Configuring Windows clients

To access the Linux file server, your Windows clients must be configured for Windows NT networking—Linux running SAMBA and configured the way we did emulates a Windows NT server. In fact, Windows, if asked what server it is connected to, will report a Microsoft Windows NT server! (If you don’t have Win 95 distribution on your hard disk, as is often found with pre-installed Win 95 setups, make sure you have your Win 95 CD-ROM or disks at hand.)

1. In Win 95, select Start-Settings-Control Panel-Network.
2. If you do not have Client for Microsoft Networks installed, click on Add-Client, Add-Microsoft, Client for Microsoft Networks, and click OK.
3. Select Client for Microsoft Networks, and click on Properties.
4. Enable Logon to Windows NT domain, and enter the Domain/Workgroup name you have earlier defined in /etc/smb.conf in Windows NT Domain field. In our case, this was PCQLABS—you may have chosen some other name.
5. On the same screen make sure you enable Quick logon. Then click on OK.
6. Now make sure you have TCP/IP installed. If you don’t have, click on Add-Protocol-Add-Microsoft-TCP/IP-OK.
7. If you have several TCP/IP entries appearing in the network component list, select the one pointing to your network card and click on Properties.
8. Select IP Address. If you already have a TCP/IP-based network running, you will probably have a network address shown there. Since the preferred way of doing things is to use DHCP to obtain such information, and since we have configured a DHCP server (Read Configuring DHCP and DNS Services), let’s use that. Enable Obtain an IP address automatically.
9. Select WINS and make sure that Use DHCP for WINS resolution is checked.
10. Select Gateway and make sure no gateways are defined (delete any that are shown there). You will be issued a Gateway address by the DHCP process.
11. Select DNS configuration and disable DNS (don’t worry, DHCP will supply you with the needed values).
12. Select Bindings and ensure that Client for Microsoft Networks is enabled.
13. Select Advanced and make sure that this protocol is set as the default protocol, then click on OK.
14. At the Network configuration screen, make sure Primary Network Logon is set to Client for Microsoft Networks.
15. Now click the Identification tab at the top. Enter a unique name for your computer, and set the Workgroup to your Domain/Workgroup name (which we set to PCQLABS). You can also enter a short description for your computer.

Finally, click on OK in the Network Configuration screen. This will probably install a number of components—some of which require the Windows CD-ROM/disks. When it is through, it will ask you whether it can restart your computer. Click on Yes after closing all applications. The machine will reboot.