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The Official Samba-3 HOWTO and

Reference Guide

Jelmer R. Vernooij, John H. Terpstra, and Gerald (Jerry) Carter

27th June 2005

ATTRIBUTION

Chapter 1, “How to Install and Test SAMBA”

• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Karl Auer <[email protected] >
• Dan Shearer <[email protected] >
Chapter 2, “Fast Start: Cure for Impatience”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 3, “Server Types and Security Modes”
• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 4, “Domain Control”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
• David Bannon <[email protected] >
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vi Attribution

• Guenther Deschner <[email protected] > (LDAP updates)

Chapter 5, “Backup Domain Control”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Volker Lendecke <[email protected] >
• Guenther Deschner <[email protected] > (LDAP updates)
Chapter 6, “Domain Membership”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Jeremy Allison <[email protected] >
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• Guenther Deschner <[email protected] > (LDAP updates)
Chapter 7, “Standalone Servers”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 8, “MS Windows Network Configuration Guide”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 9, “Network Browsing”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
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Attribution vii

Chapter 10, “Account Information Databases”

• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
• Jeremy Allison <[email protected] >
• Guenther Deschner <[email protected] > (LDAP updates)
• Olivier (lem) Lemaire <[email protected] >
Chapter 11, “Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Jean François Micouleau
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
Chapter 12, “Remote and Local Management: The Net Command”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Volker Lendecke <[email protected] >
• Guenther Deschner <[email protected] >
Chapter 13, “Identity Mapping (IDMAP)”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 14, “User Rights and Privileges”
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
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viii Attribution

• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >

Chapter 15, “File, Directory, and Share Access Controls”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Jeremy Allison <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] > (drawing)
Chapter 16, “File and Record Locking”
• Jeremy Allison <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Eric Roseme <[email protected] >
Chapter 17, “Securing Samba”
• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 18, “Interdomain Trust Relationships”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Rafal Szczesniak <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] > (drawing)
• Stephen Langasek <[email protected] >
Chapter 19, “Hosting a Microsoft Distributed File System Tree”
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Attribution ix

• Shirish Kalele <[email protected] >

• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 20, “Classical Printing Support”
• Kurt Pfeifle <[email protected] >
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 21, “CUPS Printing Support”
• Kurt Pfeifle <[email protected] >
• Ciprian Vizitiu <[email protected] > (drawings)
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] > (drawings)
Chapter 22, “Stackable VFS modules”
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Tim Potter <[email protected] >
• Simo Sorce (original vfs skel README)
• Alexander Bokovoy (original vfs netatalk docs)
• Stefan Metzmacher (Update for multiple modules)
• Ed Riddle (original shadow copy docs)
Chapter 23, “Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts”
• Tim Potter <[email protected] >
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x Attribution

• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >

• Naag Mummaneni <[email protected] > (Notes for Solaris)
• John Trostel <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 24, “Advanced Network Management”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 25, “System and Account Policies”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 26, “Desktop Profile Management”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 27, “PAM-Based Distributed Authentication”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Stephen Langasek <[email protected] >
Chapter 28, “Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 29, “Unicode/Charsets”
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
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Attribution xi

• TAKAHASHI Motonobu <[email protected] > (Japanese char-

acter support)
Chapter 30, “Backup Techniques”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 31, “High Availability”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Jeremy Allison <[email protected] >
Chapter 32, “Handling Large Directories”
• Jeremy Allison <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 33, “Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20”
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
Chapter 34, “Migration from NT4 PDC to Samba-3 PDC”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 35, “SWAT: The Samba Web Administration Tool”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 36, “The Samba Checklist”
• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
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xii Attribution

• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >

• Dan Shearer <[email protected] >
Chapter 37, “Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems”
• Gerald (Jerry) Carter <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• David Bannon <[email protected] >
• Dan Shearer <[email protected] >
Chapter 38, “Reporting Bugs”
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
Chapter 39, “How to Compile Samba”
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >
Chapter 40, “Portability”
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
Chapter 41, “Samba and Other CIFS Clients”
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Attribution xiii

• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >

• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >
• Dan Shearer <[email protected] >
• Jim McDonough <[email protected] > (OS/2)
Chapter 42, “Samba Performance Tuning”
• Paul Cochrane <[email protected] >
• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >
• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >

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PREFACE

The editors wish to thank you for your decision to purchase this book. The
Official Samba-3 HOWTO and Reference Guide is the result of many years
of accumulation of information, feedback, tips, hints, and happy solutions.
Please note that this book is a living document, the contents of which are
constantly being updated. We encourage you to contribute your tips, tech-
niques, helpful hints, and your special insight into the Windows networking
world to help make the next generation of this book even more valuable to
Samba users.
We have made a concerted effort to document more comprehensively than
has been done previously the information that may help you to better deploy
Samba and to gain more contented network users.
This book provides example configurations, it documents key aspects of Mi-
crosoft Windows networking, provides in-depth insight into the important
configuration of Samba-3, and helps to put all of these into a useful frame-
work.
The most recent electronic versions of this document can be found at <http:
//www.samba.org/> on the “Documentation” page.
Updates, patches and corrections are most welcome. Please email your
contributions to any one of the following:
Jelmer Vernooij ([email protected])112
John H. Terpstra ([email protected])113
Gerald (Jerry) Carter ([email protected])114
We wish to advise that only original and unencumbered material can be
published. Please do not submit content that is not your own work unless
proof of consent from the copyright holder accompanies your submission.

Conventions Used

The following notation conventions are used throughout this book:

xv
xvi Preface

• TOSHARG is used as an abbreviation for the book, “The Official

Samba-3 HOWTO and Reference Guide,” Editors: John H. Terpstra
and Jelmer R. Vernooij, Publisher: Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0131453556.
• Directories and filenames appear in mono-font. For example, /etc/
pam.conf.
• Executable names are bolded. For example, smbd.
• Menu items and buttons appear in bold. For example, click Next.
• Selecting a menu item is indicated as: Start → Control Panel →
Administrative Tools → Active Directory Users and Computers
FOREWORD

When John first asked me to write an introductory piece for his latest book,
I was somewhat mystified as to why he chose me. A conversation with John
provided some of the rationale, and he left it to me to fill in the rest of
the story. So, if you are willing to endure a little bit of background, I will
provide the part of the story that John wouldn’t provide.
I am the Director of Corporate Standards at Sun Microsystems, and man-
age Sun’s standards portfolio. Before that, I was the Director of Standards
at Netscape, which was when I met John. Before Sun, there was Digital
Equipment Corporation, also standards. I’ve written several books on stan-
dards, and tend to observe (and occasionally help) the technical and business
trends that drive standardization as a discipline. I tend to see standardiza-
tion as a management tool, not as a technical discipline and this is part of
the rationale that John provided.
The book that you have before you focuses on a particular standardized
way of doing something hence, it is a book about a standard. The most
important thing to keep in mind about a standard is the rationale for its
creation. Standards are created not for technical reasons, not for business
reasons, but for a deeper and much more compelling reason. Standards
are created and used to allow people to communicate in a meaningful way.
Every standard, if it is a true standard, has as its entire (and only) goal set
the increasing of relevant communication between people.
This primary goal cannot be met however, unless the standard is docu-
mented. I have been involved in too many standardization efforts when it
became apparent that everybody knows was the dominant emotion of those
providing documentation. They of the ever present they say and they know
are the bane of good standards. If they know, why are you doing a standard?
A good standard survives because people know how to use it. People know
how to use a standard when it is so transparent, so obvious, and so easy that
it become invisible. And a standard becomes invisible only when the doc-
umentation describing how to deploy it is clear, unambiguous, and correct.
These three elements must be present for a standard to be useful, allowing
communication and interaction between two separate and distinct entities

xvii
xviii Foreword

to occur without obvious effort. As you read this book, look for the evidence
of these three characteristics and notice how they are seamlessly woven into
John’s text. Clarity and unambiguity without correctness provide a tech-
nical nightmare. Correctness and clarity with ambiguity create maybe bits,
and correctness and unambiguity without clarity provide a muddle through
scenario.
And this is the rest of the story that John couldn’t (or wouldn’t) bring him-
self to state. This book provides a clear, concise, unambiguous, and tech-
nically valid presentation of Samba to make it useful to a user to someone
who wants to use the standard to increase communication and the capability
for communication between two or more entities whether person-machine,
machine-machine, or person-person. The intent of this book is not to con-
vince anyone of any agenda political, technical, or social. The intent is to
provide documentation for users who need to know about Samba, how to
use it, and how to get on with their primary responsibilities. While there
is pride on John’s part because of the tremendous success of the Samba
documentation, he writes for the person who needs a tool to accomplish a
particular job, and who has selected Samba to be that tool.
The book is a monument to John’s perseverance and dedication to Samba
and in my opinion to the goal of standardization. By writing this book, John
has provided the users of Samba those that want to deploy it to make things
better a clear, easy, and ultimately valuable resource. Additionally, he has
increased the understanding and utility of a highly useful standard, and for
this, as much as for the documentation, he is owed a debt of gratitude by
those of us who rely on standards to make our lives more manageable.
Carl Cargill, Senior Director
Corporate Standardization, The Office of the CTO
Sun Microsystems
CONTENTS

Contents

ATTRIBUTION v

PREFACE xv

FOREWORD xvii

LIST OF FIGURES xlv

LIST OF TABLES xlviii

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION li

Part I General Installation liii

PREPARING SAMBA FOR CONFIGURATION 1

Chapter 1 HOW TO INSTALL AND TEST SAMBA 2

1.1 Obtaining and Installing Samba 2
1.2 Configuring Samba (smb.conf) 2
1.2.1 Configuration File Syntax 2
1.2.2 Starting Samba 3
1.2.3 Example Configuration 4
1.2.3.1 Test Your Config File with testparm 5
1.2.4 SWAT 6
1.3 List Shares Available on the Server 7
1.4 Connect with a UNIX Client 7
1.5 Connect from a Remote SMB Client 8
1.5.1 What If Things Don’t Work? 8
1.5.2 Still Stuck? 9
1.6 Common Errors 9
1.6.1 Large Number of smbd Processes 9
1.6.2 Error Message: open oplock ipc 10
1.6.3 “The network name cannot be found” 10

xix
xx Contents

Chapter 2 FAST START: CURE FOR IMPATIENCE 11

2.1 Features and Benefits 12
2.2 Description of Example Sites 12
2.3 Worked Examples 13
2.3.1 Standalone Server 13
2.3.1.1 Anonymous Read-Only Document Server 13
2.3.1.2 Anonymous Read-Write Document Server 16
2.3.1.3 Anonymous Print Server 17
2.3.1.4 Secure Read-Write File and Print Server 19
2.3.2 Domain Member Server 23
2.3.2.1 Example Configuration 24
2.3.3 Domain Controller 27
2.3.3.1 Example: Engineering Office 28
2.3.3.2 A Big Organization 30

Part II Server Configuration Basics 37

FIRST STEPS IN SERVER CONFIGURATION 39

Chapter 3 SERVER TYPES AND SECURITY MODES 40

3.1 Features and Benefits 40
3.2 Server Types 41
3.3 Samba Security Modes 42
3.3.1 User Level Security 43
3.3.1.1 Example Configuration 44
3.3.2 Share-Level Security 44
3.3.2.1 Example Configuration 45
3.3.3 Domain Security Mode (User-Level Security) 45
3.3.3.1 Example Configuration 46
3.3.4 ADS Security Mode (User-Level Security) 48
3.3.4.1 Example Configuration 48
3.3.5 Server Security (User Level Security) 48
3.3.5.1 Example Configuration 50
3.4 Password Checking 51
3.5 Common Errors 52
3.5.1 What Makes Samba a Server? 52
3.5.2 What Makes Samba a Domain Controller? 53
3.5.3 What Makes Samba a Domain Member? 53
3.5.4 Constantly Losing Connections to Password Server 53
Contents xxi

Chapter 4 DOMAIN CONTROL 54

4.1 Features and Benefits 56
4.2 Single Sign-On and Domain Security 58
4.3 Basics of Domain Control 61
4.3.1 Domain Controller Types 61
4.3.2 Preparing for Domain Control 64
4.4 Domain Control: Example Configuration 67
4.5 Samba ADS Domain Control 70
4.6 Domain and Network Logon Configuration 70
4.6.1 Domain Network Logon Service 70
4.6.1.1 Example Configuration 70
4.6.1.2 The Special Case of MS Windows XP Home
Edition 70
4.6.1.3 The Special Case of Windows 9x/Me 71
4.6.2 Security Mode and Master Browsers 74
4.7 Common Errors 75
4.7.1 “$” Cannot Be Included in Machine Name 75
4.7.2 Joining Domain Fails Because of Existing Machine Ac-
count 76
4.7.3 The System Cannot Log You On (C000019B) 77
4.7.4 The Machine Trust Account Is Not Accessible 77
4.7.5 Account Disabled 78
4.7.6 Domain Controller Unavailable 78
4.7.7 Cannot Log onto Domain Member Workstation After
Joining Domain 78

Chapter 5 BACKUP DOMAIN CONTROL 80

5.1 Features and Benefits 80
5.2 Essential Background Information 81
5.2.1 MS Windows NT4-style Domain Control 82
5.2.1.1 Example PDC Configuration 84
5.2.2 LDAP Configuration Notes 85
5.2.3 Active Directory Domain Control 86
5.2.4 What Qualifies a Domain Controller on the Network? 87
5.2.5 How Does a Workstation find its Domain Controller? 87
5.2.5.1 NetBIOS Over TCP/IP Enabled 87
5.2.5.2 NetBIOS Over TCP/IP Disabled 88
5.3 Backup Domain Controller Configuration 88
5.3.1 Example Configuration 90
5.4 Common Errors 91
xxii Contents

5.4.1 Machine Accounts Keep Expiring 92

5.4.2 Can Samba Be a Backup Domain Controller to an
NT4 PDC? 92
5.4.3 How Do I Replicate the smbpasswd File? 92
5.4.4 Can I Do This All with LDAP? 93

Chapter 6 DOMAIN MEMBERSHIP 94

6.1 Features and Benefits 94
6.2 MS Windows Workstation/Server Machine Trust Accounts 95
6.2.1 Manual Creation of Machine Trust Accounts 97
6.2.2 Managing Domain Machine Accounts using NT4 Server
Manager 98
6.2.3 On-the-Fly Creation of Machine Trust Accounts 99
6.2.4 Making an MS Windows Workstation or Server a Do-
main Member 100
6.2.4.1 Windows 200x/XP Professional Client 100
6.2.4.2 Windows NT4 Client 100
6.2.4.3 Samba Client 101
6.3 Domain Member Server 101
6.3.1 Joining an NT4-type Domain with Samba-3 102
6.3.2 Why Is This Better Than security = server? 104
6.4 Samba ADS Domain Membership 105
6.4.1 Configure smb.conf 105
6.4.2 Configure /etc/krb5.conf 106
6.4.3 Create the Computer Account 109
6.4.3.1 Possible Errors 110
6.4.4 Testing Server Setup 110
6.4.5 Testing with smbclient 111
6.4.6 Notes 111
6.5 Sharing User ID Mappings between Samba Domain Members 111
6.6 Common Errors 112
6.6.1 Cannot Add Machine Back to Domain 112
6.6.2 Adding Machine to Domain Fails 113
6.6.3 I Can’t Join a Windows 2003 PDC 113

Chapter 7 STANDALONE SERVERS 114

7.1 Features and Benefits 114
7.2 Background 115
7.3 Example Configuration 115
7.3.1 Reference Documentation Server 115
Contents xxiii

7.3.2 Central Print Serving 117

7.4 Common Errors 119

Part III Advanced Configuration 139

VALUABLE NUTS AND BOLTS INFORMATION 141

9.6 Helpful Hints 163

9.6.1 Windows Networking Protocols 163
9.6.2 Name Resolution Order 164
9.7 Technical Overview of Browsing 165
9.7.1 Browsing Support in Samba 165
9.7.2 Problem Resolution 166
9.7.3 Cross-Subnet Browsing 167
9.7.3.1 Behavior of Cross-Subnet Browsing 168
9.8 Common Errors 172
9.8.1 How Can One Flush the Samba NetBIOS Name Cache
without Restarting Samba? 172
9.8.2 Server Resources Cannot Be Listed 172
9.8.3 I Get an ”Unable to browse the network” Error 173
9.8.4 Browsing of Shares and Directories is Very Slow 173

Chapter 10 ACCOUNT INFORMATION DATABASES 175

10.1 Features and Benefits 176
10.1.1 Backward Compatibility Account Storage Systems 176
10.1.2 New Account Storage Systems 177
10.2 Technical Information 178
10.2.1 Important Notes About Security 179
10.2.1.1 Advantages of Encrypted Passwords 182
10.2.1.2 Advantages of Non-Encrypted Passwords 182
10.2.2 Mapping User Identifiers between MS Windows and
UNIX 183
10.2.3 Mapping Common UIDs/GIDs on Distributed Machines183
10.2.4 Comments Regarding LDAP 184
10.2.4.1 Caution Regarding LDAP and Samba 185
10.2.5 LDAP Directories and Windows Computer Accounts 186
10.3 Account Management Tools 187
10.3.1 The smbpasswd Command 187
10.3.2 The pdbedit Command 189
10.4 Password Backends 190
10.4.1 Plaintext 190
10.4.2 smbpasswd: Encrypted Password Database 191
10.4.3 tdbsam 191
10.4.4 ldapsam 192
10.4.4.1 Supported LDAP Servers 193
10.4.4.2 Schema and Relationship to the RFC 2307
posixAccount 193
Contents xxv

10.4.4.3 OpenLDAP Configuration 195

10.4.4.4 Initialize the LDAP Database 196
10.4.4.5 Configuring Samba 198
10.4.4.6 Accounts and Groups Management 200
10.4.4.7 Security and sambaSamAccount 200
10.4.4.8 LDAP Special Attributes for sambaSamAc-
counts 201
10.4.4.9 Example LDIF Entries for a sambaSamAc-
count 202
10.4.4.10 Password Synchronization 203
10.4.5 MySQL 203
10.4.5.1 Creating the Database 203
10.4.5.2 Configuring 204
10.4.5.3 Using Plaintext Passwords or Encrypted Pass-
word 205
10.4.5.4 Getting Non-Column Data from the Table 205
10.4.6 XML 205
10.5 Common Errors 205
10.5.1 Users Cannot Logon 205
10.5.2 Users Being Added to the Wrong Backend Database 206
10.5.3 Configuration of auth methods 206

Chapter 11 GROUP MAPPING: MS WINDOWS AND UNIX212

11.1 Features and Benefits 213
11.2 Discussion 215
11.2.1 Warning: User Private Group Problems 216
11.2.2 Nested Groups: Adding Windows Domain Groups to
Windows Local Groups 217
11.2.3 Important Administrative Information 219
11.2.3.1 Applicable Only to Versions Earlier than 3.0.11219
11.2.4 Default Users, Groups, and Relative Identifiers 220
11.2.5 Example Configuration 221
11.3 Configuration Scripts 222
11.3.1 Sample smb.conf Add Group Script 222
11.3.2 Script to Configure Group Mapping 223
11.4 Common Errors 224
11.4.1 Adding Groups Fails 224
11.4.2 Adding Domain Users to the Power Users Group 224

Chapter 12 REMOTE AND LOCAL MANAGEMENT: THE

xxvi Contents

NET COMMAND 226

12.1 Overview 227
12.2 Administrative Tasks and Methods 227
12.3 UNIX and Windows Group Management 228
12.3.1 Adding, Renaming, or Deletion of Group Accounts 228
12.3.1.1 Adding or Creating a New Group 229
12.3.1.2 Mapping Windows Groups to UNIX Groups 231
12.3.1.3 Deleting a Group Account 232
12.3.1.4 Rename Group Accounts 233
12.3.2 Manipulating Group Memberships 233
12.3.3 Nested Group Support 236
12.3.3.1 Managing Nest Groups on Workstations from
the Samba Server 237
12.4 UNIX and Windows User Management 239
12.4.1 Adding User Accounts 239
12.4.2 Deletion of User Accounts 240
12.4.3 Managing User Accounts 240
12.4.4 User Mapping 241
12.5 Administering User Rights and Privileges 241
12.6 Managing Trust Relationships 245
12.6.1 Machine Trust Accounts 245
12.6.2 Interdomain Trusts 248
12.7 Managing Security Identifiers (SIDS) 250
12.8 Share Management 252
12.8.1 Creating, Editing, and Removing Shares 252
12.8.2 Creating and Changing Share ACLs 253
12.8.3 Share, Directory, and File Migration 254
12.8.3.1 Share Migration 255
12.8.3.2 File and Directory Migration 256
12.8.3.3 Simultaneous Share and File Migration 258
12.8.4 Printer Migration 258
12.9 Controlling Open Files 260
12.10 Session and Connection Management 261
12.11 Printers and ADS 261
12.12 Manipulating the Samba Cache 262
12.13 Other Miscellaneous Operations 262

Chapter 13 IDENTITY MAPPING (IDMAP) 264

13.1 Samba Server Deployment Types and IDMAP 265
13.1.1 Standalone Samba Server 265
Contents xxvii

13.1.2 Domain Member Server or Domain Member Client 265

13.1.3 Primary Domain Controller 269
13.1.4 Backup Domain Controller 269
13.2 Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 270
13.2.1 Default Winbind TDB 270
13.2.1.1 NT4-Style Domains (Includes Samba Domains)270
13.2.1.2 ADS Domains 272
13.2.2 IDMAP RID with Winbind 273
13.2.3 IDMAP Storage in LDAP Using Winbind 275
13.2.4 IDMAP and NSS Using LDAP from ADS with RFC2307bis
Schema Extension 280
13.2.4.1 IDMAP, Active Directory, and MS Services
for UNIX 3.5 281
13.2.4.2 IDMAP, Active Directory and AD4UNIX 281

Chapter 14 USER RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES 282

14.1 Rights Management Capabilities 283
14.1.1 Using the “net rpc rights” Utility 284
14.1.2 Description of Privileges 286
14.1.3 Privileges Suppored by Windows 2000 Domain Con-
trollers 287
14.2 The Administrator Domain SID 288
14.3 Common Errors 289
14.3.1 What Rights and Privileges Will Permit Windows Client
Administration? 289

Chapter 15 FILE, DIRECTORY, AND SHARE ACCESS CON-

TROLS 291
15.1 Features and Benefits 292
15.2 File System Access Controls 293
15.2.1 MS Windows NTFS Comparison with UNIX File Sys-
tems 293
15.2.2 Managing Directories 295
15.2.3 File and Directory Access Control 296
15.2.3.1 Protecting Directories and Files from Deletion298
15.3 Share Definition Access Controls 300
15.3.1 User- and Group-Based Controls 300
15.3.2 File and Directory Permissions-Based Controls 300
15.3.3 Miscellaneous Controls 300
15.4 Access Controls on Shares 301
xxviii Contents

15.4.1 Share Permissions Management 303

15.4.1.1 Windows NT4 Workstation/Server 303
15.4.1.2 Windows 200x/XP 303
15.5 MS Windows Access Control Lists and UNIX Interoperability 305
15.5.1 Managing UNIX Permissions Using NT Security Dialogs305
15.5.2 Viewing File Security on a Samba Share 305
15.5.3 Viewing File Ownership 306
15.5.4 Viewing File or Directory Permissions 306
15.5.4.1 File Permissions 307
15.5.4.2 Directory Permissions 307
15.5.5 Modifying File or Directory Permissions 308
15.5.6 Interaction with the Standard Samba “create mask”
Parameters 309
15.5.7 Interaction with the Standard Samba File Attribute
Mapping 310
15.5.8 Windows NT/200X ACLs and POSIX ACLs Limitations311
15.5.8.1 UNIX POSIX ACL Overview 312
15.5.8.2 Mapping of Windows File ACLs to UNIX
POSIX ACLs 313
15.5.8.3 Mapping of Windows Directory ACLs to UNIX
POSIX ACLs 313
15.6 Common Errors 313
15.6.1 Users Cannot Write to a Public Share 314
15.6.2 File Operations Done as root with force user Set 316
15.6.3 MS Word with Samba Changes Owner of File 316

Chapter 16 FILE AND RECORD LOCKING 320

16.1 Features and Benefits 320
16.2 Discussion 321
16.2.1 Opportunistic Locking Overview 322
16.2.1.1 Exclusively Accessed Shares 325
16.2.1.2 Multiple-Accessed Shares or Files 325
16.2.1.3 UNIX or NFS Client-Accessed Files 325
16.2.1.4 Slow and/or Unreliable Networks 326
16.2.1.5 Multiuser Databases 326
16.2.1.6 PDM Data Shares 326
16.2.1.7 Beware of Force User 327
16.2.1.8 Advanced Samba Oplocks Parameters 327
16.2.1.9 Mission-Critical, High-Availability 327
16.3 Samba Oplocks Control 328
Contents xxix

16.3.1 Example Configuration 329

16.3.1.1 Disabling Oplocks 329
16.3.1.2 Disabling Kernel Oplocks 330
16.4 MS Windows Oplocks and Caching Controls 332
16.4.1 Workstation Service Entries 335
16.4.2 Server Service Entries 335
16.5 Persistent Data Corruption 336
16.6 Common Errors 336
16.6.1 locking.tdb Error Messages 337
16.6.2 Problems Saving Files in MS Office on Windows XP 337
16.6.3 Long Delays Deleting Files over Network with XP SP1 338
16.7 Additional Reading 338

Chapter 17 SECURING SAMBA 339

17.1 Introduction 339
17.2 Features and Benefits 339
17.3 Technical Discussion of Protective Measures and Issues 340
17.3.1 Using Host-Based Protection 340
17.3.2 User-Based Protection 341
17.3.3 Using Interface Protection 341
17.3.4 Using a Firewall 342
17.3.5 Using IPC$ Share-Based Denials 342
17.3.6 NTLMv2 Security 343
17.4 Upgrading Samba 344
17.5 Common Errors 344
17.5.1 Smbclient Works on Localhost, but the Network Is Dead344
17.5.2 Why Can Users Access Other Users Home Directories? 344

Chapter 18 INTERDOMAIN TRUST RELATIONSHIPS 346

18.1 Features and Benefits 347
18.2 Trust Relationship Background 347
18.3 Native MS Windows NT4 Trusts Configuration 348
18.3.1 Creating an NT4 Domain Trust 348
18.3.2 Completing an NT4 Domain Trust 349
18.3.3 Interdomain Trust Facilities 349
18.4 Configuring Samba NT-Style Domain Trusts 350
18.4.1 Samba as the Trusted Domain 351
18.4.2 Samba as the Trusting Domain 352
18.5 NT4-Style Domain Trusts with Windows 2000 353
18.6 Common Errors 353
xxx Contents

18.6.1 Browsing of Trusted Domain Fails 353

18.6.2 Problems with LDAP ldapsam and Older Versions of
smbldap-tools 354

Chapter 19 HOSTING A MICROSOFT DISTRIBUTED FILE

SYSTEM TREE 356
19.1 Features and Benefits 356
19.2 Common Errors 357
19.2.1 MSDFS UNIX Path Is Case-Critical 358

Chapter 20 CLASSICAL PRINTING SUPPORT 359

20.1 Features and Benefits 359
20.2 Technical Introduction 360
20.2.1 Client to Samba Print Job Processing 361
20.2.2 Printing-Related Configuration Parameters 361
20.3 Simple Print Configuration 362
20.3.1 Verifying Configuration with testparm 363
20.3.2 Rapid Configuration Validation 364
20.4 Extended Printing Configuration 367
20.4.1 Detailed Explanation Settings 367
20.4.1.1 The [global] Section 368
20.4.1.2 The [printers] Section 371
20.4.1.3 Any [my printer name] Section 372
20.4.1.4 Print Commands 373
20.4.1.5 Default UNIX System Printing Commands 374
20.4.1.6 Custom Print Commands 375
20.5 Printing Developments Since Samba-2.2 376
20.5.1 Point’n’Print Client Drivers on Samba Servers 377
20.5.2 The Obsoleted [printer$] Section 378
20.5.3 Creating the [print$] Share 379
20.5.4 [print$] Section Parameters 379
20.5.5 The [print$] Share Directory 381
20.6 Installing Drivers into [print$] 383
20.6.1 Add Printer Wizard Driver Installation 383
20.6.2 Installing Print Drivers Using rpcclient 384
20.6.2.1 Identifying Driver Files 385
20.6.2.2 Obtaining Driver Files from Windows Client
[print$] Shares 387
20.6.2.3 Installing Driver Files into [print$] 388
20.6.2.4 smbclient to Confirm Driver Installation 389
Contents xxxi

20.6.2.5 Running rpcclient with adddriver 391

20.6.2.6 Checking adddriver Completion 392
20.6.2.7 Check Samba for Driver Recognition 393
20.6.2.8 Specific Driver Name Flexibility 394
20.6.2.9 Running rpcclient with setdriver 395
20.7 Client Driver Installation Procedure 396
20.7.1 First Client Driver Installation 396
20.7.2 Setting Device Modes on New Printers 397
20.7.3 Additional Client Driver Installation 399
20.7.4 Always Make First Client Connection as root or “printer
admin” 400
20.8 Other Gotchas 401
20.8.1 Setting Default Print Options for Client Drivers 401
20.8.2 Supporting Large Numbers of Printers 403
20.8.3 Adding New Printers with the Windows NT APW 405
20.8.4 Error Message: “Cannot connect under a different
Name” 407
20.8.5 Take Care When Assembling Driver Files 408
20.8.6 Samba and Printer Ports 411
20.8.7 Avoiding Common Client Driver Misconfiguration 412
20.9 The Imprints Toolset 412
20.9.1 What Is Imprints? 412
20.9.2 Creating Printer Driver Packages 413
20.9.3 The Imprints Server 413
20.9.4 The Installation Client 413
20.10 Adding Network Printers without User Interaction 414
20.11 The addprinter Command 416
20.12 Migration of Classical Printing to Samba 417
20.13 Publishing Printer Information in Active Directory or LDAP 418
20.14 Common Errors 418
20.14.1 I Give My Root Password but I Do Not Get Access 418
20.14.2 My Print Jobs Get Spooled into the Spooling Direc-
tory, but Then Get Lost 418

Chapter 21 CUPS PRINTING SUPPORT 419

21.1 Introduction 419
21.1.1 Features and Benefits 419
21.1.2 Overview 419
21.2 Basic CUPS Support Configuration 420
21.2.1 Linking smbd with libcups.so 420
xxxii Contents

21.2.2 Simple smb.conf Settings for CUPS 421

21.2.3 More Complex CUPS smb.conf Settings 422
21.3 Advanced Configuration 424
21.3.1 Central Spooling vs. “Peer-to-Peer” Printing 424
21.3.2 Raw Print Serving: Vendor Drivers on Windows Clients424
21.3.3 Installation of Windows Client Drivers 425
21.3.4 Explicitly Enable “raw” Printing for application/octet-
stream 426
21.3.5 Driver Upload Methods 427
21.4 Advanced Intelligent Printing with PostScript Driver Download428
21.4.1 GDI on Windows, PostScript on UNIX 428
21.4.2 Windows Drivers, GDI, and EMF 429
21.4.3 UNIX Printfile Conversion and GUI Basics 429
21.4.4 PostScript and Ghostscript 431
21.4.5 Ghostscript: The Software RIP for Non-PostScript
Printers 432
21.4.6 PostScript Printer Description (PPD) Specification 433
21.4.7 Using Windows-Formatted Vendor PPDs 434
21.4.8 CUPS Also Uses PPDs for Non-PostScript Printers 435
21.5 The CUPS Filtering Architecture 436
21.5.1 MIME Types and CUPS Filters 437
21.5.2 MIME Type Conversion Rules 438
21.5.3 Filtering Overview 439
21.5.3.1 Filter Requirements 439
21.5.4 Prefilters 440
21.5.5 pstops 440
21.5.6 pstoraster 441
21.5.7 imagetops and imagetoraster 443
21.5.8 rasterto [printers specific] 443
21.5.9 CUPS Backends 444
21.5.10 The Role of cupsomatic/foomatic 447
21.5.11 The Complete Picture 448
21.5.12 mime.convs 448
21.5.13 “Raw” Printing 449
21.5.14 application/octet-stream Printing 449
21.5.15 PostScript Printer Descriptions for Non-PostScript Print-
ers 451
21.5.16 cupsomatic/foomatic-rip Versus Native CUPS Printing 451
21.5.17 Examples for Filtering Chains 453
21.5.18 Sources of CUPS Drivers/PPDs 455
Contents xxxiii

21.5.19 Printing with Interface Scripts 456

21.6 Network Printing (Purely Windows) 457
21.6.1 From Windows Clients to an NT Print Server 457
21.6.2 Driver Execution on the Client 457
21.6.3 Driver Execution on the Server 458
21.7 Network Printing (Windows Clients and UNIX/Samba Print
Servers) 459
21.7.1 From Windows Clients to a CUPS/Samba Print Server 459
21.7.2 Samba Receiving Job-Files and Passing Them to CUPS460
21.8 Network PostScript RIP 461
21.8.1 PPDs for Non-PS Printers on UNIX 461
21.8.2 PPDs for Non-PS Printers on Windows 462
21.9 Windows Terminal Servers (WTS) as CUPS Clients 462
21.9.1 Printer Drivers Running in “Kernel Mode” Cause Many
Problems 462
21.9.2 Workarounds Impose Heavy Limitations 463
21.9.3 CUPS: A “Magical Stone”? 463
21.9.4 PostScript Drivers with No Major Problems, Even in
Kernel Mode 463
21.10 Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 464
21.10.1 cupsaddsmb: The Unknown Utility 464
21.10.2 Prepare Your smb.conf for cupsaddsmb 465
21.10.3 CUPS “PostScript Driver for Windows NT/200x/XP” 465
21.10.4 Recognizing Different Driver Files 467
21.10.5 Acquiring the Adobe Driver Files 468
21.10.6 ESP Print Pro PostScript Driver for Windows NT/200x/XP468
21.10.7 Caveats to Be Considered 469
21.10.8 Windows CUPS PostScript Driver Versus Adobe Driver472
21.10.9 Run cupsaddsmb (Quiet Mode) 473
21.10.10 Run cupsaddsmb with Verbose Output 473
21.10.11 Understanding cupsaddsmb 475
21.10.12 How to Recognize If cupsaddsmb Completed Success-
fully 476
21.10.13 cupsaddsmb with a Samba PDC 477
21.10.14 cupsaddsmb Flowchart 478
21.10.15 Installing the PostScript Driver on a Client 478
21.10.16 Avoiding Critical PostScript Driver Settings on the
Client 479
21.11 Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpcclient 480
21.11.1 A Check of the rpcclient man Page 481
xxxiv Contents

21.11.2 Understanding the rpcclient man Page 481

21.11.3 Producing an Example by Querying a Windows Box 482
21.11.4 Requirements for adddriver and setdriver to Succeed 483
21.11.5 Manual Driver Installation in 15 Steps 484
21.11.6 Troubleshooting Revisited 491
21.12 The Printing *.tdb Files 491
21.12.1 Trivial Database Files 492
21.12.2 Binary Format 492
21.12.3 Losing *.tdb Files 492
21.12.4 Using tdbbackup 493
21.13 CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 493
21.13.1 foomatic-rip and Foomatic Explained 494
21.13.1.1 690 “Perfect” Printers 495
21.13.1.2 How the Printing HOWTO Started It All 495
21.13.1.3 Foomatic’s Strange Name 496
21.13.1.4 cupsomatic, pdqomatic, lpdomatic, directomatic496
21.13.1.5 The Grand Unification Achieved 497
21.13.1.6 Driver Development Outside 498
21.13.1.7 Forums, Downloads, Tutorials, Howtos (Also
for Mac OS X and Commercial UNIX) 499
21.13.1.8 Foomatic Database-Generated PPDs 500
21.13.2 foomatic-rip and Foomatic PPD Download and Instal-
lation 501
21.14 Page Accounting with CUPS 504
21.14.1 Setting Up Quotas 504
21.14.2 Correct and Incorrect Accounting 505
21.14.3 Adobe and CUPS PostScript Drivers for Windows
Clients 505
21.14.4 The page log File Syntax 506
21.14.5 Possible Shortcomings 506
21.14.6 Future Developments 507
21.14.7 Other Accounting Tools 508
21.15 Additional Material 508
21.16 Autodeletion or Preservation of CUPS Spool Files 510
21.16.1 CUPS Configuration Settings Explained 510
21.16.2 Preconditions 510
21.16.3 Manual Configuration 511
21.17 Printing from CUPS to Windows-Attached Printers 511
21.18 More CUPS Filtering Chains 513
21.19 Common Errors 513
Contents xxxv

21.19.1 Windows 9x/Me Client Can’t Install Driver 513

21.19.2 “cupsaddsmb” Keeps Asking for Root Password in
Never-ending Loop 513
21.19.3 “cupsaddsmb” or “rpcclient addriver” Keeps Giving
WERR BAD PASSWORD 514
21.19.4 “cupsaddsmb” Errors 515
21.19.5 Client Can’t Connect to Samba Printer 515
21.19.6 New Account Reconnection from Windows 200x/XP
Troubles 515
21.19.7 Avoid Being Connected to the Samba Server as the
Wrong User 516
21.19.8 Upgrading to CUPS Drivers from Adobe Drivers 516
21.19.9 Can’t Use “cupsaddsmb” on Samba Server, Which Is
a PDC 516
21.19.10 Deleted Windows 200x Printer Driver Is Still Shown 516
21.19.11 Windows 200x/XP Local Security Policies 516
21.19.12 Administrator Cannot Install Printers for All Local
Users 517
21.19.13 Print Change, Notify Functions on NT Clients 517
21.19.14 Win XP-SP1 517
21.19.15 Print Options for All Users Can’t Be Set on Windows
200x/XP 517
21.19.16 Most Common Blunders in Driver Settings on Win-
dows Clients 518
21.19.17 cupsaddsmb Does Not Work with Newly Installed
Printer 519
21.19.18 Permissions on /var/spool/samba/ Get Reset After
Each Reboot 519
21.19.19 Print Queue Called “lp” Mishandles Print Jobs 519
21.19.20 Location of Adobe PostScript Driver Files for “cup-
saddsmb” 520
21.20 Overview of the CUPS Printing Processes 520

Chapter 22 STACKABLE VFS MODULES 523

22.1 Features and Benefits 523
22.2 Discussion 523
22.3 Included Modules 524
22.3.1 audit 524
22.3.2 extd audit 525
22.3.2.1 Configuration of Auditing 525
xxxvi Contents

22.3.3 fake perms 526

22.3.4 recycle 526
22.3.5 netatalk 527
22.3.6 shadow copy 527
22.3.6.1 Shadow Copy Setup 529
22.4 VFS Modules Available Elsewhere 532
22.4.1 DatabaseFS 532
22.4.2 vscan 533

Chapter 23 WINBIND: USE OF DOMAIN ACCOUNTS 534

23.1 Features and Benefits 534
23.2 Introduction 535
23.3 What Winbind Provides 536
23.3.1 Target Uses 537
23.3.2 Handling of Foreign SIDs 537
23.4 How Winbind Works 538
23.4.1 Microsoft Remote Procedure Calls 538
23.4.2 Microsoft Active Directory Services 539
23.4.3 Name Service Switch 539
23.4.4 Pluggable Authentication Modules 540
23.4.5 User and Group ID Allocation 541
23.4.6 Result Caching 541
23.5 Installation and Configuration 542
23.5.1 Introduction 542
23.5.2 Requirements 542
23.5.3 Testing Things Out 543
23.5.3.1 Configure nsswitch.conf and the Winbind Li-
braries on Linux and Solaris 543
23.5.3.2 NSS Winbind on AIX 544
23.5.3.3 Configure smb.conf 545
23.5.3.4 Join the Samba Server to the PDC Domain 546
23.5.3.5 Starting and Testing the winbindd Daemon 546
23.5.3.6 Fix the init.d Startup Scripts 548
23.5.3.7 Configure Winbind and PAM 552
23.6 Conclusion 556
23.7 Common Errors 556
23.7.1 NSCD Problem Warning 557
23.7.2 Winbind Is Not Resolving Users and Groups 557

Chapter 24 ADVANCED NETWORK MANAGEMENT 559

Contents xxxvii

24.1 Features and Benefits 559

24.2 Remote Server Administration 559
24.3 Remote Desktop Management 560
24.3.1 Remote Management from NoMachine.Com 560
24.4 Network Logon Script Magic 562
24.4.1 Adding Printers without User Intervention 565
24.4.2 Limiting Logon Connections 565

Chapter 25 SYSTEM AND ACCOUNT POLICIES 567

25.1 Features and Benefits 567
25.2 Creating and Managing System Policies 568
25.2.1 Windows 9x/ME Policies 569
25.2.2 Windows NT4-Style Policy Files 569
25.2.2.1 Registry Spoiling 570
25.2.3 MS Windows 200x/XP Professional Policies 570
25.2.3.1 Administration of Windows 200x/XP Policies 571
25.3 Managing Account/User Policies 572
25.4 Management Tools 574
25.4.1 Samba Editreg Toolset 574
25.4.2 Windows NT4/200x 574
25.4.3 Samba PDC 574
25.5 System Startup and Logon Processing Overview 574
25.6 Common Errors 576
25.6.1 Policy Does Not Work 576

Chapter 26 DESKTOP PROFILE MANAGEMENT 577

26.1 Features and Benefits 577
26.2 Roaming Profiles 577
26.2.1 Samba Configuration for Profile Handling 578
26.2.1.1 NT4/200x User Profiles 578
26.2.1.2 Windows 9x/Me User Profiles 579
26.2.1.3 Mixed Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT4/200x
User Profiles 579
26.2.1.4 Disabling Roaming Profile Support 580
26.2.2 Windows Client Profile Configuration Information 581
26.2.2.1 Windows 9x/Me Profile Setup 581
26.2.2.2 Windows NT4 Workstation 584
26.2.2.3 Windows 2000/XP Professional 584
26.2.3 User Profile Hive Cleanup Service 586
xxxviii Contents

26.2.4 Sharing Profiles between Windows 9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP

Workstations 587
26.2.5 Profile Migration from Windows NT4/200x Server to
Samba 587
26.2.5.1 Windows NT4 Profile Management Tools 587
26.2.5.2 Side Bar Notes 588
26.2.5.3 moveuser.exe 588
26.2.5.4 Get SID 589
26.3 Mandatory Profiles 589
26.4 Creating and Managing Group Profiles 590
26.5 Default Profile for Windows Users 590
26.5.1 MS Windows 9x/Me 591
26.5.1.1 User Profile Handling with Windows 9x/Me 591
26.5.2 MS Windows NT4 Workstation 591
26.5.3 MS Windows 200x/XP 594
26.6 Common Errors 597
26.6.1 Configuring Roaming Profiles for a Few Users or Groups597
26.6.2 Cannot Use Roaming Profiles 598
26.6.3 Changing the Default Profile 600

Chapter 27 PAM-BASED DISTRIBUTED AUTHENTICATION601

27.1 Features and Benefits 601
27.2 Technical Discussion 603
27.2.1 PAM Configuration Syntax 603
27.2.1.1 Anatomy of /etc/pam.d Entries 604
27.2.2 Example System Configurations 609
27.2.2.1 PAM: Original Login Config 610
27.2.2.2 PAM: Login Using pam smbpass 610
27.2.3 smb.conf PAM Configuration 612
27.2.4 Remote CIFS Authentication Using winbindd.so 613
27.2.5 Password Synchronization Using pam smbpass.so 614
27.2.5.1 Password Synchronization Configuration 614
27.2.5.2 Password Migration Configuration 615
27.2.5.3 Mature Password Configuration 616
27.2.5.4 Kerberos Password Integration Configuration 616
27.3 Common Errors 617
27.3.1 pam winbind Problem 617
27.3.2 Winbind Is Not Resolving Users and Groups 618

Chapter 28 INTEGRATING MS WINDOWS NETWORKS WITH

Contents xxxix

SAMBA 620
28.1 Features and Benefits 620
28.2 Background Information 621
28.3 Name Resolution in a Pure UNIX/Linux World 621
28.3.1 /etc/hosts 622
28.3.2 /etc/resolv.conf 623
28.3.3 /etc/host.conf 623
28.3.4 /etc/nsswitch.conf 624
28.4 Name Resolution as Used within MS Windows Networking 625
28.4.1 The NetBIOS Name Cache 627
28.4.2 The LMHOSTS File 627
28.4.3 HOSTS File 629
28.4.4 DNS Lookup 629
28.4.5 WINS Lookup 630
28.5 Common Errors 630
28.5.1 Pinging Works Only One Way 631
28.5.2 Very Slow Network Connections 631
28.5.3 Samba Server Name-Change Problem 631

Chapter 29 UNICODE/CHARSETS 633

29.1 Features and Benefits 633
29.2 What Are Charsets and Unicode? 633
29.3 Samba and Charsets 634
29.4 Conversion from Old Names 635
29.5 Japanese Charsets 635
29.5.1 Basic Parameter Setting 636
29.5.2 Individual Implementations 639
29.5.3 Migration from Samba-2.2 Series 640
29.6 Common Errors 641
29.6.1 CP850.so Can’t Be Found 641

Chapter 30 BACKUP TECHNIQUES 642

30.1 Features and Benefits 642
30.2 Discussion of Backup Solutions 642
30.2.1 BackupPC 643
30.2.2 Rsync 643
30.2.3 Amanda 644
30.2.4 BOBS: Browseable Online Backup System 644

Chapter 31 HIGH AVAILABILITY 645

xl Contents

31.1 Features and Benefits 645

31.2 Technical Discussion 646
31.2.1 The Ultimate Goal 646
31.2.2 Why Is This So Hard? 646
31.2.2.1 The Front-End Challenge 647
31.2.2.2 Demultiplexing SMB Requests 647
31.2.2.3 The Distributed File System Challenge 648
31.2.2.4 Restrictive Constraints on Distributed File
Systems 648
31.2.2.5 Server Pool Communications 649
31.2.2.6 Server Pool Communications Demands 649
31.2.2.7 Required Modifications to Samba 649
31.2.3 A Simple Solution 650
31.2.4 High-Availability Server Products 650
31.2.5 MS-DFS: The Poor Man’s Cluster 651
31.2.6 Conclusions 651

Chapter 32 HANDLING LARGE DIRECTORIES 652

Part IV Migration and Updating 653

Chapter 33 UPGRADING FROM SAMBA-2.X TO SAMBA-

3.0.20 655
33.1 Quick Migration Guide 655
33.2 New Features in Samba-3 656
33.3 Configuration Parameter Changes 657
33.3.1 Removed Parameters 657
33.3.2 New Parameters 658
33.3.3 Modified Parameters (Changes in Behavior) 660
33.4 New Functionality 661
33.4.1 Databases 661
33.4.2 Changes in Behavior 662
33.4.3 Passdb Backends and Authentication 662
33.4.4 LDAP 663
33.4.4.1 New Schema 663
33.4.4.2 New Suffix for Searching 664
33.4.4.3 IdMap LDAP Support 665

Chapter 34 MIGRATION FROM NT4 PDC TO SAMBA-3

Contents xli

PDC 666
34.1 Planning and Getting Started 666
34.1.1 Objectives 666
34.1.1.1 Domain Layout 668
34.1.1.2 Server Share and Directory Layout 669
34.1.1.3 Logon Scripts 669
34.1.1.4 Profile Migration/Creation 670
34.1.1.5 User and Group Accounts 670
34.1.2 Steps in Migration Process 670
34.2 Migration Options 671
34.2.1 Planning for Success 672
34.2.2 Samba-3 Implementation Choices 672

Chapter 35 SWAT: THE SAMBA WEB ADMINISTRATION

TOOL 676
35.1 Features and Benefits 676
35.2 Guidelines and Technical Tips 677
35.2.1 Validate SWAT Installation 677
35.2.1.1 Locating the SWAT File 678
35.2.1.2 Locating the SWAT Support Files 678
35.2.2 Enabling SWAT for Use 680
35.2.3 Securing SWAT through SSL 682
35.2.4 Enabling SWAT Internationalization Support 682
35.3 Overview and Quick Tour 683
35.3.1 The SWAT Home Page 683
35.3.2 Global Settings 684
35.3.3 Share Settings 685
35.3.4 Printers Settings 685
35.3.5 The SWAT Wizard 685
35.3.6 The Status Page 686
35.3.7 The View Page 686
35.3.8 The Password Change Page 686

Part V Troubleshooting 687

Chapter 36 THE SAMBA CHECKLIST 689

36.1 Introduction 689
36.2 Assumptions 689
36.3 The Tests 690
xlii Contents

Chapter 37 ANALYZING AND SOLVING SAMBA PROB-

LEMS 698
37.1 Diagnostics Tools 698
37.1.1 Debugging with Samba Itself 698
37.1.2 Tcpdump 699
37.1.3 Ethereal 699
37.1.4 The Windows Network Monitor 699
37.1.4.1 Installing Network Monitor on an NT Work-
station 700
37.1.4.2 Installing Network Monitor on Windows 9x/Me702
37.2 Useful URLs 702
37.3 Getting Mailing List Help 702
37.4 How to Get Off the Mailing Lists 704

Chapter 38 REPORTING BUGS 705

38.1 Introduction 705
38.2 General Information 705
38.3 Debug Levels 706
38.3.1 Debugging-Specific Operations 707
38.4 Internal Errors 707
38.5 Attaching to a Running Process 708
38.6 Patches 709

Part VI Reference Section 709

Chapter 39 HOW TO COMPILE SAMBA 711

39.1 Access Samba Source Code via Subversion 711
39.1.1 Introduction 711
39.1.2 Subversion Access to samba.org 711
39.1.2.1 Access via SVNweb 712
39.1.2.2 Access via Subversion 712
39.2 Accessing the Samba Sources via rsync and ftp 713
39.3 Verifying Samba’s PGP Signature 713
39.4 Building the Binaries 714
39.4.1 Compiling Samba with Active Directory Support 715
39.4.1.1 Installing the Required Packages for Debian 716
39.4.1.2 Installing the Required Packages for Red Hat
Linux 716
39.4.1.3 SuSE Linux Package Requirements 716
Contents xliii

39.5 Starting the smbd nmbd and winbindd 717

39.5.1 Starting from inetd.conf 717
39.5.2 Alternative: Starting smbd as a Daemon 719
39.5.2.1 Starting Samba for Red Hat Linux 719
39.5.2.2 Starting Samba for Novell SUSE Linux 720

Chapter 40 PORTABILITY 722

40.1 HPUX 722
40.2 SCO UNIX 723
40.3 DNIX 723
40.4 Red Hat Linux 725
40.5 AIX: Sequential Read Ahead 725
40.6 Solaris 725
40.6.1 Locking Improvements 725
40.6.2 Winbind on Solaris 9 726

Chapter 41 SAMBA AND OTHER CIFS CLIENTS 727

41.1 Macintosh Clients 727
41.2 OS2 Client 728
41.2.1 Configuring OS/2 Warp Connect or OS/2 Warp 4 728
41.2.2 Configuring Other Versions of OS/2 728
41.2.3 Printer Driver Download for OS/2 Clients 729
41.3 Windows for Workgroups 729
41.3.1 Latest TCP/IP Stack from Microsoft 729
41.3.2 Delete .pwl Files After Password Change 730
41.3.3 Configuring Windows for Workgroups Password Han-
dling 730
41.3.4 Password Case Sensitivity 730
41.3.5 Use TCP/IP as Default Protocol 731
41.3.6 Speed Improvement 731
41.4 Windows 95/98 731
41.4.1 Speed Improvement 732
41.5 Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 732
41.6 Windows NT 3.1 733

Chapter 42 SAMBA PERFORMANCE TUNING 734

42.1 Comparisons 734
42.2 Socket Options 734
42.3 Read Size 735
42.4 Max Xmit 736
xliv Contents

42.5 Log Level 736

42.6 Read Raw 736
42.7 Write Raw 736
42.8 Slow Logins 737
42.9 Client Tuning 737
42.10 Samba Performance Problem Due to Changing Linux Kernel 737
42.11 Corrupt tdb Files 738
42.12 Samba Performance is Very Slow 738

Chapter A GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE 739

A.1 Preamble 739
A.2 TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBU-
TION AND MODIFICATION 740
A.2.1 Section 0 740
A.2.2 Section 1 741
A.2.3 Section 2 741
A.2.4 Section 3 742
A.2.5 Section 4 743
A.2.6 Section 5 743
A.2.7 Section 6 744
A.2.8 Section 7 744
A.2.9 Section 8 745
A.2.10 Section 9 745
A.2.11 Section 10 745
A.2.12 NO WARRANTY Section 11 746
A.2.13 Section 12 746
A.3 How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs 746

GLOSSARY 749

SUBJECT INDEX 753

Index 786
List of Figures

4 Domain Control
4.1 An Example Domain. 55

8 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide

8.1 Network Bridge Configuration. 122
8.2 Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties. 123
8.3 Advanced Network Settings 124
8.4 DNS Configuration. 125
8.5 WINS Configuration 126
8.6 Local Area Connection Properties. 127
8.7 Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties. 128
8.8 Advanced Network Settings. 129
8.9 DNS Configuration. 130
8.10 WINS Configuration. 131
8.11 The Windows Me Network Configuration Panel. 132
8.12 IP Address. 133
8.13 DNS Configuration. 134
8.14 WINS Configuration. 134
8.15 The General Panel. 135
8.16 The Computer Name Panel. 136
8.17 The Computer Name Changes Panel. 136
8.18 The Computer Name Changes Panel — Domain MIDEARTH. 137
8.19 Computer Name Changes — Username and PasswordPanel. 137
8.20 The Network Panel. 138
8.21 Client for Microsoft Networks Properties Panel. 138
8.22 Identification Panel. 139
8.23 Access Control Panel. 139

9 Network Browsing
9.1 Cross-Subnet Browsing Example. 169

xlv
xlvi LIST OF FIGURES

10 Account Information Databases

10.1 IDMAP: Resolution of SIDs to UIDs. 179
10.2 IDMAP: Resolution of UIDs to SIDs. 180

11 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX

11.1 IDMAP: Group SID-to-GID Resolution. 213
11.2 IDMAP: GID Resolution to Matching SID. 214
11.3 IDMAP Storing Group Mappings. 214

15 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls

15.1 Overview of UNIX permissions field. 297

18 Interdomain Trust Relationships

18.1 Trusts overview. 349

21 CUPS Printing Support

21.1 Windows Printing to a Local Printer. 430
21.2 Printing to a PostScript Printer. 432
21.3 Ghostscript as a RIP for Non-PostScript Printers. 432
21.4 Prefiltering in CUPS to Form PostScript. 441
21.5 Adding Device-Specific Print Options. 441
21.6 PostScript to Intermediate Raster Format. 442
21.7 CUPS-Raster Production Using Ghostscript. 443
21.8 Image Format to CUPS-Raster Format Conversion. 444
21.9 Raster to Printer-Specific Formats. 445
21.10 cupsomatic/foomatic Processing Versus Native CUPS. 453
21.11 PDF to Socket Chain. 454
21.12 PDF to USB Chain. 455
21.13 Print Driver Execution on the Client. 458
21.14 Print Driver Execution on the Server. 458
21.15 Printing via CUPS/Samba Server. 460
21.16 cupsaddsmb Flowchart. 478
21.17 Filtering Chain 1. 514
21.18 Filtering Chain with cupsomatic 521
21.19 CUPS Printing Overview. 522

23 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts

LIST OF FIGURES xlvii

23.1 Winbind Idmap 536

37 Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems

37.1 Starting a Capture. 700
37.2 Main Ethereal Data Window. 701
List of Tables

5 Backup Domain Control

5.1 Domain Backend Account Distribution Options 82

6 Domain Membership
6.1 Assumptions 102

9 Network Browsing
9.1 Browse Subnet Example 1 170
9.2 Browse Subnet Example 2 170
9.3 Browse Subnet Example 3 171
9.4 Browse Subnet Example 4 171

10 Account Information Databases

10.1 Attributes in the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass (LDAP),
Part A 208
10.2 Attributes in the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass (LDAP),
Part B 209
10.3 Possible ldap passwd sync Values 209
10.4 Basic smb.conf Options for MySQL passdb Backend 209
10.5 MySQL field names for MySQL passdb backend 210

11 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX

11.1 Well-Known User Default RIDs 221

14 User Rights and Privileges

14.1 Current Privilege Capabilities 284

15 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls

15.1 Managing Directories with UNIX and Windows 296
15.2 User- and Group-Based Controls 301

xlviii
LIST OF TABLES xlix

15.3 File and Directory Permission-Based Controls 302

15.4 Other Controls 318
15.5 How Windows File ACLs Map to UNIX POSIX File ACLs 319

20 Classical Printing Support

20.1 Default Printing Settings 374

21 CUPS Printing Support

21.1 PPDs Shipped with CUPS 452

22 Stackable VFS modules

22.1 Extended Auditing Log Information 525

26 Desktop Profile Management

26.1 User Shell Folder Registry Keys Default Values 594
26.2 Defaults of Profile Settings Registry Keys 594
26.3 Defaults of Default User Profile Paths Registry Keys 596

27 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication

27.1 Options recognized by pam smbpass 615

28 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba

28.1 Unique NetBIOS Names 625
28.2 Group Names 625

29 Unicode/Charsets
29.1 Japanese Character Sets in Samba-2.2 and Samba-3 641

33 Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20

33.1 TDB File Descriptions 661

34 Migration from NT4 PDC to Samba-3 PDC

34.1 The Three Major Site Types 672
34.2 Nature of the Conversion Choices 673
l LIST OF TABLES

38 Reporting Bugs
38.1 Debuggable Functions 707
PREFACE AND
INTRODUCTION

“A man’s gift makes room for him before great men. Gifts are like hooks
that can catch hold of the mind taking it beyond the reach of forces that
otherwise might constrain it.” — Anon.
This is a book about Samba. It is a tool, a derived work of the labors of
many and of the diligence and goodwill of more than a few. This book
contains material that has been contributed in a persistent belief that each
of us can add value to our neighbors as well as to those who will follow us.
This book is designed to meet the needs of the Microsoft network adminis-
trator. UNIX administrators will benefit from this book also, though they
may complain that it is hard to find the information they think they need.
So if you are a Microsoft certified specialist, this book should meet your
needs rather well. If you are a UNIX or Linux administrator, there is no
need to feel badly — you should have no difficulty finding answers to your
current concerns also.

