Trying to get a hybrid visible on a windows network

[speedyone]

Hi all,

I've recently changed my setup to a hybrid (core/MD combo). I have one lan cable going to this machine. The MD is booted up. From my windows machine, I'd like to move files over to the hybrid machine, but the hybrid is not visible on the windows network. I've poked around quite a bit looking for solutions, but no luck with any of them.

Can anyone provide a working solution?

Thanks,

Speedyone  


After viewing some other posts, Do I need a second LAN connection on this hybrid to be able to route files over to the core part of the hybrid?





 

[cht_winston]

Hi Speedy,

There are many ways to get to the shares on the core but here's one way assuming that you are using XP on the Windows machine (Vista should not be too different but I don't currently have access to a Vista machine):-

• Click on the 'Start' button, then 'Search'
• Select 'Computers or People'
• Select 'A computer on a network'
• Enter the ip address of the core - usually 192.168.80.1 as it should be the DHCP server and start the search
• The found object should appear in the right-hand panel
• Double-click on the icon of found object
• You should be offered a login box. Type dcerouter\username - substituting your username
• Enter your username's password and click on the 'OK' button.

That's it. You should see all the shares and the folders for media are behind the 'Public' share.

[pigdog]

Hi,

I kinda got a little confused reading your post.

Normally a Core/Hybrid has two (2) NIC's.  

One that connects to the internet (normally eth0) and the other (eth1) connects to a switching hub or to a single MD.

Now depending upon how your network is set up, http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Network_Setup

or, http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Internal_LAN_setup

...if your window machine is on the same network as your Core/Hybrid and they are in the same workgroup...

...don't forget that windows machine default to workgroup, mshome, etc. & LMCEs' workgroup (read /etc/samba/smb.conf) is linuxmce.

There are ways to support multiple workgroups... http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/How_to_setup_Samba_with_two_workgroups%3F

but the easiest depending on how you are setup would be to change windows to workgroup = linuxmce & reboot windows machine.

[merkur2k]

i have never had a problem accessing my core from a windows box that is not in the same workgroup. just type in \\dcerouter and away it goes. this of course depends on having a proper 2 nic network setup though.

[speedyone]

Hi,

I kinda got a little confused reading your post.

Normally a Core/Hybrid has two (2) NIC's.  

One that connects to the internet (normally eth0) and the other (eth1) connects to a switching hub or to a single MD.

Now depending upon how your network is set up, http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Network_Setup

or, http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Internal_LAN_setup

...if your window machine is on the same network as your Core/Hybrid and they are in the same workgroup...

...don't forget that windows machine default to workgroup, mshome, etc. & LMCEs' workgroup (read /etc/samba/smb.conf) is linuxmce.

There are ways to support multiple workgroups... http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/How_to_setup_Samba_with_two_workgroups%3F

but the easiest depending on how you are setup would be to change windows to workgroup = linuxmce & reboot windows machine.

Hi to all,

Sorry for the confusion.

I used to have a dedicated core with 2 NIC cards and a stand alone diskless LAN boot MD machine. With this setup, I was able to see the core and move files from my windows XP machine to the dedicated core machine. * note the dedicated core was the DHCP server in my network at the time. With this setup, I could transfer files from my windows XP machine over to the dedicated core just fine.


Due to unresolved heat problems from the dedicated core always running, I abandoned this idea and built a hybrid machine (core/MD).

My purpose for the Hybrid is to just power it up and use it strictly as an MD. When not in use, I stash it away.

I now have a router and a switch directly "behind" a cable modem in my network.

On the Hybrid machine, I have one wired LAN cable coming from the switch to the hybrid. I have internet connectivity, but I can not see the hybrid from my windows XP machine.

I did try changing my windows XP workgroup name from "home" to linuxmce per pigdog's suggestion with no luck. I've also tried adding the the hybrid machine to the network from my windows XP machine and the hybrid is just not there.

Any further ideas? Do I need to port forward anything from my settings in the admin page?

Thx,
Speedyone 



 

 

[merkur2k]

since you insist on breaking the normal supported network configuration, you will have to use manual workarounds. your option in this case is to find the hybrid's external ip address and use that to access it from the windows box.

