it's been a long time since I used these. I do know that my one MS system, Windows 2000, easily finds my Linux printer.

So right now if I were you I would be looking at the Windows side of things. As that is your only printer I'd make sure the networked printer is the only one that exists in Win98. Jingling around in the back of my head is a memory of my ex-wife having trouble networking her Win98 system with a Win2000 system.

Regarding workgroups that you can set via MCC. Mandriva defaults that MDKGROUP thing.

Anyway, check back with the Win98 add printer routine. Good luck.

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What happens on the Win98 box when you try to add the printer you have set up on Linux? As I recall Win98 did not have much as far as networking and Win ME had the first MS networking tools, but it's been a long time since I used these. I do know that my one MS system, Windows 2000, easily finds my Linux printer.

So right now if I were you I would be looking at the Windows side of things. As that is your only printer I'd make sure the networked printer is the only one that exists in Win98. Jingling around in the back of my head is a memory of my ex-wife having trouble networking her Win98 system with a Win2000 system.

Regarding workgroups that you can set via MCC. Mandriva defaults that MDKGROUP thing.

Anyway, check back with the Win98 add printer routine. Good luck.

I think I've got something wrong earlier than the printer. I can't access any shares (presuming that the printer is seen as a share from the linux box).

 

The workgroup is being seen from the laptop i.e. it's showing in the "network neighbourhood" since I had another go at configuring via the MCC and sharing.

 

I just can't access the linux box from the laptop and I'm still getting the same can't find anything when I try to look at smb:// i.e. it shows nothing for my workgroup.

 

I don't understand why, my smb.conf looks like this:

# Samba config file created using SWAT

# from 127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1)

# Date: 2005/12/13 03:24:54

 

[global]

    dos charset = 850

    unix charset = ISO8859-1

    workgroup = myworkgroup

    netbios name = THINKPAD

    server string = Samba Server %v

    security = share

    map to guest = Bad User

    log file = /var/log/samba/%m.log

    max log size = 50

    server signing = auto

    socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_SNDBUF=8192 SO_RCVBUF=8192

    printcap cache time = 60

    printcap name = cups

    add machine script = /usr/sbin/useradd -d /dev/null -g machines -c 'Machine Account' -s /bin/false -M '%u'

    preferred master = No

    domain master = Yes

    dns proxy = No

    ldap ssl = no

    valid users = john

 

[printers]

    comment = All Printers

    path = /var/spool/samba

    create mask = 0700

    guest ok = Yes

    printable = Yes

    print command = lpr-cups -P %p -o raw %s -r # using client side printer drivers.

    use client driver = Yes

    browseable = No

 

[print$]

    path = /var/lib/samba/printers

    write list = @adm, root

    force user = john

    force group = lp

    inherit permissions = Yes

    guest ok = Yes

    case sensitive = No

    msdfs proxy = no

 

[homes]

    comment = Home Directories

    read only = No

    guest ok = Yes

    browsable = Yes

 

Obviously, theres something wrong with that. For the life of me, I can't see what it might be.

 

regards

 

John

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Is THINKPAD the name of your Linux box?

 

One problem I once ran into was when I had a computer with the same name as a user: totally freaked out Windows.

 

Rather than worrying about too much, such as shares other than the printer, will Windows, as a member of myworkgroup see the printer when you try to add the printer? Printers are so much easier to set up than other shares.

 

My smb.conf file is pretty simple, similar to yours with a couple of exceptions. For server string I have my linux box name and for domain master I have auto. Unfortunatley I'm no Samba expert, but have had very few problems and never with sharing a Linux based printer (had with printers on a Windows system).

 

You amy also want to run the following command: smbclient -L <name of Win98 box> (brackets are mine), i.e for me smbclient -L laptop where laptop is the name of my Win2000 system. That will let you know if Linux is seeing Windows via Samba and will show what is being shared.

 

But please let us know what happens when you try to add the printer.

 

Hang in there.

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thinkpad is the name allocated to the laptop.

 

the command "smbclient -L thinkpad" just says "connection to thinkpad failed" - I also tried a few other options but to no avail.

 

As for the printer, I deleted the printer entry, but can't recreate it as the laptop can't see the linux box (to which the printer is connected).

 

I've double checked the network settings and as far as I can see/tell, they are OK - I could easily be wrong.

 

Hence, stumped! Damn.

 

regards

 

John

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