[Pkg-samba-maint] Bug#456992: smbfs: mount.cifs fails with "mount error: could not find target server. TCP name ... not found"

[Steve Langasek]

On Wed, Dec 19, 2007 at 07:47:34AM +0000, Julian Gilbey wrote:
> > > I have just upgraded from 3.0.27a-1 to this version, and now when I
> > > try to mount my Samba partition, I get the following error:

> > > euclid:~ # mount -t cifs //WGS-SVR-001/RMStaff /mnt/wggs/rmstaff -o credentials=/etc/wggs.credentials,uid=jdg,gid=jdg
> > > mount error: could not find target server. TCP name WGS-SVR-001/RMStaff not found
> > > No ip address specified and hostname not found
> > > euclid:~ # 

> > > Any idea why this might be the case?  I've never seen this error
> > > before, and I can list the partition just fine.

> > > Also: smbclient --user jgi --command=dir //WGS-SVR-001/RMStaff
> > > works just fine.

> > Is this hostname resolvable via DNS (i.e., how about "ping WGS-SVR-001"
> > instead of "smbclient" as a test)?  The mount.cifs program doesn't support
> > WINS-based host resolution (nor mount.smbfs, IIRC).  C.f. bug #311709.

> I'll check and let you know.  But something has clearly changed
> between version 3.0.27a-1 and this version, as it did work until now.
> And if it is a DNS issue, then how on earth am I meant to specify the
> partition to mount.cifs?!

Well, are you sure that something in your DNS didn't change since the point
when you were using 3.0.27a?  I really don't know of any other way this
would've worked for you with the given commandline.

To mount such shares without DNS support, you have three options:

- add your own entry in /etc/hosts
- add nss_wins from the winbind package to your nsswitch.conf
- use the ip= option to mount.cifs

Cheers,
-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org