Hi
I have OpenSUSE 11.1 installed on my Desktop PC while the laptop has Microsoft Windows XP.
I want to connect both computers, and I have a crossover ethernet wire for that.
Now how do I set up OpenSUSE and Windows to facilitate networking in order to share files and also possibly have internet connection sharing (the desktop has the internet connection)
Thank You.
P.S. I use GNOME but instructions for KDE4 would be appreciated as well.
Hello Anurag_Panda, first post – Welcome to the Forums.
Here’s a primer on tweaking samba in openSUSE to get file sharing going:
Samba and Suse: HowTo Set up an openSUSE-Windows Home Office LAN/Network. Versions 10, 11
If you want to make 1-click shares in Gnome you can use Nautilus to make them, and to turn them on or off on-the-fly. See the segments Setting up Gnome for on-the-fly sharing in Nautilus and Making Shares in Nautilus in this tutorial:
Samba with Suse / openSUSE HowTo: Simple on-the-fly Shares with Konqueror, Dolphin or Nautilus on a SOHO LAN
And finally, if you want to connect your laptop to the internet through the desktop machine, you can use the Linux version of ICS, called IP Masquerading. There’s a HowTo on that here:
openSUSE ICS: Internet Connection Sharing (Linux IP Masquerading) with Suse or Windows Servers
Luck & don’t hesitate to ask questions.
I followed the tutorial but in it:
All you need to do to browse workstations is change “WORKGROUP” to the name you’ve chosen, in this tutorial it’s SWERDNA, and to add the netBIOS name (e.g. for me it’s dell103) to smb.conf. Simply edit/exchange this line:
What netBIOS name I have to enter? Workgroup will be WORKGROUP I guess (as in Windows).
Also nothing is coming when I browse smb:/// in Nautilus.
Now I can access something in smb:///
It’s workgroup. Then amita-pc (the name I set in NetBIOS)
But it’s asking for authorization which is working only with root user and gives access to my SUSE. But how can I access from Windows now?
To finalise the setting up of openSUSE you have to add your username to the Samba user database with this command in a console:
sudo smbpasswd -a your_linux_username
you will be asked for root’s password – enter it. Then you will be asked for a Samba password to go with your_linux_username – make one up and enter it.
From then on, if you are askerd for a username and password from windows, supply your_linux_username and the Samba password that you just make up.
Thanks. But how do I access it in Windows. I can use my username now but it works within SuSE (i.e. I am accessing SuSE from SuSE which does not make any sense).
But how can I now connect using Windows?
Also How can I access Windows shares in SuSE?
You asked how to connect to openSUSE from windows xp. Here’s one way: open My Network Places → View Workgroup Computers. You should see the icon labelled amita-pc. Click it with mouse. You should see icon labelled Users. Click it. You should see a password box. Enter your_linux_username and Samba password. You should be connected to the home directories of all users (similar to sharing windows directory “Documents and Settings”.
There are about three or four possible shares there. See more about them here:
The Suse/openSUSE Default Shares
You asked how to connect to windows xp from openSUSE. Which Desktop are you using, Gnome or KDE4?
I use GNOME
There is no icon for amita-pc 
Looks like browsing is not working.
I can ask you questions all day long and you are so new to Linux that it seems you can’t work out how to communicate answers that convey what you’ve done and what you’re experiencing. Not really your fault - all new and unusual.
So let’s just go straight to some diagnostics. Please open Gnome Terminal and enter this command and copy/paste back here the dialogue that you have in the terminal:
sudo /usr/sbin/rcnmb status
That will tell me if browsing is switched on.
Next please do this command in Gnome Terminal and paste the dialogue back here:
cat /etc/samba/smb.conf
That will tell me how you have configured browsing.
Here’s the smb.conf
# version at /usr/share/doc/packages/samba/examples/smb.conf.SUSE if the
# samba-doc package is installed.
# Date: 2008-08-27
[global]
workgroup = WORKGROUP
netbios name = amita-pc
name resolve order = bcast host lmhosts wins
printing = cups
printcap name = cups
printcap cache time = 750
cups options = raw
map to guest = Bad User
include = /etc/samba/dhcp.conf
#logon path = \\%L\profiles\.msprofile
#logon home = \\%L\%U\.9xprofile
#logon drive = P:
usershare allow guests = Yes
usershare max shares = 100
usershare owner only = False
[homes]
comment = Home Directories
valid users = %S, %D%w%S
browseable = No
read only = No
inherit acls = Yes
[profiles]
comment = Network Profiles Service
path = %H
read only = No
store dos attributes = Yes
create mask = 0600
directory mask = 0700
[users]
comment = All users
path = /home
read only = No
inherit acls = Yes
veto files = /aquota.user/groups/shares/
[groups]
comment = All groups
path = /home/groups
read only = No
inherit acls = Yes
[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/tmp
printable = Yes
create mask = 0600
browseable = No
[print$]
comment = Printer Drivers
path = /var/lib/samba/drivers
write list = @ntadmin root
force group = ntadmin
create mask = 0664
directory mask = 0775
[share]
comment =
inherit acls = Yes
path = /home/anurag/Share
read only = No
And
sudo /usr/sbin/rcnmb status
Checking for Samba NMB daemon running
And No I am not new to Linux. But new to networking.
Another thing which is happening worth noting is that Vista in Virtualbox in OpenSUSE PC is able to access the shares perfectly but the WinXP PC isn’t able to.
Also the network gives error of limited connectivity with DHCP but works with static IP.
Is there any way to check whether the crossover wire is really working?
You’ve got nearly the perfect setup. I recommend you add there three lines to the [global] stanza of smb.conf:
local master = yes
preferred master = yes
os level = 65
You can do that most easily by opening smb.conf in a superuser text editor, e.g. run this command in Gnome terminal:
gnomesu gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf
Also, open the Netbios Server ports and Samba Server ports in SuSEfirewall2 along with the Samba connection tracker, three things. There’s a pictorial on that here: Opening the Firewall for samba
Then sequentially reboot Suse, windows xp, Suse, windows xp.
You should then see the windows shares under Nautilus → Places → Network → Windows network. And the Suse shares from windows as described earlier.
It doesn’t work still. I just can’t figure out why.
Samba daemon is working…I can access the shares with Vista in Virtualbox but it isn’t working with the notebook.
I guess the problem is with the Crossover ethernet wire…
Thanks for your time…
Ping the IP addresses at either end of the crossover?
Your samba is running. Please share the files both in suse and windows for file sharing. if you find any error then post here.
I tried that. ping doesn’t work. It comes with Error: Host Unreachable. (on both computers)
I am fairly certain now that the wire has gone bad.
I guess I should try with an ethernet hub.
Probably cost just as much to get a router. DSL/Cable modem –> WAN side. Computers —> LAN side. Then all computers can connect independent of whether one or another machine is booted up.