XP and Linux

[Ted Hilts]

For 3 months now I have been struggling to get 2 XP machines to properly network with my Linux machines.  There are 3 areas of network communication which the XP set up screens deal with:  Web Access, FTP Access, and Share Access.

My Network had Linux and Win95 machines comfortably networking together with no problems.  Then I added 2 XP workstation machines to replace the Win95 workstation machines with the idea they would network as easily as the Win95 machines.

The Linux and Win95 machines can commnicate with each other on all 3 protocols list above in the first paragraph.  The Win95 machines can access a linux share whether it is as a network drive or a directory and the Linux machines can access the Win95 shares.  The common network protocal is SAMBA.  This all works just fine so I would assume I have a properly working basic LAN network.  

Regarding the new XP machines.  The Linux machines can access the the XP shares.  The XP machines can access the Linux  by Web Access protocol and FTP protocol opening up access on the Linux machines user account "ted".  All machines on the network, Linux, Win 95, and XP log on to the network as user "ted".  However, the XP machines cannot "see" the Linux shares .  Microsoft has been consulting with me by email regarding this matter but there has been no real progress.   We tried installing "netbios" which is a special add on for XP.  We also tried installing a MS patch of some kind which influences how passwords are looked at, the native XP mode is as binary (if I remember correctly) but the patch causes XP to look at passwords as ASCII characters.  As far as I can see all the protocols used by the Win95 machines have been enabled on the XP machines.

I have a business associate who volunteered to set up a 2 computer network, one with XP and the other with a Linux machine.  He feels the problem is a protocol problem which apparently could involve security.  Once he can get his 2 machine network working he feels he can access my network and isolate the problem.  But I have not heard back from him so he must have run into problems.  He is working with people from the local Linux community.

Does anyone out there have XP working with Linux shares?????  That is, with the Linux machine able to see and access the XP shares and the XP machine able to see and access the Linux shares.

My network does not utilize a DNS but uses the HOSTS and LMHOSTS files to resolves IP address with host name.  So do the Win95 machines.  And so also do the XP machines.  The XP machines have a different location for these files than do the Win 95 machines.  But that did not solve the problem either.

In addition to this SHARE problem there is another (possibly related) problem.  I cannot use the XP machine as an internet gateway even for the another XP machine but I have not had any time to explore this problem and examine all the settings.  

Does anyone have experience with this SHARE problem.  If so I would appreciate them making "screen snaps" of all related XP setup screens and forwarding same to me along with a copy of their SMB.CONF file.  This is time consuming but I  would appreciate the effort.  I sent a full set of  "snaps" to MicroSoft but they did not seem to see a problem with the Network and Security set ups.  Please Note: On XP, to make a screen "snap shot" press the PRINT SCREEN key, then goto START>>Accessories>>Paint and while in the PAINT dialog box do EDIT>>Paste and then SAVE AS  some_meaningful_name.jpg

Any help would be appreciated.

Bye-thanks_TED