Lisa -- the LAN browser
22 January 2007

This is maddening to configure, but great once it's working.

Critical quirks:
  • You must manually stop it and then start it
    • /etc/init.d/stop lisa
    • /etc/init.d/start lisa
If this worked, you'll see
root@clitunno:/etc# /etc/init.d/lisa stop
Stopping LAN Information Server: lisa.
root@clitunno:/etc# /etc/init.d/lisa start
Starting LAN Information Server: lisa.
root@clitunno:/etc#                   
If you don't see "Starting LAN Information Server: lisa." on its own line, with the prompt on a new line afterwards, it didn't work!
  • "just restart lisa" never works
  • "/etc/init.d/lisa start" also fails -- silently
  • You have to stop it first and then start it.
There may be other quirks -- for instance, it used to be the case that if there was a blank line at the end of the configuration file, nothing would work.

Example configuration -- tested and works, and restricts the list to machines of interest:
PingAddresses = 128.97.221.30-128.97.221.41;128.97.42.3;128.97.42.4;128.97.42.11;
PingNames = brazzi;chianti;lucca;prato;pisa;siena;cybers;spello;mail;nicco;merton;
AllowedAddresses = 128.97.221.0/255.255.255.0;128.97.42.3;128.97.42.4;128.97.42.11;
BroadcastNetwork = 128.97.221.0/255.255.255.192;
SearchUsingNmblookup = 1                #also try nmblookup
FirstWait = 30                          #30 hundredth seconds
SecondWait = -1                         #only one try
#SecondWait = 60                         #try twice, and the second time wait 0.6 seconds
UpdatePeriod = 300                      #update after 300 secs
DeliverUnnamedHosts = 0                 #don't publish hosts without name
MaxPingsAtOnce = 256                    #send up to 256 ICMP echo requests at once
Great little utility once it's up and running. The command in konqueror is simply "lan://localhost", or just click on the Lan Browser icon under Services.




 

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