Linux + Windows XP + network = hair loss, please help!

[imported_Phil]

Hi guys,

Right here's the problem.
I have a Duron 700 WinXP machine and a P-II/400 Linux (Mandrake 8.1) machine on a home network (plus two other WinXP machines) across BNC cables. I got Linux installed properly recently from a friends' CDs and I've had nothing but troubles trying to get Samba to work properly.
If I run "gnomba" from Linux, I get the Samba scanning util thing (using SMB Scanning, or even TCP/IP scan methods), it sees my WinXP machine (RAPIER) and the Linux box (MANDRAKE), but my WinXP box won't let MANDRAKE in. If you double-click MANDRAKE and login (root + password) then it'll show you the shares, no anonymous access is allowed for some reason.
If, on the WinXP machine, I try to get into MANDRAKE from Network Neighbourhood, I get an Access Denied message. If I try "net use x: \\MANDRAKE\tmp", I get "The account is not allowed to login from this station (Message 1240)". If I try and double-click RAPIER in gnomba on Linux, I get "Error retrieving list, ERRDOS: Access denied" (or something similar).

I can ping each machine, the three WinXP machines all talk to each other fine, the Guest account is on in WinXP so it should see my shares fine (I setup a few just in case, Security is set to Everyone, Full Control).

Can anyone help? My Mandrake guru friend can't figure it out so we're hitting the forums & newsgroups until someone can help!

I get the feeling that the Linux Guest account isn't turned on but I don't know how to do this and can't find anything about it.

Thanks in advance,

Dopefiend

 

[marat]

Why do you want to have guest access? Login as normal user with password etc.

Look at Samba config - there are options for guest access.

p.s. As I recall GnoSamba didn't work right for me either. You can always mount smb partitions from linux command line though

su root

mkdir /mnt/net

mount -t smbfs -o username=USERNAME,password=PASSWORD //Computer/Share /mnt/net

If you don't supply password option - it will prompt you for one

You can add this to your /etc/fstab file (add option user if you want to mount it without having to login as root) and if you have
your automount working right - you don't need any program.

p.s. To find out computer name from IP address - nmblookup -A IP_ADDRESS

 

[Electrode]

This advice provided under the condition that you get rid of windows ASAP :

To access shares on XP box from Linux:
1. Open a terminal.
2. Become root if need be. This can be done by running "su" and entering your root password when asked.
From this point on, all steps are commands that must be entered.
3. cd /mnt
4. mkdir xpc
5. mount -t smbfs -o username=Administrator,password=xpadminpass //rapier/C$ xpc

When you do that, your XP C: drive will be mapped to the /mnt/xpc directory on your Linux box.

To access shares on Linux box from XP:
1. Open the file /etc/smb.conf in a text editor. This needs to be done as root.
2. Scroll down until you find the lines "encrypt passwords = yes" and "smb passwd file = /etc/smbpasswd" and uncomment them by deleting the ;'s in front of them.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and define your shares using the examples as a guide. Remember that lines beginning with # or ; will not be interpereted. If you only want to access your home directory, you can skip this step.
4. Open a terminal and become root.
The following steps are commands.
5. killall -15 smbd
6. killall -9 smbd
7. smbd -d
8. exit
9. smbpasswd
Enter the password you want to use for your network share.
Now go to your XP box.
10. Open up Map Network Drive
11. The network path will be \\MANDRAKE\name_of_share (name_of_share can be your Linux username if you want to map your homedir). Go to connect as different user, and enter your Linux username and the password you entered into smbpasswd.

Steps 1-9 are one-time config stuff. You never have to do them again.

 

[marat]

You can do the following for steps 5-9 (it is essentially the same)

1. smbpasswd -a username
2. /etc/init.d/smb restart

And you can check out xSMBBrowser Here instead of GnoSamba

 

[imported_Phil]

Cheers guys, it all works now!
I'll see how I like Mandrake before vaping my XP system... might have to get another HD and go dualie....... ;-)

Dopefiend

 

[Electrode]

Mandrake isn't the best way to get a feel for Linux. If you REALLY want to learn the ways of Linux, and eventually become completely MS-free, I suggest you get another HD, and try Linux From Scratch.