SMB/Samba

T

Tom C

Registered
I have 10.1 installed on my 2001 iBook, along with Samba and the Samba Server Config Tool (SSCT). I should be able to share files and browse shares on SMB networks, right?

I bought an Ethernet card for my Windows box at work today so I could hook up my iBook to the Windows box. I connected the machines with an Ethernet cable. I followed instructions to the "T" on both machines (started file sharing OK on the Windows box, followed log-in instructions for 10.1 SMB connections on the iBook; in the other direction, started Samba with SSCT according to instructions, and couldn't see it in Network Neighborhood). I can neither see the iBook on the Windows box, nor vice versa.

I've ruled out the following possibilities:

1) Ethernet problem with my iBook. It connects to my Mac at home just fine.
2) Problem with Ethernet cable. Again, it worked to connect my Mac at home just fine. It's not a crossover, but the 2001 iBooks automatically cross over for you.
3) Ethernet installation problem on the Windows end. Windows recognized the card and loaded the drivers just fine.

Since the Ethernet card on the Windows box is new, it seems the most likely culprit. Windows may have recognized it, but that doesn't mean that it's sending data. How can I test my card? I have no other Ethernet-equipped machine in my office besides my iBook. (My office's idea of file sharing is copying files to floppy and wallking the disk down the hall!) Is there any way to send raw data at one end and test whether it was received at the other end? I'm not afraid of using the CLI on the Mac end.

I could have misconfigured something, I suppose, but the fact that I have problems sharing in both directions suggests a hardware problem to me...
 
--Is there any way to send raw data at one end and test whether it was received at the other end? I'm not afraid of using the CLI on the Mac end.

Yes. It is called ping. You should be able to ping the windows box even if samba does not work. If you have assigned an IP address for the windows box and the windows network card works, then you should be able to ping that IP address from your mac. If you don't get a response or it times out, then TCP/IP is not configured correctly on the windows box or the network card is screwed. (I've yet to run into any problems with most windows network cards, and I've bought quite a few used ones.)

If you do get a ping response, then the problem is with SAMBA. (this would not surprise me, samba is difficult to set up even when you follow the directions) If you do get a ping response, then I suggest you try the DAVE software. Their new version for OSX is free!(pass the word) It works fine for me and I'm the only mac in a 100+ PC network. If you really want to use SAMBA, then good luck. I had the worse time trying to set it up on Linux.(Most successes were just lucky shots in the dark, but then again I'm not a networking expert)

Also i thought I heard that OSX 10.1 had the capability to connect to a smb network built in? Am I wrong on this? That was the whole reason DAVE was being given away for free for OSX. Is there a spcial way to get this to work in 10.1 without a lot of cli hassle?

Best of Luck:)

SA
 
I'm aware of ping...but what address do I ping? I have no idea what the Windows box's TCP/IP address is. Does it even get a TCP/IP address when using SMB? Does SMB require TCP/IP? Are SMB packets enveloped in TCP/IP packets?

I assume that I have to enter a dummy IP address in the Windows box (192.168.something) and that Windows won't assign one for me? I don't know enough about configuring the Windows end to know...

Once I get a TCP/IP address assigned to my Windows box correctly, I can try pinging...
 
Tom,


By default Windoze machines do not necessarily install TCP/IP. You must explicitly do this, by opening the control panel, clicking networks, and using the applet to install TCP/IP - can't give you more explcit instructions becuase it is different in EVERY version of windows.

Once you have done this, I would suggest that you configure you windows PC to have an IP (network address) that is one more than your powerbook.

So, if your mac is 192.168.0.1, make the PC 192.168.0.2.

Set the netmask on the PC to be the *same* as the mac. (Probably 255.255.255.0)

RESTART THE PC!

Then using terminal on the mac you type

ping 192.168.0.2

[if that was the address you gave your PC] and if all is wll you should get an immediate response. If it takes ages and then you get a message saying that packets are lost then you have a hardware problem, or there is something wrong with the network addresses you have assigned.

Assuming you ping works, you should see your mac in the network browser in windows - and SAMBA should be working.

If your ping does not work then you need to ask another question!

BTW. I disagree SAMBA is really easy to set up - just use the installer on OSX, and then use the web browser interface to decide what to share.

type http://localhost:901 into your browser and you should get a login box. Enter a valid user id and password and you should be able to set up samba very easily.
 