What Is Samba?

Samba is a big, complex project. The Samba project is ambitious and excit-
ing. The team behind Samba is a group of some thirty individuals who are
spread the world over and come from an interesting range of backgrounds.
This team includes scientists, engineers, programmers, business people, and
students.
Team members were drawn into active participation through the desire to
help deliver an exciting level of transparent interoperability between Mi-
crosoft Windows and the non-Microsoft information technology world.
The slogan that unites the efforts behind the Samba project says: Samba,
Opening Windows to a Wider World! The goal behind the project is one of
removing barriers to interoperability.

li
lii Preface and Introduction

Samba provides file and print services for Microsoft Windows clients. These
services may be hosted off any TCP/IP-enabled platform. The original
deployment platforms were UNIX and Linux, though today it is in common
use across a broad variety of systems.

The Samba project includes not only an impressive feature set in file and
print serving capabilities, but has been extended to include client function-
ality, utilities to ease migration to Samba, tools to aid interoperability with
Microsoft Windows, and administration tools.

The real people behind Samba are users like you. You have inspired the
developers (the Samba Team) to do more than any of them imagined could
or should be done. User feedback drives Samba development. Samba-3
in particular incorporates a huge amount of work done as a result of user
requests, suggestions and direct code contributions.

Why This Book?

There is admittedly a large number of Samba books on the market today and
each book has its place. Despite the apparent plethora of books, Samba as
a project continues to receive much criticism for failing to provide sufficient
documentation. Samba is also criticized for being too complex and too
difficult to configure. In many ways this is evidence of the success of Samba
as there would be no complaints if it was not successful.

The Samba Team members work predominantly with UNIX and Linux, so it
is hardly surprising that existing Samba documentation should reflect that
orientation. The original HOWTO text documents were intended to provide
some tips, a few golden nuggets, and if they helped anyone then that was just
wonderful. But the HOWTO documents lacked structure and context. They
were isolated snapshots of information that were written to pass information
on to someone else who might benefit. They reflected a need to transmit
more information that could be conveniently put into manual pages.

The original HOWTO documents were written by different authors. Most

HOWTO documents are the result of feedback and contributions from nu-
merous authors. In this book we took care to preserve as much original
content as possible. As you read this book you will note that chapters were
written by multiple authors, each of whom has his own style. This demon-
strates the nature of the Open Source software development process.
Preface and Introduction liii

Out of the original HOWTO documents sprang a collection of unofficial

HOWTO documents that are spread over the Internet. It is sincerely in-
tended that this work will not replace the valuable unofficial HOWTO work
that continues to flourish. If you are involved in unofficial HOWTO produc-
tion then please continue your work!

Those of you who have dedicated your labors to the production of unoffi-
cial HOWTOs, to Web page information regarding Samba, or to answering
questions on the mailing lists or elsewhere, may be aware that this is a la-
bor of love. We would like to know about your contribution and willingly
receive the precious pearls of wisdom you have collected. Please email your
contribution to John H. Terpstra ([email protected])115 . As a service to other
users we will gladly adopt material that is technically accurate.

Existing Samba books are largely addressed to the UNIX administrator.

From the perspective of this target group the existing books serve an ade-
quate purpose, with one exception — now that Samba-3 is out they need to
be updated!

This book, the Official Samba-3 HOWTO and Reference Guide, includes the
Samba-HOWTO-Collection.pdf that ships with Samba. These documents
have been written with a new design intent and purpose.

Over the past two years many Microsoft network administrators have adopted
Samba and have become interested in its deployment. Their information
needs are very different from that of the UNIX administrator. This book
has been arranged and the information presented from the perspective of
someone with previous Microsoft Windows network administrative training
and experience.

Book Structure and Layout

This book is presented in six parts:

General Installation Designed to help you get Samba-3 running quickly.

The Fast Start chapter is a direct response to requests from Microsoft
network administrators for some sample configurations that just work.

115
<mailto:[email protected]>
liv Preface and Introduction

Server Configuration Basics The purpose of this section is to aid the

transition from existing Microsoft Windows network knowledge to
Samba terminology and norms. The chapters in this part each cover
the installation of one type of Samba server.

Advanced Configuration The mechanics of network browsing have long

been the Achilles heel of all Microsoft Windows users. Samba-3 in-
troduces new user and machine account management facilities, a new
way to map UNIX groups and Windows groups, Interdomain trusts,
new loadable file system drivers (VFS), and more. New with this
document is expanded printing documentation, as well as a wealth of
information regarding desktop and user policy handling, use of desk-
top profiles, and techniques for enhanced network integration. This
section makes up the core of the book. Read and enjoy.

Migration and Updating A much requested addition to the book is in-

formation on how to migrate from Microsoft Windows NT4 to Samba-
3, as well as an overview of what the issues are when moving from
Samba-2.x to Samba-3.

Troubleshooting This short section should help you when all else fails.

Appendix Here you will find a collection of things that are either too
peripheral for most users, or are a little left of field to be included in
the main body of information.
Welcome to Samba-3 and the first published document to help you and
your users to enjoy a whole new world of interoperability between Microsoft
Windows and the rest of the world.
Part I

General Installation
PREPARING SAMBA FOR
CONFIGURATION

This section of the Samba-HOWTO-Collection contains general info on how

to install Samba and how to configure the parts of Samba you will most
likely need. PLEASE read this.

1
Chapter 1

HOW TO INSTALL AND

TEST SAMBA

1.1 Obtaining and Installing Samba

Binary packages of Samba are included in almost any Linux or UNIX distri-
bution. There are also some packages available at the Samba home page1 .
Refer to the manual of your operating system for details on installing pack-
ages for your specific operating system.
If you need to compile Samba from source, check Chapter 39, “How to
Compile Samba”.

1.2 Configuring Samba (smb.conf)

Samba’s configuration is stored in the smb.conf file, which usually resides

in /etc/samba/smb.conf or /usr/local/samba/lib/smb.conf. You can
either edit this file yourself or do it using one of the many graphical tools
that are available, such as the Web-based interface SWAT, that is included
with Samba.

1.2.1 Configuration File Syntax

The smb.conf file uses the same syntax as the various old .ini files in
Windows 3.1: Each file consists of various sections, which are started by
putting the section name between brackets ([]) on a new line. Each contains
1
<http://samba.org/>

2
Section 1.2. Configuring Samba (smb.conf) 3

zero or more key/value pairs separated by an equality sign (=). The file is
just a plaintext file, so you can open and edit it with your favorite editing
tool.
Each section in the smb.conf file represents either a share or a meta-service
on the Samba server. The section [global] is special, since it contains
settings that apply to the whole Samba server. Samba supports a number
of meta-services, each of which serves its own purpose. For example, the
[homes] share is a meta-service that causes Samba to provide a personal
home share for each user. The [printers] share is a meta-service that
establishes print queue support and that specifies the location of the inter-
mediate spool directory into which print jobs are received from Windows
clients prior to being dispatched to the UNIX/Linux print spooler.
Each section of the smb.conf file that specifies a share, or a meta-service, is
called a stanza. The global stanza specifies settings that affect all the other
stanzas in the smb.conf file. Configuration parameters are documented in
the smb.conf man page. Some parameters can be used only in the global
stanza, some only in share or meta-service stanzas, and some can be used
globally or just within a share or meta-service stanza.
Example 1.2.1 contains a very minimal smb.conf.

Example 1.2.1. A minimal smb.conf

[ global ]
workgroup = WKG
n e t b i o s name = MYNAME
[ share1 ]
path = /tmp
[ share2 ]
path = / m y s h a r e d f o l d e r
comment = Some random f i l e s

1.2.2 Starting Samba

Samba essentially consists of two or three daemons. A daemon is a UNIX

application that runs in the background and provides services. An example
of a service is the Apache Web server for which the daemon is called httpd.
4 How to Install and Test SAMBA Chapter 1

In the case of Samba there are three daemons, two of which are needed as a
minimum.

The Samba server is made up of the following daemons:

nmbd This daemon handles all name registration and resolution requests.
It is the primary vehicle involved in network browsing. It handles all
UDP-based protocols. The nmbd daemon should be the first com-
mand started as part of the Samba startup process.

smbd This daemon handles all TCP/IP-based connection services for file-
and print-based operations. It also manages local authentication. It
should be started immediately following the startup of nmbd.

winbindd This daemon should be started when Samba is a member of a

Windows NT4 or ADS domain. It is also needed when Samba has
trust relationships with another domain. The winbindd daemon will
check the smb.conf file for the presence of the idmap uid and idmap
gid parameters. If they are not found, winbindd will bail out and
refuse to start.

When Samba has been packaged by an operating system vendor, the startup
process is typically a custom feature of its integration into the platform
as a whole. Please refer to your operating system platform administration
manuals for specific information pertaining to correct management of Samba
startup.

1.2.3 Example Configuration

There are sample configuration files in the examples subdirectory in the

source code distribution tarball pacakge. It is suggested you read them
carefully so you can see how the options go together in practice. See the
man page for all the options. It might be worthwhile to start out with the
smb.conf.default configuration file and adapt it to your needs. It contains
plenty of comments.

The simplest useful configuration file would contain something like that
shown in Example 1.2.2.
Section 1.2. Configuring Samba (smb.conf) 5

Example 1.2.2. Another simple smb.conf File

[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
[ homes ]
g u e s t ok = no
r e a d o n l y = no

This will allow connections by anyone with an account on the server, using
either their login name or homes as the service name. (Note: The workgroup
that Samba should appear in must also be set. The default workgroup name
is WORKGROUP.)
Make sure you put the smb.conf file in the correct place. Note, the correct
location of this file depends on how the binary files were built. You can
discover the correct location by executing from the directory that contains
the smbd command file:

root# smbd -b | grep smb.conf

For more information about security settings for the [homes] share, please
refer to Chapter 17, “Securing Samba”.

1.2.3.1 Test Your Config File with testparm

It’s important to validate the contents of the smb.conf file using the test-
parm program. If testparm runs correctly, it will list the loaded services. If
not, it will give an error message. Make sure it runs correctly and that the
services look reasonable before proceeding. Enter the command:

root# testparm /etc/samba/smb.conf

Testparm will parse your configuration file and report any unknown param-
eters or incorrect syntax. It also performs a check for common misconfigu-
rations and will issue a warning if one is found.
Always run testparm again whenever the smb.conf file is changed!
6 How to Install and Test SAMBA Chapter 1

The smb.conf file is constantly checked by the Samba daemons smbd and
every instance of itself that it spawns, nmbd and winbindd. It is good
practice to keep this file as small as possible. Many administrators prefer
to document Samba configuration settings and thus the need to keep this
file small goes against good documentation wisdom. One solution that may
be adopted is to do all documentation and configuration in a file that has
another name, such as smb.conf.master. The testparm utility can be used
to generate a fully optimized smb.conf file from this master configuration
and documtenation file as shown here:

root# testparm -s smb.conf.master > smb.conf

This administrative method makes it possible to maitain detailed configura-

tion change records while at the same time keeping the working smb.conf
file size to the minimum necessary.

1.2.4 SWAT

SWAT is a Web-based interface that can be used to facilitate the configu-

ration of Samba. SWAT might not be available in the Samba package that
shipped with your platform, but in a separate package. If it is necesaary to
built SWAT please read the SWAT man page regarding compilation, instal-
lation, and configuration of SWAT from the source code.

To launch SWAT, just run your favorite Web browser and point it to <http:
//localhost:901/>. Replace localhost with the name of the computer
on which Samba is running if that is a different computer than your browser.

SWAT can be used from a browser on any IP-connected machine, but be

aware that connecting from a remote machine leaves your connection open
to password sniffing because passwords will be sent over the wire in the
clear.

More information about SWAT can be found in Chapter 35, “SWAT: The
Samba Web Administration Tool”.
Section 1.3. List Shares Available on the Server 7

1.3 List Shares Available on the Server

To list shares that are available from the configured Samba server, execute
the following command:

$ smbclient -L yourhostname

You should see a list of shares available on your server. If you do not, then
something is incorrectly configured. This method can also be used to see
what shares are available on other SMB servers, such as Windows 2000.

If you choose user-level security, you may find that Samba requests a pass-
word before it will list the shares. See the smbclient man page for details.
You can force it to list the shares without a password by adding the option
-N to the command line.

1.4 Connect with a UNIX Client

Enter the following command:

$ smbclient //yourhostname/aservice

Typically yourhostname is the name of the host on which smbd has been
installed. The aservice is any service that has been defined in the smb.
conf file. Try your username if you just have a [homes] section in the smb.
conf file.

Example: If the UNIX host is called bambi and a valid login name is fred,
you would type:

$ smbclient //bambi/fred
8 How to Install and Test SAMBA Chapter 1

1.5 Connect from a Remote SMB Client

Now that Samba is working correctly locally, you can try to access it from
other clients. Within a few minutes, the Samba host should be listed in the
Network Neighborhood on all Windows clients of its subnet. Try browsing
the server from another client or ”mounting” it.
Mounting disks from a DOS, Windows, or OS/2 client can be done by run-
ning a command such as:

C:\> net use m: \\servername\service

Where the drive letter m: is any available drive letter. It is important to

double-check that the service (share) name that you used does actually exist.
Try printing, for example,

C:\> net use lpt1: \\servername\spoolservice

The spoolservice is the name of the printer (actually the print queue) on
the target server. This will permit all print jobs that are captured by the
lpt1: port on the Windows client to be sent to the printer that owns the
spoolservice that has been specified.
C:\> print filename

1.5.1 What If Things Don’t Work?

You might want to read Chapter 36, “The Samba Checklist”. If you are
still stuck, refer to Chapter 37, “Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems”.
Samba has been successfully installed at thousands of sites worldwide. It is
unlikely that your particular problem is unique, so it might be productive
to perform an Internet search to see if someone else has encountered your
problem and has found a way to overcome it.
If you are new to Samba, and particularly if you are new to Windows net-
working, or to UNIX/Linux, the book “Samba-3 by Example” will help you
to create a validated network environment. Simply choose from the first
Section 1.6. Common Errors 9

five chapters the network design that most closely matches site needs, then
follow the simple step-by-step procedure to deploy it. Later, when you have
a working network you may well want to refer back to this book for further
insight into opportunities for improvement.

1.5.2 Still Stuck?

The best advice under the stress of abject frustration is to cool down! That
may be challenging of itself, but while you are angry or annoyed your ability
to seek out a solution is somewhat undermined. A cool head clears the way
to finding the answer you are looking for. Just remember, every problem
has a solution — there is a good chance that someone else has found it
even though you can’t right now. That will change with time, patience and
learning.

Now that you have cooled down a bit, please refer to Chapter 36, “The
Samba Checklist” for a process that can be followed to identify the cause of
your problem.

1.6 Common Errors

The following questions and issues are raised repeatedly on the Samba mail-
ing list.

1.6.1 Large Number of smbd Processes

Samba consists of three core programs: nmbd, smbd, and winbindd. nmbd
is the name server message daemon, smbd is the server message daemon,
and winbindd is the daemon that handles communication with domain con-
trollers.

If Samba is not running as a WINS server, then there will be one single
instance of nmbd running on your system. If it is running as a WINS server,
then there will be two instances — one to handle the WINS requests.

smbd handles all connection requests. It spawns a new process for each
client connection made. That is why you may see so many of them, one per
client connection.
10 How to Install and Test SAMBA Chapter 1

winbindd will run as one or two daemons, depending on whether or not it

is being run in split mode (in which case there will be two instances).

1.6.2 Error Message: open oplock ipc

An error message is observed in the log files when smbd is started: “open oplock ipc:
Failed to get local UDP socket for address 100007f. Error was Cannot assign
requested.”
Your loopback device isn’t working correctly. Make sure it is configured
correctly. The loopback device is an internal (virtual) network device with
the IP address 127.0.0.1. Read your OS documentation for details on how
to configure the loopback on your system.

1.6.3 “The network name cannot be found”

This error can be caused by one of these misconfigurations:

• You specified a nonexisting path for the share in smb.conf.
• The user you are trying to access the share with does not have sufficient
permissions to access the path for the share. Both read (r) and access
(x) should be possible.
• The share you are trying to access does not exist.
Chapter 2

FAST START: CURE FOR

IMPATIENCE

When we first asked for suggestions for inclusion in the Samba HOWTO
documentation, someone wrote asking for example configurations — and lots
of them. That is remarkably difficult to do without losing a lot of value that
can be derived from presenting many extracts from working systems. That
is what the rest of this document does. It does so with extensive descriptions
of the configuration possibilities within the context of the chapter that covers
it. We hope that this chapter is the medicine that has been requested.

The information in this chapter is very sparse compared with the book
“Samba-3 by Example” that was written after the original version of this
book was nearly complete. “Samba-3 by Example” was the result of feed-
back from reviewers during the final copy editing of the first edition. It was
interesting to see that reader feedback mirrored that given by the original
reviewers. In any case, a month and a half was spent in doing basic research
to better understand what new as well as experienced network administra-
tors would best benefit from. The book “Samba-3 by Example” is the result
of that research. What is presented in the few pages of this book is covered
far more comprehensively in the second edition of “Samba-3 by Example”.
The second edition of both books will be released at the same time.

So in summary, the book “The Official Samba-3 HOWTO & Reference

Guide” is intended as the equivalent of an auto mechanic’s repair guide.
The book “Samba-3 by Example” is the equivalent of the driver’s guide that
explains how to drive the car. If you want complete network configuration
examples, go to “Samba-3 by Example”.

11
12 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

2.1 Features and Benefits

Samba needs very little configuration to create a basic working system. In

this chapter we progress from the simple to the complex, for each providing
all steps and configuration file changes needed to make each work. Please
note that a comprehensively configured system will likely employ additional
smart features. These additional features are covered in the remainder of
this document.
The examples used here have been obtained from a number of people who
made requests for example configurations. All identities have been obscured
to protect the guilty, and any resemblance to unreal nonexistent sites is
deliberate.

2.2 Description of Example Sites

In the first set of configuration examples we consider the case of exceptionally

simple system requirements. There is a real temptation to make something
that should require little effort much too complex.
Section 2.3.1.1 documents the type of server that might be sufficient to
serve CD-ROM images, or reference document files for network client use.
This configuration is also discussed in Chapter 7, “Standalone Servers”,
Section 7.3.1. The purpose for this configuration is to provide a shared
volume that is read-only that anyone, even guests, can access.
The second example shows a minimal configuration for a print server that
anyone can print to as long as they have the correct printer drivers installed
on their computer. This is a mirror of the system described in Chapter 7,
“Standalone Servers”, Section 7.3.2.
The next example is of a secure office file and print server that will be
accessible only to users who have an account on the system. This server is
meant to closely resemble a workgroup file and print server, but has to be
more secure than an anonymous access machine. This type of system will
typically suit the needs of a small office. The server provides no network
logon facilities, offers no domain control; instead it is just a network-attached
storage (NAS) device and a print server.
The later example consider more complex systems that will either integrate
into existing MS Windows networks or replace them entirely. These cover
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 13

domain member servers as well as Samba domain control (PDC/BDC) and

finally describes in detail a large distributed network with branch offices in
remote locations.

2.3 Worked Examples

The configuration examples are designed to cover everything necessary to

get Samba running. They do not cover basic operating system platform
configuration, which is clearly beyond the scope of this text.
It is also assumed that Samba has been correctly installed, either by way
of installation of the packages that are provided by the operating system
vendor or through other means.

2.3.1 Standalone Server

A standalone server implies no more than the fact that it is not a domain
controller and it does not participate in domain control. It can be a simple,
workgroup-like server, or it can be a complex server that is a member of a
domain security context.
As the examples are developed, every attempt is made to progress the system
toward greater capability, just as one might expect would happen in a real
business office as that office grows in size and its needs change.

2.3.1.1 Anonymous Read-Only Document Server

The purpose of this type of server is to make available to any user any doc-
uments or files that are placed on the shared resource. The shared resource
could be a CD-ROM drive, a CD-ROM image, or a file storage area.
• The file system share point will be /export.
• All files will be owned by a user called Jack Baumbach. Jack’s login
name will be jackb. His password will be m0r3pa1n — of course,
that’s just the example we are using; do not use this in a production
environment because all readers of this document will know it.
Installation Procedure: Read-Only Server
1. Add user to system (with creation of the user’s home directory):
14 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

Example 2.3.1. Anonymous Read-Only Server Configuration

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = HOBBIT
sec urity = share
[ data ]
comment = Data
path = / e x p o r t
r e a d o n l y = Yes
g u e s t ok = Yes

root# useradd -c "Jack Baumbach" -m -g users -p m0r3pa1n jackb

2. Create directory, and set permissions and ownership:

root# mkdir /export

root# chmod u+rwx,g+rx,o+rx /export
root# chown jackb.users /export

3. Copy the files that should be shared to the /export directory.

4. Install the Samba configuration file (/etc/samba/smb.conf) as shown
in Example 2.3.1.
5. Test the configuration file by executing the following command:

root# testparm

Alternately, where you are operating from a master configuration file

called smb.conf.master, the following sequence of commands might
prove more appropriate:

root# cd /etc/samba
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 15

root# testparm -s smb.conf.master > smb.conf

root# testparm

Note any error messages that might be produced. Proceed only if

error-free output has been obtained. An example of typical output
that should be generated from the above configuration file is shown
here:

Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf

Processing section "[data]"
Loaded services file OK.
Server role: ROLE_STANDALONE
Press enter to see a dump of your service definitions
[Press enter]

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
netbios name = HOBBIT
security = share

[data]
comment = Data
path = /export
read only = Yes
guest only = Yes

6. Start Samba using the method applicable to your operating system

platform. The method that should be used is platform dependant. Re-
fer to Section 39.5 for further information regarding starting of Samba.

7. Configure your MS Windows client for workgroup MIDEARTH, set the

machine name to ROBBINS, reboot, wait a few (2 - 5) minutes, then
open Windows Explorer and visit the Network Neighborhood. The
machine HOBBIT should be visible. When you click this machine
icon, it should open up to reveal the data share. After you click the
share, it should open up to reveal the files previously placed in the /
export directory.
16 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

The information above (following # Global parameters) provides the com-

plete contents of the /etc/samba/smb.conf file.

2.3.1.2 Anonymous Read-Write Document Server

We should view this configuration as a progression from the previous exam-

ple. The difference is that shared access is now forced to the user identity of
jackb and to the primary group jackb belongs to. One other refinement we
can make is to add the user jackb to the smbpasswd file. To do this, execute:

root# smbpasswd -a jackb

New SMB password: m0r3pa1n
Retype new SMB password: m0r3pa1n
Added user jackb.

Addition of this user to the smbpasswd file allows all files to be displayed
in the Explorer Properties boxes as belonging to jackb instead of to User
Unknown.

The complete, modified smb.conf file is as shown in Example 2.3.2.

Example 2.3.2. Modified Anonymous Read-Write smb.conf

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = HOBBIT
s e c u r i t y = SHARE
[ data ]
comment = Data
path = / e x p o r t
f o r c e user = jackb
f o r c e group = u s e r s
r e a d o n l y = No
g u e s t ok = Yes

Section 2.3. Worked Examples 17

2.3.1.3 Anonymous Print Server

An anonymous print server serves two purposes:

• It allows printing to all printers from a single location.
• It reduces network traffic congestion due to many users trying to access
a limited number of printers.
In the simplest of anonymous print servers, it is common to require the
installation of the correct printer drivers on the Windows workstation. In
this case the print server will be designed to just pass print jobs through to
the spooler, and the spooler should be configured to do raw pass-through
to the printer. In other words, the print spooler should not filter or process
the data stream being passed to the printer.
In this configuration, it is undesirable to present the Add Printer Wizard,
and we do not want to have automatic driver download, so we disable it in
the following configuration. Example 2.3.3 is the resulting smb.conf file.

Example 2.3.3. Anonymous Print Server smb.conf

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = LUTHIEN
se curity = share
p r i n t c a p name = cups
d i s a b l e s p o o l s s = Yes
show add p r i n t e r w i z a r d = No
p r i n t i n g = cups
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
g u e s t ok = Yes
p r i n t a b l e = Yes
u s e c l i e n t d r i v e r = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No

The above configuration is not ideal. It uses no smart features, and it

deliberately presents a less than elegant solution. But it is basic, and it
18 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

does print. Samba makes use of the direct printing application program
interface that is provided by CUPS. When Samba has been compiled and
linked with the CUPS libraries the default printing system will be CUPS.
By specifying that the printcap name is CUPS, Samba will use the CUPS
library API to communicate directly with CUPS for all printer functions.
It is possible to force the use of external printing commands by setting the
value of the printing to either SYSV or BSD, and thus the value of the
parameter printcap name must be set to something other than CUPS. In
such case, it could be set to the name of any file that contains a list of
printers that should be made available to Windows clients.

Note

Windows users will need to install a local printer and then

change the print to device after installation of the drivers.
The print to device can then be set to the network printer
on this machine.

Make sure that the directory /var/spool/samba is capable of being used as

intended. The following steps must be taken to achieve this:
• The directory must be owned by the superuser (root) user and group:

root# chown root.root /var/spool/samba

• Directory permissions should be set for public read-write with the

sticky bit set as shown:

root# chmod a+twrx /var/spool/samba

The purpose of setting the sticky bit is to prevent who does not own
the temporary print file from being able to take control of it with the
potential for devious misuse.
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 19

Note

On CUPS-enabled systems there is a facility to pass raw

data directly to the printer without intermediate process-
ing via CUPS print filters. Where use of this mode of
operation is desired, it is necessary to configure a raw
printing device. It is also necessary to enable the raw
mime handler in the /etc/mime.conv and /etc/mime.
types files. Refer to Section 21.3.4.

2.3.1.4 Secure Read-Write File and Print Server

We progress now from simple systems to a server that is slightly more com-
plex.
Our new server will require a public data storage area in which only au-
thenticated users (i.e., those with a local account) can store files, as well
as a home directory. There will be one printer that should be available for
everyone to use.
In this hypothetical environment (no espionage was conducted to obtain this
data), the site is demanding a simple environment that is secure enough but
not too difficult to use.
Site users will be Jack Baumbach, Mary Orville, and Amed Sehkah. Each
will have a password (not shown in further examples). Mary will be the
printer administrator and will own all files in the public share.
This configuration will be based on user-level security that is the default, and
for which the default is to store Microsoft Windows-compatible encrypted
passwords in a file called /etc/samba/smbpasswd. The default smb.conf
entry that makes this happen is passdb backend = smbpasswd, guest. Since
this is the default, it is not necessary to enter it into the configuration file.
Note that the guest backend is added to the list of active passdb backends
no matter whether it specified directly in Samba configuration file or not.
Installing the Secure Office Server
1. Add all users to the operating system:
20 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

Example 2.3.4. Secure Office Server smb.conf

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = OLORIN
p r i n t c a p name = cups
d i s a b l e s p o o l s s = Yes
show add p r i n t e r w i z a r d = No
p r i n t i n g = cups
[ homes ]
comment = Home D i r e c t o r i e s
v a l i d u s e r s = %S
r e a d o n l y = No
b r o w s e a b l e = No
[ public ]
comment = Data
path = / e x p o r t
f o r c e u s e r = maryo
f o r c e group = u s e r s
g u e s t ok = Yes
r e a d o n l y = No
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t , maryo
c r e a t e mask = 0600
g u e s t ok = Yes
p r i n t a b l e = Yes
u s e c l i e n t d r i v e r = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No

root# useradd -c "Jack Baumbach" -m -g users -p m0r3pa1n jackb

root# useradd -c "Mary Orville" -m -g users -p secret maryo
root# useradd -c "Amed Sehkah" -m -g users -p secret ameds

2. Configure the Samba smb.conf file as shown in Example 2.3.4.

Section 2.3. Worked Examples 21

3. Initialize the Microsoft Windows password database with the new

users:

root# smbpasswd -a root

New SMB password: bigsecret
Reenter smb password: bigsecret
Added user root.

root# smbpasswd -a jackb

New SMB password: m0r3pa1n
Retype new SMB password: m0r3pa1n
Added user jackb.

root# smbpasswd -a maryo

New SMB password: secret
Reenter smb password: secret
Added user maryo.

root# smbpasswd -a ameds

New SMB password: mysecret
Reenter smb password: mysecret
Added user ameds.

4. Install printer using the CUPS Web interface. Make certain that all
printers that will be shared with Microsoft Windows clients are in-
stalled as raw printing devices.
5. Start Samba using the operating system administrative interface. Al-
ternately, this can be done manually by executing:

root# nmbd; smbd;

Both applications automatically execute as daemons. Those who are

paranoid about maintaining control can add the -D flag to coerce them
to start up in daemon mode.
6. Configure the /export directory:
22 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

root# mkdir /export

root# chown maryo.users /export
root# chmod u=rwx,g=rwx,o-rwx /export

7. Check that Samba is running correctly:

root# smbclient -L localhost -U%

Domain=[MIDEARTH] OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba-3.0.20]

Sharename Type Comment

--------- ---- -------
public Disk Data
IPC$ IPC IPC Service (Samba-3.0.20)
ADMIN$ IPC IPC Service (Samba-3.0.20)
hplj4 Printer hplj4

Server Comment
--------- -------
OLORIN Samba-3.0.20

Workgroup Master
--------- -------
MIDEARTH OLORIN

The following error message indicates that Samba was not running:

root# smbclient -L olorin -U%

Error connecting to 192.168.1.40 (Connection refused)
Connection to olorin failed

8. Connect to OLORIN as maryo:

root# smbclient //olorin/maryo -Umaryo%secret

OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba-3.0.20]
smb: \> dir
. D 0 Sat Jun 21 10:58:16 2003
.. D 0 Sat Jun 21 10:54:32 2003
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 23

Documents D 0 Fri Apr 25 13:23:58 2003

DOCWORK D 0 Sat Jun 14 15:40:34 2003
OpenOffice.org D 0 Fri Apr 25 13:55:16 2003
.bashrc H 1286 Fri Apr 25 13:23:58 2003
.netscape6 DH 0 Fri Apr 25 13:55:13 2003
.mozilla DH 0 Wed Mar 5 11:50:50 2003
.kermrc H 164 Fri Apr 25 13:23:58 2003
.acrobat DH 0 Fri Apr 25 15:41:02 2003

55817 blocks of size 524288. 34725 blocks available

smb: \> q

By now you should be getting the hang of configuration basics. Clearly, it is

time to explore slightly more complex examples. For the remainder of this
chapter we abbreviate instructions, since there are previous examples.

2.3.2 Domain Member Server

In this instance we consider the simplest server configuration we can get

away with to make an accounting department happy. Let’s be warned, the
users are accountants and they do have some nasty demands. There is a
budget for only one server for this department.
The network is managed by an internal Information Services Group (ISG),
to which we belong. Internal politics are typical of a medium-sized organi-
zation; Human Resources is of the opinion that they run the ISG because
they are always adding and disabling users. Also, departmental managers
have to fight tooth and nail to gain basic network resources access for their
staff. Accounting is different, though, they get exactly what they want. So
this should set the scene.
We use the users from the last example. The accounting department has a
general printer that all departmental users may use. There is also a check
printer that may be used only by the person who has authority to print
checks. The chief financial officer (CFO) wants that printer to be completely
restricted and for it to be located in the private storage area in her office.
It therefore must be a network printer.
The accounting department uses an accounting application called SpytFull
that must be run from a central application server. The software is licensed
24 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

to run only off one server, there are no workstation components, and it is
run off a mapped share. The data store is in a UNIX-based SQL backend.
The UNIX gurus look after that, so this is not our problem.

The accounting department manager (maryo) wants a general filing system

as well as a separate file storage area for form letters (nastygrams). The form
letter area should be read-only to all accounting staff except the manager.
The general filing system has to have a structured layout with a general
area for all staff to store general documents as well as a separate file area
for each member of her team that is private to that person, but she wants
full access to all areas. Users must have a private home share for personal
work-related files and for materials not related to departmental operations.

2.3.2.1 Example Configuration

The server valinor will be a member server of the company domain. Ac-
counting will have only a local server. User accounts will be on the domain
controllers, as will desktop profiles and all network policy files.

Example 2.3.5. Member server smb.conf (globals)

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = VALINOR
s e c u r i t y = DOMAIN
p r i n t c a p name = cups
d i s a b l e s p o o l s s = Yes
show add p r i n t e r w i z a r d = No
idmap u i d = 15000 −20000
idmap g i d = 15000 −20000
winbind u s e d e f a u l t domain = Yes
p r i n t i n g = cups

1. Do not add users to the UNIX/Linux server; all of this will run off the
central domain.

2. Configure smb.conf according to Example 2.3.5 and Example 2.3.6.

Section 2.3. Worked Examples 25

Example 2.3.6. Member server smb.conf (shares and services)

[ homes ]
comment = Home D i r e c t o r i e s
v a l i d u s e r s = %S
r e a d o n l y = No
b r o w s e a b l e = No
[ spytfull ]
comment = Accounting A p p l i c a t i o n Only
path = / e x p o r t / s p y t f u l l
v a l i d u s e r s = @Accounts
admin u s e r s = maryo
r e a d o n l y = Yes
[ public ]
comment = Data
path = / e x p o r t / p u b l i c
r e a d o n l y = No
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t , maryo
c r e a t e mask = 0600
g u e s t ok = Yes
p r i n t a b l e = Yes
u s e c l i e n t d r i v e r = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No

3. Join the domain. Note: Do not start Samba until this step has been
completed!

root# net rpc join -Uroot%’bigsecret’

Joined domain MIDEARTH.

4. Make absolutely certain that you disable (shut down) the nscd daemon
on any system on which winbind is configured to run.

5. Start Samba following the normal method for your operating system
26 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

platform. If you wish to do this manually, execute as root:

root# nmbd; smbd; winbindd;

6. Configure the name service switch (NSS) control file on your system
to resolve user and group names via winbind. Edit the following lines
in /etc/nsswitch.conf:

passwd: files winbind

group: files winbind
hosts: files dns winbind

7. Set the password for wbinfo to use:

root# wbinfo --set-auth-user=root%’bigsecret’

8. Validate that domain user and group credentials can be correctly re-
solved by executing:

root# wbinfo -u
MIDEARTH\maryo
MIDEARTH\jackb
MIDEARTH\ameds
...
MIDEARTH\root

root# wbinfo -g
MIDEARTH\Domain Users
MIDEARTH\Domain Admins
MIDEARTH\Domain Guests
...
MIDEARTH\Accounts

9. Check that winbind is working. The following demonstrates correct

username resolution via the getent system utility:
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 27

root# getent passwd maryo

maryo:x:15000:15003:Mary Orville:/home/MIDEARTH/maryo:/bin/false

10. A final test that we have this under control might be reassuring:

root# touch /export/a_file

root# chown maryo /export/a_file
root# ls -al /export/a_file
...
-rw-r--r-- 1 maryo users 11234 Jun 21 15:32 a_file
...

root# rm /export/a_file

11. Configuration is now mostly complete, so this is an opportune time to

configure the directory structure for this site:

root# mkdir -p /export/{spytfull,public}

root# chmod ug=rwxS,o=x /export/{spytfull,public}
root# chown maryo.Accounts /export/{spytfull,public}

2.3.3 Domain Controller

For the remainder of this chapter the focus is on the configuration of do-
main control. The examples that follow are for two implementation strate-
gies. Remember, our objective is to create a simple but working solution.
The remainder of this book should help to highlight opportunity for greater
functionality and the complexity that goes with it.
A domain controller configuration can be achieved with a simple configura-
tion using the new tdbsam password backend. This type of configuration
is good for small offices, but has limited scalability (cannot be replicated),
and performance can be expected to fall as the size and complexity of the
domain increases.
The use of tdbsam is best limited to sites that do not need more than
28 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

a Primary Domain Controller (PDC). As the size of a domain grows the

need for additional domain controllers becomes apparent. Do not attempt
to under-resource a Microsoft Windows network environment; domain con-
trollers provide essential authentication services. The following are symp-
toms of an under-resourced domain control environment:
• Domain logons intermittently fail.
• File access on a domain member server intermittently fails, giving a
permission denied error message.
A more scalable domain control authentication backend option might use
Microsoft Active Directory or an LDAP-based backend. Samba-3 provides
for both options as a domain member server. As a PDC, Samba-3 is not
able to provide an exact alternative to the functionality that is available with
Active Directory. Samba-3 can provide a scalable LDAP-based PDC/BDC
solution.
The tdbsam authentication backend provides no facility to replicate the
contents of the database, except by external means (i.e., there is no self-
contained protocol in Samba-3 for Security Account Manager database [SAM]
replication).

Note

If you need more than one domain controller, do not use

a tdbsam authentication backend.

2.3.3.1 Example: Engineering Office

The engineering office network server we present here is designed to demon-

strate use of the new tdbsam password backend. The tdbsam facility is new
to Samba-3. It is designed to provide many user and machine account con-
trols that are possible with Microsoft Windows NT4. It is safe to use this
in smaller networks.
1. A working PDC configuration using the tdbsam password backend can
be found in Example 2.3.7 together with Example 2.3.8:
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 29

2. Create UNIX group accounts as needed using a suitable operating

system tool:

root# groupadd ntadmins

root# groupadd designers
root# groupadd engineers
root# groupadd qateam

3. Create user accounts on the system using the appropriate tool provided
with the operating system. Make sure all user home directories are
created also. Add users to groups as required for access control on files,
directories, printers, and as required for use in the Samba environment.
4. Assign each of the UNIX groups to NT groups by executing this shell
script (You could name the script initGroups.sh):

#!/bin/bash
#### Keep this as a shell script for future re-use

# First assign well known groups

net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Admins" unixgroup=ntadmins
net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Users" unixgroup=users
net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Guests" unixgroup=nobody

# Now for our added Domain Groups

net groupmap add ntgroup="Designers" unixgroup=designers type=d
net groupmap add ntgroup="Engineers" unixgroup=engineers type=d
net groupmap add ntgroup="QA Team" unixgroup=qateam type=d

5. Create the scripts directory for use in the [NETLOGON] share:

root# mkdir -p /var/lib/samba/netlogon/scripts

Place the logon scripts that will be used (batch or cmd scripts) in this
directory.
The above configuration provides a functional PDC system to which must
be added file shares and printers as required.
30 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

2.3.3.2 A Big Organization

In this section we finally get to review in brief a Samba-3 configuration that

uses a Lightweight Directory Access (LDAP)-based authentication backend.
The main reasons for this choice are to provide the ability to host primary
and Backup Domain Control (BDC), as well as to enable a higher degree of
scalability to meet the needs of a very distributed environment.

The Primary Domain Controller This is an example of a minimal configura-

tion to run a Samba-3 PDC using an LDAP authentication backend. It is
assumed that the operating system has been correctly configured.
The Idealx scripts (or equivalent) are needed to manage LDAP-based POSIX
and/or SambaSamAccounts. The Idealx scripts may be downloaded from
the Idealx1 Web site. They may also be obtained from the Samba tarball.
Linux distributions tend to install the Idealx scripts in the /usr/share/doc/
packages/sambaXXXXXX/examples/LDAP/smbldap-tools directory. Idealx
scripts version smbldap-tools-0.9.1 are known to work well.
1. Obtain from the Samba sources ~/examples/LDAP/samba.schema and
copy it to the /etc/openldap/schema/ directory.
2. Set up the LDAP server. This example is suitable for OpenLDAP
2.1.x. The /etc/openldap/slapd.conf file. Example slapd.conf file

# Note commented out lines have been removed

include /etc/openldap/schema/core.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/cosine.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/inetorgperson.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/nis.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/samba.schema

pidfile /var/run/slapd/slapd.pid
argsfile /var/run/slapd/slapd.args

database bdb
suffix "dc=quenya,dc=org"
rootdn "cn=Manager,dc=quenya,dc=org"
rootpw {SSHA}06qDkonA8hk6W6SSnRzWj0/pBcU3m0/P
1
<http://www.idealx.org>
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 31

# The password for the above is ’nastyon3’

directory /var/lib/ldap

index objectClass eq
index cn pres,sub,eq
index sn pres,sub,eq
index uid pres,sub,eq
index displayName pres,sub,eq
index uidNumber eq
index gidNumber eq
index memberUid eq
index sambaSID eq
index sambaPrimaryGroupSID eq
index sambaDomainName eq
index default sub

3. Create the following file initdb.ldif:

# Organization for SambaXP Demo

dn: dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: dcObject
objectclass: organization
dc: quenya
o: SambaXP Demo
description: The SambaXP Demo LDAP Tree

# Organizational Role for Directory Management

dn: cn=Manager,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: organizationalRole
cn: Manager
description: Directory Manager

# Setting up the container for users

dn: ou=People, dc=quenya, dc=org
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: People
32 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

# Set up an admin handle for People OU

dn: cn=admin, ou=People, dc=quenya, dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}0jBHgQ1vp4EDX2rEMMfIudvRMJoGwjVb
# The password for above is ’mordonL8’

4. Load the initial data above into the LDAP database:

root# slapadd -v -l initdb.ldif

5. Start the LDAP server using the appropriate tool or method for the
operating system platform on which it is installed.
6. Install the Idealx script files in the /usr/local/sbin directory, then
configure the smbldap conf.pm file to match your system configura-
tion.
7. The smb.conf file that drives this backend can be found in example
Example 2.3.9. Add additional stanzas as required.
8. Add the LDAP password to the secrets.tdb file so Samba can update
the LDAP database:

root# smbpasswd -w mordonL8

9. Add users and groups as required. Users and groups added using
Samba tools will automatically be added to both the LDAP backend
and the operating system as required.

Backup Domain Controller Example 2.3.10 shows the example configuration

for the BDC. Note that the smb.conf file does not specify the smbldap-tools
scripts — they are not needed on a BDC. Add additional stanzas for shares
and printers as required.
1. Decide if the BDC should have its own LDAP server or not. If the
BDC is to be the LDAP server, change the following smb.conf as
Section 2.3. Worked Examples 33

indicated. The default configuration in Example 2.3.10 uses a central

LDAP server.
2. Configure the NETLOGON and PROFILES directory as for the PDC
in Example 2.3.10.
34 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

Example 2.3.7. Engineering Office smb.conf (globals)

[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = FRODO
passdb backend = tdbsam
p r i n t c a p name = cups
add u s e r s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / us e radd −m %u
d e l e t e u s e r s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / u s e r d e l −r % ←-
u
add group s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / groupadd %g
d e l e t e group s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / g r o u p d e l %g
add u s e r t o group s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / ←-
groupmod −A %u %g
d e l e t e u s e r from group s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / ←-
groupmod −R %u %g
add machine s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / us e radd −s / ←-
b i n / f a l s e −d / var / l i b / nobody %u
# Note : The f o l l o w i n g s p e c i f i e s t h e d e f a u l t l o g o n ←-
script .
# Per u s e r l o g o n s c r i p t s can be s p e c i f i e d i n t h e ←-
user account using p d b e d i t
l o g o n s c r i p t = s c r i p t s \ l o g o n . bat
# This s e t s t h e d e f a u l t p r o f i l e p a t h . S e t p e r u s e r ←-
paths with pdbedit
l o g o n path = \\%L\ P r o f i l e s \%U
l o g o n d r i v e = H:
l o g o n home = \\%L\%U
domain l o g o n s = Yes
o s l e v e l = 35
p r e f e r r e d master = Yes
domain master = Yes
idmap u i d = 15000 −20000
idmap g i d = 15000 −20000
p r i n t i n g = cups

Section 2.3. Worked Examples 35

Example 2.3.8. Engineering Office smb.conf (shares and services)

[ homes ]
comment = Home D i r e c t o r i e s
v a l i d u s e r s = %S
r e a d o n l y = No
b r o w s e a b l e = No
# P r i n t i n g auto−s h a r e ( makes p r i n t e r s a v a i l a b l e ←-
t h r u CUPS)
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t , maryo
c r e a t e mask = 0600
g u e s t ok = Yes
p r i n t a b l e = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No
[ print$ ]
comment = P r i n t e r D r i v e r s Share
path = / var / l i b /samba/ d r i v e r s
w r i t e l i s t = maryo , r o o t
p r i n t e r admin = maryo , r o o t
# Needed t o s u p p o r t domain l o g o n s
[ netlogon ]
comment = Network Logon S e r v i c e
path = / var / l i b /samba/ n e t l o g o n
admin u s e r s = r o o t , maryo
g u e s t ok = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No
# For p r o f i l e s t o work , c r e a t e a u s e r d i r e c t o r y ←-
under t h e p a t h
# shown . i . e . , mkdir −p / v a r / l i b /samba/ p r o f i l e s / ←-
maryo
[ Profiles ]
comment = Roaming P r o f i l e Share
path = / var / l i b /samba/ p r o f i l e s
r e a d o n l y = No
p r o f i l e a c l s = Yes
# Other r e s o u r c e ( s h a r e / p r i n t e r ) d e f i n i t i o n s would ←-
f o l l o w below .

36 Fast Start: Cure for Impatience Chapter 2

Example 2.3.9. LDAP backend smb.conf for PDC

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = FRODO
passdb backend = ldapsam : l d a p : / / l o c a l h o s t
username map = / e t c /samba/ smbusers
p r i n t c a p name = cups
add u s e r s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / smbldap− ←-
u s e r a dd −m ’%u ’
d e l e t e u s e r s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / ←-
smbldap−u s e r d e l %u
add group s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / smbldap− ←-
groupadd −p ’%g ’
d e l e t e group s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / ←-
smbldap−g r o u p d e l ’%g ’
add u s e r t o group s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / ←-
smbldap−groupmod −m ’%u ’ ’%g ’
d e l e t e u s e r from group s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / ←-
s b i n / smbldap−groupmod −x ’%u ’ ’%g ’
s e t primary group s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / ←-
smbldap−usermod −g ’%g ’ ’%u ’
add machine s c r i p t = / u s r / l o c a l / s b i n / ←-
smbldap−us e radd −w ’%u ’
l o g o n s c r i p t = s c r i p t s \ l o g o n . bat
l o g o n path = \\%L\ P r o f i l e s \%U
l o g o n d r i v e = H:
l o g o n home = \\%L\%U
domain l o g o n s = Yes
o s l e v e l = 35
p r e f e r r e d master = Yes
domain master = Yes
l d a p s u f f i x = dc=quenya , dc=o r g
l d a p machine s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p u s e r s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p group s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p idmap s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p admin dn = cn=Manager
l d a p s s l = no
l d a p passwd sync = Yes
idmap u i d = 15000 −20000
idmap g i d = 15000 −20000
p r i n t i n g = cups

Section 2.3. Worked Examples 37

Example 2.3.10. Remote LDAP BDC smb.conf

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = GANDALF
passdb backend = ldapsam : l d a p : / / f r o d o . ←-
quenya . o r g
username map = / e t c /samba/ smbusers
p r i n t c a p name = cups
l o g o n s c r i p t = s c r i p t s \ l o g o n . bat
l o g o n path = \\%L\ P r o f i l e s \%U
l o g o n d r i v e = H:
l o g o n home = \\%L\%U
domain l o g o n s = Yes
o s l e v e l = 33
p r e f e r r e d master = Yes
domain master = No
l d a p s u f f i x = dc=quenya , dc=o r g
l d a p machine s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p u s e r s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p group s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p idmap s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p admin dn = cn=Manager
l d a p s s l = no
l d a p passwd sync = Yes
idmap u i d = 15000 −20000
idmap g i d = 15000 −20000
p r i n t i n g = cups

Part II

Server Configuration Basics

FIRST STEPS IN SERVER
CONFIGURATION

Samba can operate in various modes within SMB networks. This HOWTO
section contains information on configuring Samba to function as the type
of server your network requires. Please read this section carefully.

39
Chapter 3

SERVER TYPES AND

SECURITY MODES

This chapter provides information regarding the types of server that Samba
may be configured to be. A Microsoft network administrator who wishes to
migrate to or use Samba will want to know the meaning, within a Samba
context, of terms familiar to the MS Windows administrator. This means
that it is essential also to define how critical security modes function before
we get into the details of how to configure the server itself.
The chapter provides an overview of the security modes of which Samba is
capable and how they relate to MS Windows servers and clients.
A question often asked is, “Why would I want to use Samba?” Most chapters
contain a section that highlights features and benefits. We hope that the
information provided will help to answer this question. Be warned though,
we want to be fair and reasonable, so not all features are positive toward
Samba. The benefit may be on the side of our competition.

3.1 Features and Benefits

Two men were walking down a dusty road, when one suddenly kicked up
a small red stone. It hurt his toe and lodged in his sandal. He took the
stone out and cursed it with a passion and fury befitting his anguish. The
other looked at the stone and said, “This is a garnet. I can turn that into a
precious gem and some day it will make a princess very happy!”
The moral of this tale: Two men, two very different perspectives regarding
the same stone. Like it or not, Samba is like that stone. Treat it the right

40
Section 3.2. Server Types 41

way and it can bring great pleasure, but if you are forced to use it and have
no time for its secrets, then it can be a source of discomfort.
Samba started out as a project that sought to provide interoperability for
MS Windows 3.x clients with a UNIX server. It has grown up a lot since
its humble beginnings and now provides features and functionality fit for
large-scale deployment. It also has some warts. In sections like this one, we
tell of both.
So, what are the benefits of the features mentioned in this chapter?
• Samba-3 can replace an MS Windows NT4 domain controller.
• Samba-3 offers excellent interoperability with MS Windows NT4-style
domains as well as natively with Microsoft Active Directory domains.
• Samba-3 permits full NT4-style interdomain trusts.
• Samba has security modes that permit more flexible authentication
than is possible with MS Windows NT4 domain controllers.
• Samba-3 permits use of multiple concurrent account database back-
ends. (Encrypted passwords that are stored in the account database
are in formats that is unique to Windows networking).
• The account database backends can be distributed and replicated using
multiple methods. This gives Samba-3 greater flexibility than MS
Windows NT4 and in many cases a significantly higher utility than
Active Directory domains with MS Windows 200x.

3.2 Server Types

Administrators of Microsoft networks often refer to three different type of

servers:
• Domain Controller
– Primary Domain Controller (PDC)
– Backup Domain Controller (BDC)
– ADS Domain Controller
• Domain Member Server
– Active Directory Domain Server
42 Server Types and Security Modes Chapter 3

– NT4 Style Domain Domain Server

• Standalone Server
The chapters covering domain control (Chapter 4, “Domain Control”), backup
domain control (Chapter 5, “Backup Domain Control”), and domain mem-
bership (Chapter 6, “Domain Membership”) provide pertinent informa-
tion regarding Samba configuration for each of these server roles. You are
strongly encouraged to become intimately familiar with these chapters be-
cause they lay the foundation for deployment of Samba domain security.
A Standalone server has is autonomous in respect of the source of its ac-
count backend. Refer to Chapter 7, “Standalone Servers” to gain a wider
appreciation of what is mean by a server being configured as a standalone
server.

3.3 Samba Security Modes

In this section the function and purpose of Samba’s security modes are de-
scribed. An accurate understanding of how Samba implements each security
mode as well as how to configure MS Windows clients for each mode will
significantly reduce user complaints and administrator heartache.
Microsoft Windows networking uses a protocol that was originally called the
Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Since some time around 1996 the
protocol has been better known as the Common Internet Filesystem (CIFS)
protocol.
In the SMB/CIFS networking world, there are only two types of security:
user-level and share level. We refer to these collectively as security levels. In
implementing these two security levels, Samba provides flexibilities that are
not available with MS Windows NT4/200x servers. In fact, Samba imple-
ments share-level security only one way, but has four ways of implementing
user-level security. Collectively, we call the Samba implementations of the
security levels security modes. They are known as share, user, domain, ADS,
and server modes. They are documented in this chapter.
An SMB server informs the client, at the time of a session setup, the security
level the server is running. There are two options: share-level and user-level.
Which of these two the client receives affects the way the client then tries
to authenticate itself. It does not directly affect (to any great extent) the
way the Samba server does security. This may sound strange, but it fits
Section 3.3. Samba Security Modes 43

in with the client/server approach of SMB. In SMB everything is initiated

and controlled by the client, and the server can only tell the client what is
available and whether an action is allowed.

The term client refers to all agents whether it is a Windows workstation,

a Windows server, another Samba server, or any vanilla SMB or CIFS client
application (e.g., smbclient) that make use of services provided by an SM-
B/CIFS server.

3.3.1 User Level Security

We describe user-level security first because its simpler. In user-level se-

curity, the client sends a session setup request directly following protocol
negotiation. This request provides a username and password. The server
can either accept or reject that username/password combination. At this
stage the server has no idea what share the client will eventually try to
connect to, so it can’t base the accept/reject on anything other than:

1. the username/password.

2. the name of the client machine.

If the server accepts the username/password credentials, the client expects to

be able to mount shares (using a tree connection) without further specifying a
password. It expects that all access rights will be as the username/password
credentials set that was specified in the initial session setup.

It is also possible for a client to send multiple session setup requests. When
the server responds, it gives the client a uid to use as an authentication tag
for that username/password. The client can maintain multiple authentica-
tion contexts in this way (WinDD is an example of an application that does
this).

Windows networking user account names are case-insensitive, meaning that

upper-case and lower-case characters in the account name are considered
equivalent. They are said to be case-preserving, but not case significant.
Windows and LanManager systems previous to Windows NT version 3.10
have case-insensitive passwords that were not necessarilty case-preserving.
All Windows NT family systems treat passwords are case-preserving and
case-sensitive.
44 Server Types and Security Modes Chapter 3

3.3.1.1 Example Configuration

The smb.conf parameter that sets user-level security is:

security = user

This is the default setting since Samba-2.2.x.

3.3.2 Share-Level Security

In share-level security, the client authenticates itself separately for each

share. It sends a password along with each tree connection request (share
mount), but it does not explicitly send a username with this operation. The
client expects a password to be associated with each share, independent of
the user. This means that Samba has to work out what username the client
probably wants to use, the SMB server is not explicitly sent the username.
Some commercial SMB servers such as NT actually associate passwords di-
rectly with shares in share-level security, but Samba always uses the UNIX
authentication scheme where it is a username/password pair that is authen-
ticated, not a share/password pair.
To understand the MS Windows networking parallels, think in terms of MS
Windows 9x/Me where you can create a shared folder that provides read-
only or full access, with or without a password.
Many clients send a session setup request even if the server is in share-level
security. They normally send a valid username but no password. Samba
records this username in a list of possible usernames. When the client then
issues a tree connection request, it also adds to this list the name of the share
they try to connect to (useful for home directories) and any users listed in
the user parameter in the smb.conf file. The password is then checked in
turn against these possible usernames. If a match is found, then the client
is authenticated as that user.
Where the list of possible user names is not provided, Samba checks makes a
UNIX system call to find the user account that has a password that matches
the one provided from the standard account database. On a system that
has no name service switch (NSS) facility such lookups will be from the /
etc/passwd database. On NSS enabled systems the lookup will go to the
libraries that have been specified in the nsswitch.conf file. The entries in
that file in which the libraries are specified are:
Section 3.3. Samba Security Modes 45

passwd: files nis ldap

shadow: files nis ldap
group: files nis ldap

In the example shown here (not likely to be used in practice) the lookup will
check /etc/passwd and /etc/group, if not found it will check NIS, then
LDAP.

3.3.2.1 Example Configuration

The smb.conf parameter that sets share-level security is:

sec urity = share

3.3.3 Domain Security Mode (User-Level Security)

Domain security provides a mechanism for storing all user and group ac-
counts in a central, shared, account repository. The centralized account
repository is shared between domain (security) controllers. Servers that
act as domain controllers provide authentication and validation services to
all machines that participate in the security context for the domain. A pri-
mary domain controller (PDC) is a server that is responsible for maintaining
the integrity of the security account database. Backup domain controllers
(BDCs) provide only domain logon and authentication services. Usually,
BDCs will answer network logon requests more responsively than will a
PDC.
When Samba is operating in security = domain mode, the Samba server
has a domain security trust account (a machine account) and causes all
authentication requests to be passed through to the domain controllers. In
other words, this configuration makes the Samba server a domain member
server, even when it is in fact acting as a domain controller. All machines
that participate in domain security must have a machine account in the
security database.
Within the domain security environment the underlying security architec-
ture uses User-level security. Even machines that are domain members must
authenticate on startup. The machine account consists of an account entry
46 Server Types and Security Modes Chapter 3

in the accounts database, the name of which is the NetBIOS name of the
machine and of which the password is randomly generated and known to
both the domain controllers and the member machine. If the machine ac-
count can not be validated during startup, users will not be able to log onto
the domain using this machine because it can not be trusted. The machine
account is referred to as a machine trust account.

There are three possible domain member configurations:

1. Primary domain controller (PDC) - of which there is one per domain.

2. Backup domain controller (BDC) - of which there can be any number

per domain.

