Can't connect to SMB using the CIFS Name, but using the IP address

[jacotec]

Hi,

I've deployed Alfresco Community Edition 5.2 in the last days and was able to solve almost any questions of my "learning curve" by this great forum and other internet sources.

But there is one thing I can't get up and running properly: Finding and connecting to Alfresco via SMB using the defined CIFS hostname (which is unique in my network).

Typing "\\dmsserver\alfresco\..." does not make any connection on the Windows machines, while "\\10.0.1.28\Alfresco" works pretty well. But I don't like using the IP address, I want to have that working with the host name.

Also "dmsserver" does not show up in any Windows machine when searching the network.

I'm really puzzled, thinking all is configured well and "java" is listening to all the required ports. Below is my CIFS configuration and the listening sockets. Any ideas are highly appreciated 😉

From alfresco-global.properties:

# Protokoll-Root auf "Seites" setzen
protocols.rootPath=/${spaces.company_home.childname}/${spaces.sites.childname}

### SMB Server ###
cifs.enabled=true
cifs.serverName=DMSServer
cifs.domain=JACOTEC
cifs.hostannounce=true
cifs-sessionTimeout=1200

cifs.broadcast=255.255.255.255
cifs.tcpipSMB.port=445
cifs.netBIOSSMB.namePort=137
cifs.netBIOSSMB.datagramPort=138
cifs.netBIOSSMB.sessionPort=139
cifs.pseudoFiles.enabled=false
cifs.pseudoFiles.shareURL.enabled=false

Listening ports:

root@alfresco:/opt/alfresco-community# netstat -plntu
Active Internet connections (only servers)
Proto Recv-Q Send-Q Local Address Foreign Address State PID/Program name
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:8009 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:139 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:8080 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:21 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:22 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 1143/sshd
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:5432 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2665/postgres.bin
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:8443 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:445 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:62627 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp 0 0 127.0.0.1:8100 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2767/.soffice.bin
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:8005 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN 2691/java
tcp6 0 0 :::22 :::* LISTEN 1143/sshd
udp 0 0 0.0.0.0:137 0.0.0.0:* 2691/java

[douglascrp]

First question.

Can the hostname be resolved in the remote machine?

If you try to ping it using the hostname, can you find it?

If do not set the cifs.serverName, Alfresco will use this as default:

cifs.serverName=${localname}A

Which means, in your case, if you do not explitly set it, you should be able to reach it by using \\DMSServerA\Alfresco

Try commenting that line, and then try again using the hostname + A

\\DMSServerA\Alfresco

[jacotec]

Nope, the server can't be pinged by its hostname, also commenting out the hostname config does not help to connect to it with \\dmsserverA

No idea why, my OpenMediaVault VM can be easily pinged by any machines with it hostname and is also directly listed in any Windows network search.

[douglascrp]

So, in that case, your problem is not Alfresco related, but network related.

Fix your DNS resolution and it much probably will work.

[jacotec]

The NETBIOS stuff is normally handled by SAMBA and this is configured in the smb.conf ... but as far as I've learned Alfresco is not using the Ubuntu SAMBA stuff but an own implementation. Alfresco should broadcast its hostname to the Windows machines, this has nothing to do with DNS at this point.

But the broadcasting does not seem to work properly here and currently I don't know why.