OT Any Linux Savvy people that can answer some questions

[Spiffyguy]

Title says it all I am a newbie when it comes to linux. I have a good idea how things work I just not sure how to "git 'er done". I have a slew of things I am trying to resolve but the big one is DNS setup for accessing local machines. I am using a linksys router as my DHCP source. My linux box is set to receive DNS machines from the router. All my windows boxes are able to see each other and the linux box but I am unable to ping by host from linux to windows. I can ping by IP. I am thinking I need to change some netbios settings.

Basicly I am trying to map a drive to my file server, a windows machine. I have tried the map a network drive and it does not see it. Again I think this is related to look ups via hostname. I am using openSUSE 10.2 Any suggestions on what to try.

Thanks

 

[capncapo]

Sounds like your DNS isn't working right. Are your windows machines configured to use your DNS by an IP address? If not you might want to try that.

 

[Spiffyguy]

well I thought so too. Everything except one machine is set to DHCP. All of the machines, 4 in total, have shares on the network. All the windows boxes can see the share on the linux box in their network work group. They can even access it. Well at least get a log in promt. I still need to set up the samba user password.

All the windows boxes are able to ping but hostname. Since everything is on DHCP the IPs sometimes change. So that is why I use hostname. I am sure this problem is entirely a linux issue I jsut need to figure out what I did not set up. The DNS servers on the linux box are pulled from the router. I am not sure if anyone is familiar with opensuse but I have checked to "update the name servers and search list via DHCP" I am thinking that because it does this it will only have my ISP's DNS machines and of course they don't know my host names. So I added in my router to the list thinking maybe the router would be able to give up some hostname resolution. No joy there.

 

[capncapo]

Have you tried not using DHCP and hard coded your IPs? I would be curious to see if that would make a difference or not.

 

[Spiffyguy]

I have a machine that is hard coded and I still can't see that one. There is some funky netbios name thing going on that I can not figure out.

 

[Markk96]

You should ditch the router DHCP and set it up on a Windows file server. Enable WINS and DNS and this should fix your issues.

 

[Spiffyguy]

well I did something lol and I was breifly able to see all my windows boxes in the samba share directory in my GUI. I was very excited. Then it went away. Not sure why. I read I need to make a WINS entry on the windows boxes to allwo the samba to see them. I will get that done next. I am rough shape as my KVM has given me fits with my new computer. Blurry text and general mess of it. So I have the monitor plugged straight into my main box. I can remote desktop to the other boxes but not from the linux box lol. I will get there eventually.

 

[brad23]

I'd ditch the router for assigning IP, it takes to many resources away from it. Although I'm sure how high end of a router you are using? Are you using NAT to assign the address?

 

[Spiffyguy]

well my router is old and I need a new one. I have services on my network that are accessed from outside so I need one machine to run 3rd party app to update my dynamic DNS until I can get a router that does it for me. That is why I have not hard coded all my boxes. The only one that is hard coded is the one i needed to set up port forwarding too.

 

[gbecker]

Markk96 is correct.
You will need a DNS server of some type to be able to communicate by machine name instead of ip address. That is the reason for a DNS server. To resolve machine name to ip address. One way to get around it is making an entry into each pc's host file for the linux machine.

 

[Spiffyguy]

Will I thought that the DHCP server would do name resolution for the local lan. It does it for windows boxes I assume. Or that done through some netbios protocol that I am not sure of. I am a computer geek but I only go so far . I have hard coded all the boxes I can leaving one to update the dynamic DNS. it is the wife's box and she will not be accessing anything really so I left her on DHCP.

I was able to do a network folder add in the opensuse GUI by IP and find my file server. I have to go to work but I will work towards getting that mounted so it will auto mount on boot.

When searching network neighborhood for my work group I can see it on the windows boxes but I can no longer access it. I think that has to do with the linux box taking over the workgroup or something along those lines. Says path can not be found. If I boot the linux box into windows I bet it will be accessible then. So I need to make some changes I think but not really sure what. I am not much of a system admin but I am a good helpdesk worker