3. Domain member server (DMS) - of which there can be any number

per domain.

We will discuss each of these in separate chapters. For now, we are most
interested in basic DMS configuration.

3.3.3.1 Example Configuration

Samba as a Domain Member Server

This method involves addition of the following parameters in the smb.conf

file:

s e c u r i t y = domain
workgroup = MIDEARTH

In order for this method to work, the Samba server needs to join the MS
Windows NT security domain. This is done as follows:

1. On the MS Windows NT domain controller, using the Server Manager,

add a machine account for the Samba server.

2. On the UNIX/Linux system execute:

root# net rpc join -U administrator%password

Section 3.3. Samba Security Modes 47

Note

Samba-2.2.4 and later Samba 2.2.x series releases can

autojoin a Windows NT4-style domain just by executing:

root# smbpasswd -j DOMAIN_NAME -r PDC_NAME \

-U Administrator%password

Samba-3 can do the same by executing:

root# net rpc join -U Administrator%password

It is not necessary with Samba-3 to specify the DO-

MAIN NAME or the PDC NAME, as it figures this out from
the smb.conf file settings.

Use of this mode of authentication requires there to be a standard UNIX

account for each user in order to assign a UID once the account has been au-
thenticated by the Windows domain controller. This account can be blocked
to prevent logons by clients other than MS Windows through means such as
setting an invalid shell in the /etc/passwd entry. The best way to allocate
an invalid shell to a user account is to set the shell to the file /bin/false.

Domain controllers can be located anywhere that is convenient. The best

advice is to have a BDC on every physical network segment, and if the PDC
is on a remote network segment the use of WINS (see Chapter 9, “Network
Browsing” for more information) is almost essential.

An alternative to assigning UIDs to Windows users on a Samba member

server is presented in Chapter 23, “Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts”,
Chapter 23, “Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts”.

For more information regarding domain membership, Chapter 6, “Domain

Membership”.
48 Server Types and Security Modes Chapter 3

3.3.4 ADS Security Mode (User-Level Security)

Both Samba-2.2, and Samba-3 can join an Active Directory domain using
NT4 style RPC based security. This is possible if the domain is run in native
mode. Active Directory in native mode perfectly allows NT4-style domain
members. This is contrary to popular belief.
If you are using Active Directory, starting with Samba-3 you can join as a
native AD member. Why would you want to do that? Your security policy
might prohibit the use of NT-compatible authentication protocols. All your
machines are running Windows 2000 and above and all use Kerberos. In this
case Samba, as an NT4-style domain, would still require NT-compatible au-
thentication data. Samba in AD-member mode can accept Kerberos tickets.
Sites that use Microsoft Windows active directory services (ADS) should be
aware of the significance of the terms: native mode and mixed mode ADS
operation. The term realm is used to describe a Kerberos-based security
architecture (such as is used by Microsoft ADS).

3.3.4.1 Example Configuration

realm = your . k e r b e r o s .REALM
s e c u r i t y = ADS

The following parameter may be required:

password s e r v e r = your . k e r b e r o s . s e r v e r

Please refer to Chapter 6, “Domain Membership”, and Section 6.4 for more
information regarding this configuration option.

3.3.5 Server Security (User Level Security)

Server security mode is left over from the time when Samba was not capable
of acting as a domain member server. It is highly recommended not to use
this feature. Server security mode has many drawbacks that include:
• Potential account lockout on MS Windows NT4/200x password servers.
• Lack of assurance that the password server is the one specified.
Section 3.3. Samba Security Modes 49

• Does not work with Winbind, which is particularly needed when stor-
ing profiles remotely.

• This mode may open connections to the password server and keep
them open for extended periods.

• Security on the Samba server breaks badly when the remote password
server suddenly shuts down.

• With this mode there is NO security account in the domain that the
password server belongs to for the Samba server.

In server security mode the Samba server reports to the client that it is
in user-level security. The client then does a session setup as described
earlier. The Samba server takes the username/password that the client
sends and attempts to log into the password server by sending exactly the
same username/password that it got from the client. If that server is in
user-level security and accepts the password, then Samba accepts the client’s
connection. This parameter allows the Samba server to use another SMB
server as the password server.

You should also note that at the start of all this, when the server tells
the client what security level it is in, it also tells the client if it supports
encryption. If it does, it supplies the client with a random cryptkey. The
client will then send all passwords in encrypted form. Samba supports this
type of encryption by default.

The parameter security = server means that Samba reports to clients that it
is running in user mode but actually passes off all authentication requests to
another user mode server. This requires an additional parameter password
server that points to the real authentication server. The real authentication
server can be another Samba server, or it can be a Windows NT server, the
latter being natively capable of encrypted password support.
50 Server Types and Security Modes Chapter 3

Note

When Samba is running in server security mode, it is es-

sential that the parameter password server is set to the
precise NetBIOS machine name of the target authentica-
tion server. Samba cannot determine this from NetBIOS
name lookups because the choice of the target authenti-
cation server is arbitrary and cannot be determined from a
domain name. In essence, a Samba server that is in server
security mode is operating in what used to be known as
workgroup mode.

3.3.5.1 Example Configuration

Using MS Windows NT as an Authentication Server

This method involves the additions of the following parameters in the smb.
conf file:

e n c r y p t passwords = Yes
security = server
password s e r v e r = ” NetBIOS name of a DC ”

There are two ways of identifying whether or not a username and pass-
word pair is valid. One uses the reply information provided as part of the
authentication messaging process, the other uses just an error code.

The downside of this mode of configuration is that for security reasons

Samba will send the password server a bogus username and a bogus pass-
word, and if the remote server fails to reject the bogus username and pass-
word pair, then an alternative mode of identification or validation is used.
Where a site uses password lockout, after a certain number of failed authen-
tication attempts, this will result in user lockouts.

Use of this mode of authentication requires a standard UNIX account for

the user. This account can be blocked to prevent logons by non-SMB/CIFS
clients.
Section 3.4. Password Checking 51

3.4 Password Checking

MS Windows clients may use encrypted passwords as part of a challenge/re-

sponse authentication model (a.k.a. NTLMv1 and NTLMv2) or alone, or
clear-text strings for simple password-based authentication. It should be re-
alized that with the SMB protocol, the password is passed over the network
either in plaintext or encrypted, but not both in the same authentication
request.
When encrypted passwords are used, a password that has been entered by
the user is encrypted in two ways:
• An MD4 hash of the unicode of the password string. This is known as
the NT hash.
• The password is converted to uppercase, and then padded or truncated
to 14 bytes. This string is then appended with 5 bytes of NULL
characters and split to form two 56-bit DES keys to encrypt a ”magic”
8-byte value. The resulting 16 bytes form the LanMan hash.
MS Windows 95 pre-service pack 1 and MS Windows NT versions 3.x and
version 4.0 pre-service pack 3 will use either mode of password authenti-
cation. All versions of MS Windows that follow these versions no longer
support plain-text passwords by default.
MS Windows clients have a habit of dropping network mappings that have
been idle for 10 minutes or longer. When the user attempts to use the
mapped drive connection that has been dropped, the client re-establishes
the connection using a cached copy of the password.
When Microsoft changed the default password mode, support was dropped
for caching of the plaintext password. This means that when the registry
parameter is changed to re-enable use of plaintext passwords, it appears to
work, but when a dropped service connection mapping attempts to reval-
idate, this will fail if the remote authentication server does not support
encrypted passwords. It is definitely not a good idea to re-enable plaintext
password support in such clients.
The following parameters can be used to work around the issue of Windows
9x/Me clients uppercasing usernames and passwords before transmitting
them to the SMB server when using clear-text authentication:

password l e v e l
52 Server Types and Security Modes Chapter 3

username l e v e l

By default Samba will convert to lowercase the username before attempting

to lookup the user in the database of local system accounts. Because UNIX
usernames conventionally only contain lowercase characters, the username-
level parameter is rarely needed.
However, passwords on UNIX systems often make use of mixed-case char-
acters. This means that in order for a user on a Windows 9x/Me client
to connect to a Samba server using clear-text authentication, the password
level must be set to the maximum number of uppercase letters that could
appear in a password. Note that if the Server OS uses the traditional DES
version of crypt(), a password level of 8 will result in case-insensitive pass-
words as seen from Windows users. This will also result in longer login times
because Samba has to compute the permutations of the password string and
try them one by one until a match is located (or all combinations fail).
The best option to adopt is to enable support for encrypted passwords wher-
ever Samba is used. Most attempts to apply the registry change to re-enable
plaintext passwords will eventually lead to user complaints and unhappiness.

3.5 Common Errors

We all make mistakes. It is okay to make mistakes, as long as they are made
in the right places and at the right time. A mistake that causes lost pro-
ductivity is seldom tolerated; however, a mistake made in a developmental
test lab is expected.
Here we look at common mistakes and misapprehensions that have been the
subject of discussions on the Samba mailing lists. Many of these are avoid-
able by doing your homework before attempting a Samba implementation.
Some are the result of a misunderstanding of the English language, which
has many phrases that are potentially vague and may be highly confusing
to those for whom English is not their native tongue.

3.5.1 What Makes Samba a Server?

To some, the nature of the Samba security mode is obvious, but entirely
wrong all the same. It is assumed that security = server means that Samba
Section 3.5. Common Errors 53

will act as a server. Not so! This setting means that Samba will try to use
another SMB server as its source for user authentication alone.
Samba is a server regardless of which security mode is chosen. When Samba
is used outside of a domain security context, it is best to leave the security
mode at the default setting. By default Samba-3 uses User-mode security.

3.5.2 What Makes Samba a Domain Controller?

The smb.conf parameter security = domain does not really make Samba
behave as a domain controller. This setting means we want Samba to be a
domain member. See Chapter 4, “Domain Control” for more information.

3.5.3 What Makes Samba a Domain Member?

Guess! So many others do. But whatever you do, do not think that security
= user makes Samba act as a domain member. Read the manufacturer’s
manual before the warranty expires. See Chapter 6, “Domain Membership”,
for more information.

3.5.4 Constantly Losing Connections to Password Server

“Why does server validate() simply give up rather than re-establish its con-
nection to the password server? Though I am not fluent in the SMB protocol,
perhaps the cluster server process passes along to its client workstation the
session key it receives from the password server, which means the password
hashes submitted by the client would not work on a subsequent connection
whose session key would be different. So server validate() must give up.”
Indeed. That’s why security = server is at best a nasty hack. Please use
security = domain; security = server mode is also known as pass-through
authentication.
Chapter 4

DOMAIN CONTROL

There are many who approach MS Windows networking with incredible

misconceptions. That’s okay, because it gives the rest of us plenty of oppor-
tunity to be of assistance. Those who really want help are well advised to
become familiar with information that is already available.
You are advised not to tackle this section without having first understood
and mastered some basics. MS Windows networking is not particularly
forgiving of misconfiguration. Users of MS Windows networking are likely
to complain of persistent niggles that may be caused by a broken network
configuration. To a great many people, however, MS Windows networking
starts with a domain controller that in some magical way is expected to
solve all network operational ills.
Figure 4.1 shows a typical MS Windows domain security network environ-
ment. Workstations A, B, and C are representative of many physical MS
Windows network clients.
From the Samba mailing list we can readily identify many common network-
ing issues. If you are not clear on the following subjects, then it will do much
good to read the sections of this HOWTO that deal with it. These are the
most common causes of MS Windows networking problems:
• Basic TCP/IP configuration.
• NetBIOS name resolution.
• Authentication configuration.
• User and group configuration.
• Basic file and directory permission control in UNIX/Linux.

54
55

DOMAIN

Workstation A

Primary
Domain
Controller

Workstation B

Workstation C

Backup Domain
Backup Domain Controller 2
Controller 1

Figure 4.1. An Example Domain.

• Understanding how MS Windows clients interoperate in a network

environment.

Do not be put off; on the surface of it MS Windows networking seems so

simple that anyone can do it. In fact, it is not a good idea to set up an
MS Windows network with inadequate training and preparation. But let’s
get our first indelible principle out of the way: It is perfectly okay to make
mistakes! In the right place and at the right time, mistakes are the essence
of learning. It is very much not okay to make mistakes that cause loss of
productivity and impose an avoidable financial burden on an organization.

Where is the right place to make mistakes? Only out of harms way. If you
are going to make mistakes, then please do it on a test network, away from
users, and in such a way as to not inflict pain on others. Do your learning
on a test network.
56 Domain Control Chapter 4

4.1 Features and Benefits

What is the key benefit of Microsoft Domain Security?

In a word, single sign-on, or SSO for short. To many, this is the Holy
Grail of MS Windows NT and beyond networking. SSO allows users in
a well-designed network to log onto any workstation that is a member of
the domain that contains their user account (or in a domain that has an
appropriate trust relationship with the domain they are visiting) and they
will be able to log onto the network and access resources (shares, files, and
printers) as if they are sitting at their home (personal) workstation. This is
a feature of the domain security protocols.
The benefits of domain security are available to those sites that deploy a
Samba PDC. A domain provides a unique network security identifier (SID).
Domain user and group security identifiers are comprised of the network
SID plus a relative identifier (RID) that is unique to the account. User and
group SIDs (the network SID plus the RID) can be used to create access
control lists (ACLs) attached to network resources to provide organizational
access control. UNIX systems recognize only local security identifiers.

Note

Network clients of an MS Windows domain security en-

vironment must be domain members to be able to gain
access to the advanced features provided. Domain mem-
bership involves more than just setting the workgroup
name to the domain name. It requires the creation of a
domain trust account for the workstation (called a ma-
chine account). Refer to Chapter 6, “Domain Member-
ship” for more information.

The following functionalities are new to the Samba-3 release:

• Samba-3 supports the use of a choice of backends that may be used
in which user, group and machine accounts may be stored. Multi-
ple passwd backends can be used in combination, either as additive
backend data sets, or as fail-over data sets.
Section 4.1. Features and Benefits 57

An LDAP passdb backend confers the benefit that the account backend
can be distributed and replicated, which is of great value because it
confers scalability and provides a high degree of reliability.
• Windows NT4 domain trusts. Samba-3 supports workstation and
server (machine) trust accounts. It also supports Windows NT4 style
interdomain trust accounts, which further assists in network scalability
and interoperability.
• Operation without NetBIOS over TCP/IP, rather using the raw SMB
over TCP/IP. Note, this is feasible only when operating as a Microsoft
active directory domain member server. When acting as a Samba
domain controller the use of NetBIOS is necessary to provide network
browsing support.
• Samba-3 provides NetBIOS name services (WINS), NetBIOS over TCP/IP
(TCP port 139) session services, SMB over TCP/IP (TCP port 445)
session services, and Microsoft compatible ONC DCE RPC services
(TCP port 135) services.
• Management of users and groups via the User Manager for Domains.
This can be done on any MS Windows client using the Nexus.exe
toolkit for Windows 9x/Me, or using the SRVTOOLS.EXE package for
MS Windows NT4/200x/XP platforms. These packages are available
from Microsoft’s Web site.
• Implements full Unicode support. This simplifies cross-locale inter-
nationalization support. It also opens up the use of protocols that
Samba-2.2.x had but could not use due to the need to fully support
Unicode.
The following functionalities are not provided by Samba-3:
• SAM replication with Windows NT4 domain controllers (i.e., a Samba
PDC and a Windows NT BDC, or vice versa). This means Samba
cannot operate as a BDC when the PDC is Microsoft-based Windows
NT PDC. Samba-3 can not participate in replication of account data
to Windows PDCs and BDCs.
• Acting as a Windows 2000 active directory domain controller (i.e.,
Kerberos and Active Directory). In point of fact, Samba-3 does have
some Active Directory domain control ability that is at this time purely
experimental. Active directory domain control is one of the features
that is being developed in Samba-4, the next generation Samba release.
58 Domain Control Chapter 4

At this time there are no plans to enable active directory domain

control support during the Samba-3 series life-cycle.

• The Windows 200x/XP Microsoft Management Console (MMC) can-

not be used to manage a Samba-3 server. For this you can use only
the MS Windows NT4 Domain Server Manager and the MS Windows
NT4 Domain User Manager. Both are part of the SVRTOOLS.EXE
package mentioned later.

Windows 9x/Me/XP Home clients are not true members of a domain for rea-
sons outlined in this chapter. The protocol for support of Windows 9x/Me-
style network (domain) logons is completely different from NT4/Windows
200x-type domain logons and has been officially supported for some time.
These clients use the old LanMan network logon facilities that are supported
in Samba since approximately the Samba-1.9.15 series.

Samba-3 implements group mapping between Windows NT groups and UNIX

groups (this is really quite complicated to explain in a short space). This
is discussed more fully in Chapter 11, “Group Mapping: MS Windows and
UNIX”.

Samba-3, like an MS Windows NT4 PDC or a Windows 200x Active Di-

rectory, needs to store user and Machine Trust Account information in a
suitable backend data-store. Refer to Section 6.2. With Samba-3 there can
be multiple backends for this. A complete discussion of account database
backends can be found in Chapter 10, “Account Information Databases”.

4.2 Single Sign-On and Domain Security

When network administrators are asked to describe the benefits of Windows

NT4 and active directory networking the most often mentioned feature is
that of single sign-on (SSO). Many companies have implemented SSO solu-
tions. The mode of implementation of a single sign-on solution is an impor-
tant factor in the practice of networking in general, and is critical in respect
of Windows networking. A company may have a wide variety of information
systems, each of which requires a form of user authentication and validation,
thus it is not uncommon that users may need to remember more than ten
login IDs and passwords. This problem is compounded when the password
for each system must be changed at regular intervals, and particularly so
where password uniqueness and history limits are applied.
Section 4.2. Single Sign-On and Domain Security 59

There is a broadly held perception that SSO is the answer to the problem
of users having to deal with too many information system access credentials
(username/password pairs). Many elaborate schemes have been devised to
make it possible to deliver a user-friendly SSO solution. The trouble is that
if this implementation is not done correctly, the site may end up paying
dearly by way of complexity and management overheads. Simply put, many
SSO solutions are an administrative nightmare.

SSO implementations utilize centralization of all user account information.

Depending on environmental complexity and the age of the systems over
which a SSO solution is implemented, it may not be possible to change the
solution architecture so as to accomodate a new identity management and
user authentication system. Many SSO solutions involving legacy systems
consist of a new super-structure that handles authentication on behalf of
the user. The software that gets layered over the old system may simply
implement a proxy authentication system. This means that the addition
of SSO increases over-all information systems complexity. Ideally, the im-
plementation of SSO should reduce complexity and reduce administative
overheads.

The initial goal of many network administrators is often to create and use
a centralized identity management system. It is often assumed that such a
centralized system will use a single authentication infrastructure that can
be used by all information systems. The Microsoft Windows NT4 secu-
rity domain architecture and the Micrsoft active directory service are often
put forward as the ideal foundation for such a system. It is conceptually
simple to install an external authentication agent on each of the disparate
infromation systems that can then use the Microsoft (NT4 domain or ads
service) for user authentication and access control. The wonderful dream of
a single centralized authentication service is commonly broken when reali-
ties are realized. The problem with legacy systems is often the inability to
externalize the authentication and access control system it uses because its
implementation will be excessively invasive from a re-engineering perspec-
tive, or because application software has built-in dependencies on particular
elements of the way user authentication and access control were designed
and built.

Over the past decade an industry has been developed around the various
methods that have been built to get around the key limitations of legacy
information technology systems. One approach that is often used involves
the use of a meta-directory. The meta-directory stores user credentials for
60 Domain Control Chapter 4

all disparate information systems in the format that is particular to each

system. An elaborate set of management procedures is coupled with a rigidly
enforced work-flow protocol for managing user rights and privileges within
the maze of systems that are provisioned by the new infrastructure makes
possible user access to all systems using a single set of user credentials.
The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
(OASIS) has developed the Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML),
a structured method for communication of authentication information. The
over-all umbrella name for the technologies and methods that deploy SAML
is called Federated Identity Management (FIM). FIM depends on each sys-
tem in the complex maze of disparate information systems to authenticate
their respective users and vouch for secure access to the services each pro-
vides.
SAML documents can be wrapped in a Simple Object Access Protocol
(SOAP) message for the computer-to-computer communications needed for
Web services. Or they may be passed between Web servers of federated or-
ganizations that share live services. The Liberty Alliance, an industry group
formed to promote federated-identity standards, has adopted SAML 1.1 as
part of its application framework. Microsoft and IBM have proposed an al-
ternative specification called WS-Security. Some believe that the competing
technologies and methods may converge when the SAML 2.0 standard is
introduced. A few Web access-management products support SAML today,
but implemention of the technology mostly requires customization to inte-
grate applications and develop user interfaces. In a nust-shell, that is why
FIM is a big and growing industry.
Ignoring the bigger picture, which is beyond the scope of this book, the
migration of all user and group management to a centralized system is a
step in the right direction. It is essential for interoperability reasons to
locate the identity management system data in a directory such as Microsoft
Active Directory Service (ADS), or any proprietary or open source system
that provides a standard protocol for information access (such as LDAP) and
that can be coupled with a flexible array of authentication mechanisms (such
as kerberos) that use the protocols that are defined by the various general
security service application programming interface (GSSAPI) services.
A growing number of companies provide authentication agents for disparate
legacy platforms to permit the use of LDAP systems. Thus the use of
OpenLDAP, the dominant open source software implementation of the light
weight directory access protocol standard. This fact, means that by provid-
Section 4.3. Basics of Domain Control 61

ing support in Samba for the use of LDAP and Microsoft ADS make Samba a
highly scalable and forward reaching organizational networking technology.
Microsoft ADS provides purely proprietary services that, with limitation,
can be extended to provide a centralized authentication infrastructure. Samba
plus LDAP provides a similar opportunity for extension of a centralized au-
thentication architecture, but it is the fact that the Samba Team are pro-
active in introducing the extension of authentication services, using LDAP
or otherwise, to applications such as SQUID (the open source proxy server)
through tools such as the ntlm auth utility, that does much to create sus-
tainable choice and competition in the FIM market place.
Primary domain control, if it is to be scalable to meet the needs of large sites,
must therefore be capable of using LDAP. The rapid adoption of OpenLDAP,
and Samba configurations that use it, is ample proof that the era of the
directoy has started. Samba-3 does not demand the use of LDAP, but the
demand for a mechanism by which user and group identity information can
be distributed makes it an an unavoidable option.
At this time, the use of Samba based BDCs, necessitates the use of LDAP.
The most commonly used LDAP implementation used by Samba sites is
OpenLDAP. It is possible to use any standards compliant LDAP server.
Those known to work includes those manufactured by: IBM, CA, Novell
(e-Directory), and others.

4.3 Basics of Domain Control

Over the years, public perceptions of what domain control really is has
taken on an almost mystical nature. Before we branch into a brief overview
of domain control, there are three basic types of domain controllers.

4.3.1 Domain Controller Types

• NT4 style Primary Domain Controller

• NT4 style Backup Domain Controller
• ADS Domain Controller
The Primary Domain Controller or PDC plays an important role in MS
Windows NT4. In Windows 200x domain control architecture, this role
62 Domain Control Chapter 4

is held by domain controllers. Folklore dictates that because of its role

in the MS Windows network, the domain controller should be the most
powerful and most capable machine in the network. As strange as it may
seem to say this here, good overall network performance dictates that the
entire infrastructure needs to be balanced. It is advisable to invest more in
standalone (domain member) servers than in the domain controllers.
In the case of MS Windows NT4-style domains, it is the PDC that initi-
ates a new domain control database. This forms a part of the Windows
registry called the Security Account Manager (SAM). It plays a key part in
NT4-type domain user authentication and in synchronization of the domain
authentication database with BDCs.
With MS Windows 200x Server-based Active Directory domains, one domain
controller initiates a potential hierarchy of domain controllers, each with its
own area of delegated control. The master domain controller has the ability
to override any downstream controller, but a downline controller has control
only over its downline. With Samba-3, this functionality can be implemented
using an LDAP-based user and machine account backend.
New to Samba-3 is the ability to use a backend database that holds the same
type of data as the NT4-style SAM database (one of the registry files)1
The Backup Domain Controller or BDC plays a key role in servicing network
authentication requests. The BDC is biased to answer logon requests in
preference to the PDC. On a network segment that has a BDC and a PDC,
the BDC will most likely service network logon requests. The PDC will
answer network logon requests when the BDC is too busy (high load). When
a user logs onto a Windows domain member client the workstation will query
the network to locate the nearest network logon server. Where a WINS
server is used, this is done via a query to the WINS server. If a netlogon
server can not be found from the WINS query, or in the absence of a WINS
server, the workstation will perform a NetBIOS name lookup via a mailslot
broadcast over the UDP broadcast protocol. This means that the netlogon
server that the windows client will use is influenced by a number of variables,
thus there is no simple determinant of whether a PDC or a BDC will serve
a particular logon authentication request.
A Windows NT4 BDC can be promoted to a PDC. If the PDC is online at
the time that a BDC is promoted to PDC, the previous PDC is automatically
demoted to a BDC. With Samba-3, this is not an automatic operation; the
1
See also Chapter 10, “Account Information Databases”. .
Section 4.3. Basics of Domain Control 63

PDC and BDC must be manually configured, and other appropriate changes
also need to be made.
With MS Windows NT4, a decision is made at installation to determine
what type of machine the server will be. It is possible to promote a BDC
to a PDC, and vice versa. The only method Microsoft provide to convert a
Windows NT4 domain controller to a domain member server or a standalone
server is to reinstall it. The install time choices offered are:
• Primary Domain Controller — the one that seeds the domain SAM.
• Backup Domain Controller — one that obtains a copy of the domain
SAM.
• Domain Member Server — one that has no copy of the domain SAM;
rather it obtains authentication from a domain controller for all access
controls.
• Standalone Server — one that plays no part in SAM synchronization,
has its own authentication database, and plays no role in domain se-
curity.

Note

Algin Technology LLC provide a commercial tool that

makes it possible to promote a Windows NT4 standalone
server to a PDC or a BDC, and also permits this process
to be reversed. Refer the the Algina web site for further
information.

a
<http://utools.com/UPromote.asp>

Samba-3 servers can readily be converted to and from domain controller

roles through simple changes to the smb.conf file. Samba-3 is capable of
acting fully as a native member of a Windows 200x server Active Directory
domain.
For the sake of providing a complete picture, MS Windows 2000 domain
control configuration is done after the server has been installed. Please refer
to Microsoft documentation for the procedures that should be followed to
64 Domain Control Chapter 4

convert a domain member server to or from a domain control, and to install

or remove active directory service support.
New to Samba-3 is the ability to function fully as an MS Windows NT4-style
domain controller, excluding the SAM replication components. However,
please be aware that Samba-3 also supports the MS Windows 200x domain
control protocols.
At this time any appearance that Samba-3 is capable of acting as a domain
controller in native ADS mode is limited and experimental in nature. This
functionality should not be used until the Samba Team offers formal support
for it. At such a time, the documentation will be revised to duly reflect all
configuration and management requirements. Samba can act as a NT4-style
domain controller in a Windows 2000/XP environment. However, there are
certain compromises:
• No machine policy files.
• No Group Policy Objects.
• No synchronously executed Active Directory logon scripts.
• Can’t use Active Directory management tools to manage users and
machines.
• Registry changes tattoo the main registry, while with Active Directory
they do not leave permanent changes in effect.
• Without Active Directory you cannot perform the function of export-
ing specific applications to specific users or groups.

4.3.2 Preparing for Domain Control

There are two ways that MS Windows machines may interact with each
other, with other servers, and with domain controllers: either as standalone
systems, more commonly called workgroup members, or as full participants
in a security system, more commonly called domain members.
It should be noted that workgroup membership involves no special configu-
ration other than the machine being configured so the network configuration
has a commonly used name for its workgroup entry. It is not uncommon for
the name WORKGROUP to be used for this. With this mode of configura-
tion, there are no Machine Trust Accounts, and any concept of membership
Section 4.3. Basics of Domain Control 65

as such is limited to the fact that all machines appear in the network neigh-
borhood to be logically grouped together. Again, just to be clear: workgroup
mode does not involve security machine accounts.
Domain member machines have a machine trust account in the domain
accounts database. A special procedure must be followed on each machine
to effect domain membership. This procedure, which can be done only
by the local machine Administrator account, creates the domain machine
account (if it does not exist), and then initializes that account. When the
client first logs onto the domain, a machine trust account password change
will be automatically triggered.

Note

When Samba is configured as a domain controller, se-

cure network operation demands that all MS Windows
NT4/200x/XP Professional clients should be configured
as domain members. If a machine is not made a member
of the domain, then it will operate like a workgroup (stan-
dalone) machine. Please refer to Chapter 6, “Domain
Membership”, for information regarding domain mem-
bership.

The following are necessary for configuring Samba-3 as an MS Windows

NT4-style PDC for MS Windows NT4/200x/XP clients:
• Configuration of basic TCP/IP and MS Windows networking.
• Correct designation of the server role (security = user).
• Consistent configuration of name resolution.2
• Domain logons for Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional clients.
• Configuration of roaming profiles or explicit configuration to force local
profile usage.
• Configuration of network/system policies.
2
See Chapter 9, “Network Browsing”, and Chapter 28, “Integrating MS Windows
Networks with Samba”.
66 Domain Control Chapter 4

• Adding and managing domain user accounts.

• Configuring MS Windows NT4/2000 Professional and Windows XP
Professional client machines to become domain members.
The following provisions are required to serve MS Windows 9x/Me clients:
• Configuration of basic TCP/IP and MS Windows networking.
• Correct designation of the server role (security = user).
• Network logon configuration (since Windows 9x/Me/XP Home are
not technically domain members, they do not really participate in the
security aspects of Domain logons as such).
• Roaming profile configuration.
• Configuration of system policy handling.
• Installation of the network driver “Client for MS Windows Networks”
and configuration to log onto the domain.
• Placing Windows 9x/Me clients in user-level security — if it is desired
to allow all client-share access to be controlled according to domain
user/group identities.
• Adding and managing domain user accounts.

Note

Roaming profiles and system/network policies are ad-

vanced network administration topics that are covered in
Chapter 26, “Desktop Profile Management” and Chap-
ter 25, “System and Account Policies” of this document.
However, these are not necessarily specific to a Samba
PDC as much as they are related to Windows NT net-
working concepts.

A domain controller is an SMB/CIFS server that:

• Registers and advertises itself as a domain controller (through Net-
BIOS broadcasts as well as by way of name registrations either by
Section 4.4. Domain Control: Example Configuration 67

Mailslot Broadcasts over UDP broadcast, to a WINS server over UDP

unicast, or via DNS and Active Directory).
• Provides the NETLOGON service. (This is actually a collection of
services that runs over multiple protocols. These include the LanMan
logon service, the Netlogon service, the Local Security Account service,
and variations of them.)
• Provides a share called NETLOGON.
It is rather easy to configure Samba to provide these. Each Samba domain
controller must provide the NETLOGON service that Samba calls the do-
main logons functionality (after the name of the parameter in the smb.conf
file). Additionally, one server in a Samba-3 domain must advertise itself
as the domain master browser.3 This causes the PDC to claim a domain-
specific NetBIOS name that identifies it as a DMB for its given domain or
workgroup. Local master browsers (LMBs) in the same domain or work-
group on broadcast-isolated subnets then ask for a complete copy of the
browse list for the whole wide-area network. Browser clients then contact
their LMB, and will receive the domain-wide browse list instead of just the
list for their broadcast-isolated subnet.

4.4 Domain Control: Example Configuration

The first step in creating a working Samba PDC is to understand the pa-
rameters necessary in smb.conf. An example smb.conf for acting as a PDC
can be found in Example 4.4.1.
The basic options shown in Example 4.4.1 are explained as follows:

passdb backend This contains all the user and group account information.
Acceptable values for a PDC are: smbpasswd, tdbsam, and ldapsam.
The “guest” entry provides default accounts and is included by default;
there is no need to add it explicitly.
Where use of BDCs is intended, the only logical choice is to use LDAP
so the passdb backend can be distributed. The tdbsam and smbpasswd
files cannot effectively be distributed and therefore should not be used.

3
See Chapter 9, “Network Browsing”.
68 Domain Control Chapter 4

Example 4.4.1. smb.conf for being a PDC

[ global ]
n e t b i o s name
workgroup
passdb backend = tdbsam
o s l e v e l = 33
p r e f e r r e d master = auto
domain master = y e s
l o c a l master = y e s
security = user
domain l o g o n s = y e s
l o g o n path = \\%N\ p r o f i l e s \%U
l o g o n d r i v e = H:
l o g o n home = \\ homeserver\%U\ w i n p r o f i l e
l o g o n s c r i p t = l o g o n . cmd
[ netlogon ]
path = / var / l i b /samba/ n e t l o g o n
read only = yes
write l i s t
[ profiles ]
path = / var / l i b /samba/ p r o f i l e s
r e a d o n l y = no
c r e a t e mask = 0600
d i r e c t o r y mask = 0700

Domain Control Parameters The parameters os level, preferred master,

domain master, security, encrypt passwords, and domain logons play
a central role in assuring domain control and network logon support.
The os level must be set at or above a value of 32. A domain con-
troller must be the DMB, must be set in user mode security, must
support Microsoft-compatible encrypted passwords, and must provide
the network logon service (domain logons). Encrypted passwords must
be enabled. For more details on how to do this, refer to Chapter 10,
“Account Information Databases”.

Environment Parameters The parameters logon path, logon home, logon

Section 4.4. Domain Control: Example Configuration 69

drive, and logon script are environment support settings that help to
facilitate client logon operations and that help to provide automated
control facilities to ease network management overheads. Please refer
to the man page information for these parameters.

NETLOGON Share The NETLOGON share plays a central role in do-

main logon and domain membership support. This share is provided
on all Microsoft domain controllers. It is used to provide logon scripts,
to store group policy files (NTConfig.POL), as well as to locate other
common tools that may be needed for logon processing. This is an
essential share on a domain controller.

PROFILE Share This share is used to store user desktop profiles. Each
user must have a directory at the root of this share. This directory
must be write-enabled for the user and must be globally read-enabled.
Samba-3 has a VFS module called “fake permissions” that may be
installed on this share. This will allow a Samba administrator to make
the directory read-only to everyone. Of course this is useful only after
the profile has been properly created.

Note

The above parameters make for a full set of functionality

that may define the server’s mode of operation. The
following smb.conf parameters are the essentials alone:

n e t b i o s name = BELERIAND
w o r k g r o u p = MIDEARTH
domain l o g o n s = Yes
domain m a s t e r = Yes
s e c u r i t y = User

The additional parameters shown in the longer listing in

this section just make for a more complete explanation.
70 Domain Control Chapter 4

4.5 Samba ADS Domain Control

Samba-3 is not, and cannot act as, an Active Directory server. It cannot
truly function as an Active Directory PDC. The protocols for some of the
functionality of Active Directory domain controllers has been partially im-
plemented on an experimental only basis. Please do not expect Samba-3
to support these protocols. Do not depend on any such functionality either
now or in the future. The Samba Team may remove these experimental
features or may change their behavior. This is mentioned for the benefit of
those who have discovered secret capabilities in Samba-3 and who have asked
when this functionality will be completed. The answer is maybe someday
or maybe never!
To be sure, Samba-3 is designed to provide most of the functionality that
Microsoft Windows NT4-style domain controllers have. Samba-3 does not
have all the capabilities of Windows NT4, but it does have a number of fea-
tures that Windows NT4 domain controllers do not have. In short, Samba-3
is not NT4 and it is not Windows Server 200x: it is not an Active Directory
server. We hope this is plain and simple enough for all to understand.

4.6 Domain and Network Logon Configuration

The subject of network or domain logons is discussed here because it forms

an integral part of the essential functionality that is provided by a domain
controller.

4.6.1 Domain Network Logon Service

All domain controllers must run the netlogon service (domain logons in
Samba). One domain controller must be configured with domain master
= Yes (the PDC); on all BDCs set the parameter domain master = No.

4.6.1.1 Example Configuration

4.6.1.2 The Special Case of MS Windows XP Home Edition

To be completely clear: If you want MS Windows XP Home Edition to

integrate with your MS Windows NT4 or Active Directory domain security,
Section 4.6. Domain and Network Logon Configuration 71

Example 4.6.1. smb.conf for being a PDC

[ global ]
domain l o g o n s = Yes
domain master = ( Yes on PDC, No on BDCs)
[ netlogon ]
comment = Network Logon S e r v i c e
path = / var / l i b /samba/ n e t l o g o n
g u e s t ok = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No

understand it cannot be done. The only option is to purchase the upgrade

from MS Windows XP Home Edition to MS Windows XP Professional.

Note

MS Windows XP Home Edition does not have the ability

to join any type of domain security facility. Unlike MS
Windows 9x/Me, MS Windows XP Home Edition also
completely lacks the ability to log onto a network.

Now that this has been said, please do not ask the mailing list or email any
of the Samba Team members with your questions asking how to make this
work. It can’t be done. If it can be done, then to do so would violate your
software license agreement with Microsoft, and we recommend that you do
not do that.

4.6.1.3 The Special Case of Windows 9x/Me

A domain and a workgroup are exactly the same in terms of network brows-
ing. The difference is that a distributable authentication database is asso-
ciated with a domain, for secure login access to a network. Also, different
access rights can be granted to users if they successfully authenticate against
a domain logon server. Samba-3 does this now in the same way as MS Win-
dows NT/200x.
72 Domain Control Chapter 4

The SMB client logging on to a domain has an expectation that every other
server in the domain should accept the same authentication information.
Network browsing functionality of domains and workgroups is identical and
is explained in this documentation under the browsing discussions. It should
be noted that browsing is totally orthogonal to logon support.
Issues related to the single-logon network model are discussed in this section.
Samba supports domain logons, network logon scripts, and user profiles for
MS Windows for Workgroups and MS Windows 9x/Me clients, which are
the focus of this section.
When an SMB client in a domain wishes to log on, it broadcasts requests for
a logon server. The first one to reply gets the job and validates its password
using whatever mechanism the Samba administrator has installed. It is
possible (but ill advised) to create a domain where the user database is
not shared between servers; that is, they are effectively workgroup servers
advertising themselves as participating in a domain. This demonstrates how
authentication is quite different from but closely involved with domains.
Using these features, you can make your clients verify their logon via the
Samba server, make clients run a batch file when they log on to the network
and download their preferences, desktop, and start menu.
MS Windows XP Home edition is not able to join a domain and does not
permit the use of domain logons.
Before launching into the configuration instructions, it is worthwhile to look
at how a Windows 9x/Me client performs a logon:
1. The client broadcasts (to the IP broadcast address of the subnet it
is in) a NetLogon request. This is sent to the NetBIOS name DO-
MAIN<1C> at the NetBIOS layer. The client chooses the first re-
sponse it receives, which contains the NetBIOS name of the logon
server to use in the format of \\SERVER. The 1C name is the name
type that is registered by domain controllers (SMB/CIFS servers that
provide the netlogon service).
2. The client connects to that server, logs on (does an SMBsessetupX)
and then connects to the IPC$ share (using an SMBtconX).
3. The client does a NetWkstaUserLogon request, which retrieves the
name of the user’s logon script.
4. The client then connects to the NetLogon share and searches for said
Section 4.6. Domain and Network Logon Configuration 73

script. If it is found and can be read, it is retrieved and executed by

the client. After this, the client disconnects from the NetLogon share.

5. The client sends a NetUserGetInfo request to the server to retrieve

the user’s home share, which is used to search for profiles. Since the
response to the NetUserGetInfo request does not contain much more
than the user’s home share, profiles for Windows 9x clients must reside
in the user home directory.

6. The client connects to the user’s home share and searches for the user’s
profile. As it turns out, you can specify the user’s home share as a
share name and path. For example, \\server\fred\.winprofile. If
the profiles are found, they are implemented.

7. The client then disconnects from the user’s home share and reconnects
to the NetLogon share and looks for CONFIG.POL, the policies file. If
this is found, it is read and implemented.

The main difference between a PDC and a Windows 9x/Me logon server
configuration is:

• Password encryption is not required for a Windows 9x/Me logon server.

But note that beginning with MS Windows 98 the default setting is
that plaintext password support is disabled. It can be re-enabled with
the registry changes that are documented in Chapter 25, “System and
Account Policies”.

• Windows 9x/Me clients do not require and do not use Machine Trust
Accounts.

A Samba PDC will act as a Windows 9x/Me logon server; after all, it does
provide the network logon services that MS Windows 9x/Me expect to find.

Note

Use of plaintext passwords is strongly discouraged.

Where used they are easily detected using a sniffer tool
to examine network traffic.
74 Domain Control Chapter 4

4.6.2 Security Mode and Master Browsers

There are a few comments to make in order to tie up some loose ends. There
has been much debate over the issue of whether it is okay to configure Samba
as a domain controller that operates with security mode other than user-
mode. The only security mode that will not work due to technical reasons
is share-mode security. Domain and server mode security are really just a
variation on SMB user-level security.

Actually, this issue is also closely tied to the debate on whether Samba must
be the DMB for its workgroup when operating as a domain controller. In
a pure Microsoft Windows NT domain, the PDC wins the election to be
the DMB, and then registers the DOMAIN<1B> NetBIOS name. This is
not the name used by Windows clients to locate the domain controller, all
domain controllers register the DOMAIN<1C> name and Windows clients
locate a network logon server by seraching for the DOMAIN<1C> name. A
DMB is a Domain Master Browser — see Chapter 9, “Network Browsing”,
Section 9.4.1; Microsoft PDCs expect to win the election to become the
DMB, if it loses that election it will report a continuous and rapid sequence
of warning messages to its Windows event logger complaining that it has
lost the election to become a DMB. For this reason, in networks where a
Samba server is the PDC it is wise to configure the Samba domain controller
as the DMB.
Section 4.7. Common Errors 75

Note

SMB/CIFS servers that register the DOMAIN<1C>

name do so because they provide the network logon ser-
vice. Server that register the DOMAIN<1B> name are
DMBs — meaning that they are responsible for browse
list synchronization across all machines that have reg-
istered the DOMAIN<1D> name. The later are LMBs
that have the responsibility to listen to all NetBIOS name
registrations that occur locally to their own network seg-
ment. The network logon service (NETLOGON) is ger-
mane to domain control and has nothing to do with net-
work browsing and browse list management. The 1C and
1B/1D name services are orthogonal to each other.

Now back to the issue of configuring a Samba domain controller to use

a mode other than security = user. If a Samba host is configured to use
another SMB server or domain controller in order to validate user connection
requests, it is a fact that some other machine on the network (the password
server ) knows more about the user than the Samba host. About 99 percent
of the time, this other host is a domain controller. Now to operate in domain
mode security, the workgroup parameter must be set to the name of the
Windows NT domain (which already has a domain controller). If the domain
does not already have a domain controller, you do not yet have a domain.
Configuring a Samba box as a domain controller for a domain that already
by definition has a PDC is asking for trouble. Therefore, you should always
configure the Samba domain controller to be the DMB for its domain and
set security = user. This is the only officially supported mode of operation.

4.7 Common Errors

4.7.1 “$” Cannot Be Included in Machine Name

A machine account, typically stored in /etc/passwd, takes the form of the

machine name with a “$” appended. Some BSD systems will not create a
user with a “$” in the name. Recent versions of FreeBSD have removed this
limitation, but older releases are still in common use.
76 Domain Control Chapter 4

The problem is only in the program used to make the entry. Once made,
it works perfectly. Create a user without the “$”. Then use vipw to edit
the entry, adding the “$”. Or create the whole entry with vipw if you like;
make sure you use a unique user login ID.

Note

The machine account must have the exact name that the
workstation has.

Note

The UNIX tool vipw is a common tool for directly editing

the /etc/passwd file. The use of vipw will ensure that
shadow files (where used) will remain current with the
passwd file. This is important for security reasons.

4.7.2 Joining Domain Fails Because of Existing Machine Account

“I get told, ‘You already have a connection to the Domain....’ or ‘Cannot

join domain, the credentials supplied conflict with an existing set...’ when
creating a Machine Trust Account.”
This happens if you try to create a Machine Trust Account from the machine
itself and already have a connection (e.g., mapped drive) to a share (or IPC$)
on the Samba PDC. The following command will remove all network drive
connections:

C:\> net use * /d

This will break all network connections.

Further, if the machine is already a “member of a workgroup” that is the
Section 4.7. Common Errors 77

same name as the domain you are joining (bad idea), you will get this
message. Change the workgroup name to something else — it does not
matter what — reboot, and try again.

4.7.3 The System Cannot Log You On (C000019B)

“I joined the domain successfully but after upgrading to a newer version

of the Samba code I get the message, ‘The system cannot log you on
(C000019B). Please try again or consult your system administrator when
attempting to logon.’”

This occurs when the domain SID stored in the secrets.tdb database is
changed. The most common cause of a change in domain SID is when
the domain name and/or the server name (NetBIOS name) is changed. The
only way to correct the problem is to restore the original domain SID or
remove the domain client from the domain and rejoin. The domain SID
may be reset using either the net or rpcclient utilities.

To reset or change the domain SID you can use the net command as follows:

root# net getlocalsid ’OLDNAME’

root# net setlocalsid ’SID’

Workstation Machine Trust Accounts work only with the domain (or net-
work) SID. If this SID changes, domain members (workstations) will not be
able to log onto the domain. The original domain SID can be recovered from
the secrets.tdb file. The alternative is to visit each workstation to rejoin it
to the domain.

4.7.4 The Machine Trust Account Is Not Accessible

“When I try to join the domain I get the message, ”The machine account
for this computer either does not exist or is not accessible.” What’s wrong?”

This problem is caused by the PDC not having a suitable Machine Trust
Account. If you are using the add machine script method to create accounts,
then this would indicate that it has not worked. Ensure the domain admin
user system is working.
78 Domain Control Chapter 4

Alternately, if you are creating account entries manually, then they have not
been created correctly. Make sure that you have the entry correct for the Ma-
chine Trust Account in smbpasswd file on the Samba PDC. If you added the
account using an editor rather than using the smbpasswd utility, make sure
that the account name is the machine NetBIOS name with a “$” appended
to it (i.e., computer name$). There must be an entry in both the POSIX
UNIX system account backend as well as in the SambaSAMAccount back-
end. The default backend for Samba-3 (i.e., the parameter passdb backend
is not specified in the smb.conf file, or if specified is set to smbpasswd,
are respectively the /etc/passwd and /etc/samba/smbpasswd (or /usr/
local/samba/lib/private/smbpasswd if compiled using Samba Team de-
fault settings). The use of the /etc/passwd can be overridden by alternative
settings in the NSS /etc/nsswitch.conf file.
Some people have also reported that inconsistent subnet masks between the
Samba server and the NT client can cause this problem. Make sure that
these are consistent for both client and server.

4.7.5 Account Disabled

“When I attempt to log in to a Samba domain from a NT4/W200x work-

station, I get a message about my account being disabled.”
Enable the user accounts with smbpasswd -e username. This is normally
done as an account is created.

4.7.6 Domain Controller Unavailable

“Until a few minutes after Samba has started, clients get the error ‘Domain
Controller Unavailable’”
A domain controller has to announce its role on the network. This usually
takes a while. Be patient for up to 15 minutes, then try again.

4.7.7 Cannot Log onto Domain Member Workstation After Join-

ing Domain

After successfully joining the domain, user logons fail with one of two mes-
sages: one to the effect that the domain controller cannot be found; the other
claims that the account does not exist in the domain or that the password
Section 4.7. Common Errors 79

is incorrect. This may be due to incompatible settings between the Win-

dows client and the Samba-3 server for schannel (secure channel) settings or
smb signing settings. Check your Samba settings for client schannel, server
schannel, client signing, server signing by executing:

testparm -v | grep channel and looking for the value of these parameters.

Also use the MMC — Local Security Settings. This tool is available from the
Control Panel. The Policy settings are found in the Local Policies/Security
Options area and are prefixed by Secure Channel:..., and Digitally sign....
It is important that these be set consistently with the Samba-3 server set-
tings.
Chapter 5

BACKUP DOMAIN
CONTROL

Before you continue reading this section, please make sure that you are
comfortable with configuring a Samba domain controller as described in
Chapter 4, “Domain Control”.

5.1 Features and Benefits

This is one of the most difficult chapters to summarize. It does not matter
what we say here, for someone will still draw conclusions and/or approach
the Samba Team with expectations that are either not yet capable of being
delivered or that can be achieved far more effectively using a totally different
approach. In the event that you should have a persistent concern that is
not addressed in this book, please email John H. Terpstra1 clearly setting
out your requirements and/or question, and we will do our best to provide
a solution.
Samba-3 can act as a Backup Domain Controller (BDC) to another Samba
Primary Domain Controller (PDC). A Samba-3 PDC can operate with an
LDAP account backend. The LDAP backend can be either a common master
LDAP server or a slave server. The use of a slave LDAP server has the
benefit that when the master is down, clients may still be able to log onto
the network. This effectively gives Samba a high degree of scalability and is
an effective solution for large organizations. If you use an LDAP slave server
for a PDC, you will need to ensure the master’s continued availability — if
1
<mailto:[email protected]>

80
Section 5.2. Essential Background Information 81

the slave finds its master down at the wrong time, you will have stability
and operational problems.

While it is possible to run a Samba-3 BDC with a non-LDAP backend, that

backend must allow some form of ”two-way” propagation of changes from
the BDC to the master. At this time only LDAP delivers the capability to
propagate identity database changes from the BDC to the PDC. The BDC
can use a slave LDAP server, while it is preferable for the PDC to use as its
primary an LDAP master server.

The use of a non-LDAP backend SAM database is particularly problematic

because domain member servers and workstations periodically change the
Machine Trust Account password. The new password is then stored only lo-
cally. This means that in the absence of a centrally stored accounts database
(such as that provided with an LDAP-based solution) if Samba-3 is running
as a BDC, the BDC instance of the domain member trust account password
will not reach the PDC (master) copy of the SAM. If the PDC SAM is then
replicated to BDCs, this results in overwriting the SAM that contains the
updated (changed) trust account password with resulting breakage of the
domain trust.

Considering the number of comments and questions raised concerning how to

configure a BDC, let’s consider each possible option and look at the pros and
cons for each possible solution. Table 5.1 lists possible design configurations
for a PDC/BDC infrastructure.

5.2 Essential Background Information

A domain controller is a machine that is able to answer logon requests from

network workstations. Microsoft LanManager and IBM LanServer were two
early products that provided this capability. The technology has become
known as the LanMan Netlogon service.

When MS Windows NT3.10 was first released, it supported a new style

of Domain Control and with it a new form of the network logon service
that has extended functionality. This service became known as the NT
NetLogon Service. The nature of this service has changed with the evolution
of MS Windows NT and today provides a complex array of services that are
implemented over an intricate spectrum of technologies.
82 Backup Domain Control Chapter 5

Table 5.1. Domain Backend Account Distribution Options

PDC BDC Notes/Discussion
Backend Backend
Master Slave LDAP The optimal solution that provides high
LDAP Server Server integrity. The SAM will be replicated
to a common master LDAP server.
Single Single A workable solution without failover
Central Central ability. This is a usable solution, but
LDAP Server LDAP Server not optimal.
tdbsam tdbsam + Does not work with Samba-3.0; Samba
net rpc does not implement the server-side pro-
vampire tocols required.
tdbsam tdbsam Do not use this configuration. Does not
+ rsync work because the TDB files are live and
data may not have been flushed to disk.
Furthermore, this will cause domain
trust breakdown.
smbpasswd smbpasswd Do not use this configuration. Not an
file file elegant solution due to the delays in
synchronization and also suffers from
the issue of domain trust breakdown.

5.2.1 MS Windows NT4-style Domain Control

Whenever a user logs into a Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional worksta-

tion, the workstation connects to a domain controller (authentication server)
to validate that the username and password the user entered are valid. If
the information entered does not match account information that has been
stored in the domain control database (the SAM, or Security Account Man-
ager database), a set of error codes is returned to the workstation that has
made the authentication request.
When the username/password pair has been validated, the domain controller
(authentication server) will respond with full enumeration of the account
information that has been stored regarding that user in the user and machine
accounts database for that domain. This information contains a complete
network access profile for the user but excludes any information that is
particular to the user’s desktop profile, or for that matter it excludes all
desktop profiles for groups that the user may belong to. It does include
Section 5.2. Essential Background Information 83

password time limits, password uniqueness controls, network access time

limits, account validity information, machine names from which the user
may access the network, and much more. All this information was stored in
the SAM in all versions of MS Windows NT (3.10, 3.50, 3.51, 4.0).
The account information (user and machine) on domain controllers is stored
in two files, one containing the security information and the other the SAM.
These are stored in files by the same name in the %SystemRoot%\System32\config
directory. This normally translates to the path C:\WinNT\System32\config.
These are the files that are involved in replication of the SAM database where
BDCs are present on the network.
There are two situations in which it is desirable to install BDCs:
• On the local network that the PDC is on, if there are many worksta-
tions and/or where the PDC is generally very busy. In this case the
BDCs will pick up network logon requests and help to add robustness
to network services.
• At each remote site, to reduce wide-area network traffic and to add
stability to remote network operations. The design of the network,
and the strategic placement of BDCs, together with an implementation
that localizes as much of network to client interchange as possible, will
help to minimize wide-area network bandwidth needs (and thus costs).
The interoperation of a PDC and its BDCs in a true Windows NT4 envi-
ronment is worth mentioning here. The PDC contains the master copy of
the SAM. In the event that an administrator makes a change to the user
account database while physically present on the local network that has the
PDC, the change will likely be made directly to the PDC instance of the
master copy of the SAM. In the event that this update may be performed
in a branch office, the change will likely be stored in a delta file on the lo-
cal BDC. The BDC will then send a trigger to the PDC to commence the
process of SAM synchronization. The PDC will then request the delta from
the BDC and apply it to the master SAM. The PDC will then contact all
the BDCs in the domain and trigger them to obtain the update and then
apply that to their own copy of the SAM.
Samba-3 cannot participate in true SAM replication and is therefore not
able to employ precisely the same protocols used by MS Windows NT4. A
Samba-3 BDC will not create SAM update delta files. It will not interoperate
with a PDC (NT4 or Samba) to synchronize the SAM from delta files that
are held by BDCs.
84 Backup Domain Control Chapter 5

Samba-3 cannot function as a BDC to an MS Windows NT4 PDC, and

Samba-3 cannot function correctly as a PDC to an MS Windows NT4 BDC.
Both Samba-3 and MS Windows NT4 can function as a BDC to its own
type of PDC.

The BDC is said to hold a read-only of the SAM from which it is able
to process network logon requests and authenticate users. The BDC can
continue to provide this service, particularly while, for example, the wide-
area network link to the PDC is down. A BDC plays a very important role
in both the maintenance of domain security as well as in network integrity.

In the event that the NT4 PDC should need to be taken out of service, or
if it dies, one of the NT4 BDCs can be promoted to a PDC. If this happens
while the original NT4 PDC is online, it is automatically demoted to an NT4
BDC. This is an important aspect of domain controller management. The
tool that is used to effect a promotion or a demotion is the Server Manager
for Domains. It should be noted that Samba-3 BDCs cannot be promoted in
this manner because reconfiguration of Samba requires changes to the smb.
conf file. It is easy enough to manuall change the smb.conf file and then
restart relevant Samba network services.

5.2.1.1 Example PDC Configuration

Beginning with Version 2.2, Samba officially supports domain logons for all
current Windows clients, including Windows NT4, 2003, and XP Profes-
sional. For Samba to be enabled as a PDC, some parameters in the [global]
section of the smb.conf have to be set. Refer to Example 5.2.1 for an ex-
ample of the minimum required settings.

Several other things like a [homes] and a [netlogon] share also need to be
set along with settings for the profile path, the user’s home drive, and so
on. This is not covered in this chapter; for more information please refer
to Chapter 4, “Domain Control”. Refer to Chapter 4, “Domain Control”
for specific recommendations for PDC configuration. Alternately, fully doc-
umented working example network configurations using OpenLDAP and
Samba as available in the book2 “Samba-3 by Example” that may be ob-
tained from local and on-line book stores.

2
<http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample>
Section 5.2. Essential Background Information 85

Example 5.2.1. Minimal smb.conf for a PDC in Use with a BDC — LDAP
Server on PDC

workgroup = MIDEARTH
passdb backend = ldapsam : / / l o c a l h o s t : 3 8 9
domain master = y e s
domain l o g o n s = y e s
l d a p s u f f i x = dc=quenya , dc=o r g
l d a p u s e r s u f f i x = ou=U s e r s
l d a p group s u f f i x = ou=Groups
l d a p machine s u f f i x = ou=Computers
l d a p idmap s u f f i x = ou=Idmap
l d a p admin dn = cn=Manager , dc=quenya , dc=o r g

5.2.2 LDAP Configuration Notes

When configuring a master and a slave LDAP server, it is advisable to use

the master LDAP server for the PDC and slave LDAP servers for the BDCs.
It is not essential to use slave LDAP servers; however, many administrators
will want to do so in order to provide redundant services. Of course, one
or more BDCs may use any slave LDAP server. Then again, it is entirely
possible to use a single LDAP server for the entire network.

When configuring a master LDAP server that will have slave LDAP servers,
do not forget to configure this in the /etc/openldap/slapd.conf file. It
must be noted that the DN of a server certificate must use the CN attribute
to name the server, and the CN must carry the servers’ fully qualified domain
name. Additional alias names and wildcards may be present in the subjec-
tAltName certificate extension. More details on server certificate names are
in RFC2830.

