Unable to connect to network / other PC

[crboone]

When I initially installed and configured Mint, I was able to access my other PC under Network. My other PC's name displayed there and clicking on it allowed access. Now, however, I suddenly have a Workgroup folder. When I click on that it brings up a dialog for me to enter my username and pw. While the Workgroup domain name is correct, it does not accept my userid / pw for the other machine. Neither does it accept the Workgroup password. Does anyone have a solution for this? After rebooting several times now this seems to be a persistent configuration.

EDIT:

Related to this, sometimes it just locks up when I click on the Workgroup. Then I get a dialog to reset, and all of my icons disappear. That happens occasionally to both the Windows and Mac file systems, but they usually reset automatically. Is there a way to cause the Mint icons to be restored when that occurs?

I am looking in the Networking section for any solutions as well.

Thanks!

EDIT 2:

The solution at the link below worked temporarily, but then it disconnected after 5 minutes:

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 46&start=0

[altair4]

That's an odd set of symptoms.

I was able to access my other PC under Network. My other PC's name displayed there and clicking on it allowed access. Now, however, I suddenly have a Workgroup folder.

You should have always had a "Workgroup" folder so I'm not sure why it was missing.

When I click on that it brings up a dialog for me to enter my username and pw.

Now that it should not do. Note that it's not asking for credentails at the share level which is what it should do but at the workgroup level which it should not do.

Run the following command:

Code: Select all

testparm -s

And see if the following line appears:

encrypt passwords = No

If it does go into smb.conf, find that line, and change No to Yes:

encrypt passwords = Yes

Then restart smbd.

You might want to post the entire output of the "testparm -s" command in case there is something else messed up there.

The solution at the link below worked temporarily, but then it disconnected after 5 minutes:

That one is the most problematic symptom. Not sure what's going on there.

Does the same thing happen if you connect to the other machine by ip address. For example in a terminal run the following with the correct ip address for the machine you are trying to access:

Code: Select all

nemo smb://192.168.0.100

[crboone]

Thanks @altair4. Once I get home I will check. But I wanted to acknowledge your post since it will be several hours.

[crboone]

My encrypt passwords was set = True, so I changed to Yes. I assume that means the same thing but went ahead and updated it (and cycled). But this time I do not see the other PC in the network connection at all. Though now it does have a different IP.

But once I executed: nemo smb://192.168.3.7 -- I had instant access. Yes, it appears after a few minutes I no longer have access. When trying to access a folder it just hangs for a bit, then I got a warning "Unable to mount location." A subsequent execution of nemo doesn't reestablish the connection.

Here is the output for testparm -s:

~ $ testparm -s
Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf
rlimit_max: increasing rlimit_max (1024) to minimum Windows limit (16384)
Processing section "[printers]"
Processing section "[print$]"
Loaded services file OK.
Server role: ROLE_STANDALONE
[global]
workgroup = HOMECIRCUIT
netbios name = HPPAVILIONMINI
server string = %h server (Samba, LinuxMint)
map to guest = Bad User
obey pam restrictions = Yes
pam password change = Yes
passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
unix password sync = Yes
syslog = 0
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
max log size = 1000
name resolve order = bcast, host, lmhosts, wins
dns proxy = No
usershare allow guests = Yes
panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
idmap config * : backend = tdb

[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
create mask = 0700
printable = Yes
print ok = Yes
browseable = No

[print$]
comment = Printer Drivers
path = /var/lib/samba/printers

[altair4]

Short Answer: I don't know.

Compared to how Linux and OSX can find each other by name in a samba setting the Windows mechanism of workgroups, netbios names, etc.. is an over-engineered mess - at least in a home network which I assume this is. If you have a lot of WIndows machines entering and leaving the network the master browser selection process starts again and for a few minutes name resolution is disrupted.

But once I executed: nemo smb://192.168.3.7 -- I had instant access. Yes, it appears after a few minutes I no longer have access.

But when you access by ip address you are bypassing all that so I'm trying to figure out where the issue is: client or server.

My encrypt passwords was set = True, so I changed to Yes. I assume that means the same thing but went ahead and updated it (and cycled). But this time I do not see the other PC in the network connection at all. Though now it does have a different IP.

After restarting smbd who has a different ip address? The client or the server?

Restarting the samba services shouldn't have any impact on anyone's ip address. Aren't the ip addresses of all your machines constant as long as they are booted?

[crboone]

I just meant that the remote Windows machine was assigned a different IP address than what it was assigned previously when I initially saw it listed in the network in Mint. I shut down the PC over night and then I didn't see it under network the next day, but I don't know if that's because it was assigned a different IP. *So updating and cycling the samba services [probably] had nothing to do with the fact I no longer saw the remote PC listed in the Mint network.* And, in fact, I did see the remote PC again under network and was able to access it, it's just that it locked up after a few short moments.

[And again, when I tried to reset via Alt-F2 'r' -- I lost my desktop icons even though it did free the screen freeze. Is there a better way to reset the desktop so everything is restored?]

Maybe there's just something with this HP Pavilion Mini that doesn't play nice with Linux. It is a relatively newer and a little peculiar design.