Koozali.org: home of the SME Server

Poll

For up to fifteen clients:

static IP is best
1 (20%)
dynamic IP is best
3 (60%)
reserved dhcp addresses are best
1 (20%)

Total Members Voted: 3

Voting closed: February 03, 2004, 08:57:11 AM

PLEASE help, e-smith can't resolve dhcp clients by hostname

Offline FreakWent

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PLEASE help, e-smith can't resolve dhcp clients by hostname
« on: January 29, 2004, 08:57:11 AM »
Do I need WINS here?  A win 9x client called FRED uses DHCP to get an IP, and FRED and BILL can talk win9x to each otehr happy, can talk to server happy happy joy.

server:

bash$ ping fred
ping: unknown host fred

but of course if fred is 192.168.0.67 then ping 192.168.0.67 works fine...

Can anyone tell me what I have to do to make e-smith understand the [smb?] hostnames of it's DHCP clients? I have LOOKED and ASKED in many places and I get "use static ip and /etc/hosts" as a reply all the time...

Thanks!

bobk

PLEASE help, e-smith can't resolve dhcp clients by hostname
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2004, 09:39:46 AM »
In server-manager go to the 'Hostnames and addresses' panel, create a new host entry for each machine on the network, assign an IP address outside the DHCP range to each host, I also enter the Ethernet addresses.

Renew the DHCP leases for each machine or wait 24 hours for then to renew automatically.

You can now ping the host names.

Offline FreakWent

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More on DHCP hostname resolution
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2004, 10:26:09 AM »
Thankyou for your help, and I understand the security benefitd of this method, however:

It makes more work when new machines are added to the LAN.

It makes more work if a win 9x machine has it's name changed.

I want this to be automatic -- perhaps I have to resort to a script which executes on the windows PC and tells the server what the hostname/address is.

Look at it this way -- I don't have to tell the windows clients all about each other, they figure it out on their own, how can I get the server to do the same thing using Samba?

doc

PLEASE help, e-smith can't resolve dhcp clients by hostname
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2004, 10:52:28 AM »
Check that you have the workgroup name configured in your esmith server (via esmith-manager > configuration > workgoup).

-- doc

barryf

PLEASE help, e-smith can't resolve dhcp clients by hostname
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2004, 06:28:28 PM »
I think that Bob has the only answer.  The ping command from the SME box doesn't go anywhere near samba, so even if the samba WINS proxy is enabled (and I think that it is by default), you won't get what you are after.  The only other way would be to have the DHCP server update a dynamic hosts file or DNS server.

Barry

Offline FreakWent

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DNS Server and DHCP
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2004, 09:03:54 PM »
Barry,

Thanks for helping, I know it's hard to help someone who refuses all advice...

OK, I can't add samba/netbios to the name resolution setup, that's fine.  You say that the only other way would be to have the DHCP server update a dynamic hosts file or DNS server.

Firstly, doesn't e-smith run just such a DNS server? I look in the DHCP logs and there are no client hostnames, so wouldn't I need some software on the clinets?

Secondly, I'm unsure why this is not regarded as a a shortcoming in e-smith, or even linux in general.  The reasons for DNS on the internet also exist when talking to my local LAN -- I don't want to manually update a hosts file, or to memorise all the names/addresses.

I want to [see if I can] use hostnames in the firewall rules, the ssh tunnels and so on.  I know LNW (linux is not windows) but something like e-smith is at least partly designed as a drop-in replacement for a windows server on a windows LAN.

Thanks in advance!