[Samba] NetBIOS name resolution from Linux

Chris Smith
Fri, 16 May 2008 15:28:09 -0000

A few thoughts, take from them what you will (and remember, free advice
is worth what you pay for it).

It's really good to have proper IP name resolution. Requires DNS or
(ugh) hosts files.

It can also be good to have NetBIOS name resolution, if you have the
need (Windows type browsing and sharing in non-native AD environments).
Implies WINS or (ugh) lmhosts files for resolution (or you're left only
with broadcasts).

It's good to avoid security=share, especially if you want to run WINS.
And yes, a proper setup using security=user can provide guest shares.

Winbind is normally used to authenticate against Windows servers that
are running WINS or AD, so that you don't need to duplicate the Windows
user/groups.

You don't mention how big your network is, but if you're dealing with 5
or more systems I highly suggest both DNS and WINS over their static
equivalents, hosts and lmhosts, respectively. Even with fewer systems,
it can be a good idea to bother with the setup if you intend to grow or
want flexibility.

If you run a WINS server, you need to tell your clients to register with
it (this is easily done with DHCP - then you don't have to manually
configure them), or it wont contain their information.

--
Chris