Confused on windows verses Linux networking

[Luke Yelavich]

Hi
On Mon, Aug 16, 2004 at 08:30:41AM EST, Jared Stofflett wrote:
> I have two Linux boxes, both running fedora core 2. One is meant as a
> windows file server so runs samba, and has the line in smb.conf that reads
> something like
> Hostname=dataServer

You know you don't actually nee this. Samba will use the hostname set up in
the /etc/hosts file. This is only really needed IMO if you want the Samba
server to appear as a different name.

> I know that this creates a NetBIOS name which is used to brows networks in
> windows. I have another Linux box that I'm trying to run as a local web
> server, so it's really stripped down. All windows clients are going to be
> accessing it through internet explorer. I do not want to start to run samba,
> but would like to have an easier way to access it then having to type in
> 192.168.0.109

What you need to do is set up a local DNS server for your lan. The reason why
Samba machines are accessible with their name in Internet Explorer is because
Windows is using the NetBIOS name from Samba to resolve the IP address.

> I know I was able to access stuff on the box running samba by doing
> http://dataServer:901
> TO get to swatt, using the NetBIOS name as a fully qualified domain name.
> Unfortunately all the stuff I've read about hostnames under Linux is
> yourComputer.yourDomain.someOtherDomain.com

You don't have to do this, if everything is set up correctly. I have a simple
LAN domain name, but only have to enter a computer's hostname to access it.

> Is there a way to set the computer to ignore domains so that everything on
> the same subnet such as 192.168.0.xxx will be able to do the following 
> http://webserver
> Where webserver is the Linux box that isn't running samba.
> Everything I've read says I'd have to do
> http://webserver.mydomain.com
> Which assumes I own a domain, which I do not, and am not going to.
> appreciate any help with this.

If you are using a Linux box as a gateway/firewall for your network, I would
check out dnsmasq. Do a google for it. I am using it on my Gateway, and it takes
care of DHCP, and DNS for my LAN, and also acts as a caching DNS server for
access to the net. This means that all the computers on the LAN only point to
it for DNS requests, and it then uses my ISP DNS servers. If my ISP DNS servers
change, I don't have to go round changing all my machines, as the DHCP for my
net connection will handle that, and dnsmasq will do the rest.

hth

Luke