Okay I was assuming that the two problems were related. Does that mean that I won't *ever* be able to ping the windows boxes since they are using the WINS server to do name resolution? I really do have a nameserver set up in /etc/resolv.conf but it may be wrong no one here seems to know since dhcp takes care of all of that for them. I *think* smb.conf is fine since I can do everything there that I need to (with the exception of mounting to a windows share but as long as I can smbclient into them I can fake it). 
> 
> From: "Kevin Brown" <kevin_brown@qwest.net>
> Date: 2002/05/01 Wed PM 08:37:44 EDT
> To: plug-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> Subject: Re: Name resolution in a Windows enviornment
> 
> OK, sounds like you are getting a couple things confused.  WINS servers are used
> for windows boxes to find each other by name.  These get configured into Samba
> in the smb.conf file.  DNS is used to find a standard domain name out on the Net
> or in an internal network.  DNS translates slashdot.org to 64.28.67.150.
> 
> So, add the WINS servers to smb.conf, DNS servers to /etc/resolv.conf and then
> Samba should be able to translate a Windows box name to an IP.  You don't need
> to change anything in /etc/hosts.conf or resolv.conf for Samba.