It does not really fit within the scope of this document, but a working LDAP
installation is basic to LDAP-enabled Samba operation. When using an
OpenLDAP server with Transport Layer Security (TLS), the machine name
in /etc/ssl/certs/slapd.pem must be the same as in /etc/openldap/
sldap.conf. The Red Hat Linux startup script creates the slapd.pem file
with hostname “localhost.localdomain.” It is impossible to access this LDAP
server from a slave LDAP server (i.e., a Samba BDC) unless the certificate
is re-created with a correct hostname.
86 Backup Domain Control Chapter 5

Do not install a Samba PDC so that is uses an LDAP slave server. Joining
client machines to the domain will fail in this configuration because the
change to the machine account in the LDAP tree must take place on the
master LDAP server. This is not replicated rapidly enough to the slave
server that the PDC queries. It therefore gives an error message on the
client machine about not being able to set up account credentials. The
machine account is created on the LDAP server, but the password fields will
be empty. Unfortunately, some sites are unable to avoid such configurations,
and these sites should review the ldap replication sleep parameter, intended
to slow down Samba sufficiently for the replication to catch up. This is
a kludge, and one that the administrator must manually duplicate in any
scripts (such as the add machine script) that they use.
Possible PDC/BDC plus LDAP configurations include:
• PDC+BDC -> One Central LDAP Server.
• PDC -> LDAP master server, BDC -> LDAP slave server.
• PDC -> LDAP master, with secondary slave LDAP server.
BDC -> LDAP master, with secondary slave LDAP server.
• PDC -> LDAP master, with secondary slave LDAP server.
BDC -> LDAP slave server, with secondary master LDAP server.
In order to have a fallback configuration (secondary) LDAP server, you
would specify the secondary LDAP server in the smb.conf file as shown in
Example 5.2.2.

Example 5.2.2. Multiple LDAP Servers in smb.conf

passdb backend = ldapsam : ” l d a p : / / master . ←-
quenya . o r g l d a p : / / s l a v e . quenya . o r g ”

5.2.3 Active Directory Domain Control

As of the release of MS Windows 2000 and Active Directory, this information

is now stored in a directory that can be replicated and for which partial or
full administrative control can be delegated. Samba-3 is not able to be
a domain controller within an Active Directory tree, and it cannot be an
Section 5.2. Essential Background Information 87

Active Directory server. This means that Samba-3 also cannot act as a BDC
to an Active Directory domain controller.

5.2.4 What Qualifies a Domain Controller on the Network?

Every machine that is a domain controller for the domain MIDEARTH has
to register the NetBIOS group name MIDEARTH<1C> with the WINS
server and/or by broadcast on the local network. The PDC also registers
the unique NetBIOS name MIDEARTH<1B> with the WINS server. The
name type <1B> name is normally reserved for the Domain Master Browser
(DMB), a role that has nothing to do with anything related to authentica-
tion, but the Microsoft domain implementation requires the DMB to be on
the same machine as the PDC.

Where a WINS server is not used, broadcast name registrations alone must
suffice. Refer to Chapter 9, “Network Browsing”,Section 9.3 for more in-
formation regarding TCP/IP network protocols and how SMB/CIFS names
are handled.

5.2.5 How Does a Workstation find its Domain Controller?

There are two different mechanisms to locate a domain controller: one

method is used when NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled and the other when
it has been disabled in the TCP/IP network configuration.

Where NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled, all name resolution involves the
use of DNS, broadcast messaging over UDP, as well as Active Directory com-
munication technologies. In this type of environment all machines require
appropriate DNS entries. More information may be found in Section 9.3.3.

5.2.5.1 NetBIOS Over TCP/IP Enabled

An MS Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional workstation in the domain

MIDEARTH that wants a local user to be authenticated has to find the
domain controller for MIDEARTH. It does this by doing a NetBIOS name
query for the group name MIDEARTH<1C>. It assumes that each of the
machines it gets back from the queries is a domain controller and can answer
logon requests. To not open security holes, both the workstation and the
88 Backup Domain Control Chapter 5

selected domain controller authenticate each other. After that the worksta-
tion sends the user’s credentials (name and password) to the local domain
controller for validation.

5.2.5.2 NetBIOS Over TCP/IP Disabled

An MS Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional workstation in the realm quenya.

org that has a need to affect user logon authentication will locate the do-
main controller by re-querying DNS servers for the ldap. tcp.pdc. msdcs.
quenya.org record. More information regarding this subject may be found
in Section 9.3.3.

5.3 Backup Domain Controller Configuration

The creation of a BDC requires some steps to prepare the Samba server
before smbd is executed for the first time. These steps are as follows:
• The domain SID has to be the same on the PDC and the BDC. In
Samba versions pre-2.2.5, the domain SID was stored in the file pri-
vate/MACHINE.SID. For all versions of Samba released since 2.2.5 the
domain SID is stored in the file private/secrets.tdb. This file is
unique to each server and cannot be copied from a PDC to a BDC;
the BDC will generate a new SID at startup. It will overwrite the PDC
domain SID with the newly created BDC SID. There is a procedure
that will allow the BDC to aquire the domain SID. This is described
here.
To retrieve the domain SID from the PDC or an existing BDC and
store it in the secrets.tdb, execute:

root# net rpc getsid

• Specification of the ldap admin dn is obligatory. This also requires the

LDAP administration password to be set in the secrets.tdb using
the smbpasswd -w mysecret.
• The ldap suffix parameter and the ldap idmap suffix parameter must
be specified in the smb.conf file.
Section 5.3. Backup Domain Controller Configuration 89

• The UNIX user database has to be synchronized from the PDC to the
BDC. This means that both the /etc/passwd and /etc/group have
to be replicated from the PDC to the BDC. This can be done manually
whenever changes are made. Alternately, the PDC is set up as an NIS
master server and the BDC as an NIS slave server. To set up the BDC
as a mere NIS client would not be enough, as the BDC would not be
able to access its user database in case of a PDC failure. NIS is by no
means the only method to synchronize passwords. An LDAP solution
would also work.

• The Samba password database must be replicated from the PDC to the
BDC. Although it is possible to synchronize the smbpasswd file with
rsync and ssh, this method is broken and flawed, and is therefore
not recommended. A better solution is to set up slave LDAP servers
for each BDC and a master LDAP server for the PDC. The use of
rsync is inherently flawed by the fact that the data will be replicated
at timed intervals. There is no guarantee that the BDC will be oper-
ating at all times with correct and current machine and user account
information. This means that this method runs the risk of users being
inconvenienced by discontinuity of access to network services due to
inconsistent security data. It must be born in mind that Windows
workstations update (change) the machine trust account password at
regular intervals — administrators are not normally aware that this is
happening or when it takes place.

The use of LDAP for both the POSIX (UNIX user and group) accounts
and for the SambaSAMAccount data automatically ensures that all
account change information will be written to the shared directory.
This eliminates the need for any special action to synchronize account
information because LDAP will meet that requirement.

• The netlogon share has to be replicated from the PDC to the BDC.
This can be done manually whenever login scripts are changed, or it
can be done automatically using a cron job that will replicate the
directory structure in this share using a tool like rsync. The use of
rsync for replication of the netlogon data is not critical to network
security and is one that can be manually managed given that the
administrator will make all changes to the netlogon share as part of a
conscious move.
90 Backup Domain Control Chapter 5

5.3.1 Example Configuration

Finally, the BDC has to be capable of being found by the workstations.

This can be done by configuring the Samba smb.conf file [global] section as
shown in Example 5.3.1.

Example 5.3.1. Minimal Setup for Being a BDC

workgroup = MIDEARTH
passdb backend = ldapsam : l d a p : / / s l a v e −l d a p . ←-
quenya . o r g
domain master = no
domain l o g o n s = y e s
l d a p s u f f i x = dc=abmas , dc=b i z
l d a p u s e r s u f f i x = ou=U s e r s
l d a p group s u f f i x = ou=Groups
l d a p machine s u f f i x = ou=Computers
l d a p idmap s u f f i x = ou=Idmap
l d a p admin dn = cn=Manager , dc=quenya , dc=o r g
idmap backend = l d a p : l d a p : / / master−l d a p . ←-
quenya . o r g
idmap u i d = 10000 −20000
idmap g i d = 10000 −20000

Fully documented working example network configurations using OpenL-

DAP and Samba as available in the book3 “Samba-3 by Example” that may
be obtained from local and on-line book stores.
This configuration causes the BDC to register only the name MIDEARTH<1C>
with the WINS server. This is not a problem, as the name MIDEARTH<1C>
is a NetBIOS group name that is meant to be registered by more than one
machine. The parameter domain master = no forces the BDC not to reg-
ister MIDEARTH<1B>, which is a unique NetBIOS name that is reserved
for the PDC.
The idmap backend will redirect the winbindd utility to use the LDAP
database to store all mappings for Windows SIDs to UIDs and GIDs for
UNIX accounts in a repository that is shared. The BDC will however depend
on local resolution of UIDs and GIDs via NSS and the nss ldap utility.
3
<http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample>
Section 5.4. Common Errors 91

Note

Samba-3 has introduced a new ID mapping facility. One

of the features of this facility is that it allows greater flex-
ibility in how user and group IDs are handled in respect
to NT domain user and group SIDs. One of the new fa-
cilities provides for explicitly ensuring that UNIX/Linux
UID and GID values will be consistent on the PDC, all
BDCs, and all domain member servers. The parameter
that controls this is called idmap backend. Please re-
fer to the man page for smb.conf for more information
regarding its behavior.

The use of the idmap backend = ldap:ldap://master.quenya.org option on

a BDC only makes sense where ldapsam is used on a PDC. The purpose of
an LDAP-based idmap backend is also to allow a domain member (without
its own passdb backend) to use winbindd to resolve Windows network users
and groups to common UID/GIDs. In other words, this option is generally
intended for use on BDCs and on domain member servers.

5.4 Common Errors

Domain control was a new area for Samba, but there are now many exam-
ples that we may refer to. Updated information will be published as they
become available and may be found in later Samba releases or from the
Samba Web site4 ; refer in particular to the WHATSNEW.txt in the Samba
release tarball. The book, “Samba-3 by Example” documents well tested
and proven configuration examples. You can obtain a copy of this book5 for
the Samba web site.

4
<http://samba.org>
5
<http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample.pdf>
92 Backup Domain Control Chapter 5

5.4.1 Machine Accounts Keep Expiring

This problem will occur when the passdb (SAM) files are copied from a
central server but the local BDC is acting as a PDC. This results in the
application of Local Machine Trust Account password updates to the local
SAM. Such updates are not copied back to the central server. The newer
machine account password is then overwritten when the SAM is recopied
from the PDC. The result is that the domain member machine on startup
will find that its passwords do not match the one now in the database, and
since the startup security check will now fail, this machine will not allow
logon attempts to proceed and the account expiry error will be reported.

The solution is to use a more robust passdb backend, such as the ldapsam
backend, setting up a slave LDAP server for each BDC and a master LDAP
server for the PDC.

5.4.2 Can Samba Be a Backup Domain Controller to an NT4

PDC?

No. The native NT4 SAM replication protocols have not yet been fully
implemented.

Can I get the benefits of a BDC with Samba? Yes, but only to a Samba
PDC.The main reason for implementing a BDC is availability. If the PDC
is a Samba machine, a second Samba machine can be set up to service logon
requests whenever the PDC is down.

5.4.3 How Do I Replicate the smbpasswd File?

Replication of the smbpasswd file is sensitive. It has to be done whenever

changes to the SAM are made. Every user’s password change is done in
the smbpasswd file and has to be replicated to the BDC. So replicating the
smbpasswd file very often is necessary.

As the smbpasswd file contains plaintext password equivalents, it must not

be sent unencrypted over the wire. The best way to set up smbpasswd
replication from the PDC to the BDC is to use the utility rsync. rsync can
use ssh as a transport. ssh itself can be set up to accept only rsync transfer
without requiring the user to type a password.
Section 5.4. Common Errors 93

As said a few times before, use of this method is broken and flawed. Machine
trust accounts will go out of sync, resulting in a broken domain. This method
is not recommended. Try using LDAP instead.

5.4.4 Can I Do This All with LDAP?

The simple answer is yes. Samba’s pdb ldap code supports binding to a
replica LDAP server and will also follow referrals and rebind to the master
if it ever needs to make a modification to the database. (Normally BDCs
are read-only, so this will not occur often).
Chapter 6

DOMAIN MEMBERSHIP

Domain membership is a subject of vital concern. Samba must be able

to participate as a member server in a Microsoft domain security context,
and Samba must be capable of providing domain machine member trust
accounts; otherwise it would not be able to offer a viable option for many
users.

This chapter covers background information pertaining to domain member-

ship, the Samba configuration for it, and MS Windows client procedures
for joining a domain. Why is this necessary? Because both are areas in
which there exists within the current MS Windows networking world, and
particularly in the UNIX/Linux networking and administration world, a
considerable level of misinformation, incorrect understanding, and lack of
knowledge. Hopefully this chapter will fill the voids.

6.1 Features and Benefits

MS Windows workstations and servers that want to participate in domain

security need to be made domain members. Participating in domain security
is often called single sign-on, or SSO for short. This chapter describes the
process that must be followed to make a workstation (or another server —
be it an MS Windows NT4/200x server) or a Samba server a member of an
MS Windows domain security context.

Samba-3 can join an MS Windows NT4-style domain as a native member

server, an MS Windows Active Directory domain as a native member server,
or a Samba domain control network. Domain membership has many advan-
tages:

94
Section 6.2. MS Windows Workstation/Server Machine Trust Accounts 95

• MS Windows workstation users get the benefit of SSO.

• Domain user access rights and file ownership/access controls can be set
from the single Domain Security Account Manager (SAM) database
(works with domain member servers as well as with MS Windows
workstations that are domain members).
• Only MS Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional workstations that are
domain members can use network logon facilities.
• Domain member workstations can be better controlled through the
use of policy files (NTConfig.POL) and desktop profiles.
• Through the use of logon scripts, users can be given transparent access
to network applications that run off application servers.
• Network administrators gain better application and user access man-
agement abilities because there is no need to maintain user accounts
on any network client or server other than the central domain database
(either NT4/Samba SAM-style domain, NT4 domain that is backend-
ed with an LDAP directory, or via an Active Directory infrastructure).

6.2 MS Windows Workstation/Server Machine Trust Ac-

counts

A Machine Trust Account is an account that is used to authenticate a client

machine (rather than a user) to the domain controller server. In Windows
terminology, this is known as a “computer account.” The purpose of the
machine trust account is to prevent a rogue user and domain controller from
colluding to gain access to a domain member workstation.
The password of a Machine Trust Account acts as the shared secret for
secure communication with the domain controller. This is a security feature
to prevent an unauthorized machine with the same NetBIOS name from
joining the domain, participating in domain security operations, and gaining
access to domain user/group accounts. Windows NT/200x/XP Professional
clients use machine trust accounts, but Windows 9x/Me/XP Home clients
do not. Hence, a Windows 9x/Me/XP Home client is never a true member
of a domain because it does not possess a Machine Trust Account, and, thus,
has no shared secret with the domain controller.
A Windows NT4 PDC stores each Machine Trust Account in the Windows
96 Domain Membership Chapter 6

Registry. The introduction of MS Windows 2000 saw the introduction of

Active Directory, the new repository for Machine Trust Accounts. A Samba
PDC, however, stores each Machine Trust Account in two parts, as follows:

• A domain security account (stored in the passdb backend ) that has

been configured in the smb.conf file. The precise nature of the account
information that is stored depends on the type of backend database
that has been chosen.

The older format of this data is the smbpasswd database that contains
the UNIX login ID, the UNIX user identifier (UID), and the LanMan
and NT-encrypted passwords. There is also some other information in
this file that we do not need to concern ourselves with here.

The two newer database types are called ldapsam and tdbsam. Both
store considerably more data than the older smbpasswd file did. The
extra information enables new user account controls to be implemented.

• A corresponding UNIX account, typically stored in /etc/passwd. Work

is in progress to allow a simplified mode of operation that does not re-
quire UNIX user accounts, but this has not been a feature of the early
releases of Samba-3, and is not currently planned for release either.

There are three ways to create Machine Trust Accounts:

• Manual creation from the UNIX/Linux command line. Here, both the
Samba and corresponding UNIX account are created by hand.

• Using the MS Windows NT4 Server Manager, either from an NT4

domain member server or using the Nexus toolkit available from the
Microsoft Web site. This tool can be run from any MS Windows
machine as long as the user is logged on as the administrator account.

• “On-the-fly” creation. The Samba Machine Trust Account is automat-

ically created by Samba at the time the client is joined to the domain.
(For security, this is the recommended method.) The corresponding
UNIX account may be created automatically or manually.

Neither MS Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional, nor Samba, provide any

method for enforcing the method of machine trust account creation. This is
a matter for the administrator’s choice.
Section 6.2. MS Windows Workstation/Server Machine Trust Accounts 97

6.2.1 Manual Creation of Machine Trust Accounts

The first step in manually creating a Machine Trust Account is to manually

create the corresponding UNIX account in /etc/passwd. This can be done
using vipw or another “adduser” command that is normally used to create
new UNIX accounts. The following is an example for a Linux-based Samba
server:

root# /usr/sbin/useradd -g machines -d /var/lib/nobody -c "machine nickname" \

-s /bin/false machine_name$

root# passwd -l machine_name$

In the example above there is an existing system group “machines” which

is used as the primary group for all machine accounts. In the following
examples the “machines” group numeric GID is 100.

On *BSD systems, this can be done using the chpass utility:

root# chpass -a \
’machine_name$:*:101:100::0:0:Windows machine_name:/dev/null:/sbin/nologin’

The /etc/passwd entry will list the machine name with a “$” appended,
and will not have a password, will have a null shell and no home directory.
For example, a machine named “doppy” would have an /etc/passwd entry
like this:

doppy$:x:505:100:machine_nickname:/dev/null:/bin/false

in which machine nickname can be any descriptive name for the client,
such as BasementComputer. machine name absolutely must be the NetBIOS
name of the client to be joined to the domain. The “$” must be appended
to the NetBIOS name of the client or Samba will not recognize this as a
Machine Trust Account.

Now that the corresponding UNIX account has been created, the next step is
to create the Samba account for the client containing the well-known initial
98 Domain Membership Chapter 6

Machine Trust Account password. This can be done using the smbpasswd
command as shown here:

root# smbpasswd -a -m machine_name

where machine name is the machine’s NetBIOS name. The RID of the new
machine account is generated from the UID of the corresponding UNIX
account.

Join the client to the domain immediately

Manually creating a Machine Trust Account using this

method is the equivalent of creating a Machine Trust
Account on a Windows NT PDC using the Server Man-
ager. From the time at which the account is created
to the time the client joins the domain and changes the
password, your domain is vulnerable to an intruder join-
ing your domain using a machine with the same NetBIOS
name. A PDC inherently trusts members of the domain
and will serve out a large degree of user information to
such clients. You have been warned!

6.2.2 Managing Domain Machine Accounts using NT4 Server

Manager

A working add machine script is essential for machine trust accounts to be

automatically created. This applies no matter whether you use automatic
account creation or the NT4 Domain Server Manager.
If the machine from which you are trying to manage the domain is an MS
Windows NT4 workstation or MS Windows 200x/XP Professional, the tool
of choice is the package called SRVTOOLS.EXE. When executed in the
target directory it will unpack SrvMgr.exe and UsrMgr.exe (both are
domain management tools for MS Windows NT4 workstation).
If your workstation is a Microsoft Windows 9x/Me family product, you
Section 6.2. MS Windows Workstation/Server Machine Trust Accounts 99

should download the Nexus.exe package from the Microsoft Web site.
When executed from the target directory, it will unpack the same tools
but for use on this platform.
Further information about these tools may be obtained from the following
locations:
Knowledge Base article 1736731
Knowledge Base article 1725402
Launch the srvmgr.exe (Server Manager for Domains) and follow these
steps: Server Manager Account Machine Account Management
1. From the menu select Computer.
2. Click Select Domain.
3. Click the name of the domain you wish to administer in the Select
Domain panel and then click OK.
4. Again from the menu select Computer.
5. Select Add to Domain.
6. In the dialog box, click the radio button to Add NT Workstation of
Server, then enter the machine name in the field provided, and click
the Add button.

6.2.3 On-the-Fly Creation of Machine Trust Accounts

The third (and recommended) way of creating Machine Trust Accounts is

simply to allow the Samba server to create them as needed when the client
is joined to the domain.
Since each Samba Machine Trust Account requires a corresponding UNIX
account, a method for automatically creating the UNIX account is usually
supplied; this requires configuration of the add machine script option in smb.
conf. This method is not required; however, corresponding UNIX accounts
may also be created manually.
Here is an example for a Red Hat Linux system:

[ global ]
add machine s c r i p t = / u s r / s b i n / us e radd −d / ←-
var / l i b / nobody −g 100 −s / b i n / f a l s e −M % ←-
u
100 Domain Membership Chapter 6

6.2.4 Making an MS Windows Workstation or Server a Domain

Member

The procedure for making an MS Windows workstation or server a member

of the domain varies with the version of Windows.

6.2.4.1 Windows 200x/XP Professional Client

When the user elects to make the client a domain member, Windows 200x
prompts for an account and password that has privileges to create machine
accounts in the domain. A Samba administrator account (i.e., a Samba
account that has root privileges on the Samba server) must be entered
here; the operation will fail if an ordinary user account is given.
For security reasons, the password for this administrator account should be
set to a password that is other than that used for the root user in /etc/
passwd.
The name of the account that is used to create domain member machine
trust accounts can be anything the network administrator may choose. If it
is other than root, then this is easily mapped to root in the file named in
the smb.conf parameter username map = /etc/samba/smbusers.
The session key of the Samba administrator account acts as an encryption
key for setting the password of the machine trust account. The Machine
Trust Account will be created on-the-fly, or updated if it already exists.

6.2.4.2 Windows NT4 Client

If the Machine Trust Account was created manually, on the Identification

Changes menu enter the domain name, but do not check the box Create
a Computer Account in the Domain. In this case, the existing Machine
Trust Account is used to join the machine to the domain.
If the Machine Trust Account is to be created on the fly, on the Identification
Changes menu enter the domain name and check the box Create a Com-
puter Account in the Domain. In this case, joining the domain proceeds
Section 6.3. Domain Member Server 101

as above for Windows 2000 (i.e., you must supply a Samba administrator
account when prompted).

6.2.4.3 Samba Client

Joining a Samba client to a domain is documented in the next sectionSection 6.3.

6.3 Domain Member Server

This mode of server operation involves the Samba machine being made a
member of a domain security context. This means by definition that all
user authentication will be done from a centrally defined authentication
regime. The authentication regime may come from an NT3/4-style (old
domain technology) server, or it may be provided from an Active Directory
server (ADS) running on MS Windows 2000 or later.

Of course it should be clear that the authentication backend itself could

be from any distributed directory architecture server that is supported by
Samba. This can be LDAP (from OpenLDAP), or Sun’s iPlanet, or Novell
e-Directory Server, and so on.

Note

When Samba is configured to use an LDAP or other iden-

tity management and/or directory service, it is Samba
that continues to perform user and machine authentica-
tion. It should be noted that the LDAP server does not
perform authentication handling in place of what Samba
is designed to do.

Please refer to Chapter 4, “Domain Control”, for more information regarding

how to create a domain machine account for a domain member server as well
as for information on how to enable the Samba domain member machine to
join the domain and be fully trusted by it.
102 Domain Membership Chapter 6

6.3.1 Joining an NT4-type Domain with Samba-3

Table 6.1 lists names that are used in the remainder of this chapter.

Table 6.1. Assumptions

Samba DMS NetBIOS name: SERV1
Windows 200x/NT domain name: MIDEARTH
Domain’s PDC NetBIOS name: DOMPDC
Domain’s BDC NetBIOS names: DOMBDC1 and DOMBDC2

First, you must edit your smb.conf file to tell Samba it should now use
domain security.
Change (or add) your security line in the [global] section of your smb.conf
to read:

s e c u r i t y = domain

Note that if the parameter security = user is used this machine would
function as a standalone server and not as a domain member server. Domain
security mode causes Samba to work within the domain security context.
Next change the workgroup line in the [global] section to read:

workgroup = MIDEARTH

This is the name of the domain we are joining.

You must also have the parameter encrypt passwords set to yes in order for
your users to authenticate to the NT PDC. This is the default setting if this
parameter is not specified. There is no need to specify this parameter, but
if it is specified in the smb.conf file, it must be set to Yes.
Finally, add (or modify) a password server line in the [global] section to
read:

password s e r v e r = DOMPDC DOMBDC1 DOMBDC2

These are the PDC and BDCs Samba will attempt to contact in order to au-
thenticate users. Samba will try to contact each of these servers in order, so
you may want to rearrange this list in order to spread out the authentication
load among Domain Controllers.
Section 6.3. Domain Member Server 103

Alternately, if you want smbd to determine automatically the list of domain

controllers to use for authentication, you may set this line to be:

password s e r v e r = ∗

This method allows Samba to use exactly the same mechanism that NT
does. The method either uses broadcast-based name resolution, performs a
WINS database lookup in order to find a domain controller against which to
authenticate, or locates the domain controller using DNS name resolution.
To join the domain, run this command:

root# net rpc join -S DOMPDC -UAdministrator%password

If the -S DOMPDC argument is not given, the domain name will be obtained
from smb.conf and the NetBIOS name of the PDC will be obtained either
using a WINS lookup or via NetBIOS broadcast based name look up.
The machine is joining the domain DOM, and the PDC for that domain
(the only machine that has write access to the domain SAM database) is
DOMPDC; therefore, use the -S option. The Administrator%password is
the login name and password for an account that has the necessary privilege
to add machines to the domain. If this is successful, you will see the follow-
ing message in your terminal window. Where the older NT4-style domain
architecture is used:

Joined domain DOM.

Where Active Directory is used the command used to join the ADS domain
is:

root# net ads join -UAdministrator%password

And the following output is indicative of a successful outcome:

Joined SERV1 to realm MYREALM.

104 Domain Membership Chapter 6

Refer to the net man page and to Chapter 12, “Remote and Local Manage-
ment: The Net Command” for further information.
This process joins the server to the domain without separately having to
create the machine trust account on the PDC beforehand.
This command goes through the machine account password change protocol,
then writes the new (random) machine account password for this Samba
server into a file in the same directory in which a smbpasswd file would be
normally stored. The trust account information that is needed by the DMS
is written into the file /usr/local/samba/private/secrets.tdb or /etc/
samba/secrets.tdb.
This file is created and owned by root and is not readable by any other
user. It is the key to the domain-level security for your system and should
be treated as carefully as a shadow password file.
Finally, restart your Samba daemons and get ready for clients to begin using
domain security. The way you can restart your Samba daemons depends on
your distribution, but in most cases the following will suffice:

root# /etc/init.d/samba restart

6.3.2 Why Is This Better Than security = server?

Currently, domain security in Samba does not free you from having to create
local UNIX users to represent the users attaching to your server. This means
that if domain user DOM\fred attaches to your domain security Samba server,
there needs to be a local UNIX user fred to represent that user in the UNIX
file system. This is similar to the older Samba security mode security =
server, where Samba would pass through the authentication request to a
Windows NT server in the same way as a Windows 95 or Windows 98
server would.
Please refer to Chapter 23, “Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts”, for in-
formation on a system to automatically assign UNIX UIDs and GIDs to
Windows NT domain users and groups.
The advantage of domain-level security is that the authentication in domain-
level security is passed down the authenticated RPC channel in exactly the
same way that an NT server would do it. This means Samba servers now
Section 6.4. Samba ADS Domain Membership 105

participate in domain trust relationships in exactly the same way NT servers

do (i.e., you can add Samba servers into a resource domain and have the
authentication passed on from a resource domain PDC to an account domain
PDC).
In addition, with security = server, every Samba daemon on a server has
to keep a connection open to the authenticating server for as long as that
daemon lasts. This can drain the connection resources on a Microsoft NT
server and cause it to run out of available connections. With security =
domain, however, the Samba daemons connect to the PDC or BDC only for
as long as is necessary to authenticate the user and then drop the connection,
thus conserving PDC connection resources.
Finally, acting in the same manner as an NT server authenticating to a PDC
means that as part of the authentication reply, the Samba server gets the
user identification information such as the user SID, the list of NT groups
the user belongs to, and so on.

Note

Much of the text of this document was first pub-

lished in the Web magazine LinuxWorlda as the
article <http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/
lw-1998-10/lw-10-samba.html> Doing the NIS/NT
Samba.

a
<http://www.linuxworld.com>

6.4 Samba ADS Domain Membership

This is a rough guide to setting up Samba-3 with Kerberos authentication

against a Windows 200x KDC. A familiarity with Kerberos is assumed.

6.4.1 Configure smb.conf

You must use at least the following three options in smb.conf:

106 Domain Membership Chapter 6

realm = your . k e r b e r o s .REALM
s e c u r i t y = ADS
# The f o l l o w i n g parameter need o n l y be s p e c i f i e d ←-
i f present .
# The d e f a u l t s e t t i n g i f not p r e s e n t i s Yes .
e n c r y p t passwords = y e s

In case samba cannot correctly identify the appropriate ADS server using
the realm name, use the password server option in smb.conf:

password s e r v e r = your . k e r b e r o s . s e r v e r

The most common reason for which Samba may not be able to locate the
ADS domain controller is a consequence of sites maintaining some DNS
servers on UNIX systems without regard for the DNS requirements of the
ADS infrastructure. There is no harm in specifying a preferred ADS DC
using the password server.

Note

You do not need an smbpasswd file, and older clients will

be authenticated as if security = domain, although it will
not do any harm and allows you to have local users not
in the domain.

6.4.2 Configure /etc/krb5.conf

With both MIT and Heimdal Kerberos, it is unnecessary to configure the /

etc/krb5.conf, and it may be detrimental.
Microsoft ADS automatically create SRV records in the DNS zone kerberos.
REALM.NAME for each KDC in the realm. This is part of the installation and
configuration process used to create an Active Directory domain. A KDC
is a Kerberos Key Distribution Center and forms an integral part of the
Microsoft active directory infrastructure.
Section 6.4. Samba ADS Domain Membership 107

UNIX systems can use kinit and the DES-CBC-MD5 or DES-CBC-CRC

encryption types to authenticate to the Windows 2000 KDC. For further
information regarding Windows 2000 ADS kerberos interoperability please
refer to the Microsoft Windows 2000 kerberos Interoperability3 guide. An-
other very useful document that may be referred to for general information
regarding Kerberos interoperability is RFC15104 . This RFC explains much
of the magic behind the operation of Kerberos.
MIT’s, as well as Heimdal’s, recent KRB5 libraries default to checking for
SRV records, so they will automatically find the KDCs. In addition, krb5.
conf only allows specifying a single KDC, even there if there may be more
than one. Using the DNS lookup allows the KRB5 libraries to use whichever
KDCs are available.
When manually configuring krb5.conf, the minimal configuration is:

[libdefaults]
default_realm = YOUR.KERBEROS.REALM

[realms]
YOUR.KERBEROS.REALM = {
kdc = your.kerberos.server
}

[domain_realms]
.kerberos.server = YOUR.KERBEROS.REALM

When using Heimdal versions before 0.6, use the following configuration
settings:

[libdefaults]
default_realm = YOUR.KERBEROS.REALM
default_etypes = des-cbc-crc des-cbc-md5
default_etypes_des = des-cbc-crc des-cbc-md5

[realms]
3
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/planning/security/
kerbsteps.asp>
4
<http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1510.txt?number=1510>
108 Domain Membership Chapter 6

YOUR.KERBEROS.REALM = {
kdc = your.kerberos.server
}

[domain_realms]
.kerberos.server = YOUR.KERBEROS.REALM

Test your config by doing a kinit USERNAME@REALM and making sure that
your password is accepted by the Win2000 KDC.
With Heimdal versions earlier than 0.6.x you can use only newly created
accounts in ADS or accounts that have had the password changed once after
migration, or in case of Administrator after installation. At the moment,
a Windows 2003 KDC can only be used with Heimdal releases later than
0.6 (and no default etypes in krb5.conf). Unfortunately, this whole area is
still in a state of flux.

Note

The realm must be in uppercase or you will get a “Can-

not find KDC for requested realm while getting initial
credentials” error (Kerberos is case-sensitive!).

Note

Time between the two servers must be synchronized. You

will get a “kinit(v5): Clock skew too great while getting
initial credentials” if the time difference (clock skew) is
more than five minutes.

Clock skew limits are configurable in the Kerberos protocols. The default
setting is five minutes.
You also must ensure that you can do a reverse DNS lookup on the IP
Section 6.4. Samba ADS Domain Membership 109

address of your KDC. Also, the name that this reverse lookup maps to must
either be the NetBIOS name of the KDC (i.e., the hostname with no domain
attached) or it can be the NetBIOS name followed by the realm.
The easiest way to ensure you get this right is to add a /etc/hosts entry
mapping the IP address of your KDC to its NetBIOS name. If you do not
get this correct, then you will get a local error when you try to join the
realm.
If all you want is Kerberos support in smbclient, then you can skip directly
to Section 6.4.5 now. Section 6.4.3 and Section 6.4.4 are needed only if you
want Kerberos support for smbd and winbindd.

6.4.3 Create the Computer Account

As a user who has write permission on the Samba private directory (usually
root), run:

root# net ads join -U Administrator%password

The Administrator account can be any account that has been designated
in the ADS domain security settings with permission to add machines to
the ADS domain. It is, of course, a good idea to use an account other
than Administrator. On the UNIX/Linux system, this command must be
executed by an account that has UID=0 (root).
When making a Windows client a member of an ADS domain within a
complex organization, you may want to create the machine trust account
within a particular organizational unit. Samba-3 permits this to be done
using the following syntax:

root# kinit [email protected]

root# net ads join "organizational_unit"

Your ADS manager will be able to advise what should be specified for the
”organizational unit” parameter.
For example, you may want to create the machine trust account in a con-
tainer called “Servers” under the organizational directory “Computers\BusinessUnit\Department,”
110 Domain Membership Chapter 6

like this:

root# net ads join "Computers\BusinessUnit\Department\Servers"

This command will place the Samba server machine trust account in the
container Computers\BusinessUnit\Department\Servers. The container
should exist in the ADS directory before executing this command.

6.4.3.1 Possible Errors

ADS support not compiled in Samba must be reconfigured (remove con-

fig.cache) and recompiled (make clean all install) after the Kerberos
libraries and headers files are installed.

net ads join prompts for user name You need to log in to the domain
using kinit USERNAME@REALM. USERNAME must be a user who has rights
to add a machine to the domain.

Unsupported encryption/or checksum types Make sure that the /etc/

krb5.conf is correctly configured for the type and version of Kerberos
installed on the system.

6.4.4 Testing Server Setup

If the join was successful, you will see a new computer account with the Net-
BIOS name of your Samba server in Active Directory (in the “Computers”
folder under Users and Computers.

On a Windows 2000 client, try net use * \\server\share. You should be

logged in with Kerberos without needing to know a password. If this fails,
then run klist tickets. Did you get a ticket for the server? Does it have
an encryption type of DES-CBC-MD5?
Section 6.5. Sharing User ID Mappings between Samba Domain Members 111

Note

Samba can use both DES-CBC-MD5 encryption as well

as ARCFOUR-HMAC-MD5 encoding.

6.4.5 Testing with smbclient

On your Samba server try to log in to a Windows 2000 server or your Samba
server using smbclient and Kerberos. Use smbclient as usual, but specify
the -k option to choose Kerberos authentication.

6.4.6 Notes

You must change the administrator password at least once after installing a
domain controller, to create the right encryption types.
Windows 200x does not seem to create the kerberos. udp and ldap. tcp
in the default DNS setup. Perhaps this will be fixed later in service packs.

6.5 Sharing User ID Mappings between Samba Domain Mem-

bers

Samba maps UNIX users and groups (identified by UIDs and GIDs) to
Windows users and groups (identified by SIDs). These mappings are done
by the idmap subsystem of Samba.
In some cases it is useful to share these mappings between Samba domain
members, so name->id mapping is identical on all machines. This may be
needed in particular when sharing files over both CIFS and NFS.
To use the LDAP ldap idmap suffix, set:

l d a p idmap s u f f i x = ou=Idmap , dc=quenya , dc= ←-
org

See the smb.conf man page entry for the ldap idmap suffix parameter for
further information.
112 Domain Membership Chapter 6

Do not forget to specify also the ldap admin dn and to make certain to set
the LDAP administrative password into the secrets.tdb using:

root# smbpasswd -w ldap-admin-password

In place of ldap-admin-password, substitute the LDAP administration

password for your system.

6.6 Common Errors

In the process of adding/deleting/re-adding domain member machine trust

accounts, there are many traps for the unwary player and many “little”
things that can go wrong. It is particularly interesting how often subscribers
on the Samba mailing list have concluded after repeated failed attempts to
add a machine account that it is necessary to “reinstall” MS Windows on the
machine. In truth, it is seldom necessary to reinstall because of this type of
problem. The real solution is often quite simple, and with an understanding
of how MS Windows networking functions, it is easy to overcome.

6.6.1 Cannot Add Machine Back to Domain

“A Windows workstation was reinstalled. The original domain machine

trust account was deleted and added immediately. The workstation will
not join the domain if I use the same machine name. Attempts to add the
machine fail with a message that the machine already exists on the network
— I know it does not. Why is this failing?”

The original name is still in the NetBIOS name cache and must expire
after machine account deletion before adding that same name as a domain
member again. The best advice is to delete the old account and then add the
machine with a new name. Alternately, the name cache can be flished and
reloaded with current data using the nbtstat command on the Windows
client:

C:\> nbtstat -R
Section 6.6. Common Errors 113

6.6.2 Adding Machine to Domain Fails

“Adding a Windows 200x or XP Professional machine to the Samba PDC

Domain fails with a message that says, ”The machine could not be added
at this time, there is a network problem. Please try again later.” Why?”
You should check that there is an add machine script in your smb.conf file.
If there is not, please add one that is appropriate for your OS platform. If
a script has been defined, you will need to debug its operation. Increase
the log level in the smb.conf file to level 10, then try to rejoin the domain.
Check the logs to see which operation is failing.
Possible causes include:
• The script does not actually exist, or could not be located in the path
specified.
Corrective action: Fix it. Make sure when run manually that the
script will add both the UNIX system account and the Samba SAM
account.
• The machine could not be added to the UNIX system accounts file /
etc/passwd.
Corrective action: Check that the machine name is a legal UNIX sys-
tem account name. If the UNIX utility useradd is called, then make
sure that the machine name you are trying to add can be added using
this tool. Useradd on some systems will not allow any uppercase
characters nor will it allow spaces in the name.
The add machine script does not create the machine account in the Samba
backend database; it is there only to create a UNIX system account to which
the Samba backend database account can be mapped.

6.6.3 I Can’t Join a Windows 2003 PDC

Windows 2003 requires SMB signing. Client-side SMB signing has been
implemented in Samba-3.0. Set client use spnego = yes when communicating
with a Windows 2003 server. This will not interfere with other Windows
clients that do not support the more advanced security features of Windows
2003 because the client will simply negotiate a protocol tha both it and the
server suppport. This is a well-know fall-back facility that is built into the
SMB/CIFS protocols.
Chapter 7

STANDALONE SERVERS

Standalone servers are independent of domain controllers on the network.

They are not domain members and function more like workgroup servers.
In many cases a standalone server is configured with a minimum of security
control with the intent that all data served will be readily accessible to all
users.

7.1 Features and Benefits

Standalone servers can be as secure or as insecure as needs dictate. They

can have simple or complex configurations. Above all, despite the hoopla
about domain security, they remain a common installation.

If all that is needed is a server for read-only files, or for printers alone, it
may not make sense to effect a complex installation. For example, a drafting
office needs to store old drawings and reference standards. Noone can write
files to the server because it is legislatively important that all documents
remain unaltered. A share-mode read-only standalone server is an ideal
solution.

Another situation that warrants simplicity is an office that has many printers
that are queued off a single central server. Everyone needs to be able to print
to the printers, there is no need to effect any access controls, and no files
will be served from the print server. Again, a share-mode standalone server
makes a great solution.

114
Section 7.2. Background 115

7.2 Background

The term standalone server means that it will provide local authentication
and access control for all resources that are available from it. In general this
means that there will be a local user database. In more technical terms, it
means resources on the machine will be made available in either share mode
or in user mode.
No special action is needed other than to create user accounts. Standalone
servers do not provide network logon services. This means that machines
that use this server do not perform a domain logon to it. Whatever logon
facility the workstations are subject to is independent of this machine. It is,
however, necessary to accommodate any network user so the logon name he
or she uses will be translated (mapped) locally on the standalone server to
a locally known user name. There are several ways this can be done.
Samba tends to blur the distinction a little in defining a standalone server.
This is because the authentication database may be local or on a remote
server, even if from the SMB protocol perspective the Samba server is not
a member of a domain security context.
Through the use of Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) (see Chap-
ter 27, “PAM-Based Distributed Authentication”) and the name service
switcher (NSS), which maintains the UNIX-user database, the source of au-
thentication may reside on another server. We would be inclined to call
this the authentication server. This means that the Samba server may use
the local UNIX/Linux system password database (/etc/passwd or /etc/
shadow), may use a local smbpasswd file, or may use an LDAP backend, or
even via PAM and Winbind another CIFS/SMB server for authentication.

7.3 Example Configuration

Example 7.3.1 and Section 7.3.2 are designed to inspire simplicity. It is

too easy to attempt a high level of creativity and to introduce too much
complexity in server and network design.

7.3.1 Reference Documentation Server

Configuration of a read-only data server that everyone can access is very

simple. By default all shares are read-only, unless set otherwise in the smb.
116 Standalone Servers Chapter 7

conf file. Example 7.3.1 is the smb.conf file that will do this. Assume that
all the reference documents are stored in the directory /export, and the
documents are owned by a user other than nobody. No home directories are
shared, and there are no users in the /etc/passwd UNIX system database.
This is a simple system to administer.

Example 7.3.1. smb.conf for Reference Documentation Server

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = GANDALF
s e c u r i t y = SHARE
passdb backend = g u e s t
wins s e r v e r = 1 9 2 . 1 6 8 . 1 . 1
[ data ]
comment = Data
path = / e x p o r t
g u e s t o n l y = Yes

I would have spoken more briefly, if I’d had more time to prepare.

—Mark Twain

In Example 7.3.1, the machine name is set to GANDALF, and the workgroup
is set to the name of the local workgroup (MIDEARTH) so the machine will
appear together with systems with which users are familiar. The only pass-
word backend required is the “guest” backend to allow default unprivileged
account names to be used. As there is a WINS server on this network, we
of course make use of it.

A USAF Colonel was renowned for saying: “Better is the enemy of good
enough!” There are often sound reasons for avoiding complexity as well as
for avoiding a technically perfect solution. Unfortunately, many network
administrators still need to learn the art of doing just enough to keep out
of trouble.
Section 7.3. Example Configuration 117

7.3.2 Central Print Serving

Configuration of a simple print server is easy if you have all the right tools
on your system.
Assumptions
1. The print server must require no administration.
2. The print spooling and processing system on our print server will be
CUPS. (Please refer to Chapter 21, “CUPS Printing Support”, for
more information).
3. The print server will service only network printers. The network ad-
ministrator will correctly configure the CUPS environment to support
the printers.
4. All workstations will use only PostScript drivers. The printer driver
of choice is the one shipped with the Windows OS for the Apple Color
LaserWriter.
In this example our print server will spool all incoming print jobs to /var/
spool/samba until the job is ready to be submitted by Samba to the CUPS
print processor. Since all incoming connections will be as the anonymous
(guest) user, two things will be required to enable anonymous printing.
Enabling Anonymous Printing
• The UNIX/Linux system must have a guest account. The default for
this is usually the account nobody. To find the correct name to use
for your version of Samba, do the following:

$ testparm -s -v | grep "guest account"

Make sure that this account exists in your system password database
(/etc/passwd).
It is a good idea either to set a password on this account, or else to
lock it from UNIX use. Assuming that the guest account is called
pcguest, it can be locked by excuting:

root# passwd -l pcguest

118 Standalone Servers Chapter 7

The exact command may vary depending on your UNIX/Linux distri-

bution.

• The directory into which Samba will spool the file must have write
access for the guest account. The following commands will ensure
that this directory is available for use:

root# mkdir /var/spool/samba

root# chown nobody.nobody /var/spool/samba
root# chmod a+rwt /var/spool/samba

The contents of the smb.conf file is shown in Example 7.3.2.

Example 7.3.2. smb.conf for Anonymous Printing

# Global parameters
[ global ]
workgroup = MIDEARTH
n e t b i o s name = GANDALF
s e c u r i t y = SHARE
passdb backend = g u e s t
p r i n t i n g = cups
p r i n t c a p name = cups
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t
g u e s t ok = Yes
p r i n t a b l e = Yes
u s e c l i e n t d r i v e r = Yes
b r o w s e a b l e = No

Section 7.4. Common Errors 119

Note

On CUPS-enabled systems there is a facility to pass raw

The example in Example 7.3.2 uses CUPS for direct printing via the CUPS
libarary API. This means that all printers will be exposed to Windows users
without need to configure a printcap file. If there is necessity to expose
only a sub-set of printers, or to define a special type of printer (for example,
a PDF filter) the printcap name = cups can be replaced with the entry
printcap name = /etc/samba/myprintcap. In this case the file specified
should contain a list of the printer names that should be exposed to Windows
network users.

7.4 Common Errors

The greatest mistake so often made is to make a network configuration too

complex. It pays to use the simplest solution that will meet the needs of the
moment.
Chapter 8

MS WINDOWS NETWORK
CONFIGURATION GUIDE

8.1 Features and Benefits

Occasionally network administrators report difficulty getting Microsoft Win-

dows clients to interoperate correctly with Samba servers. It seems that
some folks just cannot accept the fact that the right way to configure an MS
Windows network client is precisely as one would do when using MS Win-
dows NT4 or 200x servers. Yet there is repetitious need to provide detailed
Windows client configuration instructions.

The purpose of this chapter is to graphically illustrate MS Windows client

configuration for the most common critical aspects of such configuration.
An experienced network administrator will not be interested in the details
of this chapter.

8.2 Technical Details

This chapter discusses TCP/IP protocol configuration as well as network

membership for the platforms that are in common use today. These are:

• Microsoft Windows XP Professional

• Windows 2000 Professional

• Windows Millennium edition (Me)

120
Section 8.2. Technical Details 121

8.2.1 TCP/IP Configuration

The builder of a house must ensure that all construction takes place on a
firm foundation. The same is true for the builder of a TCP/IP-based net-
working system. Fundamental network configuration problems will plague
all network users until they are resolved.
MS Windows workstations and servers can be configured either with fixed
IP addresses or via DHCP. The examples that follow demonstrate the use
of DHCP and make only passing reference to those situations where fixed
IP configuration settings can be effected.
It is possible to use shortcuts or abbreviated keystrokes to arrive at a par-
ticular configuration screen. The decision was made to base all examples in
this chapter on use of the Start button.

8.2.1.1 MS Windows XP Professional

There are two paths to the Windows XP TCP/IP configuration panel.

Choose the access method that you prefer:
Click Start -> Control Panel -> Network Connections.
Alternately, click Start ->, and right-click My Network Places then select
Properties.
The following procedure steps through the Windows XP Professional TCP/IP
configuration process:
1. On some installations the interface will be called Local Area Connec-
tion and on others it will be called Network Bridge. On our system
it is called Network Bridge. Right-click on Network Bridge -> Prop-
erties. See Figure 8.1.
2. The Network Bridge Configuration, or Local Area Connection, panel
is used to set TCP/IP protocol settings. In This connection uses
the following items: box, click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), then
click on Properties. The default setting is DHCP-enabled operation
(i.e., “Obtain an IP address automatically”). See Figure 8.2.
Many network administrators will want to use DHCP to configure
all client TCP/IP protocol stack settings. (For information on how
to configure the ISC DHCP server for Windows client support see
122 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.1. Network Bridge Configuration.

XrefId[?the DNS and DHCP Configuration Guide?], XrefId[?DHCP

Server?]. If it is necessary to provide a fixed IP address, click on
“Use the following IP address” and enter the IP Address, the subnet
mask, and the default gateway address in the boxes provided.

3. Click the Advanced button to proceed with TCP/IP configuration.

This opens a panel in which it is possible to create additional IP ad-
dresses for this interface. The technical name for the additional ad-
dresses is IP aliases, and additionally this panel permits the setting of
more default gateways (routers). In most cases where DHCP is used,
it will not be necessary to create additional settings. See Figure 8.3
to see the appearance of this panel.

Fixed settings may be required for DNS and WINS if these settings
are not provided automatically via DHCP.

4. Click the DNS tab to add DNS server settings. The example sys-
tem uses manually configured DNS settings. When finished making
changes, click the OK to commit the settings. See Figure 8.4.

5. Click the WINS tab to add manual WINS server entries. This step
Section 8.2. Technical Details 123

Figure 8.2. Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties.

demonstrates an example system that uses manually configured WINS

settings. When finished making changes, click OK to commit the
settings. See Figure 8.5.

8.2.1.2 MS Windows 2000

There are two paths to the Windows 2000 Professional TCP/IP configura-
tion panel. Choose the access method that you prefer:
Click Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Dial-up Connections.
Alternatively, click Start, then right-click My Network Places, and select
Properties.
The following procedure steps through the Windows XP Professional TCP/IP
configuration process:
1. Right-click on Local Area Connection, then click Properties. See
Figure 8.6.
2. The Local Area Connection Properties is used to set TCP/IP protocol
124 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.3. Advanced Network Settings

settings. Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in the Components

checked are used by this connection: box, then click the Properties
button.
3. The default setting is DHCP-enabled operation (i.e., “Obtain an IP
address automatically”). See Figure 8.7.
Many network administrators will want to use DHCP to configure
all client TCP/IP protocol stack settings. (For information on how
to configure the ISC DHCP server for Windows client support, see,
XrefId[??]. If it is necessary to provide a fixed IP address, click on
“Use the following IP address” and enter the IP Address, the subnet
mask, and the default gateway address in the boxes provided. For this
example we are assuming that all network clients will be configured
using DHCP.
4. Click the Advanced button to proceed with TCP/IP configuration.
Refer to Figure 8.8.
Fixed settings may be required for DNS and WINS if these settings
Section 8.2. Technical Details 125

Figure 8.4. DNS Configuration.

are not provided automatically via DHCP.

5. Click the DNS tab to add DNS server settings. The example sys-
tem uses manually configured DNS settings. When finished making
changes, click OK to commit the settings. See Figure 8.9.
6. Click the WINS tab to add manual WINS server entries. This step
demonstrates an example system that uses manually configured WINS
settings. When finished making changes, click OK to commit the
settings. See Figure 8.10.

8.2.1.3 MS Windows Me

There are two paths to the Windows Millennium edition (Me) TCP/IP
configuration panel. Choose the access method that you prefer:
Click Start -> Control Panel -> Network Connections.
Alternatively, click on Start ->, and right click on My Network Places then
126 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.5. WINS Configuration

select Properties.
The following procedure steps through the Windows Me TCP/IP configu-
ration process:
1. In the box labeled The following network components are installed:,
click on Internet Protocol TCP/IP, then click on the Properties but-
ton. See Figure 8.11.
2. Many network administrators will want to use DHCP to configure
all client TCP/IP protocol stack settings. (For information on how
to configure the ISC DHCP server for Windows client support see
XrefId[?the DNS and DHCP Configuration Guide?], XrefId[?DHCP
Server?]. The default setting on Windows Me workstations is for
DHCP-enabled operation (i.e., Obtain IP address automatically is
enabled). See Figure 8.12.
If it is necessary to provide a fixed IP address, click on Specify an IP
address and enter the IP Address and the subnet mask in the boxes
provided. For this example we are assuming that all network clients
Section 8.2. Technical Details 127

Figure 8.6. Local Area Connection Properties.

will be configured using DHCP.

3. Fixed settings may be required for DNS and WINS if these settings
are not provided automatically via DHCP.

4. If necessary, click the DNS Configuration tab to add DNS server set-
tings. Click the WINS Configuration tab to add WINS server settings.
The Gateway tab allows additional gateways (router addresses) to be
added to the network interface settings. In most cases where DHCP
is used, it will not be necessary to create these manual settings.

5. The following example uses manually configured WINS settings. See

Figure 8.13. When finished making changes, click OK to commit the
settings.

This is an example of a system that uses manually configured WINS

settings. One situation where this might apply is on a network that
has a single DHCP server that provides settings for multiple Windows
workgroups or domains. See Figure 8.14.
128 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.7. Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties.

8.2.2 Joining a Domain: Windows 2000/XP Professional

Microsoft Windows NT/200x/XP Professional platforms can participate in

domain security. This section steps through the process for making a Win-
dows 200x/XP Professional machine a member of a domain security envi-
ronment. It should be noted that this process is identical when joining a
domain that is controlled by Windows NT4/200x as well as a Samba PDC.

1. Click Start.

2. Right-click My Computer, then select Properties.

3. The opening panel is the same one that can be reached by clicking
System on the Control Panel. See Figure 8.15.

4. Click the Computer Name tab. This panel shows the Computer De-
scription, the Full computer name, and the Workgroup or Domain
name. Clicking the Network ID button will launch the configuration
wizard. Do not use this with Samba-3. If you wish to change the
computer name or join or leave the domain, click the Change button.
See Figure 8.16.
Section 8.2. Technical Details 129

Figure 8.8. Advanced Network Settings.

5. Click on Change. This panel shows that our example machine (TEMP-
TATION) is in a workgroup called WORKGROUP. We will join the
domain called MIDEARTH. See Figure 8.17.

6. Enter the name MIDEARTH in the field below the domain radio but-
ton. This panel shows that our example machine (TEMPTATION) is
set to join the domain called MIDEARTH. See Figure 8.18.

7. Now click the OK button. A dialog box should appear to allow you to
provide the credentials (username and password) of a domain admin-
istrative account that has the rights to add machines to the domain.
Enter the name “root” and the root password from your Samba-3
server. See Figure 8.19.

8. Click on OK. The “Welcome to the MIDEARTH domain.” dialog box

should appear. At this point the machine must be rebooted. Joining
the domain is now complete.
130 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.9. DNS Configuration.

8.2.3 Domain Logon Configuration: Windows 9x/Me

We follow the convention used by most in saying that Windows 9x/Me

machines can participate in domain logons. The truth is that these platforms
can use only the LanManager network logon protocols.

Note

Windows XP Home edition cannot participate in domain

or LanManager network logons.

1. Right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon.

2. The Network Configuration Panel allows all common network settings

to be changed. See Figure 8.20.
Section 8.2. Technical Details 131

Figure 8.10. WINS Configuration.

Make sure that the Client for Microsoft Networks driver is installed
as shown. Click on the Client for Microsoft Networks entry in The
following network components are installed: box. Then click the
Properties button.

3. The Client for Microsoft Networks Properties panel is the correct lo-
cation to configure network logon settings. See Figure 8.21.

Enter the Windows NT domain name, check the Log on to Windows

NT domain box, and click OK.

4. Click on the Identification button. This is the location at which the

workgroup (domain) name and the machine name (computer name)
need to be set. See Figure 8.22.

5. Now click the Access Control button. If you want to be able to assign
share access permissions using domain user and group accounts, it is
necessary to enable User-level access control as shown in this panel.
See Figure 8.23.
132 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.11. The Windows Me Network Configuration Panel.

8.3 Common Errors

The most common errors that can afflict Windows networking systems in-
clude:
• Incorrect IP address.
• Incorrect or inconsistent netmasks.
• Incorrect router address.
• Incorrect DNS server address.
• Incorrect WINS server address.
• Use of a Network Scope setting — watch out for this one!
The most common reasons for which a Windows NT/200x/XP Professional
client cannot join the Samba controlled domain are:
• smb.conf does not have correct add machine script settings.
• “root” account is not in password backend database.
Section 8.3. Common Errors 133

Figure 8.12. IP Address.

• Attempt to use a user account instead of the “root” account to join a

machine to the domain.
• Open connections from the workstation to the server.
• Firewall or filter configurations in place on either the client or the
Samba server.
134 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.13. DNS Configuration.

Figure 8.14. WINS Configuration.

Section 8.3. Common Errors 135

Figure 8.15. The General Panel.

136 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.16. The Computer Name Panel.

Figure 8.17. The Computer Name Changes Panel.

Section 8.3. Common Errors 137

Figure 8.18. The Computer Name Changes Panel — Domain MIDEARTH.

Figure 8.19. Computer Name Changes — Username and PasswordPanel.

138 MS Windows Network Configuration Guide Chapter 8

Figure 8.20. The Network Panel.

Figure 8.21. Client for Microsoft Networks Properties Panel.

Section 8.3. Common Errors 139

Figure 8.22. Identification Panel.

Figure 8.23. Access Control Panel.

Part III

Advanced Configuration
VALUABLE NUTS AND
BOLTS INFORMATION

Samba has several features that you might want or might not want to use.
The chapters in this part each cover specific Samba features.

141
Chapter 9

NETWORK BROWSING

This chapter contains detailed information as well as a fast-track guide to

implementing browsing across subnets and/or across workgroups (or do-
mains). WINS is the best tool for resolution of NetBIOS names to IP ad-
dresses; however, WINS is not involved in browse list handling except by
way of name-to-address resolution.

Note

MS Windows 2000 and later versions can be configured

to operate with no NetBIOS over TCP/IP. Samba-3 and
later versions also support this mode of operation. When
the use of NetBIOS over TCP/IP has been disabled, the
primary means for resolution of MS Windows machine
names is via DNS and Active Directory. The following
information assumes that your site is running NetBIOS
over TCP/IP.

