[PLUG] Sudden Samba problem

[Robert Kopp]

My LAN usually has two computers on it, my Linux computer and my wife's Windows computer. Suddenly a problem arose which I strongly suspect was the fault of the Windows computer, and perhaps someone who knows enough about Samba will be able to deduce what happened from the following account. (If not, I'm taking questions):

I now have a problem I had not encountered before. Suddenly, when I attempted to print a job from SuSE (which prints to a remote Samba printer on my wife's computer), it didn't work. I noted that the shared folders showed up in SuSE's Samba browser, but when they were clicked, a message said they didn't exist. From the Windows computer, shares on the Linux box could be accessed, though.

I put the laptop (Windows) on the LAN. There was normal interaction with SuSE, but it couldn't browse files on the other Windows computer, either.

In a situation like mine, it might be advantageous to use a print server: both computers are used intermittently at different times, and this would provide access to anyone using a computer. (If the printer is locally connected to one of the computers, this is not the case.) I had once configured the Trendnet TE100-P1U with the router, and by using this address in CUPS

lpd://192.168.0.100/SCFCD84

it worked fine with Linux. However, when I attempted to set it up on the other computer with the software provided for Windows, I couldn't get it to work! 

[This would not of course enable the transfer of files, but would solve the printing problem.]


Robert "Tim" Kopp
http://analytic.tripod.com/