My Linux / Windows Network Conundrum

[eyeh8windows]

Hi all,

 

I am trying to network my computers and not having much luck. I have RTFM's as much as I could and reviewed posts here at this site but I guess I'm just too burned out from long days at work to be able to clearly understand what exactly it is that I need to be doing to get the network I have envisioned to be a reality.

 

I have a Mandy 07 PC directly connected to my router and a Windont Vista laptop wirelessly connected to the router. Ideally, I would like Samba client and server running on the Mandy PC along with a mail server that the Windont laptop can read email from; but one thing at a time, I guess.

 

I would like to start by trying to get Samba client to see the files in the "Public" folders on the laptop and I would like Samba server to give the laptop the ability to browse a shared folder.

 

I've already opened the appropriate ports on the laptop/router/PC, so perhaps I'm not setting the config files for Samba correctly. If anyone would like to have a look at them they are attached.

 

If anyone could guide me in the right direction or anything it would be a great help.

samba.txt

[jaraeez]

Hey, not a guru by any means but I noticed straight away that you have

hosts allow = 192.168.1.100 192.168.1.103 127.

is this a typo or have you missed the rest of the 127. > 0.0.1? I would also create the same named user on both PC's ie: user/Vista user/Mandy. What errors are you getting? Can you ping both ways? more details may help :)

 

Also - Have you tried webmin http://www.webmin.com/ (urpmi webmin) & from Konqueror smb://vista-ip

Edited March 6, 2007 by jaraeez

[SoulSe]

Just for clarity, jaraeez is suggesting you change it to:

hosts allow = 192.168.1.100 192.168.1.103 127.0.0.0

[jaraeez]

Just for clarity, jaraeez is suggesting you change it to:

hosts allow = 192.168.1.100 192.168.1.103 127.0.0.0

 

:) Actually I was suggesting to change it to 127.0.0.1, as to allow the localhost access

[SoulSe]

:) Actually I was suggesting to change it to 127.0.0.1, as to allow the localhost access

My bad... that's what I meant to type. My head is a little screwy right now though ;)

[pindakoe]

A problem which I encountered is that your laptop needs to allow communication from the server to pass through its firewall. Without this, your laptop will send a request to the server for info what to display in (for instance Network Neighbourhood), but rejects the response from the (Samba) server. I have added the server to the 'trusted' zone of my Windows (98) PC that runs ZoneAlarm as firewall.

 

Secondly are you sure that your laptop has actually got one of the IP addresses you indicate? I tend to allow 192.168.1 (i.e. all addresses my router hands out) or set the router such that it assigns always the same IP to the same hardware (I know once can do this smarter, but I haven't gotten that far).

 

Both problems can be tested/verified with pinging -- also check your logs on both machines to see what communication arrives.

[eyeh8windows]

Ok, I just got back from work. Lots of good input people, thank you very much!

 

jaraeez: good catch with the "hosts allow" line, I didn't even change that & it's got the wrong addresses in it.

 

pindakoe: I've allowed the firewall on the laptop to have ports 137-139 tcp/udp incomming and outgoing, hopefully that's what windows needs to be able to share files to the network and browse other pc's on the network.

 

All: after a good night's sleep I realized that it would be much smarter for me to have the laptop connect to everything via VPN. Which brings me to yet another question: Does anyone have any suggestions for which application(s) are best suited for Linux/Windows VPN's, or does the platform difference even matter?

Edited March 7, 2007 by eyeh8windows