9.1 Features and Benefits

Charles Dickens once referred to the past in these words: “It was the best
of times, it was the worst of times.” The more we look back, the more we
long for what was and hope it never returns.

142
Section 9.2. What Is Browsing? 143

For many MS Windows network administrators, that statement sums up

their feelings about NetBIOS networking precisely. For those who mastered
NetBIOS networking, its fickle nature was just par for the course. For
those who never quite managed to tame its lusty features, NetBIOS is like
Paterson’s Curse.

For those not familiar with botanical problems in Australia, Paterson’s

Curse, Echium plantagineum, was introduced to Australia from Europe dur-
ing the mid-19th century. Since then it has spread rapidly. The high seed
production, with densities of thousands of seeds per square meter, a seed
longevity of more than 7 years, and an ability to germinate at any time of
year, given the right conditions, are some of the features that make it such
a persistent weed.

In this chapter we explore vital aspects of Server Message Block (SMB)

networking with a particular focus on SMB as implemented through running
NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) over TCP/IP. Since Samba
does not implement SMB or NetBIOS over any other protocols, we need to
know how to configure our network environment and simply remember to
use nothing but TCP/IP on all our MS Windows network clients.

Samba provides the ability to implement a WINS (Windows Internetwork-

ing Name Server) and implements extensions to Microsoft’s implementation
of WINS. These extensions help Samba to effect stable WINS operations
beyond the normal scope of MS WINS.

WINS is exclusively a service that applies only to those systems that run
NetBIOS over TCP/IP. MS Windows 200x/XP have the capacity to operate
with support for NetBIOS disabled, in which case WINS is of no relevance.
Samba supports this also.

For those networks on which NetBIOS has been disabled (i.e., WINS is not
required), the use of DNS is necessary for hostname resolution.

9.2 What Is Browsing?

To most people, browsing means they can see the MS Windows and Samba
servers in the Network Neighborhood, and when the computer icon for a
particular server is clicked, it opens up and shows the shares and printers
available on the target server.
144 Network Browsing Chapter 9

What seems so simple is in fact a complex interaction of different technolo-

gies. The technologies (or methods) employed in making all of this work
include:
• MS Windows machines register their presence to the network.
• Machines announce themselves to other machines on the network.
• One or more machines on the network collate the local announcements.
• The client machine finds the machine that has the collated list of
machines.
• The client machine is able to resolve the machine names to IP ad-
dresses.
• The client machine is able to connect to a target machine.
The Samba application that controls browse list management and name
resolution is called nmbd. The configuration parameters involved in nmbd’s
operation are:
Browsing options:
• os level
• lm announce
• lm interval
• preferred master (*)
• local master (*)
• domain master (*)
• browse list
• enhanced browsing
Name Resolution Method:
• name resolve order (*)
WINS options:
• dns proxy
• wins proxy
• wins server (*)
Section 9.3. Discussion 145

• wins support(*)

• wins hook

Those marked with an (*) are the only options that commonly may need to
be modified. Even if none of these parameters is set, nmbd will still do its
job.

For Samba, the WINS Server and WINS Support are mutually exclusive
options. When nmbd is started it will fail to execute if both options are
set in the smb.conf file. The nmbd understands that when it spawns an
instance of itself to run as a WINS server that it has to use its own WINS
server also.

9.3 Discussion

All MS Windows networking uses SMB-based messaging. SMB messaging

may be implemented with or without NetBIOS. MS Windows 200x supports
NetBIOS over TCP/IP for backwards compatibility. Microsoft appears in-
tent on phasing out NetBIOS support.

9.3.1 NetBIOS over TCP/IP

Samba implements NetBIOS, as does MS Windows NT/200x/XP, by encap-

sulating it over TCP/IP. NetBIOS-based networking uses broadcast messag-
ing to effect browse list management. When running NetBIOS over TCP/IP,
this uses UDP-based messaging. UDP messages can be broadcast or unicast.

Normally, only unicast UDP messaging can be forwarded by routers. The

remote announce parameter to smb.conf helps to project browse announce-
ments to remote network segments via unicast UDP. Similarly, the remote
browse sync parameter of smb.conf implements browse list collation using
unicast UDP.

The methods used by MS Windows to perform name lookup requests (name

resolution) is determined by a configuration parameter called the NetBIOS
node-type. There are four basic NetBIOS node types:

• b-node (type 0x01): The Windows client will use only NetBIOS broad-
cast requests using UDP broadcast.
146 Network Browsing Chapter 9

• p-node (type 0x02): The Windows client will use point-to-point (Net-
BIOS unicast) requests using UDP unicast directed to a WINS server.
• m-node (type 0x04): The Windows client will first use NetBIOS broad-
cast requests using UDP broadcast, then it will use (NetBIOS unicast)
requests using UDP unicast directed to a WINS server.
• h-node (type 0x08): The Windows client will use (NetBIOS unicast)
requests using UDP unicast directed to a WINS server, then it will
use NetBIOS broadcast requests using UDP broadcast.
The default Windows network client (or server) network configuration en-
ables NetBIOS over TCP/IP and b-node configuration. The use of WINS
makes most sense with h-node (hybrid mode) operation so that in the event
of a WINS breakdown or non-availability, the client can use broadcast-based
name resolution.
In those networks where Samba is the only SMB server technology, wherever
possible nmbd should be configured on one machine as the WINS server. This
makes it easy to manage the browsing environment. If each network segment
is configured with its own Samba WINS server, then the only way to get
cross-segment browsing to work is by using the remote announce and the
remote browse sync parameters to your smb.conf file.
If only one WINS server is used for an entire multisegment network, then the
use of the remote announce and the remote browse sync parameters should
not be necessary.
As of Samba-3, WINS replication is being worked on. The bulk of the code
has been committed, but it still needs maturation. This is not a supported
feature of the Samba-3.0.20 release. Hopefully, this will become a supported
feature of one of the Samba-3 release series. The delay is caused by the fact
that this feature has not been of sufficient significance to inspire someone to
pay a developer to complete it.
Right now Samba WINS does not support MS-WINS replication. This
means that when setting up Samba as a WINS server, there must only
be one nmbd configured as a WINS server on the network. Some sites have
used multiple Samba WINS servers for redundancy (one server per subnet)
and then used remote browse sync and remote announce to effect browse
list collation across all segments. Note that this means clients will only re-
solve local names and must be configured to use DNS to resolve names on
other subnets in order to resolve the IP addresses of the servers they can
Section 9.3. Discussion 147

see on other subnets. This setup is not recommended but is mentioned as

a practical consideration (i.e., an “if all else fails” scenario). NetBIOS over
TCP/IP is an ugly and difficult to manage protocol. Its replacement, Net-
BIOSless SMB over TCP/IP is not without its own manageability concerns.
NetBIOS based networking is a life of compromise and trade-offs. WINS
stores information that can not be stored in DNS; consequently, DNS is a
poor substitute for WINS given that when NetBIOS over TCP/IP is used
Windows clients are designed to use WINS.
Lastly, take note that browse lists are a collection of unreliable broadcast
messages that are repeated at intervals of not more than 15 minutes. This
means that it will take time to establish a browse list, and it can take up to
45 minutes to stabilize, particularly across network segments.
When an MS Windows 200x/XP system attempts to resolve a host name to
an IP address, it follows a defined path:
1. Checks the hosts file. It is located in %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\etc.
2. Does a DNS lookup.
3. Checks the NetBIOS name cache.
4. Queries the WINS server.
5. Does a broadcast name lookup over UDP.
6. Looks up entries in LMHOSTS, located in %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\etc.
Given the nature of how the NetBIOS over TCP/IP protocol is implemented,
only WINS is capable of resolving with any reliability name lookups for
service oriented names such as TEMPTATION<1C> — a NetBIOS name
query that seeks to find network logon servers. DNS has not concept of
service oriented names such as this. In fact, the Microsoft ADS implemen-
tation specifically manages a whole range of extended service oriented DNS
entries. This type of facility is not implemented and is not supported for
the NetBIOS over TCP/IP protocol name space.

9.3.2 TCP/IP without NetBIOS

All TCP/IP-enabled systems use various forms of hostname resolution. The

primary methods for TCP/IP hostname resolution involve either a static
file (/etc/hosts) or the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS is the tech-
nology that makes the Internet usable. DNS-based hostname resolution is
148 Network Browsing Chapter 9

supported by nearly all TCP/IP-enabled systems. Only a few embedded

TCP/IP systems do not support DNS.

Windows 200x/XP can register its hostname with a Dynamic DNS server
(DDNS). It is possible to force register with a dynamic DNS server in Win-
dows 200x/XP using ipconfig /registerdns.

With Active Directory, a correctly functioning DNS server is absolutely

essential. In the absence of a working DNS server that has been correctly
configured, MS Windows clients and servers will be unable to locate each
other, so network services consequently will be severely impaired.

Use of raw SMB over TCP/IP (No NetBIOS layer) can be done only with
Active Directory domains. Samba is not an Active Directory domain con-
troller: ergo, it is not possible to run Samba as a domain controller and
at the same time not use NetBIOS. Where Samba is used as an Active Di-
rectory domain member server (DMS) it is possible to configure Samba to
not use NetBIOS over TCP/IP. A Samba DMS can integrate fully into an
Active Directory domain, however, if NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled it is
necessary manually to create appropriate DNS entries for the Samba DMS
because they will not be automatically generated either by Samba, or by
the ADS environment.

9.3.3 DNS and Active Directory

Occasionally we hear from UNIX network administrators who want to use a

UNIX-based DDNS server in place of the Microsoft DNS server. While this
might be desirable to some, the MS Windows 200x DNS server is autocon-
figured to work with Active Directory. It is possible to use BIND version
8 or 9, but it will almost certainly be necessary to create service records
(SRV records) so MS Active Directory clients can resolve hostnames to lo-
cate essential network services. The following are some of the default service
records that Active Directory requires:

The use of DDNS is highly recommended with Active Directory, in which

case the use of BIND9 is preferred for its ability to adequately support the
SRV (service) records that are needed for Active Directory. Of course, when
running ADS it makes sense to use Microsoft’s own DDNS server because
of the natural affinity between ADS and MS DNS.
Section 9.3. Discussion 149

ldap. tcp.pdc. msdcs.Domain This provides the address of the Win-

dows NT PDC for the domain.

ldap. tcp.pdc. msdcs.DomainTree Resolves the addresses of global cat-

alog servers in the domain.

ldap. tcp.site.sites.writable. msdcs.Domain Provides list of domain

controllers based on sites.

ldap. tcp.writable. msdcs.Domain Enumerates list of domain controllers

that have the writable copies of the Active Directory data store.

ldap. tcp.GUID.domains. msdcs.DomainTree Entry used by MS Win-

dows clients to locate machines using the global unique identifier.

ldap. tcp.Site.gc. msdcs.DomainTree Used by MS Windows clients to

locate site configuration-dependent global catalog server.

Specific entries used by Microsoft clients to locate essential services for an

example domain called quenya.org include:

• kerberos. udp.quenya.org — Used to contact the KDC server via

UDP. This entry must list port 88 for each KDC.

• kpasswd. udp.quenya.org — Used to locate the kpasswd server when

a user password change must be processed. This record must list port
464 on the master KDC.

• kerberos. tcp.quenya.org — Used to locate the KDC server via TCP.

This entry must list port 88 for each KDC.

• ldap. tcp.quenya.org — Used to locate the LDAP service on the PDC.

This record must list port 389 for the PDC.

• kpasswd. tcp.quenya.org — Used to locate the kpasswd server to per-

mit user password changes to be processed. This must list port 464.

• gc. tcp.quenya.org — Used to locate the global catalog server for the
top of the domain. This must list port 3268.
150 Network Browsing Chapter 9

The following records are also used by the Windows domain member client
to locate vital services on the Windows ADS domain controllers.
• ldap. tcp.pdc. msdcs.quenya.org
• ldap.gc. msdcs.quenya.org
• ldap.default-first-site-name. sites.gc. msdcs.quenya.org
• ldap.{SecID}.domains. msdcs.quenya.org
• ldap. tcp.dc. msdcs.quenya.org
• kerberos. tcp.dc. msdcs.quenya.org
• ldap.default-first-site-name. sites.dc. msdcs.quenya.org
• kerberos.default-first-site-name. sites.dc. msdcs.queyna.org
• SecID. msdcs.quenya.org
Presence of the correct DNS entries can be validated by executing:

root# dig @frodo -t any _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.quenya.org

; <lt;>> DiG 9.2.2 <lt;>> @frodo -t any _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.quenya.org

;; global options: printcmd
;; Got answer:
;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 3072
;; flags: qr aa rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 2, AUTHORITY: 0, ADDITIONAL: 2

;; QUESTION SECTION:
;_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.quenya.org. IN ANY

;; ANSWER SECTION:
_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.quenya.org. 600 IN SRV 0 100 389 frodo.quenya.org.
_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.quenya.org. 600 IN SRV 0 100 389 noldor.quenya.org.

;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
frodo.quenya.org. 3600 IN A 10.1.1.16
noldor.quenya.org. 1200 IN A 10.1.1.17
Section 9.4. How Browsing Functions 151

;; Query time: 0 msec

;; SERVER: frodo#53(10.1.1.16)
;; WHEN: Wed Oct 7 14:39:31 2004
;; MSG SIZE rcvd: 171

9.4 How Browsing Functions

MS Windows machines register their NetBIOS names (i.e., the machine

name for each service type in operation) on startup. The exact method by
which this name registration takes place is determined by whether or not the
MS Windows client/server has been given a WINS server address, whether
or not LMHOSTS lookup is enabled, whether or not DNS for NetBIOS name
resolution is enabled, and so on.
In the case where there is no WINS server, all name registrations as well as
name lookups are done by UDP broadcast. This isolates name resolution to
the local subnet, unless LMHOSTS is used to list all names and IP addresses.
In such situations, Samba provides a means by which the Samba server
name may be forcibly injected into the browse list of a remote MS Windows
network (using the remote announce parameter).
Where a WINS server is used, the MS Windows client will use UDP unicast
to register with the WINS server. Such packets can be routed, and thus
WINS allows name resolution to function across routed networks.
During the startup process, an election takes place to create a local master
browser (LMB) if one does not already exist. On each NetBIOS network one
machine will be elected to function as the domain master browser (DMB).
This domain browsing has nothing to do with MS security Domain Control.
Instead, the DMB serves the role of contacting each LMB (found by asking
WINS or from LMHOSTS) and exchanging browse list contents. This way
every master browser will eventually obtain a complete list of all machines
that are on the network. Every 11 to 15 minutes an election is held to
determine which machine will be the master browser. By the nature of the
election criteria used, the machine with the highest uptime, or the most
senior protocol version or other criteria, will win the election as DMB.
Where a WINS server is used, the DMB registers its IP address with the
152 Network Browsing Chapter 9

WINS server using the name of the domain and the NetBIOS name type 1B.
e.g., DOMAIN<1B>. All LMBs register their IP address with the WINS
server, also with the name of the domain and the NetBIOS name type of 1D.
The 1B name is unique to one server within the domain security context,
and only one 1D name is registered for each network segment. Machines that
have registered the 1D name will be authoritive browse list maintainers for
the network segment they are on. The DMB is responsible for synchronizing
the browse lists it obtains from the LMBs.

Clients wishing to browse the network make use of this list but also depend
on the availability of correct name resolution to the respective IP address
or addresses.

Any configuration that breaks name resolution and/or browsing intrinsics

will annoy users because they will have to put up with protracted inability
to use the network services.

Samba supports a feature that allows forced synchronization of browse lists

across routed networks using the remote browse sync parameter in the smb.
conf file. This causes Samba to contact the LMB on a remote network
and to request browse list synchronization. This effectively bridges two
networks that are separated by routers. The two remote networks may use
either broadcast-based name resolution or WINS-based name resolution, but
it should be noted that the remote browse sync parameter provides browse
list synchronization — and that is distinct from name-to-address resolution.
In other words, for cross-subnet browsing to function correctly, it is essential
that a name-to-address resolution mechanism be provided. This mechanism
could be via DNS, /etc/hosts, and so on.

9.4.1 Configuring Workgroup Browsing

To configure cross-subnet browsing on a network containing machines in a

workgroup, not an NT domain, you need to set up one Samba server to be
the DMB (note that this is not the same as a Primary Domain Controller,
although in an NT domain the same machine plays both roles). The role of
a DMB is to collate the browse lists from LMB on all the subnets that have
a machine participating in the workgroup. Without one machine configured
as a DMB, each subnet would be an isolated workgroup unable to see any
machines on another subnet. It is the presence of a DMB that makes cross-
subnet browsing possible for a workgroup.
Section 9.4. How Browsing Functions 153

In a workgroup environment the DMB must be a Samba server, and there

must only be one DMB per workgroup name. To set up a Samba server as
a DMB, set the following option in the [global] section of the smb.conf file:

domain master = y e s

The DMB should preferably be the LMB for its own subnet. In order to
achieve this, set the following options in the [global] section of the smb.conf
file as shown in Example 9.4.1

Example 9.4.1. Domain Master Browser smb.conf

[ global ]
domain master = y e s
l o c a l master = y e s
p r e f e r r e d master = y e s
o s l e v e l = 65

The DMB may be the same machine as the WINS server, if necessary.
Next, you should ensure that each of the subnets contains a machine that can
act as an LMB for the workgroup. Any MS Windows NT/200x/XP machine
should be able to do this, as will Windows 9x/Me machines (although these
tend to get rebooted more often, so it is not such a good idea to use them).
To make a Samba server an LMB, set the following options in the [global]
section of the smb.conf file as shown in Example 9.4.2

Example 9.4.2. Local master browser smb.conf

[ global ]
domain master = no
l o c a l master = y e s
p r e f e r r e d master = y e s
o s l e v e l = 65

Do not do this for more than one Samba server on each subnet, or they will
war with each other over which is to be the LMB.
The local master parameter allows Samba to act as a LMB. The preferred
154 Network Browsing Chapter 9

master causes nmbd to force a browser election on startup and the os level
parameter sets Samba high enough so it should win any browser elections.
If you have an NT machine on the subnet that you wish to be the LMB, you
can disable Samba from becoming an LMB by setting the following options
in the [global] section of the smb.conf file as shown in Example 9.4.3.

Example 9.4.3. smb.conf for Not Being a Master Browser

[ global ]
domain master = no
l o c a l master = no
p r e f e r r e d master = no
os l e v e l = 0

9.4.2 Domain Browsing Configuration

If you are adding Samba servers to a Windows NT domain, then you must
not set up a Samba server as a DMB. By default, a Windows NT PDC for
a domain is also the DMB for that domain. Network browsing may break
if a Samba server other than the PDC registers the DMB NetBIOS name
(DOMAIN<1B>) with WINS.
For subnets other than the one containing the Windows NT PDC, you may
set up Samba servers as LMBs as described. To make a Samba server a
Local Master Browser, set the following options in the [global] section of the
smb.conf file as shown in Example 9.4.4

Example 9.4.4. Local Master Browser smb.conf

[ global ]
domain master = no
l o c a l master = y e s
p r e f e r r e d master = y e s
o s l e v e l = 65

If you wish to have a Samba server fight the election with machines on the
same subnet, you may set the os level parameter to lower levels. By doing
Section 9.4. How Browsing Functions 155

this you can tune the order of machines that will become LMBs if they are
running. For more details on this, refer to Section 9.4.3.

If you have Windows NT machines that are members of the domain on all
subnets and you are sure they will always be running, you can disable Samba
from taking part in browser elections and ever becoming an LMB by setting
the following options in the [global] section of the smb.conf file as shown in
Example 9.4.5

Example 9.4.5. smb.conf for Not Being a master browser

[global] domain master = nolocal master = nopreferred master = noos level
=0

9.4.3 Forcing Samba to Be the Master

Who becomes the master browser is determined by an election process using

broadcasts. Each election packet contains a number of parameters that
determine what precedence (bias) a host should have in the election. By
default Samba uses a low precedence and thus loses elections to just about
every Windows network server or client.

If you want Samba to win elections, set the os level global option in smb.
conf to a higher number. It defaults to 20. Using 34 would make it win all
elections over every other system (except other Samba systems).

An os level of two would make it beat Windows for Workgroups and Win-
dows 9x/Me, but not MS Windows NT/200x Server. An MS Windows
NT/200x Server domain controller uses level 32. The maximum os level is
255.

If you want Samba to force an election on startup, set the preferred master
global option in smb.conf to yes. Samba will then have a slight advantage
over other potential master browsers that are not preferred master browsers.
Use this parameter with care, because if you have two hosts (whether they
are Windows 9x/Me or NT/200x/XP or Samba) on the same local subnet
both set with preferred master to yes, then periodically and continually
they will force an election in order to become the LMB.

If you want Samba to be a DMB, then it is recommended that you also set
preferred master to yes, because Samba will not become a DMB for the
156 Network Browsing Chapter 9

whole of your LAN or WAN if it is not also a LMB on its own broadcast
isolated subnet.
It is possible to configure two Samba servers to attempt to become the
DMB for a domain. The first server that comes up will be the DMB. All
other Samba servers will attempt to become the DMB every 5 minutes.
They will find that another Samba server is already the DMB and will
fail. This provides automatic redundancy should the current DMB fail.
The network bandwidth overhead of browser elections is relatively small,
requiring approximately four UDP packets per machine per election. The
maximum size of a UDP packet is 576 bytes.

9.4.4 Making Samba the Domain Master

The domain master browser is responsible for collating the browse lists of
multiple subnets so browsing can occur between subnets. You can make
Samba act as the domain master browser by setting domain master = yes
in smb.conf. By default it will not be a domain master browser.
Do not set Samba to be the domain master for a workgroup that has the
same name as an NT/200x domain. If Samba is configured to be the domain
master for a workgroup that is present on the same network as a Windows
NT/200x domain that has the same name, network browsing problems will
certainly be experienced.
When Samba is the domain master and the master browser, it will listen
for master announcements (made roughly every 12 minutes) from LMBs on
other subnets and then contact them to synchronize browse lists.
If you want Samba to be the domain master, you should also set the os level
high enough to make sure it wins elections, and set preferred master to yes,
to get Samba to force an election on startup.
All servers (including Samba) and clients should be using a WINS server
to resolve NetBIOS names. If your clients are only using broadcasting to
resolve NetBIOS names, then two things will occur:
1. LMBs will be unable to find a DMB because they will be looking only
on the local subnet.
2. If a client happens to get hold of a domain-wide browse list and a user
attempts to access a host in that list, it will be unable to resolve the
NetBIOS name of that host.
Section 9.4. How Browsing Functions 157

If, however, both Samba and your clients are using a WINS server, then:
1. LMBs will contact the WINS server and, as long as Samba has regis-
tered that it is a DMB with the WINS server, the LMB will receive
Samba’s IP address as its DMB.
2. When a client receives a domain-wide browse list and a user attempts
to access a host in that list, it will contact the WINS server to resolve
the NetBIOS name of that host. As long as that host has registered
its NetBIOS name with the same WINS server, the user will be able
to see that host.

9.4.5 Note about Broadcast Addresses

If your network uses a zero-based broadcast address (for example, if it ends

in a 0), then you will strike problems. Windows for Workgroups does not
seem to support a zeros broadcast, and you will probably find that browsing
and name lookups will not work.

9.4.6 Multiple Interfaces

Samba supports machines with multiple network interfaces. If you have

multiple interfaces, you will need to use the interfaces option in smb.conf
to configure them. For example, the machine you are working with has 4
network interfaces; eth0, eth1, eth2, eth3 and only interfaces eth1 and
eth4 should be used by Samba. In this case the following smb.conf file
entries would permit that intent:

i n t e r f a c e s = eth1 , e t h 4
bind i n t e r f a c e s o n l y = Yes

The bind interfaces only = Yes is necessary to exclude TCP/IP session

services (ports 135, 139, and 445) over the interfaces that are not specified.
Please be aware that nmbd will listen for incoming UDP port 137 packets
on the unlisted interfaces, but it will not answer them. It will however send
its broadcast packets over the unlisted interfaces. Total isolation of ethernet
interface requires the use of a firewall to block ports 137 and 138 (UDP),
and ports 135, 139, and 445 (TCP) on all network interfaces that must not
be able to access the Samba server.
158 Network Browsing Chapter 9

9.4.7 Use of the Remote Announce Parameter

The remote announce parameter of smb.conf can be used to forcibly en-

sure that all the NetBIOS names on a network get announced to a remote
network. The syntax of the remote announce parameter is:

remote announce = 1 9 2 . 1 6 8 . 1 2 . 2 3 ←-
[172.16.21.255] . . .

or

remote announce = 1 9 2 . 1 6 8 . 1 2 . 2 3 /MIDEARTH ←-
[ 1 7 2 . 1 6 . 2 1 . 2 5 5 /ELVINDORF] . . .

where:

192.168.12.23 and 172.16.21.255 is either the LMB IP address or the

broadcast address of the remote network. That is, the LMB is at
192.168.1.23, or the address could be given as 172.16.21.255 where the
netmask is assumed to be 24 bits (255.255.255.0). When the remote
announcement is made to the broadcast address of the remote network,
every host will receive our announcements. This is noisy and therefore
undesirable but may be necessary if we do not know the IP address of
the remote LMB.

WORKGROUP is optional and can be either our own workgroup or that of the
remote network. If you use the workgroup name of the remote network,
our NetBIOS machine names will end up looking like they belong to
that workgroup. This may cause name resolution problems and should
be avoided.

9.4.8 Use of the Remote Browse Sync Parameter

The remote browse sync parameter of smb.conf is used to announce to

another LMB that it must synchronize its NetBIOS name list with our
Samba LMB. This works only if the Samba server that has this option is
simultaneously the LMB on its network segment.
The syntax of the remote browse sync parameter is:
Section 9.5. WINS: The Windows Internetworking Name Server 159

remote browse sync

where 192.168.10.40 is either the IP address of the remote LMB or the

network broadcast address of the remote segment.

9.5 WINS: The Windows Internetworking Name Server

Use of WINS (either Samba WINS or MS Windows NT Server WINS) is

highly recommended. Every NetBIOS machine registers its name together
with a name type value for each of several types of service it has available.
It registers its name directly as a unique (the type 0x03) name. It also
registers its name if it is running the LanManager-compatible server service
(used to make shares and printers available to other users) by registering
the server (the type 0x20) name.
All NetBIOS names are up to 15 characters in length. The name type
variable is added to the end of the name, thus creating a 16 character name.
Any name that is shorter than 15 characters is padded with spaces to the
15th character. Thus, all NetBIOS names are 16 characters long (including
the name type information).
WINS can store these 16-character names as they get registered. A client
that wants to log onto the network can ask the WINS server for a list of
all names that have registered the NetLogon service name type. This saves
broadcast traffic and greatly expedites logon processing. Since broadcast
name resolution cannot be used across network segments, this type of in-
formation can only be provided via WINS or via a statically configured
lmhosts file that must reside on all clients in the absence of WINS.
WINS also forces browse list synchronization by all LMBs. LMBs must
synchronize their browse list with the DMB, and WINS helps the LMB to
identify its DMB. By definition this will work only within a single workgroup.
Note that the DMB has nothing to do with what is referred to as an MS
Windows NT domain. The latter is a reference to a security environment,
while the DMB refers to the master controller for browse list information
only.
WINS will work correctly only if every client TCP/IP protocol stack is
configured to use the WINS servers. Any client that is not configured to use
the WINS server will continue to use only broadcast-based name registration,
160 Network Browsing Chapter 9

so WINS may never get to know about it. In any case, machines that have
not registered with a WINS server will fail name-to-address lookup attempts
by other clients and will therefore cause workstation access errors.
To configure Samba as a WINS server, just add wins support = yes to the
smb.conf file [global] section.
To configure Samba to register with a WINS server, just add wins server =
10.0.0.18 to your smb.conf file [global] section.

Important

Never use wins support = yes together with wins server

= 10.0.0.18 particularly not using its own IP address.
Specifying both will cause nmbd to refuse to start!

9.5.1 WINS Server Configuration

Either a Samba server or a Windows NT server machine may be set up as a

WINS server. To configure a Samba server to be a WINS server, you must
add to the smb.conf file on the selected Server the following line to the
[global] section:

wins s u p p o r t = y e s

Versions of Samba prior to 1.9.17 had this parameter default to yes. If you
have any older versions of Samba on your network, it is strongly suggested
you upgrade to a recent version, or at the very least set the parameter to
“no” on all these machines.
Machines configured with wins support = yes will keep a list of all NetBIOS
names registered with them, acting as a DNS for NetBIOS names.
It is strongly recommended to set up only one WINS server. Do not set the
wins support = yes option on more than one Samba server on a network.
To configure Windows NT/200x Server as a WINS server, install and con-
figure the WINS service. See the Windows NT/200x documentation for
Section 9.5. WINS: The Windows Internetworking Name Server 161

details. Windows NT/200x WINS servers can replicate to each other, al-
lowing more than one to be set up in a complex subnet environment. Because
Microsoft refuses to document the replication protocols, Samba cannot cur-
rently participate in these replications. It is possible in the future that a
Samba-to-Samba WINS replication protocol may be defined, in which case
more than one Samba machine could be set up as a WINS server. Currently
only one Samba server should have the wins support = yes parameter set.

After the WINS server has been configured, you must ensure that all ma-
chines participating on the network are configured with the address of this
WINS server. If your WINS server is a Samba machine, fill in the Samba
machine IP address in the Primary WINS Server field of the Control Panel-
>Network->Protocols->TCP->WINS Server dialogs in Windows 9x/Me
or Windows NT/200x. To tell a Samba server the IP address of the WINS
server, add the following line to the [global] section of all smb.conf files:

wins s e r v e r = <name o r IP a d d r e s s >

where <name or IP address> is either the DNS name of the WINS server
machine or its IP address.

This line must not be set in the smb.conf file of the Samba server acting as
the WINS server itself. If you set both the wins support = yes option and
the wins server = <name> option then nmbd will fail to start.

There are two possible scenarios for setting up cross-subnet browsing. The
first details setting up cross-subnet browsing on a network containing Win-
dows 9x/Me, Samba, and Windows NT/200x machines that are not con-
figured as part of a Windows NT domain. The second details setting up
cross-subnet browsing on networks that contain NT domains.

9.5.2 WINS Replication

Samba-3 permits WINS replication through the use of the wrepld utility.
This tool is not currently in use because it is still in development and has
not been worked on for a long time. As soon as this tool becomes moder-
ately functional, we will prepare man pages and enhance this section of the
documentation to provide usage and technical details.
162 Network Browsing Chapter 9

9.5.3 Static WINS Entries

Adding static entries to your Samba WINS server is actually fairly easy. All
you have to do is add a line to wins.dat, typically located in /usr/local/
samba/var/locks or /var/run/samba.

Entries in wins.dat take the form of:

"NAME#TYPE" TTL ADDRESS+ FLAGS

where NAME is the NetBIOS name, TYPE is the NetBIOS type, TTL is
the time-to-live as an absolute time in seconds, ADDRESS+ is one or more
addresses corresponding to the registration, and FLAGS are the NetBIOS
flags for the registration.

A typical dynamic entry looks like this:

"MADMAN#03" 1155298378 192.168.1.2 66R

To make a NetBIOS name static (permanent), simply set the TTL to 0, like
this:

"MADMAN#03" 0 192.168.1.2 66R

The NetBIOS flags may be interpreted as additive hexadecimal values: 00

- Broadcast node registration, 20 - Peer node registration, 40 - Meta node
registration, 60 - Hybrid node registration, 02 - Permanent name, 04 - Active
name, 80 - Group name. The ’R’ indications this is a registration record.
Thus 66R means: Hyrbid node active and permanent NetBIOS name. These
values may be found in the nameserv.h header file from the Samba source
code repository. These are the values for the NB flags.

Though this method works with early Samba-3 versions, there is a possibility
that it may change in future versions if WINS replication is added.
Section 9.6. Helpful Hints 163

9.6 Helpful Hints

The following hints should be carefully considered because they are stum-
bling points for many new network administrators.

9.6.1 Windows Networking Protocols

A common cause of browsing problems results from the installation of more

than one protocol on an MS Windows machine.

Warning

Do not use more than one protocol on MS Windows

clients.

Every NetBIOS machine takes part in a process of electing the LMB (and
DMB) every 15 minutes. A set of election criteria is used to determine the
order of precedence for winning this election process. A machine running
Samba or Windows NT will be biased, so the most suitable machine will
predictably win and thus retain its role.

The election process is fought out, so to speak over every NetBIOS network
interface. In the case of a Windows 9x/Me machine that has both TCP/IP
and IPX installed and has NetBIOS enabled over both protocols, the election
will be decided over both protocols. As often happens, if the Windows
9x/Me machine is the only one with both protocols, then the LMB may be
won on the NetBIOS interface over the IPX protocol. Samba will then lose
the LMB role because Windows 9x/Me will insist it knows who the LMB is.
Samba will then cease to function as an LMB, and browse list operation on
all TCP/IP-only machines will therefore fail.

Windows 95, 98, 98se, and Me are referred to generically as Windows 9x/Me.
The Windows NT4, 200x, and XP use common protocols. These are roughly
referred to as the Windows NT family, but it should be recognized that 2000
and XP/2003 introduce new protocol extensions that cause them to behave
differently from MS Windows NT4. Generally, where a server does not
164 Network Browsing Chapter 9

support the newer or extended protocol, these will fall back to the NT4
protocols.
The safest rule of all to follow is: Use only one protocol!

9.6.2 Name Resolution Order

Resolution of NetBIOS names to IP addresses can take place using a number

of methods. The only ones that can provide NetBIOS name type informa-
tion are:
• WINS — the best tool.
• LMHOSTS — static and hard to maintain.
• Broadcast — uses UDP and cannot resolve names across remote seg-
ments.
Alternative means of name resolution include:
• Static /etc/hosts — hard to maintain and lacks name type info.
• DNS — is a good choice but lacks essential NetBIOS name type in-
formation.
Many sites want to restrict DNS lookups and avoid broadcast name resolu-
tion traffic. The name resolve order parameter is of great help here. The
syntax of the name resolve order parameter is:

name r e s o l v e o r d e r = wins l m h o s t s b c a s t ←-
host

or

name r e s o l v e o r d e r = wins l m h o s t s ( ←-
e l i m i n a t e s b c a s t and h o s t )

The default is:

name r e s o l v e o r d e r = h o s t lmhost wins b c a s t
,

where “host” refers to the native methods used by the UNIX system to
implement the gethostbyname() function call. This is normally controlled
by /etc/host.conf, /etc/nsswitch.conf and /etc/resolv.conf.
Section 9.7. Technical Overview of Browsing 165

9.7 Technical Overview of Browsing

SMB networking provides a mechanism by which clients can access a list

of machines in a network called browse list. This list contains machines
that are ready to offer file and/or print services to other machines within
the network. It therefore does not include machines that aren’t currently
able to do server tasks. The browse list is heavily used by all SMB clients.
Configuration of SMB browsing has been problematic for some Samba users,
hence this document.

MS Windows 2000 and later versions, as with Samba-3 and later versions,
can be configured to not use NetBIOS over TCP/IP. When configured this
way, it is imperative that name resolution (using DNS/LDAP/ADS) be cor-
rectly configured and operative. Browsing will not work if name resolution
from SMB machine names to IP addresses does not function correctly.

Where NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled, use of a WINS server is highly

recommended to aid the resolution of NetBIOS (SMB) names to IP ad-
dresses. WINS allows remote segment clients to obtain NetBIOS name type
information that cannot be provided by any other means of name resolution.

9.7.1 Browsing Support in Samba

Samba facilitates browsing. The browsing is supported by nmbd and is also

controlled by options in the smb.conf file. Samba can act as an LMB for
a workgroup, and the ability to support domain logons and scripts is now
available.

Samba can also act as a DMB for a workgroup. This means that it will col-
late lists from LMBs into a wide-area network server list. In order for browse
clients to resolve the names they may find in this list, it is recommended
that both Samba and your clients use a WINS server.

Do not set Samba to be the domain master for a workgroup that has the
same name as an NT Domain. On each wide-area network, you must only
ever have one DMB per workgroup, regardless of whether it is NT, Samba,
or any other type of domain master that is providing this service.
166 Network Browsing Chapter 9

Note

nmbd can be configured as a WINS server, but it is not

necessary to specifically use Samba as your WINS server.
MS Windows NT4, Server or Advanced Server 200x can
be configured as your WINS server. In a mixed NT/200x
server and Samba environment on a WAN, it is recom-
mended that you use the Microsoft WINS server capabil-
ities. In a Samba-only environment, it is recommended
that you use one and only one Samba server as the WINS
server.

To get browsing to work, you need to run nmbd as usual, but must use the
workgroup option in smb.conf to control what workgroup Samba becomes
a part of.

Samba also has a useful option for a Samba server to offer itself for browsing
on another subnet. It is recommended that this option is used only for
“unusual” purposes: announcements over the Internet, for example. See
remote announce in the smb.conf man page.

9.7.2 Problem Resolution

If something does not work, the log.nmbd file will help to track down the
problem. Try a log level of 2 or 3 for finding problems. Also note that the
current browse list usually gets stored in text form in a file called browse.
dat.

If it does not work, you should still be able to type the server name as
\\SERVER in filemanager, then press enter, and filemanager should dis-
play the list of available shares.

Some people find browsing fails because they do not have the global guest
account set to a valid account. Remember that the IPC$ connection that
lists the shares is done as guest and so you must have a valid guest account.
Section 9.7. Technical Overview of Browsing 167

Note

The IPC$ share is used by all SMB/CIFS clients to obtain

the list of resources that is available on the server. This is
the source of the list of shares and printers when browsing
an SMB/CIFS server (also Windows machines) using the
Windows Explorer to browse resources through the Win-
dows Network Neighborhood (also called My Network
Places) through to a Windows server. At this point the
client has opened a connection to the \\server\IPC4
resource. Clicking on a share will then open up a con-
nection to the \\server\share.

MS Windows 2000 and later (as with Samba) can be configured to disallow
anonymous (i.e., guest account) access to the IPC$ share. In that case, the
MS Windows 2000/XP/2003 machine acting as an SMB/CIFS client will
use the name of the currently logged-in user to query the IPC$ share. MS
Windows 9x/Me clients are not able to do this and thus will not be able to
browse server resources.
The other big problem people have is that their broadcast address, netmask,
or IP address is wrong (specified with the interfaces option in smb.conf)

9.7.3 Cross-Subnet Browsing

Since the release of Samba 1.9.17 (alpha1), Samba has supported the repli-
cation of browse lists across subnet boundaries. This section describes how
to set this feature up in different settings.
To see browse lists that span TCP/IP subnets (i.e., networks separated
by routers that do not pass broadcast traffic), you must set up at least
one WINS server. The WINS server acts as a DNS for NetBIOS names.
This will allow NetBIOS name-to-IP address translation to be completed
by a direct query of the WINS server. This is done via a directed UDP
packet on port 137 to the WINS server machine. The WINS server avoids
the necessity of default NetBIOS name-to-IP address translation, which is
done using UDP broadcasts from the querying machine. This means that
machines on one subnet will not be able to resolve the names of machines
on another subnet without using a WINS server. The Samba hacks, remote
168 Network Browsing Chapter 9

browse sync, and remote announce are designed to get around the natural
limitations that provent UDP broadcast propagation. The hacks are not a
universal solution and they should not be used in place of WINS, they are
considered last resort methods.
Remember, for browsing across subnets to work correctly, all machines, be
they Windows 95, Windows NT, or Samba servers, must have the IP ad-
dress of a WINS server given to them by a DHCP server or by manual
configuration: for Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT/200x/XP, this is in
the TCP/IP Properties, under Network settings; for Samba, this is in the
smb.conf file.
It is possible to operate Samba-3 without NetBIOS over TCP/IP. If you
do this, be warned that if used outside of MS ADS, this will forgo network
browsing support. ADS permits network browsing support through DNS,
providing appropriate DNS records are inserted for all Samba servers.

9.7.3.1 Behavior of Cross-Subnet Browsing

Cross-subnet browsing is a complicated dance, containing multiple moving

parts. It has taken Microsoft several years to get the code that correctly
achieves this, and Samba lags behind in some areas. Samba is capable of
cross-subnet browsing when configured correctly.
Consider a network set up as in Figure 9.1.
This consists of three subnets (1, 2, 3) connected by two routers (R1, R2),
which do not pass broadcasts. Subnet 1 has five machines on it, subnet 2 has
four machines, and subnet 3 has four machines. Assume for the moment that
all machines are configured to be in the same workgroup (for simplicity’s
sake). Machine N1 C on subnet 1 is configured as the DMB (i.e., it will
collate the browse lists for the workgroup). Machine N2 D is configured as
a WINS server, and all the other machines are configured to register their
NetBIOS names with it.
As these machines are booted up, elections for master browsers take place
on each of the three subnets. Assume that machine N1 C wins on subnet
1, N2 B wins on subnet 2, and N3 D wins on subnet 3. These machines
are known as LMBs for their particular subnet. N1 C has an advantage in
winning as the LMB on subnet 1 because it is set up as DMB.
On each of the three networks, machines that are configured to offer sharing
Section 9.7. Technical Overview of Browsing 169

N1_A N1_B N1_C (DMB) N1_D N1_E

Subnet 1

Router 1 Router 2

Subnet 2 Subnet 3

N2_A N2_B N2_C N2_D N3_A N3_B N3_C N3_D

(WINS)

Figure 9.1. Cross-Subnet Browsing Example.

services will broadcast that they are offering these services. The LMB on
each subnet will receive these broadcasts and keep a record of the fact that
the machine is offering a service. This list of records is the basis of the
browse list. For this case, assume that all the machines are configured to
offer services, so all machines will be on the browse list.
For each network, the LMB on that network is considered authoritative for
all the names it receives via local broadcast. This is because a machine seen
by the LMB via a local broadcast must be on the same network as the Local
Master Browser and thus is a trusted and verifiable resource. Machines on
other networks that the LMBs learn about when collating their browse lists
have not been directly seen. These records are called non-authoritative.
At this point the browse lists appear as shown in Table 9.1 (these are the
machines you would see in your network neighborhood if you looked in it on
a particular network right now).
At this point all the subnets are separate, and no machine is seen across any
of the subnets.
Now examine subnet 2 in Table 9.2. As soon as N2 B has become the LMB,
it looks for a DMB with which to synchronize its browse list. It does this
170 Network Browsing Chapter 9

Table 9.1. Browse Subnet Example 1

Subnet Browse Master List
Subnet1 N1 C N1 A, N1 B, N1 C, N1 D, N1 E
Subnet2 N2 B N2 A, N2 B, N2 C, N2 D
Subnet3 N3 D N3 A, N3 B, N3 C, N3 D

by querying the WINS server (N2 D) for the IP address associated with the
NetBIOS name WORKGROUP<1B>. This name was registered by the
DMB (N1 C) with the WINS server as soon as it was started.

Once N2 B knows the address of the DMB, it tells it that is the LMB for sub-
net 2 by sending a MasterAnnouncement packet as a UDP port 138 packet.
It then synchronizes with it by doing a NetServerEnum2 call. This tells the
DMB to send it all the server names it knows about. Once the DMB receives
the MasterAnnouncement packet, it schedules a synchronization request to
the sender of that packet. After both synchronizations are complete, the
browse lists look like those in Table 9.2

Table 9.2. Browse Subnet Example 2

Subnet Browse Master List
Subnet1 N1 C N1 A, N1 B, N1 C, N1 D, N1 E, N2 A(*),
N2 B(*), N2 C(*), N2 D(*)
Subnet2 N2 B N2 A, N2 B, N2 C, N2 D, N1 A(*),
N1 B(*), N1 C(*), N1 D(*), N1 E(*)
Subnet3 N3 D N3 A, N3 B, N3 C, N3 D

Servers with an (*) after them are non-authoritative names.

At this point users looking in their Network Neighborhood on subnets 1 or

2 will see all the servers on both; users on subnet 3 will still see only the
servers on their own subnet.

The same sequence of events that occurred for N2 B now occurs for the
LMB on subnet 3 (N3 D). When it synchronizes browse lists with the DMB
(N1 A) it gets both the server entries on subnet 1 and those on subnet 2.
After N3 D has synchronized with N1 C and vica versa, the browse lists will
appear as shown in Table 9.3

Servers with an (*) after them are non-authoritative names.

Section 9.7. Technical Overview of Browsing 171

Table 9.3. Browse Subnet Example 3

Subnet Browse Master List
Subnet1 N1 C N1 A, N1 B, N1 C, N1 D, N1 E, N2 A(*),
N2 B(*), N2 C(*), N2 D(*), N3 A(*),
N3 B(*), N3 C(*), N3 D(*)
Subnet2 N2 B N2 A, N2 B, N2 C, N2 D, N1 A(*),
N1 B(*), N1 C(*), N1 D(*), N1 E(*)
Subnet3 N3 D N3 A, N3 B, N3 C, N3 D, N1 A(*),
N1 B(*), N1 C(*), N1 D(*), N1 E(*),
N2 A(*), N2 B(*), N2 C(*), N2 D(*)

At this point, users looking in their Network Neighborhood on subnets 1 or

3 will see all the servers on all subnets, while users on subnet 2 will still see
only the servers on subnets 1 and 2, but not 3.
Finally, the LMB for subnet 2 (N2 B) will sync again with the DMB (N1 C)
and will receive the missing server entries. Finally, as when a steady state
(if no machines are removed or shut off) has been achieved, the browse lists
will appear as shown in Table 9.4.

Table 9.4. Browse Subnet Example 4

Subnet Browse Master List
Subnet1 N1 C N1 A, N1 B, N1 C, N1 D, N1 E, N2 A(*),
N2 B(*), N2 C(*), N2 D(*), N3 A(*),
N3 B(*), N3 C(*), N3 D(*)
Subnet2 N2 B N2 A, N2 B, N2 C, N2 D, N1 A(*),
N1 B(*), N1 C(*), N1 D(*), N1 E(*),
N3 A(*), N3 B(*), N3 C(*), N3 D(*)
Subnet3 N3 D N3 A, N3 B, N3 C, N3 D, N1 A(*),
N1 B(*), N1 C(*), N1 D(*), N1 E(*),
N2 A(*), N2 B(*), N2 C(*), N2 D(*)

Servers with an (*) after them are non-authoritative names.

Synchronizations between the DMB and LMBs will continue to occur, but
this should remain a steady-state operation.
If either router R1 or R2 fails, the following will occur:
1. Names of computers on each side of the inaccessible network frag-
172 Network Browsing Chapter 9

ments will be maintained for as long as 36 minutes in the Network

Neighborhood lists.
2. Attempts to connect to these inaccessible computers will fail, but the
names will not be removed from the Network Neighborhood lists.
3. If one of the fragments is cut off from the WINS server, it will only be
able to access servers on its local subnet using subnet-isolated broad-
cast NetBIOS name resolution. The effect is similar to that of losing
access to a DNS server.

9.8 Common Errors

Many questions are asked on the mailing lists regarding browsing. The ma-
jority of browsing problems originate from incorrect configuration of Net-
BIOS name resolution. Some are of particular note.

9.8.1 How Can One Flush the Samba NetBIOS Name Cache
without Restarting Samba?

Samba’s nmbd process controls all browse list handling. Under normal
circumstances it is safe to restart nmbd. This will effectively flush the
Samba NetBIOS name cache and cause it to be rebuilt. This does not make
certain that a rogue machine name will not reappear in the browse list.
When nmbd is taken out of service, another machine on the network will
become the browse master. This new list may still have the rogue entry in it.
If you really want to clear a rogue machine from the list, every machine on
the network must be shut down and restarted after all machines are down.
Failing a complete restart, the only other thing you can do is wait until the
entry times out and is then flushed from the list. This may take a long time
on some networks (perhaps months).

9.8.2 Server Resources Cannot Be Listed

“My Client Reports ”‘This server is not configured to list shared resources.”’”
Your guest account is probably invalid for some reason. Samba uses the
guest account for browsing in smbd. Check that your guest account is
valid.
Section 9.8. Common Errors 173

Also see guest account in the smb.conf man page.

9.8.3 I Get an ”Unable to browse the network” Error

This error can have multiple causes:

• There is no LMB. Configure nmbd or any other machine to serve as

LMB.

• You cannot log onto the machine that is the LMB. Can you log on to
it as a guest user?

• There is no IP connectivity to the LMB. Can you reach it by broad-

cast?

9.8.4 Browsing of Shares and Directories is Very Slow

“ There are only two machines on a test network. One is a Samba server, the
other a Windows XP machine. Authentication and logons work perfectly,
but when I try to explore shares on the Samba server, the Windows XP client
becomes unresponsive. Sometimes it does not respond for some minutes.
Eventually, Windows Explorer will respond and displays files and directories
without problem.”

“ But, the share is immediately available from a command shell (cmd,

followed by exploration with DOS command. Is this a Samba problem, or
is it a Windows problem? How can I solve this?”

Here are a few possibilities:

Bad Networking Hardware Most common defective hardware problems

center around low cost or defective hubs, routers, network interface
controllers (NICs), and bad wiring. If one piece of hardware is de-
fective, the whole network may suffer. Bad networking hardware can
cause data corruption. Most bad networking hardware problems are
accompanied by an increase in apparent network traffic, but not all.

The Windows XP WebClient A number of sites have reported similar

slow network browsing problems and found that when the WebClient
174 Network Browsing Chapter 9

service is turned off, the problem disappears. This is certainly some-

thing that should be explored because it is a simple solution — if it
works.

Inconsistent WINS Configuration This type of problem is common when

one client is configured to use a WINS server (that is a TCP/IP con-
figuration setting) and there is no WINS server on the network. Alter-
natively, this will happen if there is a WINS server and Samba is not
configured to use it. The use of WINS is highly recommended if the
network is using NetBIOS over TCP/IP protocols. If use of NetBIOS
over TCP/IP is disabled on all clients, Samba should not be configured
as a WINS server, nor should it be configured to use one.

Incorrect DNS Configuration If use of NetBIOS over TCP/IP is dis-

abled, Active Directory is in use and the DNS server has been incor-
rectly configured. For further information refer to Section 9.3.3.
Chapter 10

ACCOUNT INFORMATION
DATABASES

Samba-3 implements a new capability to work concurrently with multiple

account backends. The possible new combinations of password backends
allows Samba-3 a degree of flexibility and scalability that previously could
be achieved only with MS Windows Active Directory (ADS). This chapter
describes the new functionality and how to get the most out of it.

The three passdb backends that are fully maintained (actively supported)
by the Samba Team are: smbpasswd (being obsoleted), tdbsam (a tdb based
binary file format), and ldapsam (LDAP directory). Of these, only the
ldapsam backend stores both POSIX (UNIX) and Samba user and group
account information in a single repository. The smbpasswd and tdbsam
backends store only Samba user accounts.

In a strict sense, there are three supported account storage and access sys-
tems. One of these is considered obsolete (smbpasswd). It is recommended
to use tdbsam method for all simple systems. Use the ldapsam for larger
and more complex networks.

In a strict and literal sense, the passdb backends are account storage mech-
anisms (or methods) alone. The choice of terminology can be misleading,
however we are stuck with this choice of wording. This chapter documents
the nature of the account storage system with a focus on user and trust ac-
counts. Trust accounts have two forms, machine trust accounts (computer
accounts) and interdomain trust accounts. These are all treated as user-like
entities.

175
176 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

10.1 Features and Benefits

Samba-3 provides for complete backward compatibility with Samba-2.2.x

functionality as follows:

10.1.1 Backward Compatibility Account Storage Systems

Plaintext This isn’t really a backend at all, but is listed here for simplicity.
Samba can be configured to pass plaintext authentication requests
to the traditional UNIX/Linux /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow-style
subsystems. On systems that have Pluggable Authentication Modules
(PAM) support, all PAM modules are supported. The behavior is
just as it was with Samba-2.2.x, and the protocol limitations imposed
by MS Windows clients apply likewise. Please refer to Section 10.2,
for more information regarding the limitations of plaintext password
usage.

smbpasswd This option allows continued use of the smbpasswd file that
maintains a plain ASCII (text) layout that includes the MS Win-
dows LanMan and NT-encrypted passwords as well as a field that
stores some account information. This form of password backend does
not store any of the MS Windows NT/200x SAM (Security Account
Manager) information required to provide the extended controls that
are needed for more comprehensive interoperation with MS Windows
NT4/200x servers.

This backend should be used only for backward compatibility with

older versions of Samba. It may be deprecated in future releases.

ldapsam compat (Samba-2.2 LDAP Compatibility) There is a pass-

word backend option that allows continued operation with an existing
OpenLDAP backend that uses the Samba-2.2.x LDAP schema exten-
sion. This option is provided primarily as a migration tool, although
there is no reason to force migration at this time. This tool will even-
tually be deprecated.
Section 10.1. Features and Benefits 177

10.1.2 New Account Storage Systems

Samba-3 introduces a number of new password backend capabilities.

tdbsam This backend provides a rich database backend for local servers.
This backend is not suitable for multiple domain controllers (i.e., PDC
+ one or more BDC) installations.
The tdbsam password backend stores the old smbpasswd information
plus the extended MS Windows NT/200x SAM information into a bi-
nary format TDB (trivial database) file. The inclusion of the extended
information makes it possible for Samba-3 to implement the same ac-
count and system access controls that are possible with MS Windows
NT4/200x-based systems.
The inclusion of the tdbsam capability is a direct response to user
requests to allow simple site operation without the overhead of the
complexities of running OpenLDAP. It is recommended to use this
only for sites that have fewer than 250 users. For larger sites or imple-
mentations, the use of OpenLDAP or of Active Directory integration
is strongly recommended.

ldapsam This provides a rich directory backend for distributed account

installation.
Samba-3 has a new and extended LDAP implementation that requires
configuration of OpenLDAP with a new format Samba schema. The
new format schema file is included in the examples/LDAP directory of
the Samba distribution.
The new LDAP implementation significantly expands the control abil-
ities that were possible with prior versions of Samba. It is now possible
to specify “per-user” profile settings, home directories, account access
controls, and much more. Corporate sites will see that the Samba
Team has listened to their requests both for capability and greater
scalability.

mysqlsam (MySQL-based backend) It is expected that the MySQL-

based SAM will be very popular in some corners. This database back-
end will be of considerable interest to sites that want to leverage ex-
178 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

isting MySQL technology.

pgsqlsam (PostGreSQL-based backend) Stores user information in a

PostgreSQL database. This backend is largely undocumented at the
moment, though its configuration is very similar to that of the mysql-
sam backend.

xmlsam (XML-based datafile) Allows the account and password data

to be stored in an XML format data file. This backend cannot be
used for normal operation, it can only be used in conjunction with
pdbedit’s pdb2pdb functionality. The Document Type Definition
(DTD) file that is used might be subject to changes in the future.
(See the XML reference1 for a definition of XML terms.)
The xmlsam option can be useful for account migration between database
backends or backups. Use of this tool allows the data to be edited be-
fore migration into another backend format.

10.2 Technical Information

Old Windows clients send plaintext passwords over the wire. Samba can
check these passwords by encrypting them and comparing them to the hash
stored in the UNIX user database.
Newer Windows clients send encrypted passwords (LanMan and NT hashes)
instead of plaintext passwords over the wire. The newest clients will send
only encrypted passwords and refuse to send plaintext passwords unless their
registry is tweaked.
Many people ask why Samba can not simply use the UNIX password database.
Windows requires passwords that are encrypted in its own format. The
UNIX passwords can’t be converted to UNIX-style encrypted passwords.
Because of that, you can’t use the standard UNIX user database, and you
have to store the LanMan and NT hashes somewhere else.
In addition to differently encrypted passwords, Windows also stores certain
data for each user that is not stored in a UNIX user database: for example,
workstations the user may logon from, the location where the user’s profile
1
<http://www.brics.dk/~amoeller/XML/schemas/>
Section 10.2. Technical Information 179

is stored, and so on. Samba retrieves and stores this information using a
passdb backend. Commonly available backends are LDAP, tdbsam, plain
text file, and MySQL. For more information, see the man page for smb.
conf regarding the passdb backend parameter.

SID

guest
smbpasswd
Yes tdbsam
Our Domain? PassDB
ldapsam
ldapsam_compat
No

winbindd_idmap.tdb
Winbind
ldapsam

No Yes
Fail Found? UID

Figure 10.1. IDMAP: Resolution of SIDs to UIDs.

The resolution of SIDs to UIDs is fundamental to correct operation of Samba.

In both cases shown, if winbindd is not running or cannot be contacted, then
only local SID/UID resolution is possible. See Figure 10.1 and Figure 10.2
diagrams.

10.2.1 Important Notes About Security

The UNIX and SMB password encryption techniques seem similar on the
surface. This similarity is, however, only skin deep. The UNIX scheme
typically sends clear-text passwords over the network when logging in. This
is bad. The SMB encryption scheme never sends the clear-text password over
the network, but it does store the 16-byte hashed values on disk. This is also
bad. Why? Because the 16 byte hashed values are a “password equivalent.”
You cannot derive the user’s password from them, but they could potentially
180 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

UID

guest
smbpasswd
PassDB tdbsam
ldapsam
ldapsam_compat

No winbindd_idmap.tdb
Found? Winbind
ldapsam

Yes

No
Found? Fail

Yes

SID

Figure 10.2. IDMAP: Resolution of UIDs to SIDs.

be used in a modified client to gain access to a server. This would require

considerable technical knowledge on behalf of the attacker but is perfectly
possible. You should therefore treat the data stored in whatever passdb
backend you use (smbpasswd file, LDAP, MYSQL) as though it contained
the clear-text passwords of all your users. Its contents must be kept secret,
and the file should be protected accordingly.

