Adding Kubuntu Feisty to a simple Windows XP network

[klout]

I hope that some kind soul can help with my networking problem.

Having played around with various Linux distros over the last few weeks, I’ve settled on Kubuntu 7,04 Feisty Fawn as my distro of choice and have installed it on a reasonably good PC, with an Athlon XP2600+ and 512Mb of RAM. The installation went fine, apart from Kubuntu’s failure to correctly identify the capabilities of my Nvidia MX440 graphics card, a problem that is now fixed. The PC works great as a workstation and I've used it to do many of the things I normally do in Windows.

However, I have a simple Windows XP Pro/Home Edition home network that I would like to share files with. My main PC is a Desktop that runs Windows XP Pro and connects by wireless connection to my Netgear DG834G router. I also have a laptop, which connects wirelessly as well. The Windows PC happily shares files with the laptop and vice versa. The Kubuntu is wired directly to the router (I'm leaving Wi-Fi for later in the learning curve) There is no central server, as such.

As soon as Kubuntu was installed (ie before Samba was installed), I managed to establish a connection to both Windows machines from Kubuntu by going to Remote Places> Add a Network Folder and entering the local IP address of the relevant Windows PC and the name of a shared folder on that PC. I can now push and pull files to and from the Windows Pcs using the Kubuntu PC.

However, I cannot get the Windows machines to access data on the Kubuntu PC, despite all my efforts to configure Samba etc. This has been a problem with all of the Linux distros I’ve tried, probably because I don't understand adequately how Samba etc should be set up.

I have created one folder on my Kubuntu desktop, called “My Documents” and this is the only one I plan to share, at the moment. Samba is installed and I have replaced the sample smb.conf file with a simple one and configured “My Documents” for file sharing. I have also added the folder as a shared folder in Samba. The smb.conf file now reads as follows;

[global]
workgroup = NONE - This is my workgoup name
netbios name = mikey-desktop
security = SHARE
auth methods = guest
domain master = No
wins support = Yes

[My Documents] - (This part was automatically created by Samba)
path = /home/mikey/Desktop/My Documents/
guest ok = yes
read only = no
case sensitive = no
strict locking = no
only user = no
msdfs proxy = no
browseable = yes - (I added this myself ‘cos I thought it might make the darned thing work)

I have also added the Windows PCs as Users in Kubuntu and set up Samba passwords using;

sudo smbpasswd -a (machine name)

As a result of the fiddling I’ve done, it seems that I am closer than I’ve ever been to getting this working, as the Windows PCs can now “see” the My Documents folder but when I try to open it to view the files inside, I get the message;

“ \\mikey-desktop\My Documents is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource. Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions.

No network provider accepted the given network path.”

Anyone got any ideas?? Please bear in mind that my knowledge of Linux is severely limited.

[Ant2ne]

Re: Adding Kubuntu Feisty to a simple Windows XP network

netbios name = mikey-desktop

Is mkey-desktop the name of the windows computer, or the name of the linux box?

In smb.conf

netbios name = WindowsBoxUserName

Not the name of a computer or the name of the linux box user name.

EXAMPLE:
My linux computer's name is Ant2ne-Laptop. and the linux computer's user account name is Ant2ne. The Windows computer's name called Cygne1000, and the Windows user account name is Tony. My smb.conf is

netbios name = Tony

I think that is your permissions problem

[klout]

Re: Adding Kubuntu Feisty to a simple Windows XP network

Thanks for the reply.

mikey-desktop is the name of the Linux PC.

The names on the network are as follows;

Kubuntu PC - mikey-desktop
Windows PC - Mike
Windows Laptop - Laptop

Under Microsoft Windows Networks and Workgroup NONE, I can see Samba 3.0.24 (mikey-desktop) as an available computer and when I select it, I can see the My Documents folder on the Kubuntu PC. However, I cannot see the items within this folder.

I had assumed that the Netbios Name in Samba must be the name of the Kubuntu PC to correctly identify it on the network. If I change the Netbios Name in the Global section of smb.conf to the name of one of the Windows machine (ie Laptop) how do I make a connection with Mike? Do I have to have two Netbios Name entries in smb.conf?

As you can see, I'm confused!

[Ant2ne]

Re: Adding Kubuntu Feisty to a simple Windows XP network

how do I make a connection with Mike? Do I have to have two Netbios Name entries in smb.conf?


That is a good question. In my workgroup, I have 2 windows computers and 1 linux computers also. But, the two windows computers have the same user name... "Tony". So I only need one "netbios name = Tony". You may simply need to rename a User in one of the Windows Machines.

The names on the network are as follows;

Kubuntu PC - mikey-desktop
Windows PC - Mike
Windows Laptop - Laptop

These name you are describing sound like the Computer names, not the user names. The User Names are not boadcasted on the network as shares. But it is the User Name that gives one authentication,

1> Rt Click My Computer->Computer Name Tab-> It will display the computer's name.
2> When you logon to windows, it displays a list of user names
Computer name is what name the shares fall into. User Names give authority and authentication. Your netbios name = UserName not ComputerName

[Fintan]

Re: Adding Kubuntu Feisty to a simple Windows XP network

msdfs proxy = no

Try commenting out that line