[colinjones]

You will cause no end of problems - this is _not_ a supportable solution, and you will have difficulty finding people prepared to help you with future problems. Cores, irrespective of whether they are dedicated or not, or the only device in the network, are not supposed to be turned on and off, and this will cause you problems (media library springs to mind immediately) - if this doesn't connect with your requirements, then perhaps you should be looking to another product... I cannot think of any of the LMCE advantages that would be applicable in an environment in which the core is only turned on periodically, so you seem to be conducting an uphill battle for no advantage!

That being said, the reason you are having difficulty is you are trying to browse into LMCE from the external network rather than the intended internal network, and thus hitting the firewall!

[Dale_K]

What this amounts to is you have the external cable on your hybrid plugged into your internet router as well as your Windows machine.  You end up with the Windows machine on the same external LAN as your Hybrid, both getting DHCP info from your router. (Typically something like 192.168.1.xx/24)

The problem you are encountering is that by default, the external (internet) interface of the Hybrid is firewalled.  In order to "see" that machine from your Windows box you need to disable the firewall in the WebAdmin.  Once disabled, just type \\dcerouter in an Explorer window and up will come your Hybrid.  You may have to use the IP address of the Hybrid as I'm not sure that DNS will work properly in a single NIC configuration.

Note:  In the single NIC configuration LMCE will create "virtual" NICs (I think its something like Eth0.1 and Eth0.2).  This will typically cause endless problems and I'd strongly recommend getting back to a two NIC configuration.  Having said that, given that you are not running any MD's, the single NIC configuration can work but don't attempt to add ANY IP devices to your LMCE install or you'll have nothing but headaches.

[colinjones]

yes, Dale, that would be another issue ... as the external network is not using LMCE's DHCP, the external devices will not be using LMCE for DNS as they should be... so dcerouter will probably not resolve (I don't think NETBIOS broadcast name resolution is implemented), this also means that when/if IPs change any mapped drives will fail. Also, pnp won't work, and storage scanning works within the 192.168.80 subnet so that won't work either.

[merkur2k]

windows machines actually do use netbios for name resolution on the lmce network, there is currently no dynamic dns updates associated with dhcp addresses. I have actually been working on adding this, but havent quite gotten it done yet.

[colinjones]

merkur2k

Clarification - I was actually talking about whether LMCE implements it. It isn't relevant that Windows uses it for resolution, if the LMCE core never responds, as the resolution will still fail.

Windows will only use NETBIOS broadcast resolution if the DHCP Node Type is set correctly. For instance, if the Node Type is set to p-mode it will not use it at all and resolution will always fail. If it is set to h-mode it will use it, then it depends on whether LMCE responds or not. (happily, because historically Windows name resolution was so unreliable, most DHCP servers default to h-mode, to cover this.... however that is by no means guaranteed these days, and most people wouldn't have a clue what the Node Types are, and most broadband routers' DHCP systems do not expose that config setting to change it, anyway!)

[merkur2k]

well thats what i meant to imply i guess, is that it does indeed use netbios. it has to, since windows machines do resolve hostnames but there are no dns entries for them (and indeed linux machines on the same network cannot resolve names).

[colinjones]

how strange that LMCE's netbios is configured to respond to broadcast requests that realistically are legacy for Windows only, but not for DNS resolution even though it is definitely configured to forward DNS requests, even though DNS is what other Linux machines are going to require!! Especially now that even Windows relies on DNS more so than WINS anymore...  I suppose it helps with the Computer Browser service in compiling and browsing domains/workgroups... still Linux should still be looking after other Linux boxes at least as much as Windows!!

Yes, after you posted this, I took a look at the BIND config, and sure enough there is no zone set up to handle DNS resolution of dcerouter. I must admit I was lazy, long gone are the days when you could ping something in Windows and if the returning name was unqualified and all capitals, you were safe in the assumption that it had used WINS/NETBIOS to resolve it, and not DNS I should have done an nslookup or read the BIND files first

[speedyone]

Thank you all....I'm beginning to understand and grasp the idea that I can't use the MD part of LinuxMCE as a stand alone function. Bummer in a way, because I refuse to use a windows product for my MD needs. I just might have to invest in some more hardware to resolve my core heat problem (I had my core in a bedroom closet and it heated up the entire bedroom noticeably).

Dale_K , you strongly recommended that I get back to a two NIC configuration....is this the same as using LinuxMCE as intended (setting up a core and then having a separate MD player tied to the core)?

Speedyone
  

[tschak909]

you could do that, yes. But keep in mind that the system as configured is also a hybrid, that is, both media director and core in one unit.

-Thom