Ideally, we would like a password scheme that involves neither plaintext

passwords on the network nor plaintext passwords on disk. Unfortunately,
this is not available because Samba is stuck with having to be compatible
with other SMB systems (Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, Windows
9x/Me).
Section 10.2. Technical Information 181

Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 changed the default setting so plaintext

passwords are disabled from being sent over the wire. This mandates either
the use of encrypted password support or editing the Windows NT registry
to re-enable plaintext passwords.

The following versions of Microsoft Windows do not support full domain

security protocols, although they may log onto a domain environment:

• MS DOS Network client 3.0 with the basic network redirector installed.

• Windows 95 with the network redirector update installed.

• Windows 98 [Second Edition].

• Windows Me.

Note

MS Windows XP Home does not have facilities to become

a domain member, and it cannot participate in domain
logons.

The following versions of MS Windows fully support domain security pro-

tocols.

• Windows NT 3.5x.

• Windows NT 4.0.

• Windows 2000 Professional.

• Windows 200x Server/Advanced Server.

• Windows XP Professional.

All current releases of Microsoft SMB/CIFS clients support authentication

via the SMB challenge/response mechanism described here. Enabling clear-
text authentication does not disable the ability of the client to participate
in encrypted authentication. Instead, it allows the client to negotiate either
plaintext or encrypted password handling.
182 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

MS Windows clients will cache the encrypted password alone. Where plain-
text passwords are re-enabled through the appropriate registry change, the
plaintext password is never cached. This means that in the event that a
network connections should become disconnected (broken), only the cached
(encrypted) password will be sent to the resource server to effect an auto-
reconnect. If the resource server does not support encrypted passwords, the
auto-reconnect will fail. Use of encrypted passwords is strongly advised.

10.2.1.1 Advantages of Encrypted Passwords

• Plaintext passwords are not passed across the network. Someone us-
ing a network sniffer cannot just record passwords going to the SMB
server.

• Plaintext passwords are not stored anywhere in memory or on disk.

• Windows NT does not like talking to a server that does not support
encrypted passwords. It will refuse to browse the server if the server
is also in user-level security mode. It will insist on prompting the user
for the password on each connection, which is very annoying. The only
thing you can do to stop this is to use SMB encryption.

• Encrypted password support allows automatic share (resource) recon-

nects.

• Encrypted passwords are essential for PDC/BDC operation.

10.2.1.2 Advantages of Non-Encrypted Passwords

• Plaintext passwords are not kept on disk and are not cached in mem-
ory.

• Plaintext passwords use the same password file as other UNIX services,
such as Login and FTP.

• Use of other services (such as Telnet and FTP) that send plaintext
passwords over the network makes sending them for SMB is not such
a big deal.
Section 10.2. Technical Information 183

10.2.2 Mapping User Identifiers between MS Windows and UNIX

Every operation in UNIX/Linux requires a user identifier (UID), just as

in MS Windows NT4/200x this requires a security identifier (SID). Samba
provides two means for mapping an MS Windows user to a UNIX/Linux
UID.
First, all Samba SAM database accounts require a UNIX/Linux UID that
the account will map to. As users are added to the account information
database, Samba will call the add user script interface to add the account
to the Samba host OS. In essence all accounts in the local SAM require a
local user account.
The second way to map Windows SID to UNIX UID is via the idmap uid
and idmap gid parameters in smb.conf. Please refer to the man page for
information about these parameters. These parameters are essential when
mapping users from a remote (non-member Windows client or a member of
a foreign domain) SAM server.

10.2.3 Mapping Common UIDs/GIDs on Distributed Machines

Samba-3 has a special facility that makes it possible to maintain identi-

cal UIDs and GIDs on all servers in a distributed network. A distributed
network is one where there exists a PDC, one or more BDCs, and/or one
or more domain member servers. Why is this important? This is impor-
tant if files are being shared over more than one protocol (e.g., NFS) and
where users are copying files across UNIX/Linux systems using tools such
as rsync.
The special facility is enabled using a parameter called idmap backend.
The default setting for this parameter is an empty string. Technically it is
possible to use an LDAP-based idmap backend for UIDs and GIDs, but it
makes most sense when this is done for network configurations that also use
LDAP for the SAM backend. Example 10.2.1 shows that configuration.
A network administrator who wants to make significant use of LDAP back-
ends will sooner or later be exposed to the excellent work done by PADL
Software. PADL <http://www.padl.com> have produced and released to
open source an array of tools that might be of interest. These tools include:
• nss ldap: An LDAP name service switch (NSS) module to provide na-
tive name service support for AIX, Linux, Solaris, and other operating
184 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

Example 10.2.1. Example Configuration with the LDAP idmap Backend

[ global ]
idmap backend = l d a p : l d a p : / / ldap−s e r v e r . ←-
quenya . o r g : 6 3 6
# A l t e r n a t i v e l y , t h i s c o u l d be s p e c i f i e d as :
idmap backend = l d a p : l d a p s : / / ldap−s e r v e r . ←-
quenya . o r g

systems. This tool can be used for centralized storage and retrieval of
UIDs and GIDs.

• pam ldap: A PAM module that provides LDAP integration for UNIX/Linux
system access authentication.

• idmap ad: An IDMAP backend that supports the Microsoft Services

for UNIX RFC 2307 schema available from the PADL Web site2 .

10.2.4 Comments Regarding LDAP

There is much excitement and interest in LDAP directories in the informa-

tion technology world today. The LDAP architecture was designed to be
highly scalable. It was also designed for use across a huge number of po-
tential areas of application encompasing a wide range of operating systems
and platforms. LDAP technologies are at the heart of the current genera-
tions of Federated Identity Management (FIM) solutions that can underlie
a corporate Single Sign-On (SSO) environment.

LDAP implementations have been built across a wide variety of platforms.

It lies at the core of Microsoft Windows Active Directory services (ADS),
Novell’s eDirectory, as well as many others. Implementation of the directory
services LDAP involves interaction with legacy as well as new generation
applications, all of which depend on some form of authentication services.

UNIX services can utilize LDAP directory information for authentication

and access controls through intermediate tools and utilities. The total envi-
ronment that consists of the LDAP directory and the middle-ware tools and
2
<http://www.padl.com/download/xad_oss_plugins.tar.gz>
Section 10.2. Technical Information 185

utilities makes it possible for all user access to the UNIX platform to be man-
aged from a central environment and yet distributed to wherever the point
of need may be physically located. Applications that benefit from this in-
frastructure include: UNIX login shells, mail and messaging systems, quota
controls, printing systems, DNS servers, DHCP servers, and also Samba.
Many sites are installing LDAP for the first time in order to provide a
scalable passdb backend for Samba. Others are faced with the need to
adapt an existing LDAP directory to new uses such as for the Samba SAM
backend. Whatever your particular need and attraction to Samba may be,
decisions made in respect of the design of the LDAP directory structure
and its implementation are of a durable nature for the site. These have far-
reaching implications that affect long term information systems management
costs.
Do not rush into an LDAP deployment. Take the time to understand how
the design of the Directory Information Tree (DIT) may impact current and
future site needs, as well as the ability to meet them. The way that Samba
SAM information should be stored within the DIT varies from site to site and
with each implementation new experience is gained. It is well understood
by LDAP veterans that first implementation create awakening, second im-
plementations of LDAP create fear, and third-generation deployments bring
peace and tranquility.

10.2.4.1 Caution Regarding LDAP and Samba

Samba requires UNIX POSIX identity information as well as a place to

store information that is specific to Samba and the Windows networking
environment. The most used information that must be dealt with includes:
user accounts, group accounts, machine trust accounts, interdomain trust
accounts, and intermediate information specific to Samba internals.
The example deployment guidelines in this book, as well as other books and
HOWTO documents available from the internet may not fit with established
directory designs and implementations. The existing DIT may not be able
to accomodate the simple information layout proposed in common sources.
Additionally, you may find that the common scripts and tools that are used
to provision the LDAP directory for use with Samba may not suit your
needs.
It is not uncommon, for sites that have existing LDAP DITs to find necessity
186 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

to generate a set of site specific scripts and utilities to make it possible

to deploy Samba within the scope of site operations. The way that user
and group accounts are distributed throughout the DIT may make this a
challenging matter. The solution will of course be rewarding, but the journey
to it may be challenging. Take time to understand site needs and do not
rush into deployment.
Above all, do not blindly use scripts and tools that are not suitable for your
site. Check and validate all scripts before you execute them to make sure
that the existing infrastructure will not be damaged by inadvertent use of
an inappropriate tool.

10.2.5 LDAP Directories and Windows Computer Accounts

Samba doesn’t provide a turnkey solution to LDAP. It is best to deal with

the design and configuration of an LDAP directory prior to integration with
Samba. A working knowledge of LDAP makes Samba integration easy, and
the lack of a working knowledge of LDAP can make it a frustrating experi-
ence.
Computer (machine) accounts can be placed wherever you like in an LDAP
directory subject to some constraints that are described in this chapter.
The POSIX and sambaSamAccount components of computer (machine) ac-
counts are both used by Samba. Thus, machine accounts are treated inside
Samba in the same way that Windows NT4/200X treats them. A user ac-
count and a machine account are indistinquishable from each other, except
that the machine account ends in a $ character, as do trust accounts.
The need for Windows user, group, machine, trust, and other accounts to
be tied to a valid UNIX UID is a design decision that was made a long way
back in the history of Samba development. It is unlikely that this decision
will be reversed or changed during the remaining life of the Samba-3.x series.
The resolution of a UID from the Windows SID is achieved within Samba
through a mechanism that must refer back to the host operating system on
which Samba is running. The NSS is the preferred mechanism that shields
applications (like Samba) from the need to know everything about every
host OS it runs on.
Samba asks the host OS to provide a UID via the “passwd”, “shadow”, and
“group” facilities in the NSS control (configuration) file. The best tool for
Section 10.3. Account Management Tools 187

achieving this is left up to the UNIX administrator to determine. It is not

imposed by Samba. Samba provides winbindd with its support libraries as
one method. It is possible to do this via LDAP, and for that Samba provides
the appropriate hooks so that all account entities can be located in an LDAP
directory.
For many the weapon of choice is to use the PADL nss ldap utility. This
utility must be configured so that computer accounts can be resolved to a
POSIX/UNIX account UID. That is fundamentally an LDAP design ques-
tion. The information provided on the Samba list and in the documentation
is directed at providing working examples only. The design of an LDAP di-
rectory is a complex subject that is beyond the scope of this documentation.

10.3 Account Management Tools

Samba provides two tools for management of user and machine accounts:
smbpasswd and pdbedit.
Some people are confused when reference is made to smbpasswd because the
name refers to a storage mechanism for SambaSAMAccount information,
but it is also the name of a utility tool. That tool is destined to eventually
be replaced by new functionality that is being added to the net toolset (see
Chapter 12, “Remote and Local Management: The Net Command”.

10.3.1 The smbpasswd Command

The smbpasswd utility is similar to the passwd and yppasswd programs.

It maintains the two 32 byte password fields in the passdb backend. This
utility operates independantly of the actual account and password storage
methods used (as specified by the passdb backend in the smb.conf file.
smbpasswd works in a client-server mode where it contacts the local smbd
to change the user’s password on its behalf. This has enormous benefits.
smbpasswd has the capability to change passwords on Windows NT servers
(this only works when the request is sent to the NT PDC if changing an NT
domain user’s password).
smbpasswd can be used to:
• add user or machine accounts.
188 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

• delete user or machine accounts.

• enable user or machine accounts.

• disable user or machine accounts.

• set to NULL user passwords.

• manage interdomain trust accounts.

To run smbpasswd as a normal user, just type:

$ smbpasswd
Old SMB password: secret

For secret, type the old value here or press return if there is no old pass-
word.

New SMB Password: new secret

Repeat New SMB Password: new secret

If the old value does not match the current value stored for that user, or
the two new values do not match each other, then the password will not be
changed.

When invoked by an ordinary user, the command will allow only the user
to change his or her own SMB password.

When run by root, smbpasswd may take an optional argument specifying

the username whose SMB password you wish to change. When run as root,
smbpasswd does not prompt for or check the old password value, thus
allowing root to set passwords for users who have forgotten their passwords.

smbpasswd is designed to work in the way familiar to UNIX users who use
the passwd or yppasswd commands. While designed for administrative
use, this tool provides essential user-level password change capabilities.

For more details on using smbpasswd, refer to the man page (the definitive
reference).
Section 10.3. Account Management Tools 189

10.3.2 The pdbedit Command

pdbedit is a tool that can be used only by root. It is used to manage the
passdb backend. pdbedit can be used to:
• add, remove, or modify user accounts.
• list user accounts.
• migrate user accounts.
The pdbedit tool is the only one that can manage the account security and
policy settings. It is capable of all operations that smbpasswd can do as
well as a superset of them.
One particularly important purpose of the pdbedit is to allow the migra-
tion of account information from one passdb backend to another. See the
Section 10.4.6 password backend section of this chapter.
The following is an example of the user account information that is stored
in a tdbsam password backend. This listing was produced by running:

$ pdbedit -Lv met

UNIX username: met
NT username:
Account Flags: [UX ]
User SID: S-1-5-21-1449123459-1407424037-3116680435-2004
Primary Group SID: S-1-5-21-1449123459-1407424037-3116680435-1201
Full Name: Melissa E Terpstra
Home Directory: \\frodo\met\Win9Profile
HomeDir Drive: H:
Logon Script: scripts\logon.bat
Profile Path: \\frodo\Profiles\met
Domain: MIDEARTH
Account desc:
Workstations: melbelle
Munged dial:
Logon time: 0
Logoff time: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Kickoff time: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Password last set: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 14:37:03 GMT
Password can change: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 14:37:03 GMT
190 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

Password must change: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT

The pdbedit tool allows migration of authentication (account) databases

from one backend to another. For example, to migrate accounts from an old
smbpasswd database to a tdbsam backend:
1. Set the passdb backend = tdbsam, smbpasswd.
2. Execute:

root# pdbedit -i smbpasswd -e tdbsam

3. Remove the smbpasswd from the passdb backend configuration in smb.

conf.

10.4 Password Backends

Samba offers the greatest flexibility in backend account database design of

any SMB/CIFS server technology available today. The flexibility is imme-
diately obvious as one begins to explore this capability.
It is possible to specify not only multiple password backends, but even mul-
tiple backends of the same type. For example, to use two different tdbsam
databases:

passdb backend = tdbsam : / e t c /samba/ passdb . ←-
tdb tdbsam : / e t c /samba/ old−passdb . tdb

What is possible, is not always sensible. Be careful to avoid complexity to

the point that it may be said that the solution is “too clever by half!”

10.4.1 Plaintext

Older versions of Samba retrieved user information from the UNIX user
database and eventually some other fields from the file /etc/samba/smbpasswd
or /etc/smbpasswd. When password encryption is disabled, no SMB-specific
data is stored at all. Instead, all operations are conducted via the way that
the Samba host OS will access its /etc/passwd database. On most Linux
systems, for example, all user and group resolution is done via PAM.
Section 10.4. Password Backends 191

10.4.2 smbpasswd: Encrypted Password Database

Traditionally, when configuring encrypt passwords = yes in Samba’s smb.

conf file, user account information such as username, LM/NT password
hashes, password change times, and account flags have been stored in the
smbpasswd(5) file. There are several disadvantages to this approach for
sites with large numbers of users (counted in the thousands).
• The first problem is that all lookups must be performed sequentially.
Given that there are approximately two lookups per domain logon
(one during intial logon validation and one for a session connection
setup, such as when mapping a network drive or printer), this is a
performance bottleneck for large sites. What is needed is an indexed
approach such as used in databases.
• The second problem is that administrators who desire to replicate an
smbpasswd file to more than one Samba server are left to use external
tools such as rsync(1) and ssh(1) and write custom, in-house scripts.
• Finally, the amount of information that is stored in an smbpasswd
entry leaves no room for additional attributes such as a home directory,
password expiration time, or even a relative identifier (RID).
As a result of these deficiencies, a more robust means of storing user at-
tributes used by smbd was developed. The API that defines access to user
accounts is commonly referred to as the samdb interface (previously, this
was called the passdb API and is still so named in the Samba source code
trees).
Samba provides an enhanced set of passdb backends that overcome the defi-
ciencies of the smbpasswd plaintext database. These are tdbsam, ldapsam,
and xmlsam. Of these, ldapsam will be of most interest to large corporate
or enterprise sites.

10.4.3 tdbsam

Samba can store user and machine account data in a “TDB” (trivial database).
Using this backend does not require any additional configuration. This back-
end is recommended for new installations that do not require LDAP.
As a general guide, the Samba Team does not recommend using the tdb-
sam backend for sites that have 250 or more users. Additionally, tdbsam is
192 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

not capable of scaling for use in sites that require PDB/BDC implementa-
tions that require replication of the account database. Clearly, for reason of
scalability, the use of ldapsam should be encouraged.
The recommendation of a 250-user limit is purely based on the notion that
this would generally involve a site that has routed networks, possibly spread
across more than one physical location. The Samba Team has not at this
time established the performance-based scalability limits of the tdbsam ar-
chitecture.
There are sites that have thousands of users and yet require only one server.
One site recently reported having 4,500 user accounts on one UNIX sys-
tem and reported excellent performance with the tdbsam passdb backend.
The limitation of where the tdbsam passdb backend can be used is not one
pertaining to a limitation in the TDB storage system, it is based only on
the need for a reliable distribution mechanism for the SambaSAMAccount
backend.

10.4.4 ldapsam

There are a few points to stress that the ldapsam does not provide. The
LDAP support referred to in this documentation does not include:
• A means of retrieving user account information from a Windows 200x
Active Directory server.
• A means of replacing /etc/passwd.
The second item can be accomplished by using LDAP NSS and PAM mod-
ules. LGPL versions of these libraries can be obtained from PADL Software3 .
More information about the configuration of these packages may be found
in LDAP, System Administration by Gerald Carter, Chapter 6, Replacing
NIS”4 .
This document describes how to use an LDAP directory for storing Samba
user account information traditionally stored in the smbpasswd(5) file. It is
assumed that the reader already has a basic understanding of LDAP con-
cepts and has a working directory server already installed. For more infor-
mation on LDAP architectures and directories, please refer to the following
sites:
3
<http://www.padl.com/>
4
<http://safari.oreilly.com/?XmlId=1-56592-491-6>
Section 10.4. Password Backends 193

• OpenLDAP5
• Sun One Directory Server6
• Novell eDirectory7
• IBM Tivoli Directory Server8
• Red Hat Directory Server9
• Fedora Directory Server10
Two additional Samba resources that may prove to be helpful are:
• The Samba-PDC-LDAP-HOWTO11 maintained by Ignacio Coupeau.
• The NT migration scripts from IDEALX12 that are geared to manage
users and groups in such a Samba-LDAP domain controller configu-
ration. Idealx also produced the smbldap-tools and the Interactive
Console Management tool.

10.4.4.1 Supported LDAP Servers

The LDAP ldapsam code was developed and tested using the OpenLDAP
2.x server and client libraries. The same code should work with Netscape’s
Directory Server and client SDK. However, there are bound to be compile
errors and bugs. These should not be hard to fix. Please submit fixes via
the process outlined in Chapter 38, “Reporting Bugs”.
Samba is capable of working with any standards compliant LDAP server.

10.4.4.2 Schema and Relationship to the RFC 2307 posixAccount

Samba-3.0 includes the necessary schema file for OpenLDAP 2.x in exam-
ples/LDAP/samba.schema directory of the source code distribution tarball.
The schema entry for the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass is shown here:
5
<http://www.openldap.org/>
6
<http://www.sun.com/software/products/directory_srvr_ee/index.xml>
7
<http://www.novell.com/products/edirectory/>
8
<http://www-306.ibm.com/software/tivoli/products/directory-server/>
9
<http://www.redhat.com/software/rha/directory/>
10
<http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/119229>
11
<http://www.unav.es/cti/ldap-smb/ldap-smb-3-howto.html>
12
<http://samba.idealx.org/>
194 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

ObjectClass (1.3.6.1.4.1.7165.2.2.6 NAME ’sambaSamAccount’ SUP top AUXILIARY

DESC ’Samba-3.0 Auxiliary SAM Account’
MUST ( uid $ sambaSID )
MAY ( cn $ sambaLMPassword $ sambaNTPassword $ sambaPwdLastSet $
sambaLogonTime $ sambaLogoffTime $ sambaKickoffTime $
sambaPwdCanChange $ sambaPwdMustChange $ sambaAcctFlags $
displayName $ sambaHomePath $ sambaHomeDrive $ sambaLogonScript $
sambaProfilePath $ description $ sambaUserWorkstations $
sambaPrimaryGroupSID $ sambaDomainName ))

The samba.schema file has been formatted for OpenLDAP 2.0/2.1. The
Samba Team owns the OID space used by the above schema and recommends
its use. If you translate the schema to be used with Netscape DS, please
submit the modified schema file as a patch to [email protected] .

Just as the smbpasswd file is meant to store information that provides in-
formation additional to a user’s /etc/passwd entry, so is the sambaSamAc-
count object meant to supplement the UNIX user account information. A
sambaSamAccount is an AUXILIARY ObjectClass, so it can be used to aug-
ment existing user account information in the LDAP directory, thus pro-
viding information needed for Samba account handling. However, there are
several fields (e.g., uid) that overlap with the posixAccount ObjectClass
outlined in RFC 2307. This is by design.

In order to store all user account information (UNIX and Samba) in the
directory, it is necessary to use the sambaSamAccount and posixAccount
ObjectClasses in combination. However, smbd will still obtain the user’s
UNIX account information via the standard C library calls, such as get-
pwnam(). This means that the Samba server must also have the LDAP
NSS library installed and functioning correctly. This division of informa-
tion makes it possible to store all Samba account information in LDAP,
but still maintain UNIX account information in NIS while the network is
transitioning to a full LDAP infrastructure.

13
<mailto:[email protected]>
Section 10.4. Password Backends 195

10.4.4.3 OpenLDAP Configuration

To include support for the sambaSamAccount object in an OpenLDAP di-

rectory server, first copy the samba.schema file to slapd’s configuration di-
rectory. The samba.schema file can be found in the directory examples/
LDAP in the Samba source distribution.

root# cp samba.schema /etc/openldap/schema/

Next, include the samba.schema file in slapd.conf. The sambaSamAccount

object contains two attributes that depend on other schema files. The uid
attribute is defined in cosine.schema and the displayName attribute is
defined in the inetorgperson.schema file. Both of these must be included
before the samba.schema file.

## /etc/openldap/slapd.conf

## schema files (core.schema is required by default)

include /etc/openldap/schema/core.schema

## needed for sambaSamAccount

include /etc/openldap/schema/cosine.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/inetorgperson.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/nis.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/samba.schema
....

It is recommended that you maintain some indices on some of the most useful
attributes, as in the following example, to speed up searches made on sam-
baSamAccount ObjectClasses (and possibly posixAccount and posixGroup
as well):

# Indices to maintain
## required by OpenLDAP
index objectclass eq

index cn pres,sub,eq
196 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

index sn pres,sub,eq
## required to support pdb_getsampwnam
index uid pres,sub,eq
## required to support pdb_getsambapwrid()
index displayName pres,sub,eq

## uncomment these if you are storing posixAccount and

## posixGroup entries in the directory as well
##index uidNumber eq
##index gidNumber eq
##index memberUid eq

index sambaSID eq
index sambaPrimaryGroupSID eq
index sambaDomainName eq
index default sub

Create the new index by executing:

root# ./sbin/slapindex -f slapd.conf

Remember to restart slapd after making these changes:

root# /etc/init.d/slapd restart

10.4.4.4 Initialize the LDAP Database

Before you can add accounts to the LDAP database, you must create the
account containers that they will be stored in. The following LDIF file
should be modified to match your needs (DNS entries, and so on):

# Organization for Samba Base

dn: dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: dcObject
objectclass: organization
dc: quenya
Section 10.4. Password Backends 197

o: Quenya Org Network

description: The Samba-3 Network LDAP Example

# Organizational Role for Directory Management

dn: cn=Manager,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: organizationalRole
cn: Manager
description: Directory Manager

# Setting up container for Users OU

dn: ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: People

# Setting up admin handle for People OU

dn: cn=admin,ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}c3ZM9tBaBo9autm1dL3waDS21+JSfQVz

# Setting up container for groups

dn: ou=Groups,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: Groups

# Setting up admin handle for Groups OU

dn: cn=admin,ou=Groups,dc=quenya,dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}c3ZM9tBaBo9autm1dL3waDS21+JSfQVz

# Setting up container for computers

dn: ou=Computers,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: top
198 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: Computers

# Setting up admin handle for Computers OU

dn: cn=admin,ou=Computers,dc=quenya,dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}c3ZM9tBaBo9autm1dL3waDS21+JSfQVz

The userPassword shown above should be generated using slappasswd.

The following command will then load the contents of the LDIF file into the
LDAP database.

$ slapadd -v -l initldap.dif

Do not forget to secure your LDAP server with an adequate access control
list as well as an admin password.

Note

Before Samba can access the LDAP server, you need

to store the LDAP admin password in the Samba-3
secrets.tdb database by:

root# smbpasswd -w secret

10.4.4.5 Configuring Samba

The following parameters are available in smb.conf only if your version of

Samba was built with LDAP support. Samba automatically builds with
Section 10.4. Password Backends 199

LDAP support if the LDAP libraries are found. The best method to verify
that Samba was built with LDAP support is:

root# smbd -b | grep LDAP

HAVE_LDAP_H
HAVE_LDAP
HAVE_LDAP_DOMAIN2HOSTLIST
HAVE_LDAP_INIT
HAVE_LDAP_INITIALIZE
HAVE_LDAP_SET_REBIND_PROC
HAVE_LIBLDAP
LDAP_SET_REBIND_PROC_ARGS

If the build of the smbd command you are using does not produce output
that includes HAVE LDAP H it is necessary to discover why the LDAP headers
and libraries were not found during compilation.

LDAP-related smb.conf options include these:

passdb backend = ldapsam : u r l
l d a p admin dn
l d a p d e l e t e dn
ldap f i l t e r
l d a p group s u f f i x
l d a p idmap s u f f i x
l d a p machine s u f f i x
l d a p passwd sync
ldap s s l
ldap s u f f i x
ldap user s u f f i x
ldap r e p l i c a t i o n s l e e p
ldap timeout
l d a p page s i z e

These are described in the smb.conf man page and so are not repeated
here. However, an example for use with an LDAP directory is shown in
Example 10.4.1
200 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

10.4.4.6 Accounts and Groups Management

Because user accounts are managed through the sambaSamAccount Object-

Class, you should modify your existing administration tools to deal with
sambaSamAccount attributes.

Machine accounts are managed with the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass,

just like user accounts. However, it is up to you to store those accounts in a
different tree of your LDAP namespace. You should use “ou=Groups,dc=quenya,dc=org”
to store groups and “ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org” to store users. Just
configure your NSS and PAM accordingly (usually, in the /etc/openldap/
sldap.conf configuration file).

In Samba-3, the group management system is based on POSIX groups. This

means that Samba makes use of the posixGroup ObjectClass. For now, there
is no NT-like group system management (global and local groups). Samba-3
knows only about Domain Groups and, unlike MS Windows 2000 and Active
Directory, Samba-3 does not support nested groups.

10.4.4.7 Security and sambaSamAccount

There are two important points to remember when discussing the security
of sambaSAMAccount entries in the directory.

• Never retrieve the SambaLMPassword or SambaNTPassword attribute

values over an unencrypted LDAP session.

• Never allow non-admin users to view the SambaLMPassword or Sam-

baNTPassword attribute values.

These password hashes are clear-text equivalents and can be used to imper-
sonate the user without deriving the original clear-text strings. For more
information on the details of LM/NT password hashes, refer to Chapter 10,
“Account Information Databases”.

To remedy the first security issue, the ldap ssl smb.conf parameter defaults
to require an encrypted session (ldap ssl = on) using the default port of 636
when contacting the directory server. When using an OpenLDAP server, it
is possible to use the StartTLS LDAP extended operation in the place of
LDAPS. In either case, you are strongly encouraged to use secure commu-
nications protocols (so do not set ldap ssl = off).
Section 10.4. Password Backends 201

Note that the LDAPS protocol is deprecated in favor of the LDAPv3 Start-
TLS extended operation. However, the OpenLDAP library still provides
support for the older method of securing communication between clients
and servers.

The second security precaution is to prevent non-administrative users from

harvesting password hashes from the directory. This can be done using the
following ACL in slapd.conf:

## allow the "ldap admin dn" access, but deny everyone else
access to attrs=SambaLMPassword,SambaNTPassword
by dn="cn=Samba Admin,ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org" write
by * none

10.4.4.8 LDAP Special Attributes for sambaSamAccounts

The sambaSamAccount ObjectClass is composed of the attributes shown in

next tables: Table 10.1, and Table 10.2.

The majority of these parameters are only used when Samba is acting as a
PDC of a domain (refer to Chapter 4, “Domain Control”, for details on how
to configure Samba as a PDC). The following four attributes are only stored
with the sambaSamAccount entry if the values are non-default values:

• sambaHomePath

• sambaLogonScript

• sambaProfilePath

• sambaHomeDrive

These attributes are only stored with the sambaSamAccount entry if the
values are non-default values. For example, assume MORIA has now been
configured as a PDC and that logon home = \\%L\%u was defined in its
smb.conf file. When a user named “becky” logs on to the domain, the logon
home string is expanded to \\MORIA\becky. If the smbHome attribute
exists in the entry “uid=becky,ou=People,dc=samba,dc=org”, this value is
used. However, if this attribute does not exist, then the value of the logon
home parameter is used in its place. Samba will only write the attribute
202 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

value to the directory entry if the value is something other than the default
(e.g., \\MOBY\becky).

10.4.4.9 Example LDIF Entries for a sambaSamAccount

The following is a working LDIF that demonstrates the use of the Sam-
baSamAccount ObjectClass:

dn: uid=guest2, ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org

sambaLMPassword: 878D8014606CDA29677A44EFA1353FC7
sambaPwdMustChange: 2147483647
sambaPrimaryGroupSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-513
sambaNTPassword: 552902031BEDE9EFAAD3B435B51404EE
sambaPwdLastSet: 1010179124
sambaLogonTime: 0
objectClass: sambaSamAccount
uid: guest2
sambaKickoffTime: 2147483647
sambaAcctFlags: [UX ]
sambaLogoffTime: 2147483647
sambaSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-5006
sambaPwdCanChange: 0

The following is an LDIF entry for using both the sambaSamAccount and
posixAccount ObjectClasses:

dn: uid=gcarter, ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org

sambaLogonTime: 0
displayName: Gerald Carter
sambaLMPassword: 552902031BEDE9EFAAD3B435B51404EE
sambaPrimaryGroupSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-1201
objectClass: posixAccount
objectClass: sambaSamAccount
sambaAcctFlags: [UX ]
userPassword: {crypt}BpM2ej8Rkzogo
uid: gcarter
uidNumber: 9000
cn: Gerald Carter
Section 10.4. Password Backends 203

loginShell: /bin/bash
logoffTime: 2147483647
gidNumber: 100
sambaKickoffTime: 2147483647
sambaPwdLastSet: 1010179230
sambaSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-5004
homeDirectory: /home/moria/gcarter
sambaPwdCanChange: 0
sambaPwdMustChange: 2147483647
sambaNTPassword: 878D8014606CDA29677A44EFA1353FC7

10.4.4.10 Password Synchronization

Samba-3 and later can update the non-Samba (LDAP) password stored with
an account. When using pam ldap, this allows changing both UNIX and
Windows passwords at once.
The ldap passwd sync options can have the values shown in Table 10.3.
More information can be found in the smb.conf man page.

10.4.5 MySQL

Every so often someone comes along with what seems to them like a great
new idea. Storing user accounts in a SQL backend is one of them. Those
who want to do this are in the best position to know what the specific
benefits are to them. This may sound like a cop-out, but in truth we cannot
document every little detail of why certain things of marginal utility to the
bulk of Samba users might make sense to the rest. In any case, the following
instructions should help the determined SQL user to implement a working
system. These account storage methods are not actively maintained by the
Samba Team.

10.4.5.1 Creating the Database

You can set up your own table and specify the field names to pdb mysql
(see Table 10.5 for the column names) or use the default table. The file
examples/pdb/mysql/mysql.dump contains the correct queries to create the
required tables. Use the command:
204 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

root# mysql -uusername -hhostname -ppassword \

databasename < /path/to/samba/examples/pdb/mysql/mysql.dump

10.4.5.2 Configuring

This plug-in lacks some good documentation, but here is some brief infor-
mation. Add the following to the passdb backend variable in your smb.
conf:

passdb backend = [ o t h e r −p l u g i n s ] mysql : ←-
i d e n t i f i e r [ o t h e r −p l u g i n s ]

The identifier can be any string you like, as long as it does not collide
with the identifiers of other plugins or other instances of pdb mysql. If you
specify multiple pdb mysql.so entries in passdb backend, you also need to
use different identifiers.
Additional options can be given through the smb.conf file in the [global]
section. Refer to Table 10.4.

Warning

Since the password for the MySQL user is stored in the

smb.conf file, you should make the smb.conf file read-
able only to the user who runs Samba. This is considered
a security bug and will soon be fixed.

Names of the columns are given in Table 10.5. The default column names
can be found in the example table dump.
You can put a colon (:) after the name of each column, which should specify
the column to update when updating the table. You can also specify nothing
behind the colon, in which case the field data will not be updated. Setting
a column name to NULL means the field should not be used.
Example 10.4.2 is shown in Example 10.4.2.
Section 10.5. Common Errors 205

10.4.5.3 Using Plaintext Passwords or Encrypted Password

I strongly discourage the use of plaintext passwords; however, you can use
them.
If you would like to use plaintext passwords, set ‘identifier:lanman pass
column’ and ‘identifier:nt pass column’ to ‘NULL’ (without the quotes) and
‘identifier:plain pass column’ to the name of the column containing the plain-
text passwords.
If you use encrypted passwords, set the ’identifier:plain pass column’ to
’NULL’ (without the quotes). This is the default.

10.4.5.4 Getting Non-Column Data from the Table

It is possible to have not all data in the database by making some ”constant.”
For example, you can set ‘identifier:fullname column’ to something like
CONCAT(Firstname,’ ’,Surname)
Or, set ‘identifier:workstations column’ to: NULL . See the MySQL docu-
mentation for more language constructs.

10.4.6 XML

This module requires libxml2 to be installed.

The usage of pdb xml is fairly straightforward. To export data, use:
$ pdbedit -e xml:filename
where filename is the name of the file to put the data in.
To import data, use: $ pdbedit -i xml:filename

10.5 Common Errors

10.5.1 Users Cannot Logon

“I’ve installed Samba, but now I can’t log on with my UNIX account!”
Make sure your user has been added to the current Samba passdb backend.
Read the Section 10.3 for details.
206 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

10.5.2 Users Being Added to the Wrong Backend Database

A few complaints have been received from users who just moved to Samba-
3. The following smb.conf file entries were causing problems: new accounts
were being added to the old smbpasswd file, not to the tdbsam passdb.tdb
file:

[ global ]
... passdb backend = smbpasswd , tdbsam
...

Samba will add new accounts to the first entry in the passdb backend pa-
rameter entry. If you want to update to the tdbsam, then change the entry
to:

[ globals ] ... passdb backend = tdbsam , smbpasswd
...

10.5.3 Configuration of auth methods

When explicitly setting an auth methods parameter, guest must be specified

as the first entry on the line — for example, auth methods = guest sam.
Section 10.5. Common Errors 207

Example 10.4.1. Configuration with LDAP

[ global ]
security = user
e n c r y p t pass wo rds = y e s
n e t b i o s name = MORIA
workgroup = NOLDOR
# LDAP r e l a t e d p a r a m e t e r s :
# D e f i n e t h e DN used when b i n d i n g t o t h e LDAP ←-
servers .
# The password f o r t h i s DN i s not s t o r e d i n smb . ←-
conf
# S e t i t u s i n g ’ smbpasswd −w s e c r e t ’ t o s t o r e t h e
# passphrase in the s e c r e t s . tdb f i l e .
# I f t h e ” l d a p admin dn” v a l u e changes , i t must be ←-
reset .
l d a p admin dn = ” cn=Manager , dc=quenya , dc= ←-
org ”
# SSL d i r e c t o r y c o n n e c t i o n s can be c o n f i g u r e d by :
# ( ’ o f f ’ , ’ s t a r t t l s ’ , or ’ on ’ ( d e f a u l t ) )
ldap s s l = s t a r t t l s
# s y n t a x : p a s s d b backend = ldapsam : l d a p : / / s e r v e r − ←-
name [ : p o r t ]
passdb backend = ldapsam : l d a p : / / f r o d o . ←-
quenya . o r g
# smbpasswd −x d e l e t e t h e e n t i r e dn−e n t r y
l d a p d e l e t e dn = no
# The machine and u s e r s u f f i x a r e added t o t h e ←-
base s u f f i x
# w r o t e WITHOUT q u o t e s . NULL s u f f i x e s by d e f a u l t
l d a p u s e r s u f f i x = ou=People
l d a p group s u f f i x = ou=Groups
l d a p machine s u f f i x = ou=Computers
# Trust UNIX a c c o u n t i n f o r m a t i o n i n LDAP
# ( s e e t h e smb . c o n f man page f o r d e t a i l s )
# S p e c i f y t h e b a s e DN t o use when s e a r c h i n g t h e ←-
directory
l d a p s u f f i x = dc=quenya , dc=o r g

208 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

Table 10.1. Attributes in the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass (LDAP), Part A

sambaLMPassword The LanMan password 16-byte hash stored as a
character representation of a hexadecimal string.
sambaNTPassword The NT password 16-byte hash stored as a char-
acter representation of a hexadecimal string.
sambaPwdLastSet The integer time in seconds since 1970 when
the sambaLMPassword and sambaNTPassword at-
tributes were last set.
sambaAcctFlags String of 11 characters surrounded by square
brackets [ ] representing account flags such as U
(user), W (workstation), X (no password expi-
ration), I (domain trust account), H (home dir
required), S (server trust account), and D (dis-
abled).
sambaLogonTime Integer value currently unused.
sambaLogoffTime Integer value currently unused.
sambaKickoffTime Specifies the time (UNIX time format) when the
user will be locked down and cannot login any
longer. If this attribute is omitted, then the ac-
count will never expire. Using this attribute to-
gether with shadowExpire of the shadowAccount
ObjectClass will enable accounts to expire com-
pletely on an exact date.
sambaPwdCanChange Specifies the time (UNIX time format) after
which the user is allowed to change his password.
If attribute is not set, the user will be free to
change his password whenever he wants.
sambaPwdMustChange Specifies the time (UNIX time format) when the
user is forced to change his password. If this
value is set to 0, the user will have to change his
password at first login. If this attribute is not
set, then the password will never expire.
sambaHomeDrive Specifies the drive letter to which to map the
UNC path specified by sambaHomePath. The
drive letter must be specified in the form “X:”
where X is the letter of the drive to map. Refer
to the “logon drive” parameter in the smb.conf(5)
man page for more information.
sambaLogonScript The sambaLogonScript property specifies the
path of the user’s logon script, .CMD, .EXE, or
.BAT file. The string can be null. The path is
relative to the netlogon share. Refer to the logon
script parameter in the smb.conf man page for
more information.
sambaProfilePath Specifies a path to the user’s profile. This value
can be a null string, a local absolute path, or a
UNC path. Refer to the logon path parameter in
Section 10.5. Common Errors 209

Table 10.2. Attributes in the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass (LDAP), Part B

sambaUserWorkstations Here you can give a comma-separated list of
machines on which the user is allowed to lo-
gin. You may observe problems when you try
to connect to a Samba domain member. Be-
cause domain members are not in this list, the
domain controllers will reject them. Where
this attribute is omitted, the default implies
no restrictions.
sambaSID The security identifier(SID) of the user. The
Windows equivalent of UNIX UIDs.
sambaPrimaryGroupSID The security identifier (SID) of the primary
group of the user.
sambaDomainName Domain the user is part of.

Table 10.3. Possible ldap passwd sync Values

Value Description
yes When the user changes his password, update SambaNT-
Password, SambaLMPassword, and the password fields.
no Only update SambaNTPassword and SambaLMPassword.
only Only update the LDAP password and let the
LDAP server worry about the other fields.
This option is only available on some LDAP
servers and only when the LDAP server supports
LDAP EXOP X MODIFY PASSWD.

Table 10.4. Basic smb.conf Options for MySQL passdb Backend

Field Contents
mysql host Host name, defaults to ‘localhost’
mysql password
mysql user Defaults to ‘samba’
mysql database Defaults to ‘samba’
mysql port Defaults to 3306
table Name of the table containing the users
210 Account Information Databases Chapter 10

Table 10.5. MySQL field names for MySQL passdb backend

Field Type Contents
logon time column int(9) UNIX timestamp of last
logon of user
logoff time column int(9) UNIX timestamp of last
logoff of user
kickoff time column int(9) UNIX timestamp of mo-
ment user should be
kicked off workstation
(not enforced)
pass last set time column int(9) UNIX timestamp of mo-
ment password was last
set
pass can change time column int(9) UNIX timestamp of mo-
ment from which pass-
word can be changed
pass must change time column int(9) UNIX timestamp of mo-
ment on which password
must be changed
username column varchar(255) UNIX username
domain column varchar(255) NT domain user belongs
to
nt username column varchar(255) NT username
fullname column varchar(255) Full name of user
home dir column varchar(255) UNIX homedir path
(equivalent of the logon
home parameter.
dir drive column varchar(2) Directory drive path
(e.g., “H:”)
logon script column varchar(255) Batch file to run on
client side when logging
on
profile path column varchar(255) Path of profile
acct desc column varchar(255) Some ASCII NT user
data
workstations column varchar(255) Workstations user can
logon to (or NULL for
all)
unknown string column varchar(255) Unknown string
munged dial column varchar(255) Unknown
user sid column varchar(255) NT user SID
group sid column varchar(255) NT group SID
lanman pass column varchar(255) Encrypted lanman pass-
word
nt pass column varchar(255) Encrypted nt passwd
plain pass column varchar(255) Plaintext password
acct ctrl column int(9) NT user data
Section 10.5. Common Errors 211

Example 10.4.2. Example Configuration for the MySQL passdb Backend

[ global ]
passdb backend = mysql : f o o
f o o : mysql u s e r = samba
f o o : mysql password = abmas
f o o : mysql d a t a b a s e = samba
# domain name i s s t a t i c and can ’ t be changed
f o o : domain column = ’MYWORKGROUP’ :
# The f u l l n a m e column comes from s e v e r a l o t h e r ←-
columns
f o o : f u l l n a m e column = CONCAT( f i r s t n a m e , ’ ’ , ←-
surname ) :
# Samba s h o u l d n e v e r w r i t e t o t h e password columns
f o o : lanman p a s s column = l m p a s s :
f o o : nt p a s s column = n t p a s s :
# The unknown 3 column i s not s t o r e d
f o o : unknown 3 column = NULL

Chapter 11

GROUP MAPPING: MS
WINDOWS AND UNIX

Starting with Samba-3, new group mapping functionality is available to

create associations between Windows group SIDs and UNIX groups. The
groupmap subcommand included with the net tool can be used to manage
these associations.

The new facility for mapping NT groups to UNIX system groups allows the
administrator to decide which NT domain groups are to be exposed to MS
Windows clients. Only those NT groups that map to a UNIX group that
has a value other than the default (-1) will be exposed in group selection
lists in tools that access domain users and groups.

Warning

The domain admin group parameter has been removed

in Samba-3 and should no longer be specified in smb.
conf. In Samba-2.2.x, this parameter was used to give
the listed users membership in the Domain Admins Win-
dows group, which gave local admin rights on their work-
stations (in default configurations).

212
Section 11.1. Features and Benefits 213

11.1 Features and Benefits

Samba allows the administrator to create MS Windows NT4/200x group ac-

counts and to arbitrarily associate them with UNIX/Linux group accounts.
Group accounts can be managed using the MS Windows NT4 or MS Win-
dows 200x/XP Professional MMC tools. Appropriate interface scripts should
be provided in smb.conf if it is desired that UNIX/Linux system accounts
should be automatically created when these tools are used. In the absence
of these scripts, and so long as winbindd is running, Samba group accounts
that are created using these tools will be allocated UNIX UIDs and GIDs
from the ID range specified by the idmap uid /idmap gid parameters in the
smb.conf file.

group
SID

groupmap_idmap.tdb

No winbindd_idmap.tdb
Found? Winbind
ldapsam

Yes

No
Found? Fail

Yes

GID

Figure 11.1. IDMAP: Group SID-to-GID Resolution.

In both cases, when winbindd is not running, only locally resolvable groups
can be recognized. Please refer to Figure 11.1 and Figure 11.2. The net
groupmap is used to establish UNIX group to NT SID mappings as shown
214 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX Chapter 11

GID

groupmap_idmap.tdb

No winbindd_idmap.tdb
Found? Winbind
ldapsam

Yes

No
Found? Fail

Yes

group
SID

Figure 11.2. IDMAP: GID Resolution to Matching SID.

in Figure 11.3.

ldapsam
GID net groupmap SID
groupmap_idmap.tdb

Figure 11.3. IDMAP Storing Group Mappings.

Administrators should be aware that where smb.conf group interface scripts

make direct calls to the UNIX/Linux system tools (the shadow utilities,
groupadd, groupdel, and groupmod), the resulting UNIX/Linux group
names will be subject to any limits imposed by these tools. If the tool
does not allow uppercase characters or space characters, then the creation
of an MS Windows NT4/200x-style group of Engineering Managers will
attempt to create an identically named UNIX/Linux group, an attempt that
will of course fail.
Section 11.2. Discussion 215

There are several possible workarounds for the operating system tools lim-
itation. One method is to use a script that generates a name for the
UNIX/Linux system group that fits the operating system limits and that
then just passes the UNIX/Linux group ID (GID) back to the calling Samba
interface. This will provide a dynamic workaround solution.

Another workaround is to manually create a UNIX/Linux group, then man-

ually create the MS Windows NT4/200x group on the Samba server, and
then use the net groupmap tool to connect the two to each other.

11.2 Discussion

When you install MS Windows NT4/200x on a computer, the installation

program creates default users and groups, notably the Administrators
group, and gives that group privileges necessary to perform essential sys-
tem tasks, such as the ability to change the date and time or to kill (or
close) any process running on the local machine.

The Administrator user is a member of the Administrators group, and

thus inherits Administrators group privileges. If a joe user is created to
be a member of the Administrators group, joe has exactly the same rights
as the user Administrator.

When an MS Windows NT4/200x/XP machine is made a domain member,

the “Domain Admins” group of the PDC is added to the local Administra-
tors group of the workstation. Every member of the Domain Admins group
inherits the rights of the local Administrators group when logging on the
workstation.

The following steps describe how to make Samba PDC users members of the
Domain Admins group.

1. Create a UNIX group (usually in /etc/group); let’s call it domadm.

2. Add to this group the users that must be “Administrators”. For ex-
ample, if you want joe, john, and mary to be administrators, your
entry in /etc/group will look like this:

domadm:x:502:joe,john,mary
216 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX Chapter 11

3. Map this domadm group to the “Domain Admins” group by running

the command:

root# net groupmap add ntgroup="Domain Admins" unixgroup=domadm

The quotes around “Domain Admins” are necessary due to the space
in the group name. Also make sure to leave no white space surrounding
the equal character (=).
Now joe, john, and mary are domain administrators.
It is possible to map any arbitrary UNIX group to any Windows NT4/200x
group as well as to make any UNIX group a Windows domain group. For
example, if you wanted to include a UNIX group (e.g., acct) in an ACL on
a local file or printer on a Domain Member machine, you would flag that
group as a domain group by running the following on the Samba PDC:

root# net groupmap add rid=1000 ntgroup="Accounting" unixgroup=acct

The ntgroup value must be quotes if it contains space characters to prevent

the space from being interpreted as a command delimiter.
Be aware that the RID parameter is an unsigned 32-bit integer that should
normally start at 1000. However, this RID must not overlap with any RID
assigned to a user. Verification for this is done differently depending on the
passdb backend you are using. Future versions of the tools may perform the
verification automatically, but for now the burden is on you.

11.2.1 Warning: User Private Group Problems

Windows does not permit user and group accounts to have the same name.
This has serious implications for all sites that use private group accounts.
A private group account is an administrative practice whereby users are
each given their own group account. Red Hat Linux, as well as several free
distributions of Linux, by default create private groups.
When mapping a UNIX/Linux group to a Windows group account, all con-
flict can be avoided by assuring that the Windows domain group name does
not overlap with any user account name.
Section 11.2. Discussion 217

11.2.2 Nested Groups: Adding Windows Domain Groups to Win-

dows Local Groups

This functionality is known as nested groups and was first added to Samba-
3.0.3.
All MS Windows products since the release of Windows NT 3.10 support
the use of nested groups. Many Windows network administrators depend
on this capability because it greatly simplifies security administration.
The nested group architecture was designed with the premise that day-
to-day user and group membership management should be performed on
the domain security database. The application of group security should be
implemented on domain member servers using only local groups. On the
domain member server, all file system security controls are then limited to
use of the local groups, which will contain domain global groups and domain
global users.
You may ask, What are the benefits of this arrangement? The answer is
obvious to those who have plumbed the dark depths of Windows networking
architecture. Consider for a moment a server on which are stored 200,000
files, each with individual domain user and domain group settings. The
company that owns the file server is bought by another company, resulting
in the server being moved to another location, and then it is made a member
of a different domain. Who would you think now owns all the files and
directories? Answer: Account Unknown.
Unraveling the file ownership mess is an unenviable administrative task that
can be avoided simply by using local groups to control all file and directory
access control. In this case, only the members of the local groups will have
been lost. The files and directories in the storage subsystem will still be
owned by the local groups. The same goes for all ACLs on them. It is
administratively much simpler to delete the Account Unknown membership
entries inside local groups with appropriate entries for domain global groups
in the new domain that the server has been made a member of.
Another prominent example of the use of nested groups involves imple-
mentation of administrative privileges on domain member workstations and
servers. Administrative privileges are given to all members of the built-in lo-
cal group Administrators on each domain member machine. To ensure that
all domain administrators have full rights on the member server or worksta-
tion, on joining the domain, the Domain Admins group is added to the local
218 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX Chapter 11

Administrators group. Thus everyone who is logged into the domain as a

member of the Domain Admins group is also granted local administrative
privileges on each domain member.

UNIX/Linux has no concept of support for nested groups, and thus Samba
has for a long time not supported them either. The problem is that you
would have to enter UNIX groups as auxiliary members of a group in /
etc/group. This does not work because it was not a design requirement
at the time the UNIX file system security model was implemented. Since
Samba-2.2, the winbind daemon can provide /etc/group entries on demand
by obtaining user and group information from the domain controller that
the Samba server is a member of.

In effect, Samba supplements the /etc/group data via the dynamic lib-
nss winbind mechanism. Beginning with Samba-3.0.3, this facility is used
to provide local groups in the same manner as Windows does it. It works
by expanding the local groups on the fly as they are accessed. For exam-
ple, the Domain Users group of the domain is made a member of the local
group demo. Whenever Samba needs to resolve membership of the demo
local (alias) group, winbind asks the domain controller for demo members
of the Domain Users group. By definition, it can only contain user objects,
which can then be faked to be member of the UNIX/Linux group demo.

To enable the use of nested groups, winbindd must be used with NSS
winbind. Creation and administration of the local groups is done best via
the Windows Domain User Manager or its Samba equivalent, the utility net
rpc group. Creating the local group demo is achieved by executing:

root# net rpc group add demo -L -Uroot%not24get

Here the -L switch means that you want to create a local group. It may
be necessary to add -S and -U switches for accessing the correct host with
appropriate user or root privileges. Adding and removing group members
can be done via the addmem and delmem subcommands of net rpc group
command. For example, addition of “DOM\Domain Users” to the local
group demo is done by executing:

net rpc group addmem demo "DOM\Domain Users"

Section 11.2. Discussion 219

Having completed these two steps, the execution of getent group demo
will show demo members of the global Domain Users group as members of
the group demo. This also works with any local or domain user. In case
the domain DOM trusts another domain, it is also possible to add global
users and groups of the trusted domain as members of demo. The users from
the foreign domain who are members of the group that has been added to
the demo group now have the same local access permissions as local domain
users have.

11.2.3 Important Administrative Information

Administrative rights are necessary in two specific forms:

1. For Samba-3 domain controllers and domain member servers/clients.
2. To manage domain member Windows workstations.
Versions of Samba up to and including 3.0.10 do not provide a means for
assigning rights and privileges that are necessary for system administration
tasks from a Windows domain member client machine, so domain adminis-
tration tasks such as adding, deleting, and changing user and group account
information, and managing workstation domain membership accounts, can
be handled by any account other than root.
Samba-3.0.11 introduced a new privilege management interface (see Chap-
ter 14, “User Rights and Privileges”) that permits these tasks to be delegated
to non-root (i.e., accounts other than the equivalent of the MS Windows Ad-
ministrator) accounts.
Administrative tasks on a Windows domain member workstation can be
done by anyone who is a member of the Domain Admins group. This group
can be mapped to any convenient UNIX group.

11.2.3.1 Applicable Only to Versions Earlier than 3.0.11

Administrative tasks on UNIX/Linux systems, such as adding users or groups,

requires root-level privilege. The addition of a Windows client to a Samba
domain involves the addition of a user account for the Windows client.
Many UNIX administrators continue to request that the Samba Team make
it possible to add Windows workstations, or the ability to add, delete, or
220 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX Chapter 11

modify user accounts, without requiring root privileges. Such a request

violates every understanding of basic UNIX system security.
There is no safe way to provide access on a UNIX/Linux system without
providing root-level privilege. Provision of root privileges can be done
either by logging onto the Domain as the user root or by permitting par-
ticular users to use a UNIX account that has a UID=0 in the /etc/passwd
database. Users of such accounts can use tools like the NT4 Domain User
Manager and the NT4 Domain Server Manager to manage user and group
accounts as well as domain member server and client accounts. This level
of privilege is also needed to manage share-level ACLs.

11.2.4 Default Users, Groups, and Relative Identifiers

When first installed, Windows NT4/200x/XP are preconfigured with certain

user, group, and alias entities. Each has a well-known RID. These must be
preserved for continued integrity of operation. Samba must be provisioned
with certain essential domain groups that require the appropriate RID value.
When Samba-3 is configured to use tdbsam, the essential domain groups
are automatically created. It is the LDAP administrator’s responsibility to
create (provision) the default NT groups.
Each essential domain group must be assigned its respective well-known
RID. The default users, groups, aliases, and RIDs are shown in Table 11.1.

Note

When the passdb backend uses LDAP (ldapsam), it is

the administrator’s responsibility to create the essential
domain groups and to assign each its default RID.

It is permissible to create any domain group that may be necessary; just

make certain that the essential domain groups (well known) have been cre-
ated and assigned their default RIDs. Other groups you create may be
assigned any arbitrary RID you care to use.
Be sure to map each domain group to a UNIX system group. That is the
only way to ensure that the group will be available for use as an NT domain
Section 11.2. Discussion 221

group.

Table 11.1. Well-Known User Default RIDs

Well-Known Entity RID Type Essential
Domain Administrator 500 User No
Domain Guest 501 User No
Domain KRBTGT 502 User No
Domain Admins 512 Group Yes
Domain Users 513 Group Yes
Domain Guests 514 Group Yes
Domain Computers 515 Group No
Domain Controllers 516 Group No
Domain Certificate Admins 517 Group No
Domain Schema Admins 518 Group No
Domain Enterprise Admins 519 Group No
Domain Policy Admins 520 Group No
Builtin Admins 544 Alias No
Builtin users 545 Alias No
Builtin Guests 546 Alias No
Builtin Power Users 547 Alias No
Builtin Account Operators 548 Alias No
Builtin System Operators 549 Alias No
Builtin Print Operators 550 Alias No
Builtin Backup Operators 551 Alias No
Builtin Replicator 552 Alias No
Builtin RAS Servers 553 Alias No

11.2.5 Example Configuration

You can list the various groups in the mapping database by executing net
groupmap list. Here is an example:

root# net groupmap list

Domain Admins (S-1-5-21-2547222302-1596225915-2414751004-512) -> domadmin
Domain Users (S-1-5-21-2547222302-1596225915-2414751004-513) -> domuser
Domain Guests (S-1-5-21-2547222302-1596225915-2414751004-514) -> domguest
222 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX Chapter 11

For complete details on net groupmap, refer to the net(8) man page.

11.3 Configuration Scripts

Everyone needs tools. Some of us like to create our own, others prefer to
use canned tools (i.e., prepared by someone else for general use).

11.3.1 Sample smb.conf Add Group Script

A script to create complying group names for use by the Samba group in-
terfaces is provided in Example 11.3.1. This script adds a temporary entry
in the /etc/group file and then renames it to the desired name. This is
an example of a method to get around operating system maintenance tool
limitations such as those present in some version of the groupadd tool.

