mdnsresponder - what's in a name??
Networking layman would appreciate clarification from someone more
networking savvy - please :-)
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P4 with Debian Etch (testing), kernel 2.6.12-1-686, Gnome desktop
PMac G5 running OS X Tiger (10.4.3)
New to Linux and putting up a no doze Linux & Mac LAN
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I've installed "netatalk" on my Linux box, and now can access and move
files into and out of a shared directory on the Linux box from my Mac.
Moving on, I also want to be able to discover the Mac and a printer on
the Mac from the Linux box (aka AppleTalk server).
All the instructions I've found included installing "mdnsresponder" and
"howl-tools" on the Linux box. The Debian packages include
mdnsresponder but not howl-tools which seems to be a declining choice
for whatever reasons. The Debian packages do include a new choice in
this category though, called Avahi. However the Debian package is
version 0.6.1 for which a significant (developer's term, not mine) bug
was corrected in version 0.6.3 so I'll have to try to build it from the
tar-gz.
In reading through the Avahi related material, I found in their FAQ that
one should not run multiple mDNS responders. I don't know for sure
and can't find a specific statement, but my layman interpretation of
such is that Avahi replaces the combination of mdnsresponder and
howl-tools. Can anyone please confirm or repudiate my interpretation?
Any clarification of the use/purpose of Avahi and what parts are
applicable to my above noted needs would also be appreciated (e.g. I
don't need to "discover" who else is available to chat with on my little
LAN :-)
Thank you,
Lee C
"Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with
confidence. " -- Murphy
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