NWLink NetBIOS

[sn0wflake]

There's a network protocol in Windows XP named NWLink NetBIOS. What's the equivalent in Knoppix and how do I install it? I need NetBIOS because everything I upload to Knoppix is sent via the Internet and that's just too darn slow
I installed Knoppix the 21th. of March 2004 and I've loved it since. I know how to join a Windows 2003 domain, how to share files with Samba, and my TV-tuner works without freezing my PC

Note: I actually posted this message in Knoppix without even thinking about it

[garyng]

Netbios over IPX/SPX(i.e. the Netware protocol, I believe that is the NW means) ?

However, why do you need that ? Almost everyone is using Netbios over TCP/IP like Samba. Just curious.

[sn0wflake]

I need NetBIOS because tranferring files from my Windows XP PC to Knoppix is sent via the Internet, i.e. I upload a file to Knoppix instead of sending it via my 100 MB switch.

[garyng]

How do you do the transfer ?

If you have Samba on KNOPPIX, I don't see why you would go through internet as both should be talking SMB(Netbios) over TCPIP.

[sn0wflake]

I drag-n-drop files from Windows to a Knoppix share.

Why are my files sent via the Internet?

[garyng]

one possibility would be that both of your machines' default gateway points to the outside world and they are not on the same 'internal' subnet.

I need to know more about your hardware/network setup to have a more definitive answer. Are both machine behind some kind of router ? what does ifconfig on the knoppix box said and what does ipconfig/all on the window box said ? Or another easy test, just traceroute from one machine to another and see how the packet travels.

Based on what you described, you are already using SMB(over TCP/IP) but for some reason, the ip packets got routed to the outside world and back.

BTW, I doubt Samba(which is what works on the Knoppix share) support NWlink/Netbeui, not sure though. Samba AFAIK is a TCP/IP only solution. I do like NWlink/Netbeui for some situation as that is safer and easier for some small internet network, no firewall is needed.

[sn0wflake]

All PC's are connected to a switch with Internet connection in the uplink port, so all PC's are on the Internet. That may be the main problem.
The subnet mask of the PC's are different. The IP is given by my ISP.
Doing a traceroute to the Windows PC from Knoppix results in two hops. I know I only have one hop to the ISP switch when doing a traceroute in Windows to the gateway so there's definately something fishy about that.
Since you know something about IPX please explain me how I install it.

Sorry, I'm not that good at networking

Update: I phoned my ISP and got an explanation. My ISP provides IP's and gateways at random. The solution would be to buy a router since it handles network traffic internally. I can also plug in my switch and use the available ports for a larger network.

[garyng]

I checked again and as far as I know, Samba doesn't support ipx so it is of little use even you can load it. It is a standard linux kernel module.

what you can do is manually give both machines an internal ip say 192.168.1.x then traffic between them will not go out to your isp.

[sn0wflake]

I'm not happy with static IP's. I also prefer moving targets in FPS

[garyng]

you need a NAT router then. Linux support of ipx is minimal and netbeui is non-existant. If it is a Windows only network, I would just enable netbeui/nwlink which is safe and secure.