Example 11.3.1. smbgrpadd.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Add the group using normal system groupadd tool.

groupadd smbtmpgrp00

thegid=‘cat /etc/group | grep ^smbtmpgrp00 | cut -d ":" -f3‘

# Now change the name to what we want for the MS Windows networking end
cp /etc/group /etc/group.bak
cat /etc/group.bak | sed "s/^smbtmpgrp00/$1/g" > /etc/group
rm /etc/group.bak

# Now return the GID as would normally happen.

echo $thegid
exit 0

The smb.conf entry for the above script shown in Example 11.3.2 demon-
strates how it may be used.
Section 11.3. Configuration Scripts 223

Example 11.3.2. Configuration of smb.conf for the add group Script

[ global ]
add group s c r i p t = / p a t h t o t o o l / smbgrpadd . ←-
sh ”%g ”

11.3.2 Script to Configure Group Mapping

In our example we have created a UNIX/Linux group called ntadmin. Our

script will create the additional groups Orks, Elves, and Gnomes. It is a
good idea to save this shell script for later use just in case you ever need
to rebuild your mapping database. For the sake of convenience we elect
to save this script as a file called initGroups.sh. This script is given in
Example 11.3.3.

Example 11.3.3. Script to Set Group Mapping

#!/bin/bash

net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Admins" unixgroup=ntadmin

net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Users" unixgroup=users
net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Guests" unixgroup=nobody

groupadd Orks
groupadd Elves
groupadd Gnomes

net groupmap add ntgroup="Orks" unixgroup=Orks type=d

net groupmap add ntgroup="Elves" unixgroup=Elves type=d
net groupmap add ntgroup="Gnomes" unixgroup=Gnomes type=d

Of course it is expected that the administrator will modify this to suit local
needs. For information regarding the use of the net groupmap tool please
refer to the man page.
224 Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX Chapter 11

11.4 Common Errors

At this time there are many little surprises for the unwary administrator.
In a real sense it is imperative that every step of automated control scripts
be carefully tested manually before putting it into active service.

11.4.1 Adding Groups Fails

This is a common problem when the groupadd is called directly by the

Samba interface script for the add group script in the smb.conf file.
The most common cause of failure is an attempt to add an MS Windows
group account that has an uppercase character and/or a space character in
it.
There are three possible workarounds. First, use only group names that
comply with the limitations of the UNIX/Linux groupadd system tool.
Second, it involves the use of the script mentioned earlier in this chapter,
and third is the option is to manually create a UNIX/Linux group account
that can substitute for the MS Windows group name, then use the procedure
listed above to map that group to the MS Windows group.

11.4.2 Adding Domain Users to the Power Users Group

“What must I do to add domain users to the Power Users group?”

The Power Users group is a group that is local to each Windows 200x/XP
Professional workstation. You cannot add the Domain Users group to the
Power Users group automatically, it must be done on each workstation by
logging in as the local workstation administrator and then using the following
procedure:
1. Click Start -> Control Panel -> Users and Passwords.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. Click Groups.
5. Double-click Power Users. This will launch the panel to add users or
groups to the local machine Power Users group.
Section 11.4. Common Errors 225

6. Click the Add button.

7. Select the domain from which the Domain Users group is to be added.
8. Double-click the Domain Users group.
9. Click the OK button. If a logon box is presented during this process,
please remember to enter the connect as DOMAIN\UserName, that is,
for the domain MIDEARTH and the user root enter MIDEARTH\root.
Chapter 12

REMOTE AND LOCAL

MANAGEMENT: THE NET
COMMAND

The net command is one of the new features of Samba-3 and is an attempt
to provide a useful tool for the majority of remote management operations
necessary for common tasks. The net tool is flexible by design and is in-
tended for command-line use as well as for scripted control application.

Originally introduced with the intent to mimic the Microsoft Windows com-
mand that has the same name, the net command has morphed into a very
powerful instrument that has become an essential part of the Samba net-
work administrator’s toolbox. The Samba Team has introduced tools, such
as smbgroupedit and rpcclient, from which really useful capabilities have
been integrated into the net. The smbgroupedit command was absorbed
entirely into the net, while only some features of the rpcclient command
have been ported to it. Anyone who finds older references to these utilities
and to the functionality they provided should look at the net command
before searching elsewhere.

A Samba-3 administrator cannot afford to gloss over this chapter because to

do so will almost certainly cause the infliction of self-induced pain, agony,
and desperation. Be warned: this is an important chapter.

226
Section 12.1. Overview 227

12.1 Overview

The tasks that follow the installation of a Samba-3 server, whether stan-
dalone or domain member, of a domain controller (PDC or BDC) begins
with the need to create administrative rights. Of course, the creation of
user and group accounts is essential for both a standalone server and a
PDC. In the case of a BDC or a Domain Member server (DMS), domain
user and group accounts are obtained from the central domain authentica-
tion backend.
Regardless of the type of server being installed, local UNIX groups must be
mapped to the Windows networking domain global group accounts. Do you
ask why? Because Samba always limits its access to the resources of the
host server by way of traditional UNIX UID and GID controls. This means
that local groups must be mapped to domain global groups so that domain
users who are members of the domain global groups can be given access
rights based on UIDs and GIDs local to the server that is hosting Samba.
Such mappings are implemented using the net command.
UNIX systems that are hosting a Samba-3 server that is running as a member
(PDC, BDC, or DMS) must have a machine security account in the domain
authentication database (or directory). The creation of such security (or
trust) accounts is also handled using the net command.
The establishment of interdomain trusts is achieved using the net command
also, as may a plethora of typical administrative duties such as user manage-
ment, group management, share and printer management, file and printer
migration, security identifier management, and so on.
The overall picture should be clear now: the net command plays a central
role on the Samba-3 stage. This role will continue to be developed. The
inclusion of this chapter is evidence of its importance, one that has grown
in complexity to the point that it is no longer considered prudent to cover
its use fully in the online UNIX man pages.

12.2 Administrative Tasks and Methods

The basic operations of the net command are documented here. This doc-
umentation is not exhaustive, and thus it is incomplete. Since the primary
focus is on migration from Windows servers to a Samba server, the emphasis
is on the use of the Distributed Computing Environment Remote Procedure
228 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

Call (DCE RPC) mode of operation. When used against a server that is
a member of an Active Directory domain, it is preferable (and often neces-
sary) to use ADS mode operations. The net command supports both, but
not for every operation. For most operations, if the mode is not specified,
net will automatically fall back via the ads, rpc, and rap modes. Please
refer to the man page for a more comprehensive overview of the capabilities
of this utility.

12.3 UNIX and Windows Group Management

As stated, the focus in most of this chapter is on use of the net rpc family
of operations that are supported by Samba. Most of them are supported by
the net ads mode when used in connection with Active Directory. The net
rap operating mode is also supported for some of these operations. RAP
protocols are used by IBM OS/2 and by several earlier SMB servers.
Samba’s net tool implements sufficient capability to permit all common
administrative tasks to be completed from the command line. In this section
each of the essential user and group management facilities are explored.
Samba-3 recognizes two types of groups: domain groups and local groups.
Domain groups can contain (have as members) only domain user accounts.
Local groups can contain local users, domain users, and domain groups as
members.
The purpose of a local group is to permit file permission to be set for a
group account that, like the usual UNIX/Linux group, is persistent across
redeployment of a Windows file server.

12.3.1 Adding, Renaming, or Deletion of Group Accounts

Samba provides file and print services to Windows clients. The file system
resources it makes available to the Windows environment must, of necessity,
be provided in a manner that is compatible with the Windows networking
environment. UNIX groups are created and deleted as required to serve
operational needs in the UNIX operating system and its file systems.
In order to make available to the Windows environment Samba has a facility
by which UNIX groups can be mapped to a logical entity, called a Windows
(or domain) group. Samba supports two types of Windows groups, local and
Section 12.3. UNIX and Windows Group Management 229

global. Global groups can contain as members, global users. This member-
ship is affected in the normal UNIX manner, but adding UNIX users to
UNIX groups. Windows user accounts consist of a mapping between a user
SambaSAMAccount (logical entity) and a UNIX user account. Therefore,
a UNIX user is mapped to a Windows user (i.e., is given a Windows user
account and password) and the UNIX groups to which that user belongs, is
mapped to a Windows group account. The result is that in the Windows ac-
count environment that user is also a member of the Windows group account
by virtue of UNIX group memberships.

The following sub-sections that deal with management of Windows groups

demonstrates the relationship between the UNIX group account and its
members to the respective Windows group accounts. It goes on to show
how UNIX group members automatically pass-through to Windows group
membership as soon as a logical mapping has been created.

12.3.1.1 Adding or Creating a New Group

Before attempting to add a Windows group account, the currently available

groups can be listed as shown here:

root# net rpc group list -Uroot%not24get

Password:
Domain Admins
Domain Users
Domain Guests
Print Operators
Backup Operators
Replicator
Domain Computers
Engineers

A Windows group account called “SupportEngrs” can be added by executing

the following command:

root# net rpc group add "SupportEngrs" -Uroot%not24get

230 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

The addition will result in immediate availability of the new group account
as validated by executing this command:

root# net rpc group list -Uroot%not24get

Password:
Domain Admins
Domain Users
Domain Guests
Print Operators
Backup Operators
Replicator
Domain Computers
Engineers
SupportEngrs

The following demonstrates that the POSIX (UNIX/Linux system account)

group has been created by calling the add group script = /opt/IDEALX/sbin/smbldap-
groupadd -p ”%g” interface script:

root# getent group

...
Domain Admins:x:512:root
Domain Users:x:513:jht,lct,ajt,met
Domain Guests:x:514:
Print Operators:x:550:
Backup Operators:x:551:
Replicator:x:552:
Domain Computers:x:553:
Engineers:x:1002:jht
SupportEngrs:x:1003:

The following demonstrates that the use of the net command to add a group
account results in immediate mapping of the POSIX group that has been
created to the Windows group account as shown here:

root# net groupmap list

Domain Admins (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-512) -> Domain Admins
Section 12.3. UNIX and Windows Group Management 231

Domain Users (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-513) -> Domain Users

Domain Guests (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-514) -> Domain Guests
Print Operators (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-550) -> Print Operators
Backup Operators (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-551) -> Backup Operators
Replicator (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-552) -> Replicator
Domain Computers (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-553) -> Domain Computers
Engineers (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-3005) -> Engineers
SupportEngrs (S-1-5-21-72630-4128915-11681869-3007) -> SupportEngrs

12.3.1.2 Mapping Windows Groups to UNIX Groups

Windows groups must be mapped to UNIX system (POSIX) groups so that

file system access controls can be asserted in a manner that is consistent
with the methods appropriate to the operating system that is hosting the
Samba server.

All file system (file and directory) access controls, within the file system
of a UNIX/Linux server that is hosting a Samba server, are implemented
using a UID/GID identity tuple. Samba does not in any way override or
replace UNIX file system semantics. Thus it is necessary that all Windows
networking operations that access the file system provide a mechanism that
maps a Windows user to a particular UNIX/Linux group account. The user
account must also map to a locally known UID.

Samba depends on default mappings for the Domain Admins, Domain Users,
and Domain Guests global groups. Additional groups may be added as
shown in the examples just given. There are times when it is necessary to
map an existing UNIX group account to a Windows group. This operation,
in effect, creates a Windows group account as a consequence of creation of
the mapping.

The operations that are permitted include: add, modify, and delete. An
example of each operation is shown here.

An existing UNIX group may be mapped to an existing Windows group by

this example:

root# net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Users" unixgroup=users

232 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

An existing UNIX group may be mapped to a new Windows group as shown

here:

root# net groupmap add ntgroup="EliteEngrs" unixgroup=Engineers type=d

Supported mapping types are ’d’ (domain global) and ’l’ (domain local). A
Windows group may be deleted, and then a new Windows group can be
mapped to the UNIX group by executing these commands:

root# net groupmap delete ntgroup=Engineers

root# net groupmap add ntgroup=EngineDrivers unixgroup=Engineers type=d

The deletion and addition operations affected only the logical entities known
as Windows groups, or domain groups. These operations are inert to UNIX
system groups, meaning that they neither delete nor create UNIX system
groups. The mapping of a UNIX group to a Windows group makes the
UNIX group available as Windows groups so that files and folders on domain
member clients (workstations and servers) can be given domain-wide access
controls for domain users and groups.

Two types of Windows groups can be created: domain (global) and local.
In the previous examples the Windows groups created were of type domain
or global. The following command will create a Windows group of type
local.

root# net groupmap add ntgroup=Pixies unixgroup=pixies type=l

Supported mapping types are ’d’ (domain global) and ’l’ (domain local), a
domain local group is Samba is treated as local to the individual Samba
serverr. Local groups can be used with Samba to enable multiple nested
group support.

12.3.1.3 Deleting a Group Account

A group account may be deleted by executing the following command:

Section 12.3. UNIX and Windows Group Management 233

root# net rpc group delete SupportEngineers -Uroot%not24get

Validation of the deletion is advisable. The same commands may be exe-

cuted as shown above.

12.3.1.4 Rename Group Accounts

Note

This command is not documented in the man pages; it

is implemented in the source code, but it does not work.
The example given documents (from the source code)
how it should work. Watch the release notes of a future
release to see when this may have been fixed.

Sometimes it is necessary to rename a group account. Good administrators

know how painful some managers’ demands can be if this simple request
is ignored. The following command demonstrates how the Windows group
“SupportEngrs” can be renamed to “CustomerSupport”:

root# net rpc group rename SupportEngrs \

CustomerSupport -Uroot%not24get

12.3.2 Manipulating Group Memberships

Three operations can be performed regarding group membership. It is pos-

sible to (1) add Windows users to a Windows group, to (2) delete Windows
users from Windows groups, and to (3) list the Windows users that are
members of a Windows group.
To avoid confusion, it makes sense to check group membership before at-
tempting to make any changes. The getent group will list UNIX/Linux
group membership. UNIX/Linux group members are seen also as members
234 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

of a Windows group that has been mapped using the net groupmap com-
mand (see Chapter 11, “Group Mapping: MS Windows and UNIX”). The
following list of UNIX/Linux group membership shows that the user ajt is
a member of the UNIX/Linux group Engineers.

root# getent group

...
Domain Admins:x:512:root
Domain Users:x:513:jht,lct,ajt,met,vlendecke
Domain Guests:x:514:
Print Operators:x:550:
Backup Operators:x:551:
Replicator:x:552:
Domain Computers:x:553:
Engineers:x:1000:jht,ajt

The UNIX/Linux groups have been mapped to Windows groups, as is shown

here:

root# net groupmap list

Domain Admins (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-512) -> Domain Admins
Domain Users (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-513) -> Domain Users
Domain Guests (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-514) -> Domain Guests
Print Operators (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-550) -> Print Operators
Backup Operators (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-551) -> Backup Operators
Replicator (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-552) -> Replicator
Domain Computers (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-553) -> Domain Computers
Engineers (S-1-5-21-72630-412605-116429-3001) -> Engineers

Given that the user ajt is already a member of the UNIX/Linux group and,
via the group mapping, a member of the Windows group, an attempt to add
this account again should fail. This is demonstrated here:

root# net rpc group addmem "MIDEARTH\Engineers" ajt -Uroot%not24get

Could not add ajt to MIDEARTH\Engineers: NT_STATUS_MEMBER_IN_GROUP

This shows that the group mapping between UNIX/Linux groups and Win-
Section 12.3. UNIX and Windows Group Management 235

dows groups is effective and transparent.

To permit the user ajt to be added using the net rpc group utility, this
account must first be removed. The removal and confirmation of its effect
is shown here:

root# net rpc group delmem "MIDEARTH\Engineers" ajt -Uroot%not24get

root# getent group Engineers
Engineers:x:1000:jht
root# net rpc group members Engineers -Uroot%not24get
MIDEARTH\jht

In this example both at the UNIX/Linux system level, the group no longer
has the ajt as a member. The above also shows this to be the case for
Windows group membership.

The account is now added again, using the net rpc group utility:

root# net rpc group addmem "MIDEARTH\Engineers" ajt -Uroot%not24get

root# getent group Engineers
Engineers:x:1000:jht,ajt
root# net rpc group members Engineers -Uroot%not24get
MIDEARTH\jht
MIDEARTH\ajt

In this example the members of the Windows Domain Users account are
validated using the net rpc group utility. Note the this contents of the
UNIX/Linux group was shown four paragraphs earlier. The Windows (do-
main) group membership is shown here:

root# net rpc group members "Domain Users" -Uroot%not24get

MIDEARTH\jht
MIDEARTH\lct
MIDEARTH\ajt
MIDEARTH\met
MIDEARTH\vlendecke
236 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

This express example shows that Windows group names are treated by
Samba (as with MS Windows) in a case-insensitive manner:

root# net rpc group members "DomAiN USerS" -Uroot%not24get

MIDEARTH\jht
MIDEARTH\lct
MIDEARTH\ajt
MIDEARTH\met
MIDEARTH\vlendecke

Note

An attempt to specify the group name as

MIDEARTH\Domain Users in place of just simply
Domain Users will fail. The default behavior of the net
rpc group is to direct the command at the local machine.
The Windows group is treated as being local to the
machine. If it is necessary to query another machine,
its name can be specified using the -S servername
parameter to the net command.

12.3.3 Nested Group Support

It is possible in Windows (and now in Samba also) to create a local group

that has members (contains), domain users, and domain global groups. Cre-
ation of the local group demo is achieved by executing:

root# net rpc group add demo -L -S MORDON -Uroot%not24get

The -L switch means create a local group. Use the -S argument to direct
the operation to a particular server. The parameters to the -U argument
should be for a user who has appropriate administrative right and privileges
on the machine.
Section 12.3. UNIX and Windows Group Management 237

Addition and removal of group members can be achieved using the addmem
and delmem subcommands of net rpc group command. For example, ad-
dition of “DOM\Domain Users” to the local group demo would be done by
executing:

root# net rpc group addmem demo "DOM\Domain Users" -Uroot%not24get

The members of a nested group can be listed by executing the following:

root# net rpc group members demo -Uroot%not24get

DOM\Domain Users
DOM\Engineers
DOM\jamesf
DOM\jht

Nested group members can be removed (deleted) as shown here:

root# net rpc group delmem demo "DOM\jht" -Uroot%not24get

12.3.3.1 Managing Nest Groups on Workstations from the Samba Server

Windows network administrators often ask on the Samba mailing list how it
is possible to grant everyone administrative rights on their own workstation.
This is of course a very bad practice, but commonly done to avoid user
complaints. Here is how it can be done remotely from a Samba PDC or
BDC:

root# net rpc group addmem "Administrators" "Domain Users" \

-S WINPC032 -Uadministrator%secret

This can be scripted, and can therefore be performed as a user logs onto the
domain from a Windows workstation. Here is a simple example that shows
how this can be done. Automating User Addition to the Workstation Power
Users Group
238 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

Example 12.3.1. Script to Auto-add Domain Users to Workstation Power Users

Group

#!/bin/bash

/usr/bin/net rpc group addmem "Power Users" "DOMAIN_NAME\$1" \

-UAdministrator%secret -S $2

exit 0

Example 12.3.2. A Magic Netlogon Share

[ netlogon ]
comment = Netlogon Share
path = / var / l i b /samba/ n e t l o g o n
r o o t p r e e x e c = / e t c /samba/ s c r i p t s / ←-
a u t o p o w e r u s e r . sh %U %m
r e a d o n l y = Yes
g u e s t ok = Yes

1. Create the script shown in Example 12.3.1 and locate it in the directory
/etc/samba/scripts, named as autopoweruser.sh.

2. Set the permissions on this script to permit it to be executed as part

of the logon process:

root# chown root:root /etc/samba/autopoweruser.sh

root# chmod 755 /etc/samba/autopoweruser.sh

3. Modify the smb.conf file so the NETLOGON stanza contains the param-
eters shown in Example 12.3.2.

4. Ensure that every Windows workstation Adminsitrator account has

the same password that you have used in the script shown in Exam-
ple 12.3.2
Section 12.4. UNIX and Windows User Management 239

This script will be executed every time a user logs onto the network. There-
fore every user will have local Windows workstation management rights.
This could of course be assigned using a group, in which case there is little
justification for the use of this procedure. The key justification for the use
of this method is that it will guarantee that all users have appropriate rights
on the workstation.

12.4 UNIX and Windows User Management

Every Windows network user account must be translated to a UNIX/Linux

user account. In actual fact, the only account information the UNIX/Linux
Samba server needs is a UID. The UID is available either from a system
(POSIX) account or from a pool (range) of UID numbers that is set aside
for the purpose of being allocated for use by Windows user accounts. In
the case of the UID pool, the UID for a particular user will be allocated by
winbindd.
Although this is not the appropriate place to discuss the username map
facility, this interface is an important method of mapping a Windows user
account to a UNIX account that has a different name. Refer to the man
page for the smb.conf file for more information regarding this facility. User
name mappings cannot be managed using the net utility.

12.4.1 Adding User Accounts

The syntax for adding a user account via the net (according to the man
page) is shown here:

net [<method>] user ADD <name> [-c container] [-F user flags] \
[misc. options] [targets]

The user account password may be set using this syntax:

net rpc password <username> [<password>] -Uadmin_username%admin_pass

The following demonstrates the addition of an account to the server FRODO:

240 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

root# net rpc user add jacko -S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

Added user jacko

The account password can be set with the following methods (all show the
same operation):

root# net rpc password jacko f4sth0rse -S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

root# net rpc user password jacko f4sth0rse \
-S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

12.4.2 Deletion of User Accounts

Deletion of a user account can be done using the following syntax:

net [<method>] user DELETE <name> [misc. options] [targets]

The following command will delete the user account jacko:

root# net rpc user delete jacko -Uroot%not24get

Deleted user account

12.4.3 Managing User Accounts

Two basic user account operations are routinely used: change of password
and querying which groups a user is a member of. The change of password
operation is shown in Section 12.4.1.
The ability to query Windows group membership can be essential. Here is
how a remote server may be interrogated to find which groups a user is a
member of:

root# net rpc user info jacko -S SAURON -Uroot%not24get

net rpc user info jacko -S SAURON -Uroot%not24get
Section 12.5. Administering User Rights and Privileges 241

Domain Users
Domain Admins
Engineers
TorridGroup
BOP Shop
Emergency Services

12.4.4 User Mapping

In some situations it is unavoidable that a user’s Windows logon name will

differ from the login ID that user has on the Samba server. It is possible
to create a special file on the Samba server that will permit the Windows
user name to be mapped to a different UNIX/Linux user name. The smb.
conf file must also be amended so that the [global] stanza contains the
parameter:

username map = /etc/samba/smbusers

The content of the /etc/samba/smbusers file is shown here:

parsonsw: "William Parsons"

marygee: geeringm

In this example the Windows user account “William Parsons” will be mapped
to the UNIX user parsonsw, and the Windows user account “geeringm” will
be mapped to the UNIX user marygee.

12.5 Administering User Rights and Privileges

With all versions of Samba earlier than 3.0.11 the only account on a Samba
server that could manage users, groups, shares, printers, and such was the
root account. This caused problems for some users and was a frequent
source of scorn over the necessity to hand out the credentials for the most
security-sensitive account on a UNIX/Linux system.
242 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

New to Samba version 3.0.11 is the ability to delegate administrative privi-

leges as necessary to either a normal user or to groups of users. The signif-
icance of the administrative privileges is documented in Chapter 14, “User
Rights and Privileges”. Examples of use of the net for user rights and
privilege management is appropriate to this chapter.

Note

When user rights and privileges are correctly set, there

is no longer a need for a Windows network account for
the root user (nor for any synonym of it) with a UNIX
UID=0. Initial user rights and privileges can be assigned
by any account that is a member of the Domain Admins
group. Rights can be assigned to user as well as group
accounts.

By default, no privileges and rights are assigned. This is demonstrated by

executing the command shown here:

root# net rpc rights list accounts -U root%not24get

BUILTIN\Print Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Account Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Backup Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Server Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Administrators
No privileges assigned

Everyone
No privileges assigned
Section 12.5. Administering User Rights and Privileges 243

The net command can be used to obtain the currently supported capabilities
for rights and privileges using this method:

root# net rpc rights list -U root%not24get

SeMachineAccountPrivilege Add machines to domain
SePrintOperatorPrivilege Manage printers
SeAddUsersPrivilege Add users and groups to the domain
SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege Force shutdown from a remote system
SeDiskOperatorPrivilege Manage disk shares
SeBackupPrivilege Back up files and directories
SeRestorePrivilege Restore files and directories
SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege Take ownership of files or other objects

Machine account privilege is necessary to permit a Windows NT4 or later

network client to be added to the domain. The disk operator privilege is
necessary to permit the user to manage share ACLs and file and directory
ACLs for objects not owned by the user.
In this example, all rights are assigned to the Domain Admins group. This
is a good idea since members of this group are generally expected to be
all-powerful. This assignment makes that the reality:

root# net rpc rights grant "MIDEARTH\Domain Admins" \

SeMachineAccountPrivilege SePrintOperatorPrivilege \
SeAddUsersPrivilege SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege \
SeDiskOperatorPrivilege -U root%not24get
Successfully granted rights.

Next, the domain user jht is given the privileges needed for day-to-day
administration:

root# net rpc rights grant "MIDEARTH\jht" \

SeMachineAccountPrivilege SePrintOperatorPrivilege \
SeAddUsersPrivilege SeDiskOperatorPrivilege \
-U root%not24get
Successfully granted rights.
244 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

The following step permits validation of the changes just made:

root# net rpc rights list accounts -U root%not24get

MIDEARTH\jht
SeMachineAccountPrivilege
SePrintOperatorPrivilege
SeAddUsersPrivilege
SeDiskOperatorPrivilege

BUILTIN\Print Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Account Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Backup Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Server Operators
No privileges assigned

BUILTIN\Administrators
No privileges assigned

Everyone
No privileges assigned

MIDEARTH\Domain Admins
SeMachineAccountPrivilege
SePrintOperatorPrivilege
SeAddUsersPrivilege
SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege
SeDiskOperatorPrivilege
Section 12.6. Managing Trust Relationships 245

12.6 Managing Trust Relationships

There are essentially two types of trust relationships: the first is between
domain controllers and domain member machines (network clients), the sec-
ond is between domains (called interdomain trusts). All Samba servers that
participate in domain security require a domain membership trust account,
as do like Windows NT/200x/XP workstations.

12.6.1 Machine Trust Accounts

The net command looks in the smb.conf file to obtain its own configuration
settings. Thus, the following command ’know’ which domain to join from
the smb.conf file.

A Samba server domain trust account can be validated as shown in this

example:

root# net rpc testjoin

Join to ’MIDEARTH’ is OK

Where there is no domain membership account, or when the account cre-

dentials are not valid, the following results will be observed:

net rpc testjoin -S DOLPHIN

Join to domain ’WORLDOCEAN’ is not valid

The equivalent command for joining a Samba server to a Windows ADS

domain is shown here:

root# net ads testjoin

Using short domain name -- TAKEAWAY
Joined ’LEMONADE’ to realm ’TAKEAWAY.BIZ’

In the event that the ADS trust was not established, or is broken for one
reason or another, the following error message may be obtained:
246 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

root# net ads testjoin -UAdministrator%secret

Join to domain is not valid

The following demonstrates the process of creating a machine trust account

in the target domain for the Samba server from which the command is
executed:

root# net rpc join -S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

Joined domain MIDEARTH.

The joining of a Samba server to a Samba domain results in the creation of

a machine account. An example of this is shown here:

root# pdbedit -Lw merlin\$

merlin$:1009:9B4489D6B90461FD6A3EC3AB96147E16:\
176D8C554E99914BDF3407DEA2231D80:[S ]:LCT-42891919:

The S in the square brackets means this is a server (PDC/BDC) account.

The domain join can be cast to join purely as a workstation, in which case
the S is replaced with a W (indicating a workstation account). The following
command can be used to affect this:

root# net rpc join member -S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

Joined domain MIDEARTH.

Note that the command-line parameter member makes this join specific. By
default the type is deduced from the smb.conf file configuration. To specif-
ically join as a PDC or BDC, the command-line parameter will be [PDC |
BDC]. For example:

root# net rpc join bdc -S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

Joined domain MIDEARTH.

It is best to let Samba figure out the domain join type from the settings in
Section 12.6. Managing Trust Relationships 247

the smb.conf file.

The command to join a Samba server to a Windows ADS domain is shown

here:

root# net ads join -UAdministrator%not24get

Using short domain name -- GDANSK
Joined ’FRANDIMITZ’ to realm ’GDANSK.ABMAS.BIZ’

There is no specific option to remove a machine account from an NT4 do-

main. When a domain member that is a Windows machine is withdrawn
from the domain, the domain membership account is not automatically re-
moved either. Inactive domain member accounts can be removed using any
convenient tool. If necessary, the machine account can be removed using the
following net command:

root# net rpc user delete HERRING\$ -Uroot%not24get

Deleted user account.

The removal is made possible because machine accounts are just like user
accounts with a trailing $ character. The account management operations
treat user and machine accounts in like manner.

A Samba-3 server that is a Windows ADS domain member can execute the
following command to detach from the domain:

root# net ads leave

Detailed information regarding an ADS domain can be obtained by a Samba

DMS machine by executing the following:

root# net ads status

The volume of information is extensive. Please refer to the book “Samba-3

by Example”, Chapter 7 for more information regarding its use. This book
248 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

may be obtained either in print or online from the Samba-3 by Example1 .

12.6.2 Interdomain Trusts

Interdomain trust relationships form the primary mechanism by which users

from one domain can be granted access rights and privileges in another
domain.
To discover what trust relationships are in effect, execute this command:

root# net rpc trustdom list -Uroot%not24get

Trusted domains list:

none

Trusting domains list:

none

There are no interdomain trusts at this time; the following steps will create
them.
It is necessary to create a trust account in the local domain. A domain
controller in a second domain can create a trusted connection with this
account. That means that the foreign domain is being trusted to access
resources in the local domain. This command creates the local trust account:

root# net rpc trustdom add DAMNATION f00db4r -Uroot%not24get

The account can be revealed by using the pdbedit as shown here:

root# pdbedit -Lw DAMNATION\$

DAMNATION$:1016:9AC1F121DF897688AAD3B435B51404EE: \
7F845808B91BB9F7FEF44B247D9DC9A6:[I ]:LCT-428934B1:

1
<http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample.pdf>
Section 12.6. Managing Trust Relationships 249

A trust account will always have an I in the field within the square brackets.
If the trusting domain is not capable of being reached, the following com-
mand will fail:

root# net rpc trustdom list -Uroot%not24get

Trusted domains list:

none

Trusting domains list:

DAMNATION S-1-5-21-1385457007-882775198-1210191635

The above command executed successfully; a failure is indicated when the

following response is obtained:

net rpc trustdom list -Uroot%not24get

Trusted domains list:

DAMNATION S-1-5-21-1385457007-882775198-1210191635

Trusting domains list:

DAMNATION domain controller is not responding

Where a trust account has been created on a foreign domain, Samba is able
to establish the trust (connect with) the foreign account. In the process
it creates a one-way trust to the resources on the remote domain. This
command achieves the objective of joining the trust relationship:

root# net rpc trustdom establish DAMNATION

Password: xxxxxxx == f00db4r
Could not connect to server TRANSGRESSION
Trust to domain DAMNATION established

Validation of the two-way trust now established is possible as shown here:

250 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

root# net rpc trustdom list -Uroot%not24get

Trusted domains list:

DAMNATION S-1-5-21-1385457007-882775198-1210191635

Trusting domains list:

DAMNATION S-1-5-21-1385457007-882775198-1210191635

Sometimes it is necessary to remove the ability for local users to access a

foreign domain. The trusting connection can be revoked as shown here:

root# net rpc trustdom revoke DAMNATION -Uroot%not24get

At other times it becomes necessary to remove the ability for users from
a foreign domain to be able to access resources in the local domain. The
command shown here will do that:

root# net rpc trustdom del DAMNATION -Uroot%not24get

12.7 Managing Security Identifiers (SIDS)

The basic security identifier that is used by all Windows networking oper-
ations is the Windows security identifier (SID). All Windows network ma-
chines (servers and workstations), users, and groups are identified by their
respective SID. All desktop profiles are also encoded with user and group
SIDs that are specific to the SID of the domain to which the user belongs.
It is truly prudent to store the machine and/or domain SID in a file for
safekeeping. Why? Because a change in hostname or in the domain (work-
group) name may result in a change in the SID. When you have the SID on
hand, it is a simple matter to restore it. The alternative is to suffer the pain
of having to recover user desktop profiles and perhaps rejoin all member
machines to the domain.
First, do not forget to store the local SID in a file. It is a good idea to put
Section 12.7. Managing Security Identifiers (SIDS) 251

this in the directory in which the smb.conf file is also stored. Here is a
simple action to achieve this:

root# net getlocalsid > /etc/samba/my-sid

Good, there is now a safe copy of the local machine SID. On a PDC/BDC
this is the domain SID also.

The following command reveals what the former one should have placed into
the file called my-sid:

root# net getlocalsid

SID for domain MERLIN is: S-1-5-21-726309263-4128913605-1168186429

If ever it becomes necessary to restore the SID that has been stored in the
my-sid file, simply copy the SID (the string of characters that begins with
S-1-5-21) to the command line shown here:

root# net setlocalsid S-1-5-21-1385457007-882775198-1210191635

Restoration of a machine SID is a simple operation, but the absence of a

backup copy can be very problematic.

The following operation is useful only for machines that are being configured
as a PDC or a BDC. DMS and workstation clients should have their own
machine SID to avoid any potential namespace collision. Here is the way
that the BDC SID can be synchronized to that of the PDC (this is the
default NT4 domain practice also):

root# net rpc getsid -S FRODO -Uroot%not24get

Storing SID S-1-5-21-726309263-4128913605-1168186429 \
for Domain MIDEARTH in secrets.tdb

Usually it is not necessary to specify the target server (-S FRODO) or the
administrator account credentials (-Uroot%not24get).
252 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

12.8 Share Management

Share management is central to all file serving operations. Typical share

operations include:
• Creation/change/deletion of shares
• Setting/changing ACLs on shares
• Moving shares from one server to another
• Change of permissions of share contents
Each of these are dealt with here insofar as they involve the use of the net
command. Operations outside of this command are covered elsewhere in
this document.

12.8.1 Creating, Editing, and Removing Shares

A share can be added using the net rpc share command capabilities. The
target machine may be local or remote and is specified by the -S option.
It must be noted that the addition and deletion of shares using this tool
depends on the availability of a suitable interface script. The interface scripts
Sambas smbd uses are called add share script and delete share script. A
set of example scripts are provided in the Samba source code tarball in the
directory ~samba/examples/scripts.
The following steps demonstrate the use of the share management capabili-
ties of the net utility. In the first step a share called Bulge is added. The
sharepoint within the file system is the directory /data. The command that
can be executed to perform the addition of this share is shown here:

root# net rpc share add Bulge=/data -S MERLIN -Uroot%not24get

Validation is an important process, and by executing the command net rpc

share with no other operators it is possible to obtain a listing of available
shares, as shown here:

root# net rpc share -S MERLIN -Uroot%not24get

profdata
archive
Section 12.8. Share Management 253

Bulge <--- This one was added

print$
netlogon
profiles
IPC$
kyocera
ADMIN$

Often it is desirable also to permit a share to be removed using a command-

line tool. The following step permits the share that was previously added
to be removed:

root# net rpc share delete Bulge -S MERLIN -Uroot%not24get

A simple validation shown here demonstrates that the share has been re-
moved:

root# net rpc share -S MERLIN -Uroot%not24get

profdata
archive
print$
netlogon
profiles
IPC$
ADMIN$
kyocera

12.8.2 Creating and Changing Share ACLs

At this time the net tool cannot be used to manage ACLs on Samba shares.
In MS Windows language this is called Share Permissions.

It is possible to set ACLs on Samba shares using either the SRVTOOLS

NT4 Domain Server Manager or using the Computer Management MMC
snap-in. Neither is covered here, but see Chapter 15, “File, Directory, and
Share Access Controls”.
254 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

12.8.3 Share, Directory, and File Migration

Shares and files can be migrated in the same manner as user, machine, and
group accounts. It is possible to preserve access control settings (ACLs)
as well as security settings throughout the migration process. The net rpc
vampire facility is used to migrate accounts from a Windows NT4 (or later)
domain to a Samba server. This process preserves passwords and account
security settings and is a precursor to the migration of shares and files.
The net rpc share command may be used to migrate shares, directories,
files, printers, and all relevant data from a Windows server to a Samba
server.
A set of command-line switches permit the creation of almost direct clones
of Windows file servers. For example, when migrating a fileserver, file ACLs
and DOS file attributes from the Windows server can be included in the
migration process and will reappear, almost identically, on the Samba server
when the migration has been completed.
The migration process can be completed only with the Samba server already
being fully operational. The user and group accounts must be migrated
before attempting to migrate data share, files, and printers. The migration
of files and printer configurations involves the use of both SMB and MS DCE
RPC services. The benefit of the manner in which the migration process has
been implemented is that the possibility now exists to use a Samba server
as a man-in-middle migration service that affects a transfer of data from
one server to another. For example, if the Samba server is called MESSER,
the source Windows NT4 server is called PEPPY, and the target Samba
server is called GONZALES, the machine MESSER can be used to effect
the migration of all data (files and shares) from PEPPY to GONZALES. If
the target machine is not specified, the local server is assumed by default.
The success of server migration requires a firm understanding of the struc-
ture of the source server (or domain) as well as the processes on which the
migration is critically dependant.
There are two known limitations to the migration process:
1. The net command requires that the user credentials provided exist on
both the migration source and the migration target.
2. Printer settings may not be fully or may be incorrectly migrated. This
might in particular happen when migrating a Windows 2003 print
Section 12.8. Share Management 255

server to Samba.

12.8.3.1 Share Migration

The net rpc share migrate command operation permits the migration of
plain share stanzas. A stanza contains the parameters within which a file or
print share are defined. The use of this migration method will create share
stanzas that have as parameters the file system directory path, an optional
description, and simple security settings that permit write access to files.
One of the first steps necessary following migration is to review the share
stanzas to ensure that the settings are suitable for use.
The shares are created on the fly as part of the migration process. The
smbd application does this by calling on the operating system to execute
the script specified by the smb.conf parameter add share command.
There is a suitable example script for the add share command in the $SAMBA
SOURCES/examples/scripts directory. It should be noted that the account
that is used to drive the migration must, of necessity, have appropriate file
system access privileges and have the right to create shares and to set ACLs
on them. Such rights are conferred by these rights: SeAddUsersPrivilege
and SeDiskOperatorPrivilege. For more information regarding rights and
privileges please refer to Chapter 14, “User Rights and Privileges”.
The syntax of the share migration command is shown here:

net rpc share MIGRATE SHARES <share-name> -S <source>

[--destination=localhost] [--exclude=share1,share2] [-v]

When the parameter <share-name> is omitted, all shares will be migrated.

The potentially large list of available shares on the system that is being
migrated can be limited using the --exclude switch. For example:

root# net rpc share migrate shares myshare\

-S win2k -U administrator%secret"

This will migrate the share myshare from the server win2k to the Samba
Server using the permissions that are tied to the account administrator
with the password secret. The account that is used must be the same on
256 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

both the migration source server and the target Samba server. The use of
the net rpc vampire, prior to attempting the migration of shares, will
ensure that accounts will be identical on both systems. One precaution
worth taking before commencement of migration of shares is to validate
that the migrated accounts (on the Samba server) have the needed rights
and privileges. This can be done as shown here:

root# net rpc right list accounts -Uroot%not24get

The steps taken so far perform only the migration of shares. Directories and
directory contents are not migrated by the steps covered up to this point.

12.8.3.2 File and Directory Migration

Everything covered to this point has been done in preparation for the migra-
tion of file and directory data. For many people preparation is potentially
boring and the real excitement only begins when file data can be used. The
next steps demonstrate the techniques that can be used to transfer (migrate)
data files using the net command.

Transfer of files from one server to another has always been a challenge
for MS Windows administrators because Windows NT and 200X servers
do not include the tools needed. The xcopy is not capable of preserving
file and directory ACLs. Microsoft does provide a utility that can copy
ACLs (security settings) called scopy, but it is provided only as part of the
Windows NT or 200X Server Resource Kit.

There are several tools, both commercial and freeware, that can be used
from a Windows server to copy files and directories with full preservation of
security settings. One of the best known of the free tools is called robocopy.

The net utility can be used to copy files and directories with full preservation
of ACLs as well as DOS file attributes. Note that including ACLs makes
sense only where the destination system will operate within the same security
context as the source system. This applies both to a DMS and to domain
controllers that result from a vampired domain. Before file and directory
migration, all shares must already exist.

The syntax for the migration commands is shown here:

Section 12.8. Share Management 257

net rpc share MIGRATE FILES <share-name> -S <source>

[--destination=localhost] [--exclude=share1,share2]
[--acls] [--attrs] [--timestamps] [-v]

If the <share-name> parameter is omitted, all shares will be migrated. The

potentially large list of shares on the source system can be restricted using
the --exclude command switch.
Where it is necessary to preserve all file ACLs, the --acls switch should be
added to the above command line. Original file timestamps can be preserved
by specifying the --timestamps switch, and the DOS file attributes (i.e.,
hidden, archive, etc.) can be preserved by specifying the --attrs switch.

Note

The ability to preserve ACLs depends on appropriate sup-

port for ACLs as well as the general file system semantics
of the host operating system on the target server. A
migration from one Windows file server to another will
perfectly preserve all file attributes. Because of the dif-
ficulty of mapping Windows ACLs onto a POSIX ACLs-
supporting system, there can be no perfect migration of
Windows ACLs to a Samba server.

The ACLs that result on a Samba server will most probably not match
the originating ACLs. Windows supports the possibility of files that are
owned only by a group. Group-alone file ownership is not possible under
UNIX/Linux. Errors in migrating group-owned files can be avoided by using
the smb.conf file force unknown acl user = yes parameter. This facility will
automatically convert group-owned files into correctly user-owned files on
the Samba server.
An example for migration of files from a machine called nt4box to the Samba
server from which the process will be handled is shown here:

root# net rpc share migrate files -S nt4box --acls \

258 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

--attrs -U administrator%secret

This command will migrate all files and directories from all file shares on the
Windows server called nt4box to the Samba server from which migration
is initiated. Files that are group-owned will be owned by the user account
administrator.

12.8.3.3 Simultaneous Share and File Migration

The operating mode shown here is just a combination of the previous two.
It first migrates share definitions and then all shared files and directories:

net rpc share MIGRATE ALL <share-name> -S <source>

[--exclude=share1, share2] [--acls] [--attrs] [--timestamps] [-v]

An example of simultaneous migration is shown here:

root# net rpc share migrate all -S w2k3server -U administrator%secret

This will generate a complete server clone of the w2k3server server.

12.8.4 Printer Migration

The installation of a new server, as with the migration to a new network

environment, often is similar to building a house; progress is very rapid
from the laying of foundations up to the stage at which the the house can
be locked up, but the finishing off appears to take longer and longer as
building approaches completion.
Printing needs vary greatly depending on the network environment and may
be very simple or complex. If the need is very simple, the best solution to the
implementation of printing support may well be to re-install everything from
a clean slate instead of migrating older configurations. On the other hand,
a complex network that is integrated with many international offices and
a multiplexity of local branch offices, each of which form an inter-twined
maze of printing possibilities, the ability to migrate all printer configura-
tions is decidedly beneficial. To manually re-establish a complex printing
Section 12.8. Share Management 259

network will take much time and frustration. Often it will not be possible
to find driver files that are currently in use, necessitating the installation
of newer drivers. Newer drivers often implement printing features that will
necessitate a change in the printer usage. Additionally, with very complex
printer configurations it becomes almost impossible to re-create the same
environment — no matter how extensively it has been documented.
The migration of an existing printing architecture involves the following:
• Establishment of print queues.
• Installation of printer drivers (both for the print server and for Win-
dows clients.
• Configuration of printing forms.
• Implementation of security settings.
• Configuration of printer settings.
The Samba net utility permits printer migration from one Windows print
server to another. When this tool is used to migrate printers to a Samba
server smbd, the application that receives the network requests to create
the necessary services must call out to the operating system in order to
create the underlying printers. The call-out is implemented by way of an
interface script that can be specified by the smb.conf file parameter . This
script is essential to the migration process. A suitable example script may
be obtained from the $SAMBA SOURCES/examples/scripts directory. Take
note that this script must be customized to suit the operating system envi-
ronment and may use its tools to create a print queue.
Each of the components listed above can be completed separately, or they
can be completed as part of an automated operation. Many network admin-
istrators prefer to deal with migration issues in a manner that gives them
the most control, particularly when things go wrong. The syntax for each
operation is now briefly described.
Printer migration from a Windows print server (NT4 or 200x) is shown.
This instruction causes the printer share to be created together with the
underlying print queue:

net rpc printer MIGRATE PRINTERS [printer] [misc. options] [targets]

260 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

Printer drivers can be migrated from the Windows print server to the Samba
server using this command-line instruction:

net rpc printer MIGRATE DRIVERS [printer] [misc. options] [targets]

Printer forms can be migrated with the following operation:

net rpc printer MIGRATE FORMS [printer] [misc. options] [targets]

Printer security settings (ACLs) can be migrated from the Windows server
to the Samba server using this command:

net rpc printer MIGRATE SECURITY [printer] [misc. options] [targets]

Printer configuration settings include factors such as paper size and default
paper orientation. These can be migrated from the Windows print server to
the Samba server with this command:

net rpc printer MIGRATE SETTINGS [printer] [misc. options] [targets]

Migration of printers including the above-mentioned sets of information may

be completed with a single command using this syntax:

net rpc printer MIGRATE ALL [printer] [misc. options] [targets]

12.9 Controlling Open Files

The man page documents the net file function suite, which provides the
tools to close open files using either RAP or RPC function calls. Please refer
to the man page for specific usage information.
Section 12.10. Session and Connection Management 261

12.10 Session and Connection Management

The session management interface of the net session command uses the
old RAP method to obtain the list of connections to the Samba server, as
shown here:

root# net rap session -S MERLIN -Uroot%not24get

Computer User name Client Type Opens Idle time
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\\merlin root Unknown Client 0 00:00:00
\\marvel jht Unknown Client 0 00:00:00
\\maggot jht Unknown Client 0 00:00:00
\\marvel jht Unknown Client 0 00:00:00

A session can be closed by executing a command as shown here:

root# net rap session close marvel -Uroot%not24get

12.11 Printers and ADS

When Samba-3 is used within an MS Windows ADS environment, printers

shared via Samba will not be browseable until they have been published
to the ADS domain. Information regarding published printers may be ob-
tained from the ADS server by executing the net ads print info command
following this syntax:

net ads printer info <printer_name> <server_name> -Uadministrator%secret

If the asterisk (*) is used in place of the printer name argument, a list of all
printers will be returned.
To publish (make available) a printer to ADS, execute the following com-
mand:

net ads printer publish <printer_name> -Uadministrator%secret

262 Remote and Local Management: The Net Command Chapter 12

This publishes a printer from the local Samba server to ADS.

Removal of a Samba printer from ADS is achieved by executing this com-
mand:

net ads printer remove <printer_name> -Uadministrator%secret

A generic search (query) can also be made to locate a printer across the
entire ADS domain by executing:

net ads printer search <printer_name> -Uadministrator%secret

12.12 Manipulating the Samba Cache

Please refer to the net command man page for information regarding cache
management.

12.13 Other Miscellaneous Operations

The following command is useful for obtaining basic statistics regarding a

Samba domain. This command does not work with current Windows XP
Professional clients.

root# net rpc info

Domain Name: RAPIDFLY
Domain SID: S-1-5-21-399034208-633907489-3292421255
Sequence number: 1116312355
Num users: 720
Num domain groups: 27
Num local groups: 6

Another useful tool is the net time tool set. This tool may be used to query
the current time on the target server as shown here:
Section 12.13. Other Miscellaneous Operations 263

root# net time -S SAURON

Tue May 17 00:50:43 2005

In the event that it is the intent to pass the time information obtained to
the UNIX /bin/time, it is a good idea to obtain the time from the target
server in a format that is ready to be passed through. This may be done by
executing:

root# net time system -S FRODO

051700532005.16

The time can be set on a target server by executing:

root# net time set -S MAGGOT -U Administrator%not24get

Tue May 17 00:55:30 MDT 2005

It is possible to obtain the time zone of a server by executing the following

command against it:

root# net time zone -S SAURON

-0600
Chapter 13

IDENTITY MAPPING
(IDMAP)

The Microsoft Windows operating system has a number of features that

impose specific challenges to interoperability with the operating systems on
which Samba is implemented. This chapter deals explicitly with the mech-
anisms Samba-3 (version 3.0.8 and later) uses to overcome one of the key
challenges in the integration of Samba servers into an MS Windows net-
working environment. This chapter deals with identity mapping (IDMAP)
of Windows security identifiers (SIDs) to UNIX UIDs and GIDs.
To ensure sufficient coverage, each possible Samba deployment type is dis-
cussed. This is followed by an overview of how the IDMAP facility may be
implemented.
The IDMAP facility is of concern where more than one Samba server (or
Samba network client) is installed in a domain. Where there is a single
Samba server, do not be too concerned regarding the IDMAP infrastructure
— the default behavior of Samba is nearly always sufficient. Where mulitple
Samba servers are used it is often necessary to move data off one server and
onto another, and that is where the fun begins!
Where user and group account information is stored in an LDAP directory
every server can have the same consistent UID and GID for users and groups.
This is achieved using NSS and the nss ldap tool. Samba can be configured
to use only local accounts, in which case the scope of the IDMAP problem
is somewhat reduced. This works reasonably well if the servers belong to a
single domain, and interdomain trusts are not needed. On the other hand,
if the Samba servers are NT4 domain members, or ADS domain members,
or if there is a need to keep the security name-space separate (i.e., the user

264
Section 13.1. Samba Server Deployment Types and IDMAP 265

DOMINICUS\FJones must not be given access to the account resources of the

user FRANCISCUS\FJones1 free from inadvertent cross-over, close attention
should be given to the way that the IDMAP facility is configured.
The use of IDMAP is important where the Samba server will be accessed
by workstations or servers from more than one domain, in which case it is
important to run winbind so it can handle the resolution (ID mapping) of
foreign SIDs to local UNIX UIDs and GIDs.
The use of the IDMAP facility requires the execution of the winbindd upon
Samba startup.

13.1 Samba Server Deployment Types and IDMAP

There are four basic server deployment types, as documented in Chapter 3,

“Server Types and Security Modes”.

13.1.1 Standalone Samba Server

A standalone Samba server is an implementation that is not a member of

a Windows NT4 domain, a Windows 200X Active Directory domain, or a
Samba domain.
By definition, this means that users and groups will be created and controlled
locally, and the identity of a network user must match a local UNIX/Linux
user login. The IDMAP facility is therefore of little to no interest, winbind
will not be necessary, and the IDMAP facility will not be relevant or of
interest.

13.1.2 Domain Member Server or Domain Member Client

Samba-3 can act as a Windows NT4 PDC or BDC, thereby providing domain
control protocols that are compatible with Windows NT4. Samba-3 file and
print sharing protocols are compatible with all versions of MS Windows
products. Windows NT4, as with MS Active Directory, extensively makes
use of Windows SIDs.
1
Samba local account mode results in both DOMINICUS\FJones and FRANCISCUS\FJones
mapping to the UNIX user FJones.
266 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

Samba-3 domain member servers and clients must interact correctly with
MS Windows SIDs. Incoming Windows SIDs must be translated to local
UNIX UIDs and GIDs. Outgoing information from the Samba server must
provide to MS Windows clients and servers appropriate SIDs.

A Samba member of a Windows networking domain (NT4-style or ADS)

can be configured to handle identity mapping in a variety of ways. The
mechanism it uses depends on whether or not the winbindd daemon is
used and how the winbind functionality is configured. The configuration
options are briefly described here:

Winbind is not used; users and groups are local: Where winbindd
is not used Samba (smbd) uses the underlying UNIX/Linux mech-
anisms to resolve the identity of incoming network traffic. This is
done using the LoginID (account name) in the session setup request
and passing it to the getpwnam() system function call. This call is im-
plemented using the name service switch (NSS) mechanism on modern
UNIX/Linux systems. By saying ”users and groups are local,” we are
implying that they are stored only on the local system, in the /etc/
passwd and /etc/group respectively.

For example, if an incoming SessionSetupAndX request is owned by

the user BERYLIUM\WambatW, a system call will be made to look up the
user WambatW in the /etc/passwd file.

This configuration may be used with standalone Samba servers, do-

main member servers (NT4 or ADS), and for a PDC that uses either
an smbpasswd or a tdbsam-based Samba passdb backend.

Winbind is not used; users and groups resolved via NSS: In this sit-
uation user and group accounts are treated as if they are local accounts.
The only way in which this differs from having local accounts is that
the accounts are stored in a repository that can be shared. In practice
this means that they will reside in either an NIS-type database or else
in LDAP.

This configuration may be used with standalone Samba servers, do-

main member servers (NT4 or ADS), and for a PDC that uses either
an smbpasswd or a tdbsam-based Samba passdb backend.
Section 13.1. Samba Server Deployment Types and IDMAP 267

Winbind/NSS with the default local IDMAP table: There are many
sites that require only a simple Samba server or a single Samba server
that is a member of a Windows NT4 domain or an ADS domain. A
typical example is an appliance like file server on which no local ac-
counts are configured and winbind is used to obtain account credentials
from the domain controllers for the domain. The domain control can
be provided by Samba-3, MS Windows NT4, or MS Windows Active
Directory.
Winbind is a great convenience in this situation. All that is needed
is a range of UID numbers and GID numbers that can be defined in
the smb.conf file. The /etc/nsswitch.conf file is configured to use
winbind, which does all the difficult work of mapping incoming SIDs
to appropriate UIDs and GIDs. The SIDs are allocated a UID/GID
in the order in which winbind receives them.
This configuration is not convenient or practical in sites that have
more than one Samba server and that require the same UID or GID
for the same user or group across all servers. One of the hazards of
this method is that in the event that the winbind IDMAP file becomes
corrupted or lost, the repaired or rebuilt IDMAP file may allocate
UIDs and GIDs to different users and groups from what was there
previously with the result that MS Windows files that are stored on
the Samba server may now not belong to the rightful owners.

Winbind/NSS uses RID based IDMAP: The IDMAP RID facility is

new to Samba version 3.0.8. It was added to make life easier for a
number of sites that are committed to use of MS ADS, that do not
apply an ADS schema extension, and that do not have an installed an
LDAP directory server just for the purpose of maintaining an IDMAP
table. If you have a single ADS domain (not a forest of domains,
and not multiple domain trees) and you want a simple cookie-cutter
solution to the IDMAP table problem, then IDMAP RID is an obvious
choice.
This facility requires the allocation of the idmap uid and the idmap
gid ranges, and within the idmap uid it is possible to allocate a
subset of this range for automatic mapping of the relative identifier
(RID) portion of the SID directly to the base of the UID plus the RID
value. For example, if the idmap uid range is 1000-100000000 and
the idmap backend = idmap rid:DOMAIN NAME=1000-50000000, and
268 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

a SID is encountered that has the value S-1-5-21-34567898-12529001-32973135-1234,

the resulting UID will be 1000 + 1234 = 2234.

Winbind with an NSS/LDAP backend-based IDMAP facility: In this

configuration winbind resolved SIDs to UIDs and GIDs from the
idmap uid and idmap gid ranges specified in the smb.conf file, but
instead of using a local winbind IDMAP table, it is stored in an LDAP
directory so that all domain member machines (clients and servers) can
share a common IDMAP table.

It is important that all LDAP IDMAP clients use only the master
LDAP server because the idmap backend facility in the smb.conf file
does not correctly handle LDAP redirects.

Winbind with NSS to resolve UNIX/Linux user and group IDs: The
use of LDAP as the passdb backend is a smart solution for PDC, BDC,
and domain member servers. It is a neat method for assuring that
UIDs, GIDs, and the matching SIDs are consistent across all servers.

The use of the LDAP-based passdb backend requires use of the PADL
nss ldap utility or an equivalent. In this situation winbind is used to
handle foreign SIDs, that is, SIDs from standalone Windows clients
(i.e., not a member of our domain) as well as SIDs from another do-
main. The foreign UID/GID is mapped from allocated ranges (idmap
uid and idmap gid) in precisely the same manner as when using win-
bind with a local IDMAP table.

The nss ldap tool set can be used to access UIDs and GIDs via LDAP
as well as via Active Directory. In order to use Active Directory,
it is necessary to modify the ADS schema by installing either the
AD4UNIX schema extension or using the Microsoft Services for UNIX
version 3.5 or later to extend the ADS schema so it maintains UNIX
account credentials. Where the ADS schema is extended, a Microsoft
Management Console (MMC) snap-in is also installed to permit the
UNIX credentials to be set and managed from the ADS User and
Computer Management tool. Each account must be separately UNIX-
enabled before the UID and GID data can be used by Samba.
Section 13.1. Samba Server Deployment Types and IDMAP 269

13.1.3 Primary Domain Controller

Microsoft Windows domain security systems generate the user and group
SID as part of the process of creation of an account. Windows does not
have a concept of the UNIX UID or a GID; rather, it has its own type of
security descriptor. When Samba is used as a domain controller, it provides a
method of producing a unique SID for each user and group. Samba generates
a machine and a domain SID to which it adds an RID that is calculated
algorithmically from a base value that can be specified in the smb.conf
file, plus twice (2x) the UID or GID. This method is called “algorithmic
mapping”.
For example, if a user has a UID of 4321, and the algorithmic RID base has
a value of 1000, the RID will be 1000 + (2 x 4321) = 9642. Thus, if the
domain SID is S-1-5-21-89238497-92787123-12341112, the resulting SID
is S-1-5-21-89238497-92787123-12341112-9642.
The foregoing type of SID is produced by Samba as an automatic function
and is either produced on the fly (as is the case when using a passdb back-
end = [tdbsam | smbpasswd]), or may be stored as a permanent part of
an account in an LDAP-based ldapsam.
ADS uses a directory schema that can be extended to accommodate ad-
ditional account attributes such as UIDs and GIDs. The installation of
Microsoft Service for UNIX 3.5 will expand the normal ADS schema to
include UNIX account attributes. These must of course be managed sepa-
rately through a snap-in module to the normal ADS account management
MMC interface.
Security identifiers used within a domain must be managed to avoid con-
flict and to preserve itegrity. In an NT4 domain context, the PDC manages
the distribution of all security credentials to the backup domain controllers
(BDCs). At this time the only passdb backend for a Samba domain con-
troller that is suitable for such information is an LDAP backend.

