samba - Mar 2004 - NetBIOS over TCP/IP versus direct hosting over TCP/IP

>From Microsoft web site (Windows 2000 Resource Kit):
"Windows 2000 uses NetBIOS over TCP/IP to communicate with prior versions
of
Windows NT and other clients, such as Windows 95. However, the Windows 2000
redirector and server components now support direct hosting for
communicating with other computers running Windows 2000. With direct
hosting, NetBIOS is not used for name resolution. DNS is used for name
resolution and the Microsoft networking communication is sent directly over
TCP without a NetBIOS header. Direct hosting over TCP/IP uses TCP port 445
instead of the NetBIOS session TCP port 139.
By default, both NetBIOS and direct hosting are enabled, and both are tried
in parallel when a new connection is established. The first to succeed in
connecting is used for any given attempt. NetBIOS over TCP/IP support can be
disabled to force all traffic to use TCP/IP direct hosting."
True or False:  SAMBA does not support TCP/IP direct hosting as defined by
Microsoft.
If I disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP support on a Win2K client, I lose
visibility to my SAMBA server.  When I re-enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP, I can
access my SAMBA server.

Am I missing something?  I am using the 3.0.2a sources.

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Richard C. Wargo wrote:

| True or False:  SAMBA does not support TCP/IP direct hosting
| as defined by Microsoft.

False -- smbd in Samba 3.0 binds to port 139 and 445
by default.  See the 'smb ports' option in smb.conf(5).

| If I disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP support on a Win2K client,
| I lose visibility to my SAMBA server.  When I re-enable NetBIOS
| over TCP/IP, I can access my SAMBA server.
|
| Am I missing something?  I am using the 3.0.2a sources.

browsing is different than publishing which is different
connecting.  Samba 3.0 does not support publishing
file shares in AD (you can publish print shares in the
directory).  You should be able to connect using
port 445 without any problem.  If you disable netbios
on your network, the legacy network browsing will not
work either.  This is probably what you are seeing.




cheers, jerry
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On Wed, 24 Mar 2004, Richard C. Wargo wrote:
>
> >From Microsoft web site (Windows 2000 Resource Kit):
>
> "Windows 2000 uses NetBIOS over TCP/IP to communicate with prior
versions of
> Windows NT and other clients, such as Windows 95. However, the Windows 2000
> redirector and server components now support direct hosting for
> communicating with other computers running Windows 2000. With direct
> hosting, NetBIOS is not used for name resolution. DNS is used for name
> resolution and the Microsoft networking communication is sent directly over
> TCP without a NetBIOS header. Direct hosting over TCP/IP uses TCP port 445
> instead of the NetBIOS session TCP port 139.
> By default, both NetBIOS and direct hosting are enabled, and both are tried
> in parallel when a new connection is established. The first to succeed in
> connecting is used for any given attempt. NetBIOS over TCP/IP support can
be
> disabled to force all traffic to use TCP/IP direct hosting."
> True or False:  SAMBA does not support TCP/IP direct hosting as defined by
> Microsoft.
> If I disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP support on a Win2K client, I lose
> visibility to my SAMBA server.  When I re-enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP, I can
> access my SAMBA server.
>
> Am I missing something?  I am using the 3.0.2a sources.
Check your smb.conf man page for the "netbios disable" parameter.

If you disable use of NetBIOS you must create appropriate DNS records for
the Samba server so that clients will be able to find it. See the
Samba-HOWTO-Collection (ref. http:///www.samba.org/samba/docs/) chapter on
Network Browsing for information regarding important DNS parameters when
using NetBIOSless CIFS (TCP/IP direct hosting).

Answer: Samba-3 does support TCP/IP direct hosting. If you find a problem
with it then please report details to the samba-technical@samba.org
mailing list.

- John T.
-- 
John H Terpstra
Email: jht@samba.org