I'm trying to access Vista shares on a Pavilion and an Inspiron on our router network, from slackware on my Satellite. It works every time if I use IP addresses, but if I use the computer names, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Mostly it doesn't. When the computer names aren't working, smbtree gives me this on both computers:
WORKGROUP
\\SLACKWARE Samba Server\\SLACKWARE\IPC$ IPC Service (Samba Server)
\\SLACKWARE\tmp Temporary file space
\\PAVILION-DV6700 Pavilion dv6838nr
timeout connecting to 218.83.175.154:445
timeout connecting to 218.83.175.154:139
cli_start_connection: failed to connect to PAVILION-DV6700<20> (0.0.0.0). Error NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED
\\INSPIRON-1420 inspiron 1420
timeout connecting to 218.83.175.154:445
timeout connecting to 218.83.175.154:139
cli_start_connection: failed to connect to INSPIRON-1420<20> (0.0.0.0). Error NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED
Does that mean that it's looking for both computers at 218.83.175.154? If so, where could it be getting the idea to associate that address with those computer names?
I looked up that address and found out that it's in a range of addresses reserved for my ISP. I suppose that it's coming from my ISP somehow, but how and why? Why would my slackware or Samba be asking my ISP for the addresses for computers on my local network?
I'm always able to map the Pavilion on the inspiron, and the Inspiron on the Pavilion, even when I'm getting those errors on slackware on the Satellite. Does that rule out the router as the source of the 218.83.175.154 reported by smbtree? If so, then where could that address be coming from, and what could be attaching that address to those computer names?
My slackware is configured to use our router as the DNS, which relays the requests and responses for Internet addresses. Could the router be relaying requests for those computer addresses to my ISP DNS? If so, why do the computer names work for me some of the time, and not others? In any case, why would the router relay requests for local computer addresses to the ISP DNS?
I might try configuring the DNS in slackware so it doesn't relay through the router, and see if I still have the problem.
Meanwhile, does anyone have any ideas about how requests for addresses for computers on my router network could be getting relayed to the DNS of my ISP? Meanwhile, can anyone tell me how the system distinguishes between address requests for computers on the local network, and address requests for computers on the Internet?