SMB can run over a variety of transports, but it most commonly these days over TCP/IP.

Netbeui and Netbeui Frame Protocol (NBF) are cutdown versions of SMB for small (not routed) networks.

I would suggest that you have both CLI (new name for SMB) and SAMBA on the mac.

Unless something has changed - SAMBA does not allow you to browse files on a windows network - it is just a server. There is a thing called sharity which does the browsing bit.
 
OK...now that I understand that SMB runs over TCP/IP, we're getting someplace...but still no cigar. Here's how things are configured:

Mac OS X Network preferences
Show: Built-in Ethernet
Configure: Manually
IP: 192.168.0.1
Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Router: none
DNS: none
Search domains: none

Windows 98 SE Network control panel:
Clicking on properties for the TCP/IP component for my Ethernet card

IP address: specify an IP address: 192.168.0.2, subnet mask 255.255.255.0
Do any of the other tabs matter?
WINS: Disable WINS resolution
Gateway: blank
DNS configuration: blank
NetBIOS: Greyed out
Advanced: Allow binding to ATM: No
Bindings (all checked): Client for MS Netowrks, File and print sharing for MS Networks, Microsoft Family Logon

When I ping 192.168.0.2, I get 100% packet loss. Interestingly, when I ping myself from the Mac (192.168.0.1), I also get 100% packet loss. Shouldn't I be able to ping myself? It always works with my dial-up connection.

Thanks for all the help so far!
 
first thing to check is that the cable you are using is a "cross-over" ethernet cable if you are connecting 2 computers directly...ie not using a hub or switch.

you should be able to ping from the pc to the mac if ALL of the tcp/ip settings on both boxes are correct...

BTW I know the ethernet port on my ti-powerbook is capable of auto neg (md or mdx)... so i can you a straight -thru (regular) cable on it....but the is the only mac that I know of that can. I would investigate the spec on you mac. I know the PC is NOT auto-neg....so if your mac is not...you WILL need a cross-over ethernet cable to connect the 2.

kevin
 
I'm using a 2001 iBook. From the iBook Developer Note, May 2001, page 37:

"When connecting two computers using Ethernet, a crossover cable is not
required; circuits in the PHY detect the type of connection and switch the signal configuration as required."

I've succesfully connected the iBook to my old Power Mac 6500 at home without a crossover, so I'm pretty confident that this isn't the problem.
 
type in ...ifconfig -a at the terminal prompt of OSX...this will show you whether you mac is setup properly...you should see that looks like this..

[localhost:~] kec% ifconfig -a
lo0: flags=8049<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 16384
inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000
en1: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,b6,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet 172.16.20.77 netmask 0xffff0000 broadcast 172.16.255.255
ether 00:30:65:19:58:97
media: autoselect status: active
supported media: autoselect
en0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,b6,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
ether 00:30:65:f3:5a:9a
media: autoselect (none) status: inactive
supported media: none autoselect 10baseT/UTP <half-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex> 100baseTX <half-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex>
[localhost:~] kec% ping 172.16.20.77
PING 172.16.20.77 (172.16.20.77): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 172.16.20.77: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.23 ms
64 bytes from 172.16.20.77: icmp_seq=1 ttl=255 time=0.233 ms

(I have 2 ethernet interfaces...one built-in and an airport card)
as you can see...i was ABLE to ping my self ok. you should be able also.
IF not try giving the ip (ie 192.168.0.2) of your pc as the router on you mac and giving you mac ip (ie 192.168.0.1) as the router on your pc...
 
Now I remember why I use Macs...

Turns out that it was a hardware problem. I went through the disk that came with the Ethernet card and it had a diagnostic program (which, of course, you had to run from MS-DOS, not from Windows!). I ran the diagnostic and it froze. I called the manufacturer...they had me check my IRQ number for the Ethernet card...of course, I had an IRQ that wouldn't work with the card! They told me to put the card in a different slot. I had to try 3 slots before finding a slot that gave me an acceptable IRQ number!

IRQ conflicts...haven't dealt with those since the Stone Age...long live Mac.

The OS X Finder's SMB client can now find the Windows share, and ping works just fine (both pinging the Windoze machine and pinging my own machine). The Windows box still can't find the Samba server, but at least I know that that's a software problem.

Thanks again for all the help...you folks helped me narrow it down to a hardware problem.
 
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