13.1.4 Backup Domain Controller

BDCs have read-only access to security credentials that are stored in LDAP.
Changes in user or group account information are passed by the BDC to the
PDC. Only the PDC can write changes to the directory.
IDMAP information can be written directly to the LDAP server so long as
270 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

all domain controllers have access to the master (writable) LDAP server.
Samba-3 at this time does not handle LDAP redirects in the IDMAP back-
end. This means that it is is unsafe to use a slave (replicate) LDAP server
with the IDMAP facility.

13.2 Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage

Anyone who wishes to use winbind will find the following example config-
urations helpful. Remember that in the majority of cases winbind is of
primary interest for use with domain member servers (DMSs) and domain
member clients (DMCs).

13.2.1 Default Winbind TDB

Two common configurations are used:

• Networks that have an NT4 PDC (with or without BDCs) or a Samba
PDC (with or without BDCs).
• Networks that use MS Windows 200x ADS.

13.2.1.1 NT4-Style Domains (Includes Samba Domains)

The following is a simple example of an NT4 DMS smb.conf file that shows
only the global section.

#Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = MEGANET2
security = DOMAIN
idmap uid = 10000-20000
idmap gid = 10000-20000
template primary group = "Domain Users"
template shell = /bin/bash

The use of winbind requires configuration of NSS. Edit the /etc/nsswitch.

conf so it includes the following entries:
Section 13.2. Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 271

...
passwd: files winbind
shadow: files winbind
group: files winbind
...
hosts: files [dns] wins
...

The use of DNS in the hosts entry should be made only if DNS is used on
site.

The creation of the DMS requires the following steps:

1. Create or install an smb.conf file with the above configuration.

2. Execute:

root# net rpc join -UAdministrator%password

Joined domain MEGANET2.

The success of the join can be confirmed with the following command:

root# net rpc testjoin

Join to ’MIDEARTH’ is OK

A failed join would report an error message like the following:

root# net rpc testjoin

[2004/11/05 16:34:12, 0] utils/net_rpc_join.c:net_rpc_join_ok(66)
Join to domain ’MEGANET2’ is not valid

3. Start the nmbd, winbind, and smbd daemons in the order shown.
272 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

13.2.1.2 ADS Domains

The procedure for joining an ADS domain is similar to the NT4 domain
join, except the smb.conf file will have the following contents:

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = BUTTERNET
netbios name = GARGOYLE
realm = BUTTERNET.BIZ
security = ADS
template shell = /bin/bash
idmap uid = 500-10000000
idmap gid = 500-10000000
winbind use default domain = Yes
winbind nested groups = Yes
printer admin = "BUTTERNET\Domain Admins"

ADS DMS operation requires use of kerberos (KRB). For this to work, the
krb5.conf must be configured. The exact requirements depends on which
version of MIT or Heimdal Kerberos is being used. It is sound advice to use
only the latest version, which at this time are MIT Kerberos version 1.3.5
and Heimdal 0.61.
The creation of the DMS requires the following steps:
1. Create or install an smb.conf file with the above configuration.
2. Edit the /etc/nsswitch.conf file as shown above.
3. Execute:

root# net ads join -UAdministrator%password

Joined domain BUTTERNET.

The success or failure of the join can be confirmed with the following
command:

root# net ads testjoin

Section 13.2. Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 273

Using short domain name -- BUTTERNET

Joined ’GARGOYLE’ to realm ’BUTTERNET.BIZ’

An invalid or failed join can be detected by executing:

root# net ads testjoin

GARGOYLE$@’s password:
[2004/11/05 16:53:03, 0] utils/net_ads.c:ads_startup(186)
ads_connect: No results returned
Join to domain is not valid

The specific error message may differ from the above because it de-
pends on the type of failure that may have occurred. Increase the log
level to 10, repeat the test, and then examine the log files produced
to identify the nature of the failure.
4. Start the nmbd, winbind, and smbd daemons in the order shown.

13.2.2 IDMAP RID with Winbind

The idmap rid facility is a new tool that, unlike native winbind, creates a
predictable mapping of MS Windows SIDs to UNIX UIDs and GIDs. The
key benefit of this method of implementing the Samba IDMAP facility is
that it eliminates the need to store the IDMAP data in a central place. The
downside is that it can be used only within a single ADS domain and is not
compatible with trusted domain implementations.
This alternate method of SID to UID/GID mapping can be achieved using
the idmap rid plug-in. This plug-in uses the RID of the user SID to derive
the UID and GID by adding the RID to a base value specified. This utility
requires that the parameter “allow trusted domains = No” be specified, as
it is not compatible with multiple domain environments. The idmap uid
and idmap gid ranges must be specified.
The idmap rid facility can be used both for NT4/Samba-style domains and
Active Directory. To use this with an NT4 domain, do not include the realm
parameter; additionally, the method used to join the domain uses the net
rpc join process.
An example smb.conf file for and ADS domain environment is shown here:
274 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = KPAK
netbios name = BIGJOE
realm = CORP.KPAK.COM
server string = Office Server
security = ADS
allow trusted domains = No
idmap backend = idmap_rid:KPAK=500-100000000
idmap uid = 500-100000000
idmap gid = 500-100000000
template shell = /bin/bash
winbind use default domain = Yes
winbind enum users = No
winbind enum groups = No
winbind nested groups = Yes
printer admin = "Domain Admins"

In a large domain with many users it is imperative to disable enumeration

of users and groups. For example, at a site that has 22,000 users in Ac-
tive Directory the winbind-based user and group resolution is unavailable
for nearly 12 minutes following first startup of winbind. Disabling enumer-
ation resulted in instantaneous response. The disabling of user and group
enumeration means that it will not be possible to list users or groups using
the getent passwd and getent group commands. It will be possible to
perform the lookup for individual users, as shown in the following procedure.

The use of this tool requires configuration of NSS as per the native use of
winbind. Edit the /etc/nsswitch.conf so it has the following parameters:

...
passwd: files winbind
shadow: files winbind
group: files winbind
...
hosts: files wins
...
Section 13.2. Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 275

The following procedure can be uses the idmap rid facility:

1. Create or install an smb.conf file with the above configuration.
2. Edit the /etc/nsswitch.conf file as shown above.
3. Execute:

root# net ads join -UAdministrator%password

Using short domain name -- KPAK
Joined ’BIGJOE’ to realm ’CORP.KPAK.COM’

An invalid or failed join can be detected by executing:

root# net ads testjoin

BIGJOE$@’s password:
[2004/11/05 16:53:03, 0] utils/net_ads.c:ads_startup(186)
ads_connect: No results returned
Join to domain is not valid

root# getent passwd administrator

administrator:x:1000:1013:Administrator:/home/BE/administrator:/bin/bash

13.2.3 IDMAP Storage in LDAP Using Winbind

The storage of IDMAP information in LDAP can be used with both NT4/Samba-
3-style domains and ADS domains. OpenLDAP is a commonly used LDAP
server for this purpose, although any standards-complying LDAP server
can be used. It is therefore possible to deploy this IDMAP configuration
276 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

using the Sun iPlanet LDAP server, Novell eDirectory, Microsoft ADS plus
ADAM, and so on.
The following example is for an ADS domain:

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = SNOWSHOW
netbios name = GOODELF
realm = SNOWSHOW.COM
server string = Samba Server
security = ADS
log level = 1 ads:10 auth:10 sam:10 rpc:10
ldap admin dn = cn=Manager,dc=SNOWSHOW,dc=COM
ldap idmap suffix = ou=Idmap
ldap suffix = dc=SNOWSHOW,dc=COM
idmap backend = ldap:ldap://ldap.snowshow.com
idmap uid = 150000-550000
idmap gid = 150000-550000
template shell = /bin/bash
winbind use default domain = Yes

In the case of an NT4 or Samba-3-style domain the realm is not used, and
the command used to join the domain is net rpc join. The above example
also demonstrates advanced error-reporting techniques that are documented
in Section 38.3.
Where MIT kerberos is installed (version 1.3.4 or later), edit the /etc/krb5.
conf file so it has the following contents:

[logging]
default = FILE:/var/log/krb5libs.log
kdc = FILE:/var/log/krb5kdc.log
admin_server = FILE:/var/log/kadmind.log

[libdefaults]
default_realm = SNOWSHOW.COM
dns_lookup_realm = false
dns_lookup_kdc = true
Section 13.2. Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 277

[appdefaults]
pam = {
debug = false
ticket_lifetime = 36000
renew_lifetime = 36000
forwardable = true
krb4_convert = false
}

Where Heimdal kerberos is installed, edit the /etc/krb5.conf file so it is

either empty (i.e., no contents) or it has the following contents:

[libdefaults]
default_realm = SNOWSHOW.COM
clockskew = 300

[realms]
SNOWSHOW.COM = {
kdc = ADSDC.SHOWSHOW.COM
}

[domain_realm]
.snowshow.com = SNOWSHOW.COM

Note

Samba cannot use the Heimdal libraries if there is no /

etc/krb5.conf file. So long as there is an empty file,
the Heimdal kerberos libraries will be usable. There is no
need to specify any settings because Samba, using the
Heimdal libraries, can figure this out automatically.

Edit the NSS control file /etc/nsswitch.conf so it has the following entries:
278 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

...
passwd: files ldap
shadow: files ldap
group: files ldap
...
hosts: files wins
...

You will need the PADL2 nss ldap tool set for this solution. Configure the
/etc/ldap.conf file so it has the information needed. The following is an
example of a working file:

host 192.168.2.1
base dc=snowshow,dc=com
binddn cn=Manager,dc=snowshow,dc=com
bindpw not24get

pam_password exop

nss_base_passwd ou=People,dc=snowshow,dc=com?one
nss_base_shadow ou=People,dc=snowshow,dc=com?one
nss_base_group ou=Groups,dc=snowshow,dc=com?one
ssl no

The following procedure may be followed to effect a working configuration:

1. Configure the smb.conf file as shown above.

2. Create the /etc/krb5.conf file as shown above.

3. Configure the /etc/nsswitch.conf file as shown above.

4. Download, build, and install the PADL nss ldap tool set. Configure
the /etc/ldap.conf file as shown above.

5. Configure an LDAP server and initialize the directory with the top-
level entries needed by IDMAP, shown in the following LDIF file:
2
<http://www.padl.com>
Section 13.2. Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 279

dn: dc=snowshow,dc=com
objectClass: dcObject
objectClass: organization
dc: snowshow
o: The Greatest Snow Show in Singapore.
description: Posix and Samba LDAP Identity Database

dn: cn=Manager,dc=snowshow,dc=com
objectClass: organizationalRole
cn: Manager
description: Directory Manager

dn: ou=Idmap,dc=snowshow,dc=com
objectClass: organizationalUnit
ou: idmap

6. Execute the command to join the Samba DMS to the ADS domain as
shown here:

root# net ads testjoin

Using short domain name -- SNOWSHOW
Joined ’GOODELF’ to realm ’SNOWSHOW.COM’

7. Store the LDAP server access password in the Samba secrets.tdb

file as follows:

root# smbpasswd -w not24get

8. Start the nmbd, winbind, and smbd daemons in the order shown.

Follow the diagnositic procedures shown earlier in this chapter to identify

success or failure of the join. In many cases a failure is indicated by a silent
return to the command prompt with no indication of the reason for failure.
280 Identity Mapping (IDMAP) Chapter 13

13.2.4 IDMAP and NSS Using LDAP from ADS with RFC2307bis
Schema Extension

The use of this method is messy. The information provided in the following
is for guidance only and is very definitely not complete. This method does
work; it is used in a number of large sites and has an acceptable level of
performance.
The following is an example smb.conf file:

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = BOBBY
realm = BOBBY.COM
security = ADS
idmap uid = 150000-550000
idmap gid = 150000-550000
template shell = /bin/bash
winbind cache time = 5
winbind use default domain = Yes
winbind trusted domains only = Yes
winbind nested groups = Yes

The DMS must be joined to the domain using the usual procedure. Addi-
tionally, it is necessary to build and install the PADL nss ldap tool set. Be
sure to build this tool set with the following:

./configure --enable-rfc2307bis --enable-schema-mapping

make install

The following /etc/nsswitch.conf file contents are required:

...
passwd: files ldap
shadow: files ldap
group: files ldap
...
hosts: files wins
Section 13.2. Examples of IDMAP Backend Usage 281

...

The /etc/ldap.conf file must be configured also. Refer to the PADL doc-
umentation and source code for nss ldap to specific instructions.
The next step involves preparation of the ADS schema. This is briefly
discussed in the remaining part of this chapter.

13.2.4.1 IDMAP, Active Directory, and MS Services for UNIX 3.5

The Microsoft Windows Service for UNIX (SFU) version 3.5 is available for
free download3 from the Microsoft Web site. You will need to download this
tool and install it following Microsoft instructions.

13.2.4.2 IDMAP, Active Directory and AD4UNIX

Instructions for obtaining and installing the AD4UNIX tool set can be found
from the Geekcomix4 Web site.

3
<http://www.microsoft.com/windows/sfu/>
4
<http://www.geekcomix.com/cgi-bin/classnotes/wiki.pl?LDAP01/An_
Alternative_Approach>
Chapter 14

USER RIGHTS AND

PRIVILEGES

The administration of Windows user, group, and machine accounts in the

Samba domain-controlled network necessitates interfacing between the MS
Windows networking environment and the UNIX operating system environ-
ment. The right (permission) to add machines to the Windows security
domain can be assigned (set) to non-administrative users both in Windows
NT4 domains and Active Directory domains.

The addition of Windows NT4/2kX/XPPro machines to the domain ne-

cessitates the creation of a machine account for each machine added. The
machine account is a necessity that is used to validate that the machine can
be trusted to permit user logons.

Machine accounts are analogous to user accounts, and thus in implementing

them on a UNIX machine that is hosting Samba (i.e., on which Samba is
running), it is necessary to create a special type of user account. Machine
accounts differ from normal user accounts in that the account name (login
ID) is terminated with a $ sign. An additional difference is that this type
of account should not ever be able to log into the UNIX environment as a
system user and therefore is set to have a shell of /bin/false and a home
directory of /dev/null. The machine account is used only to authenticate
domain member machines during start-up. This security measure is designed
to block man-in-the-middle attempts to violate network integrity.

282
Section 14.1. Rights Management Capabilities 283

Note

Machine (computer) accounts are used in the Windows

NT OS family to store security credentials for domain
member servers and workstations. When the domain
member starts up it goes through a validation process
that includes an exchange of credentials with a domain
controller. If the domain member fails to authenticate
using the credentials known for it by domain controllers
the machine will be refused all access by domain users.
The computer account is essential to the way that MS
Windows does secure authentication.

The creation of UNIX system accounts has traditionally been the sole right
of the system administrator, better known as the root account. It is possible
in the UNIX environment to create multiple users who have the same UID.
Any UNIX user who has a UID=0 is inherently the same as the root account
user.
All versions of Samba call system interface scripts that permit CIFS function
calls that are used to manage users, groups, and machine accounts in the
UNIX environment. All versions of Samba up to and including version 3.0.10
required the use of a Windows administrator account that unambiguously
maps to the UNIX root account to permit the execution of these interface
scripts. The requirement to do this has understandably met with some
disdain and consternation among Samba administrators, particularly where
it became necessary to permit people who should not possess root-level
access to the UNIX host system.

14.1 Rights Management Capabilities

Samba 3.0.11 introduced support for the Windows privilege model. This
model allows certain rights to be assigned to a user or group SID. In order
to enable this feature, enable privileges = yes must be defined in the global
section of the smb.conf file.
Currently, the rights supported in Samba-3 are listed in Table 14.1. The
remainder of this chapter explains how to manage and use these privileges
284 User Rights and Privileges Chapter 14

on Samba servers.

Table 14.1. Current Privilege Capabilities

Privilege Description
SeMachineAccountPrivilege Add machines to domain
SePrintOperatorPrivilege Manage printers
SeAddUsersPrivilege Add users and groups to the domain
SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege Force shutdown from a remote system
SeDiskOperatorPrivilege Manage disk share
SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege Take ownership of files or other objects

14.1.1 Using the “net rpc rights” Utility

There are two primary means of managing the rights assigned to users and
groups on a Samba server. The NT4 User Manager for Domains may
be used from any Windows NT4, 2000, or XP Professional domain member
client to connect to a Samba domain controller and view/modify the rights
assignments. This application, however, appears to have bugs when run
on a client running Windows 2000 or later; therefore, Samba provides a
command-line utility for performing the necessary administrative actions.
The net rpc rights utility in Samba 3.0.11 has three new subcommands:

list [name|accounts] When called with no arguments, net rpc list simply
lists the available rights on the server. When passed a specific user
or group name, the tool lists the privileges currently assigned to the
specified account. When invoked using the special string accounts,
net rpc rights list returns a list of all privileged accounts on the
server and the assigned rights.

grant <user> <right [right ...]> When called with no arguments, this
function is used to assign a list of rights to a specified user or group.
For example, to grant the members of the Domain Admins group on
a Samba domain controller, the capability to add client machines to
the domain, one would run:

root# net -S server -U domadmin rpc rights grant \

Section 14.1. Rights Management Capabilities 285

’DOMAIN\Domain Admins’ SeMachineAccountPrivilege

The following syntax has the same result:

root# net rpc rights grant ’DOMAIN\Domain Admins’ \

SeMachineAccountPrivilege -S server -U domadmin

More than one privilege can be assigned by specifying a list of rights

separated by spaces. The parameter ’Domain\Domain Admins’ must
be quoted with single ticks or using double-quotes to prevent the back-
slash and the space from being interpreted by the system shell.

revoke <user> <right [right ...]> This command is similar in format

to net rpc rights grant. Its effect is to remove an assigned right (or
list of rights) from a user or group.

Note

You must be connected as a member of the Domain Ad-

mins group to be able to grant or revoke privileges as-
signed to an account. This capability is inherent to the
Domain Admins group and is not configurable.

By default, no privileges are initially assigned to any account because certain

actions will be performed as root once smbd determines that a user has
the necessary rights. For example, when joining a client to a Windows
domain, the add machine script must be executed with superuser rights
in most cases. For this reason, you should be very careful about handing
out privileges to accounts.

Access as the root user (UID=0) bypasses all privilege checks.

286 User Rights and Privileges Chapter 14

14.1.2 Description of Privileges

The privileges that have been implemented in Samba-3.0.11 are shown be-
low. It is possible, and likely, that additional privileges may be implemented
in later releases of Samba. It is also likely that any privileges currently imple-
mented but not used may be removed from future releases as a house-keeping
matter, so it is important that the successful as well as unsuccessful use of
these facilities should be reported on the Samba mailing lists.

SeAddUsersPrivilege This right determines whether or not smbd will

allow the user to create new user or group accounts via such tools as
net rpc user add or NT4 User Manager for Domains.

SeDiskOperatorPrivilege Accounts that possess this right will be able to

execute scripts defined by the add/delete/change share command
in smb.conf file as root. Such users will also be able to modify the
ACL associated with file shares on the Samba server.

SeMachineAccountPrivilege This right controls whether or not the user

can join client machines to a Samba-controlled domain.

SePrintOperatorPrivilege This privilege operates identically to the printer

admin option in the smb.conf file (see section 5 man page for smb.
conf) except that it is a global right (not on a per-printer basis). Even-
tually the smb.conf option will be deprecated and administrative rights
to printers will be controlled exclusively by this right and the security
descriptor associated with the printer object in the ntprinters.tdb
file.

SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege Samba provides two hooks for shutting

down or rebooting the server and for aborting a previously issued
shutdown command. Since this is an operation normally limited by
the operating system to the root user, an account must possess this
right to be able to execute either of these hooks.

SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege This right permits users to take ownership

of files and directories.
Section 14.1. Rights Management Capabilities 287

14.1.3 Privileges Suppored by Windows 2000 Domain Controllers

For reference purposes, a Windows NT4 Primary Domain Controller reports

support for the following privileges:

SeCreateTokenPrivilege Create a token object

SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege Replace a process level token
SeLockMemoryPrivilege Lock pages in memory
SeIncreaseQuotaPrivilege Increase quotas
SeMachineAccountPrivilege Add workstations to domain
SeTcbPrivilege Act as part of the operating system
SeSecurityPrivilege Manage auditing and security log
SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege Take ownership of files or other objects
SeLoadDriverPrivilege Load and unload device drivers
SeSystemProfilePrivilege Profile system performance
SeSystemtimePrivilege Change the system time
SeProfileSingleProcessPrivilege Profile single process
SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege Increase scheduling priority
SeCreatePagefilePrivilege Create a pagefile
SeCreatePermanentPrivilege Create permanent shared objects
SeBackupPrivilege Back up files and directories
SeRestorePrivilege Restore files and directories
SeShutdownPrivilege Shut down the system
SeDebugPrivilege Debug programs
SeAuditPrivilege Generate security audits
SeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege Modify firmware environment values
SeChangeNotifyPrivilege Bypass traverse checking
SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege Force shutdown from a remote system

And Windows 200x/XP Domain Controllers and workstations reports to

support the following privileges:

SeCreateTokenPrivilege Create a token object

SeSecurityPrivilege Manage auditing and security log

SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege Take ownership of files or other objects
SeLoadDriverPrivilege Load and unload device drivers
SeSystemProfilePrivilege Profile system performance
SeSystemtimePrivilege Change the system time
SeProfileSingleProcessPrivilege Profile single process
SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege Increase scheduling priority
SeCreatePagefilePrivilege Create a pagefile
SeCreatePermanentPrivilege Create permanent shared objects
SeBackupPrivilege Back up files and directories
SeRestorePrivilege Restore files and directories
SeShutdownPrivilege Shut down the system
SeDebugPrivilege Debug programs
SeAuditPrivilege Generate security audits
SeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege Modify firmware environment values
SeChangeNotifyPrivilege Bypass traverse checking
SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege Force shutdown from a remote system
SeUndockPrivilege Remove computer from docking station
SeSyncAgentPrivilege Synchronize directory service data
SeEnableDelegationPrivilege Enable computer and user accounts to
be trusted for delegation
SeManageVolumePrivilege Perform volume maintenance tasks
SeImpersonatePrivilege Impersonate a client after authentication
SeCreateGlobalPrivilege Create global objects

The Samba Team are implementing only those privileges that are logical and
useful in the UNIX/Linux envronment. Many of the Windows 200X/XP
privileges have no direct equivalence in UNIX.

14.2 The Administrator Domain SID

Please note that every Windows NT4 and later server requires a domain
Administrator account. Samba version commencing with 3.0.11 permit Ad-
ministrative duties to be performed via assigned rights and privileges (see
Chapter 14, “User Rights and Privileges”). An account in the server’s passdb
backend can be set to the well-known RID of the default administrator ac-
count. To obtain the domain SID on a Samba domain controller, run the
following command:
Section 14.3. Common Errors 289

root# net getlocalsid

SID for domain FOO is: S-1-5-21-4294955119-3368514841-2087710299

You may assign the domain administrator RID to an account using the
pdbedit command as shown here:

root# pdbedit -U S-1-5-21-4294955119-3368514841-2087710299-500 -u root -r

Note

The RID 500 is the well known standard value of the

default Administrator account. It is the RID that con-
fers the rights and privileges that the Administrator ac-
count has on a Windows machine or domain. Under
UNIX/Linux the equivalent is UID=0 (the root account).

Releases of Samba version 3.0.11 and later make it possible to operate with-
out an Administrator account providing equivalent rights and privileges have
been established for a Windows user or a Windows group account.

14.3 Common Errors

14.3.1 What Rights and Privileges Will Permit Windows Client

Administration?

When a Windows NT4 (or later) client joins a domain, the domain global
Domain Admins group is added to the membership of the local Administra-
tors group on the client. Any user who is a member of the domain global
Domain Admins group will have administrative rights on the Windows client.
This is often not the most desirable solution because it means that the user
will have administrative rights and privileges on domain servers also. The
290 User Rights and Privileges Chapter 14

Power Users group on Windows client workstations permits local adminis-

tration of the workstation alone. Any domain global user or domain global
group can be added to the membership of the local workstation group Power
Users.
See Section 12.3.3 for an example of how to add domain users and groups
to a local group that is on a Windows workstation. The use of the net
command permits this to be done from the Samba server.
Another way this can be done is to log onto the Windows workstation as
the user Administrator, then open a cmd shell, then execute:

C:\> net localgroup administrators /add domain_name\entity

where entity is either a domain user or a domain group account name.

Chapter 15

FILE, DIRECTORY, AND

SHARE ACCESS CONTROLS

Advanced MS Windows users are frequently perplexed when file, directory,

and share manipulation of resources shared via Samba do not behave in the
manner they might expect. MS Windows network administrators are often
confused regarding network access controls and how to provide users with
the access they need while protecting resources from unauthorized access.

Many UNIX administrators are unfamiliar with the MS Windows environ-

ment and in particular have difficulty in visualizing what the MS Windows
user wishes to achieve in attempts to set file and directory access permis-
sions.

The problem lies in the differences in how file and directory permissions and
controls work between the two environments. This difference is one that
Samba cannot completely hide, even though it does try to bridge the chasm
to a degree.

POSIX Access Control List technology has been available (along with ex-
tended attributes) for UNIX for many years, yet there is little evidence today
of any significant use. This explains to some extent the slow adoption of
ACLs into commercial Linux products. MS Windows administrators are as-
tounded at this, given that ACLs were a foundational capability of the now
decade-old MS Windows NT operating system.

The purpose of this chapter is to present each of the points of control that
are possible with Samba-3 in the hope that this will help the network ad-
ministrator to find the optimum method for delivering the best environment
for MS Windows desktop users.

291
292 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

This is an opportune point to mention that Samba was created to provide

a means of interoperability and interchange of data between differing op-
erating environments. Samba has no intent to change UNIX/Linux into a
platform like MS Windows. Instead the purpose was and is to provide a
sufficient level of exchange of data between the two environments. What is
available today extends well beyond early plans and expectations, yet the
gap continues to shrink.

15.1 Features and Benefits

Samba offers much flexibility in file system access management. These are
the key access control facilities present in Samba today:
Samba Access Control Facilities
• UNIX File and Directory Permissions
Samba honors and implements UNIX file system access controls. Users
who access a Samba server will do so as a particular MS Windows user.
This information is passed to the Samba server as part of the logon
or connection setup process. Samba uses this user identity to validate
whether or not the user should be given access to file system resources
(files and directories). This chapter provides an overview for those
to whom the UNIX permissions and controls are a little strange or
unknown.
• Samba Share Definitions
In configuring share settings and controls in the smb.conf file, the
network administrator can exercise overrides to native file system per-
missions and behaviors. This can be handy and convenient to effect
behavior that is more like what MS Windows NT users expect, but it is
seldom the best way to achieve this. The basic options and techniques
are described herein.
• Samba Share ACLs
Just as it is possible in MS Windows NT to set ACLs on shares them-
selves, so it is possible to do in Samba. Few people make use of this
facility, yet it remains one of the easiest ways to affect access con-
trols (restrictions) and can often do so with minimum invasiveness
compared with other methods.
Section 15.2. File System Access Controls 293

• MS Windows ACLs through UNIX POSIX ACLs

The use of POSIX ACLs on UNIX/Linux is possible only if the un-

derlying operating system supports them. If not, then this option will
not be available to you. Current UNIX technology platforms have na-
tive support for POSIX ACLs. There are patches for the Linux kernel
that also provide this support. Sadly, few Linux platforms ship today
with native ACLs and extended attributes enabled. This chapter has
pertinent information for users of platforms that support them.

15.2 File System Access Controls

Perhaps the most important recognition to be made is the simple fact that
MS Windows NT4/200x/XP implement a totally divergent file system tech-
nology from what is provided in the UNIX operating system environment.
First we consider what the most significant differences are, then we look at
how Samba helps to bridge the differences.

15.2.1 MS Windows NTFS Comparison with UNIX File Systems

Samba operates on top of the UNIX file system. This means it is subject
to UNIX file system conventions and permissions. It also means that if the
MS Windows networking environment requires file system behavior, that
differs from UNIX file system behavior then somehow Samba is responsible
for emulating that in a transparent and consistent manner.

It is good news that Samba does this to a large extent, and on top of
that, provides a high degree of optional configuration to override the default
behavior. We look at some of these overrides, but for the greater part we
stay within the bounds of default behavior. Those wishing to explore the
depths of control ability should review the smb.conf man page.

The following compares file system features for UNIX with those of MS
Windows NT/200x:

Name Space MS Windows NT4/200x/XP file names may be up to 254

characters long, and UNIX file names may be 1023 characters long.
In MS Windows, file extensions indicate particular file types; in UNIX
294 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

this is not so rigorously observed because all names are considered

arbitrary.

What MS Windows calls a folder, UNIX calls a directory.

Case Sensitivity MS Windows file names are generally uppercase if made

up of 8.3 (8-character file name and 3 character extension. File names
that are longer than 8.3 are case preserving and case insensitive.

UNIX file and directory names are case sensitive and case preserving.
Samba implements the MS Windows file name behavior, but it does so
as a user application. The UNIX file system provides no mechanism to
perform case-insensitive file name lookups. MS Windows does this by
default. This means that Samba has to carry the processing overhead
to provide features that are not native to the UNIX operating system
environment.

Consider the following. All are unique UNIX names but one single MS
Windows file name:

MYFILE.TXT
MyFile.txt
myfile.txt

So clearly, in an MS Windows file namespace these three files cannot

co-exist, but in UNIX they can.

So what should Samba do if all three are present? That which is

lexically first will be accessible to MS Windows users; the others are
invisible and unaccessible — any other solution would be suicidal. The
Windows client will ask for a case insensitive file lookup, and that is the
reason for which Samba must offer a consistent selection in the event
that the UNIX directory contains multiple files that would match a
case insensitive file listing.

Directory Separators MS Windows and DOS use the backslash \ as a

directory delimiter, and UNIX uses the forward-slash / as its directory
delimiter. This is handled transparently by Samba.
Section 15.2. File System Access Controls 295

Drive Identification MS Windows products support a notion of drive let-

ters, like C:, to represent disk partitions. UNIX has no concept of
separate identifiers for file partitions; each such file system is mounted
to become part of the overall directory tree. The UNIX directory tree
begins at / just as the root of a DOS drive is specified as C:\.

File Naming Conventions MS Windows generally never experiences file

names that begin with a dot (.), while in UNIX these are commonly
found in a user’s home directory. Files that begin with a dot (.) are
typically startup files for various UNIX applications, or they may be
files that contain startup configuration data.

Links and Short-Cuts MS Windows make use of links and shortcuts that
are actually special types of files that will redirect an attempt to ex-
ecute the file to the real location of the file. UNIX knows of file and
directory links, but they are entirely different from what MS Windows
users are used to.

Symbolic links are files in UNIX that contain the actual location of the
data (file or directory). An operation (like read or write) will operate
directly on the file referenced. Symbolic links are also referred to as
“soft links.” A hard link is something that MS Windows is not familiar
with. It allows one physical file to be known simultaneously by more
than one file name.

There are many other subtle differences that may cause the MS Windows
administrator some temporary discomfort in the process of becoming famil-
iar with UNIX/Linux. These are best left for a text that is dedicated to the
purpose of UNIX/Linux training and education.

15.2.2 Managing Directories

There are three basic operations for managing directories: create, delete,
rename. Table 15.1 compares the commands in Windows and UNIX that
implement these operations.
296 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

Table 15.1. Managing Directories with UNIX and Windows

Action MS Windows Command UNIX Command
create md folder mkdir folder
delete rd folder rmdir folder
rename rename oldname newname mv oldname newname

15.2.3 File and Directory Access Control

The network administrator is strongly advised to read basic UNIX training

manuals and reference materials regarding file and directory permissions
maintenance. Much can be achieved with the basic UNIX permissions with-
out having to resort to more complex facilities like POSIX ACLs or extended
attributes (EAs).
UNIX/Linux file and directory access permissions involves setting three pri-
mary sets of data and one control set. A UNIX file listing looks as follows:

$ ls -la
total 632
drwxr-xr-x 13 maryo gnomes 816 2003-05-12 22:56 .
drwxrwxr-x 37 maryo gnomes 3800 2003-05-12 22:29 ..
dr-xr-xr-x 2 maryo gnomes 48 2003-05-12 22:29 muchado02
drwxrwxrwx 2 maryo gnomes 48 2003-05-12 22:29 muchado03
drw-rw-rw- 2 maryo gnomes 48 2003-05-12 22:29 muchado04
d-w--w--w- 2 maryo gnomes 48 2003-05-12 22:29 muchado05
dr--r--r-- 2 maryo gnomes 48 2003-05-12 22:29 muchado06
drwsrwsrwx 2 maryo gnomes 48 2003-05-12 22:29 muchado08
---------- 1 maryo gnomes 1242 2003-05-12 22:31 mydata00.lst
--w--w--w- 1 maryo gnomes 7754 2003-05-12 22:33 mydata02.lst
-r--r--r-- 1 maryo gnomes 21017 2003-05-12 22:32 mydata04.lst
-rw-rw-rw- 1 maryo gnomes 41105 2003-05-12 22:32 mydata06.lst
$

The columns represent (from left to right) permissions, number of hard links
to file, owner, group, size (bytes), access date, time of last modification, and
file name.
An overview of the permissions field is shown in Figure 15.1.
Section 15.2. File System Access Controls 297

type users group others

dl rwx rwx rwx

Can Execute, List files

Can Write, Create files
Can Read, Read files
Can Execute, List files
Can Write, Create files
Can Read, Read files
Can Execute, List files
Can Write, Create files
Can Read, Read files
Is a symbolic link
Is a directory

Figure 15.1. Overview of UNIX permissions field.

Any bit flag may be unset. An unset bit flag is the equivalent of ”cannot”
and is represented as a “-” character (see Example 15.2.1)

Example 15.2.1. Example File

-rwxr-x--- Means:
^^^ The owner (user) can read, write, execute
^^^ the group can read and execute
^^^ everyone else cannot do anything with it.

Additional possibilities in the [type] field are c = character device, b = block

device, p = pipe device, s = UNIX Domain Socket.
The letters rwxXst set permissions for the user, group, and others as read
(r), write (w), execute (or access for directories) (x), execute only if the file
is a directory or already has execute permission for some user (X), set user
(SUID) or group ID (SGID) on execution (s), sticky (t).
When the sticky bit is set on a directory, files in that directory may be
unlinked (deleted) or renamed only by root or their owner. Without the
sticky bit, anyone able to write to the directory can delete or rename files.
The sticky bit is commonly found on directories, such as /tmp, that are
world-writable.
When the set user or group ID bit (s) is set on a directory, then all files
298 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

created within it will be owned by the user and/or group whose ‘set user or
group’ bit is set. This can be helpful in setting up directories for which it is
desired that all users who are in a group should be able to write to and read
from a file, particularly when it is undesirable for that file to be exclusively
owned by a user whose primary group is not the group that all such users
belong to.
When a directory is set d-wx--x---, the owner can read and create (write)
files in it, but because the (r) read flags are not set, files cannot be listed
(seen) in the directory by anyone. The group can read files in the directory
but cannot create new files. If files in the directory are set to be readable
and writable for the group, then group members will be able to write to (or
delete) them.

15.2.3.1 Protecting Directories and Files from Deletion

People have asked on the Samba mailing list how is it possible to protect files
or directories from deletion by users. For example, Windows NT/2K/XP
provides the capacity to set access controls on a directory into which people
can write files but not delete them. It is possible to set an ACL on a Windows
file that permits the file to be written to but not deleted. Such concepts
are foreign to the UNIX operating system file space. Within the UNIX file
system anyone who has the ability to create a file can write to it. Anyone
who has write permission on the directory that contains a file and has write
permission for it has the capability to delete it.
For the record, in the UNIX environment the ability to delete a file is con-
trolled by the permissions on the directory that the file is in. In other words,
a user can delete a file in a directory to which that user has write access,
even if that user does not own the file.
Of necessity, Samba is subject to the file system semantics of the host oper-
ating system. Samba is therefore limited in the file system capabilities that
can be made available through Windows ACLs, and therefore performs a
”best fit” translation to POSIX ACLs. Some UNIX file systems do, how-
ever support, a feature known as extended attributes. Only the Windows
concept of inheritance is implemented by Samba through the appropriate
extended attribute.
The specific semantics of the extended attributes are not consistent across
UNIX and UNIX-like systems such as Linux. For example, it is possible on
Section 15.2. File System Access Controls 299

some implementations of the extended attributes to set a flag that prevents

the directory or file from being deleted. The extended attribute that may
achieve this is called the immutible bit. Unfortunately, the implementation
of the immutible flag is NOT consistent with published documentation. For
example, the man page for the chattr on SUSE Linux 9.2 says:

A file with the i attribute cannot be modified: it cannot be deleted

or renamed, no link can be created to this file and no data can be
written to the file. Only the superuser or a process possessing the
CAP_LINUX_IMMUTABLE capability can set or clear this attribute.

A simple test can be done to check if the immutible flag is supported on

files in the file system of the Samba host server. Test for file Immutibility
Support

1. Create a file called filename.

2. Login as the root user, then set the immutibile flag on a test file as
follows:

root# chatter +i ‘filename’

3. Login as the user who owns the file (not root) and attempt to remove
the file as follows:

mystic:/home/hannibal > rm filename

It will not be possible to delete the file if the immutible flag is correctly
honored.

On operating systems and file system types that support the immutible bit,
it is possible to create directories that cannot be deleted. Check the man
page on your particular host system to determine whether or not immutable
directories are writable. If they are not, then the entire directory and its
contents will effectively be protected from writing (file creation also) and
deletion.
300 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

15.3 Share Definition Access Controls

The following parameters in the smb.conf file sections define a share control
or affect access controls. Before using any of the following options, please
refer to the man page for smb.conf.

15.3.1 User- and Group-Based Controls

User- and group-based controls can prove quite useful. In some situations
it is distinctly desirable to force all file system operations as if a single user
were doing so. The use of the force user and force group behavior will
achieve this. In other situations it may be necessary to use a paranoia level
of control to ensure that only particular authorized persons will be able to
access a share or its contents. Here the use of the valid users or the invalid
users parameter may be useful.
As always, it is highly advisable to use the easiest to maintain and the least
ambiguous method for controlling access. Remember, when you leave the
scene, someone else will need to provide assistance, and if he or she finds
too great a mess or does not understand what you have done, there is risk
of Samba being removed and an alternative solution being adopted.
Table 15.2 enumerates these controls.

15.3.2 File and Directory Permissions-Based Controls

Directory permission-based controls, if misused, can result in considerable

difficulty in diagnosing the causes of misconfiguration. Use them sparingly
and carefully. By gradually introducing each, one at a time, undesirable side
effects may be detected. In the event of a problem, always comment all of
them out and then gradually reintroduce them in a controlled way.
Refer to Table 15.3 for information regarding the parameters that may be
used to set file and directory permission-based access controls.

15.3.3 Miscellaneous Controls

The parameter documented in Table 15.4 are often used by administrators in

ways that creat inadvertent barriers to file access. Such are the consequences
of not understanding the full implications of smb.conf file settings.
Section 15.4. Access Controls on Shares 301

Table 15.2. User- and Group-Based Controls

Control Parameter Description, Action, Notes
admin users List of users who will be granted administrative
privileges on the share. They will do all file op-
erations as the superuser (root). Users in this
list will be able to do anything they like on the
share, irrespective of file permissions.
force group Specifies a UNIX group name that will be as-
signed as the default primary group for all users
connecting to this service.
force user Specifies a UNIX username that will be assigned
as the default user for all users connecting to this
service. This is useful for sharing files. Incorrect
use can cause security problems.
guest ok If this parameter is set for a service, then no
password is required to connect to the service.
Privileges will be those of the guest account.
invalid users List of users that should not be allowed to login
to this service.
only user Controls whether connections with usernames
not in the user list will be allowed.
read list List of users that are given read-only access to a
service. Users in this list will not be given write
access, no matter what the read-only option is
set to.
username Refer to the smb.conf man page for more infor-
mation; this is a complex and potentially misused
parameter.
valid users List of users that should be allowed to login to
this service.
write list List of users that are given read-write access to
a service.

15.4 Access Controls on Shares

This section deals with how to configure Samba per-share access control
restrictions. By default, Samba sets no restrictions on the share itself. Re-
strictions on the share itself can be set on MS Windows NT4/200x/XP
302 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

Table 15.3. File and Directory Permission-Based Controls

Control Parameter Description, Action, Notes
create mask Refer to the smb.conf man page.
directory mask The octal modes used when converting
DOS modes to UNIX modes when creat-
ing UNIX directories. See also directory
security mask.
dos filemode Enabling this parameter allows a user
who has write access to the file to modify
the permissions on it.
force create mode This parameter specifies a set of UNIX-
mode bit permissions that will always be
set on a file created by Samba.
force directory mode This parameter specifies a set of UNIX-
mode bit permissions that will always be
set on a directory created by Samba.
force directory security mode Controls UNIX permission bits modified
when a Windows NT client is manipulat-
ing UNIX permissions on a directory.
force security mode Controls UNIX permission bits modified
when a Windows NT client manipulates
UNIX permissions.
hide unreadable Prevents clients from seeing the existence
of files that cannot be read.
hide unwriteable files Prevents clients from seeing the existence
of files that cannot be written to. Un-
writable directories are shown as usual.
nt acl support This parameter controls whether smbd
will attempt to map UNIX permissions
into Windows NT ACLs.
security mask Controls UNIX permission bits modified
when a Windows NT client is manipulat-
ing the UNIX permissions on a file.

shares. This can be an effective way to limit who can connect to a share. In
the absence of specific restrictions, the default setting is to allow the global
user Everyone - Full Control (full control, change and read).
Section 15.4. Access Controls on Shares 303

At this time Samba does not provide a tool for configuring access control
settings on the share itself the only way to create those settings is to use
either the NT4 Server Manager or the Windows 200x Microsoft Management
Console (MMC) for Computer Management. There are currently no plans
to provide this capability in the Samba command-line tool set.
Samba stores the per-share access control settings in a file called share
info.tdb. The location of this file on your system will depend on how Samba
was compiled. The default location for Samba’s tdb files is under /usr/
local/samba/var. If the tdbdump utility has been compiled and installed
on your system, then you can examine the contents of this file by executing
tdbdump share info.tdb in the directory containing the tdb files.

15.4.1 Share Permissions Management

The best tool for share permissions management is platform-dependent.

Choose the best tool for your environment.

15.4.1.1 Windows NT4 Workstation/Server

The tool you need to manage share permissions on a Samba server from
a Windows NT4 Workstation or Server is the NT Server Manager. Server
Manager is shipped with Windows NT4 Server products but not with Win-
dows NT4 Workstation. You can obtain the NT Server Manager for MS
Windows NT4 Workstation from the Microsoft web site support1 section.
Instructions
1. Launch the NT4 Server Manager and click on the Samba server you
want to administer. From the menu select Computer, then click on
Shared Directories.
2. Click on the share that you wish to manage and click the Properties
tab, then click the Permissions tab. Now you can add or change access
control settings as you wish.

15.4.1.2 Windows 200x/XP

On MS Windows NT4/200x/XP system, ACLs on the share itself are set us-
ing native tools, usually from File Manager. For example, in Windows 200x,
1
<http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;173673>
304 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

right-click on the shared folder, then select Sharing, then click on Permis-
sions. The default Windows NT4/200x permission allows ”Everyone” full
control on the share.

MS Windows 200x and later versions come with a tool called the Com-
puter Management snap-in for the MMC. This tool is located by clicking
on Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Computer Management.
Instructions

1. After launching the MMC with the Computer Management snap-in,

click the menu item Action and select Connect to another computer.
If you are not logged onto a domain you will be prompted to enter a
domain login user identifier and a password. This will authenticate
you to the domain. If you are already logged in with administrative
privilege, this step is not offered.

2. If the Samba server is not shown in the Select Computer box, type in
the name of the target Samba server in the field Name:. Now click the
on [+] next to System Tools, then on the [+] next to Shared Folders
in the left panel.

3. In the right panel, double-click on the share on which you wish to

set access control permissions. Then click the tab Share Permissions.
It is now possible to add access control entities to the shared folder.
Remember to set what type of access (full control, change, read) you
wish to assign for each entry.

Warning

Be careful. If you take away all permissions from the

Everyone user without removing this user, effectively no
user will be able to access the share. This is a result
of what is known as ACL precedence. Everyone with
no access means that MaryK who is part of the group
Everyone will have no access even if she is given explicit
full control access.
Section 15.5. MS Windows Access Control Lists and UNIX Interoperability 305

15.5 MS Windows Access Control Lists and UNIX Interop-

erability

15.5.1 Managing UNIX Permissions Using NT Security Dialogs

Windows NT clients can use their native security settings dialog box to view
and modify the underlying UNIX permissions.
This ability is careful not to compromise the security of the UNIX host on
which Samba is running and still obeys all the file permission rules that a
Samba administrator can set.
Samba does not attempt to go beyond POSIX ACLs, so the various finer-
grained access control options provided in Windows are actually ignored.

Note

All access to UNIX/Linux system files via Samba is con-

trolled by the operating system file access controls. When
trying to figure out file access problems, it is vitally im-
portant to find the identity of the Windows user as it is
presented by Samba at the point of file access. This can
best be determined from the Samba log files.

15.5.2 Viewing File Security on a Samba Share

From an NT4/2000/XP client, right-click on any file or directory in a Samba-

mounted drive letter or UNC path. When the menu pops up, click on
the Properties entry at the bottom of the menu. This brings up the file
Properties dialog box. Click on the Security tab and you will see three
buttons: Permissions, Auditing, and Ownership. The Auditing button will
cause either an error message ”A requested privilege is not held by the client”
to appear if the user is not the NT administrator, or a dialog intended to
allow an administrator to add auditing requirements to a file if the user
is logged on as the NT administrator. This dialog is nonfunctional with a
Samba share at this time, because the only useful button, the Add button,
will not currently allow a list of users to be seen.
306 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

15.5.3 Viewing File Ownership

Clicking on the Ownership button brings up a dialog box telling you who
owns the given file. The owner name will be displayed like this:

SERVER\user (Long name)

SERVER is the NetBIOS name of the Samba server, user is the username
of the UNIX user who owns the file, and (Long name) is the descriptive
string identifying the user (normally found in the GECOS field of the UNIX
password database). Click on the Close button to remove this dialog.
If the parameter nt acl support is set to false, the file owner will be shown
as the NT user Everyone.
The Take Ownership button will not allow you to change the ownership of
this file to yourself (clicking it will display a dialog box complaining that the
user as whom you are currently logged onto the NT client cannot be found).
The reason for this is that changing the ownership of a file is a privileged
operation in UNIX, available only to the root user. Because clicking on this
button causes NT to attempt to change the ownership of a file to the current
user logged into the NT client, this will not work with Samba at this time.
There is an NT chown command that will work with Samba and allow a user
with administrator privilege connected to a Samba server as root to change
the ownership of files on both a local NTFS file system or remote mounted
NTFS or Samba drive. This is available as part of the Seclib NT security
library written by Jeremy Allison of the Samba Team and is downloadable
from the main Samba FTP site.

15.5.4 Viewing File or Directory Permissions

The third button is the Permissions button. Clicking on it brings up a

dialog box that shows both the permissions and the UNIX owner of the file
or directory. The owner is displayed like this:
SERVER\user (Long name)
SERVER is the NetBIOS name of the Samba server, user is the username
of the UNIX user who owns the file, and (Long name) is the descriptive
Section 15.5. MS Windows Access Control Lists and UNIX Interoperability 307

string identifying the user (normally found in the GECOS field of the UNIX
password database).
If the parameter nt acl support is set to false, the file owner will be shown
as the NT user Everyone, and the permissions will be shown as NT Full
Control.
The permissions field is displayed differently for files and directories. Both
are discussed next.

15.5.4.1 File Permissions

The standard UNIX user/group/world triplet and the corresponding read,

write, execute permissions triplets are mapped by Samba into a three-
element NT ACL with the “r”, “w”, and “x” bits mapped into the corre-
sponding NT permissions. The UNIX world permissions are mapped into
the global NT group Everyone, followed by the list of permissions allowed
for the UNIX world. The UNIX owner and group permissions are displayed
as an NT user icon and an NT local group icon, respectively, followed by
the list of permissions allowed for the UNIX user and group.
Because many UNIX permission sets do not map into common NT names
such as read, change, or full control, usually the permissions will be
prefixed by the words Special Access in the NT display list.
But what happens if the file has no permissions allowed for a particular
UNIX user group or world component? In order to allow no permissions to
be seen and modified, Samba then overloads the NT Take Ownership ACL
attribute (which has no meaning in UNIX) and reports a component with
no permissions as having the NT O bit set. This was chosen, of course,
to make it look like a zero, meaning zero permissions. More details on the
decision behind this action are given below.

15.5.4.2 Directory Permissions

Directories on an NT NTFS file system have two different sets of permissions.

The first set is the ACL set on the directory itself, which is usually displayed
in the first set of parentheses in the normal RW NT style. This first set of
permissions is created by Samba in exactly the same way as normal file
permissions are, described above, and is displayed in the same way.
308 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

The second set of directory permissions has no real meaning in the UNIX
permissions world and represents the inherited permissions that any file
created within this directory would inherit.
Samba synthesizes these inherited permissions for NT by returning as an
NT ACL the UNIX permission mode that a new file created by Samba on
this share would receive.

15.5.5 Modifying File or Directory Permissions

Modifying file and directory permissions is as simple as changing the dis-

played permissions in the dialog box and clicking on OK. However, there
are limitations that a user needs to be aware of, and also interactions with
the standard Samba permission masks and mapping of DOS attributes that
also need to be taken into account.
If the parameter nt acl support is set to false, any attempt to set security
permissions will fail with an ”Access Denied” message.
The first thing to note is that the Add button will not return a list of users
in Samba (it will give an error message saying ”The remote procedure call
failed and did not execute”). This means that you can only manipulate the
current user/group/world permissions listed in the dialog box. This actually
works quite well because these are the only permissions that UNIX actually
has.
If a permission triplet (either user, group, or world) is removed from the list
of permissions in the NT dialog box, then when the OK button is pressed,
it will be applied as no permissions on the UNIX side. If you view the
permissions again, the no permissions entry will appear as the NT O flag,
as described above. This allows you to add permissions back to a file or
directory once you have removed them from a triplet component.
Because UNIX supports only the “r”, “w”, and “x” bits of an NT ACL, if
other NT security attributes such as Delete Access are selected, they will
be ignored when applied on the Samba server.
When setting permissions on a directory, the second set of permissions (in
the second set of parentheses) is by default applied to all files within that
directory. If this is not what you want, you must uncheck the Replace
permissions on existing files checkbox in the NT dialog before clicking on
OK.
Section 15.5. MS Windows Access Control Lists and UNIX Interoperability 309

If you wish to remove all permissions from a user/group/world component,

you may either highlight the component and click on the Remove button
or set the component to only have the special Take Ownership permission
(displayed as O) highlighted.

15.5.6 Interaction with the Standard Samba “create mask” Pa-

rameters

There are four parameters that control interaction with the standard Samba
create mask parameters:
• security mask
• force security mode
• directory security mask
• force directory security mode
When a user clicks on OK to apply the permissions, Samba maps the given
permissions into a user/group/world r/w/x triplet set, and then checks the
changed permissions for a file against the bits set in the security mask pa-
rameter. Any bits that were changed that are not set to 1 in this parameter
are left alone in the file permissions.
Essentially, zero bits in the security mask may be treated as a set of bits
the user is not allowed to change, and one bits are those the user is allowed
to change.
If not explicitly set, this parameter defaults to the same value as the cre-
ate mask parameter. To allow a user to modify all the user/group/world
permissions on a file, set this parameter to 0777.
Next Samba checks the changed permissions for a file against the bits set
in the force security mode parameter. Any bits that were changed that
correspond to bits set to 1 in this parameter are forced to be set.
Essentially, bits set in the force security mode parameter may be treated
as a set of bits that, when modifying security on a file, the user has always
set to be on.
If not explicitly set, this parameter defaults to the same value as the force
create mode parameter. To allow a user to modify all the user/group/world
permissions on a file with no restrictions, set this parameter to 000. The
310 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

security mask and force security mode parameters are applied to the
change request in that order.
For a directory, Samba performs the same operations as described above for
a file except it uses the parameter directory security mask instead of
security mask, and force directory security mode parameter instead
of force security mode.
The directory security mask parameter by default is set to the same value as
the directory mask parameter and the force directory security mode
parameter by default is set to the same value as the force directory mode
parameter. In this way Samba enforces the permission restrictions that an
administrator can set on a Samba share, while still allowing users to modify
the permission bits within that restriction.
If you want to set up a share that allows users full control in modifying
the permission bits on their files and directories and does not force any
particular bits to be set on, then set the following parameters in the smb.
conf file in that share-specific section:

s e c u r i t y mask = 0777
f o r c e s e c u r i t y mode = 0
d i r e c t o r y s e c u r i t y mask = 0777
f o r c e d i r e c t o r y s e c u r i t y mode = 0

15.5.7 Interaction with the Standard Samba File Attribute Map-

ping

Note

Samba maps some of the DOS attribute bits (such as

“read-only”) into the UNIX permissions of a file. This
means there can be a conflict between the permission
bits set via the security dialog and the permission bits set
by the file attribute mapping.

If a file has no UNIX read access for the owner, it will show up as “read-only”
Section 15.5. MS Windows Access Control Lists and UNIX Interoperability 311

in the standard file attributes tabbed dialog. Unfortunately, this dialog is

the same one that contains the security information in another tab.

What this can mean is that if the owner changes the permissions to allow
himself or herself read access using the security dialog, clicks on OK to get
back to the standard attributes tab dialog, and clicks on OK on that dialog,
then NT will set the file permissions back to read-only (as that is what the
attributes still say in the dialog). This means that after setting permissions
and clicking on OK to get back to the attributes dialog, you should always
press Cancel rather than OK to ensure that your changes are not overridden.

15.5.8 Windows NT/200X ACLs and POSIX ACLs Limitations

Windows administrators are familiar with simple ACL controls, and they
typically consider that UNIX user/group/other (ugo) permissions are inad-
equate and not sufficiently fine-grained.

Competing SMB implementations differ in how they handle Windows ACLs.

Samba handles Windows ACLs from the perspective of UNIX file system ad-
ministration and thus adopts the limitations of POSIX ACLs. Therefore,
where POSIX ACLs lack a capability of the Windows NT/200X ACLs, the
POSIX semantics and limitations are imposed on the Windows administra-
tor.

POSIX ACLs present an interesting challenge to the UNIX administrator

and therefore force a compromise to be applied to Windows ACLs admin-
istration. POSIX ACLs are not covered by an official standard; rather, the
latest standard is a draft standard 1003.1e revision 17. This is the POSIX
document on which the Samba implementation has been implemented.

UNIX vendors differ in the manner in which POSIX ACLs are implemented.
There are a number of Linux file systems that support ACLs. Samba has to
provide a way to make transparent all the differences between the various
implementations of POSIX ACLs. The pressure for ACLs support in Samba
has noticeably increased the pressure to standardize ACLs support in the
UNIX world.

Samba has to deal with the complicated matter of handling the challenge of
the Windows ACL that implements inheritance, a concept not anticipated
by POSIX ACLs as implemented in UNIX file systems. Samba provides
support for masks that permit normal ugo and ACLs functionality to be
312 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

overrided. This further complicates the way in which Windows ACLs must
be implemented.

15.5.8.1 UNIX POSIX ACL Overview

In examining POSIX ACLs we must consider the manner in which they

operate for both files and directories. File ACLs have the following signifi-
cance:

# file: testfile <- the file name

# owner: jeremy <-- the file owner
# group: users <-- the POSIX group owner
user::rwx <-- perms for the file owner (user)
user:tpot:r-x <-- perms for the additional user ‘tpot’
group::r-- <-- perms for the file group owner (group)
group:engrs:r-- <-- perms for the additonal group ‘engineers’
mask:rwx <-- the mask that is ‘ANDed’ with groups
other::--- <-- perms applied to everyone else (other)

Directory ACLs have the following signficance:

# file: testdir <-- the directory name

# owner: jeremy <-- the directory owner
# group: jeremy <-- the POSIX group owner
user::rwx <-- directory perms for owner (user)
group::rwx <-- directory perms for owning group (group)
mask::rwx <-- the mask that is ‘ANDed’ with group perms
other:r-x <-- perms applied to everyone else (other)
default:user::rwx <-- inherited owner perms
default:user:tpot:rwx <-- inherited extra perms for user ‘tpot’
default:group::r-x <-- inherited group perms
default:mask:rwx <-- inherited default mask
default:other:--- <-- inherited permissions for everyone (other)
Section 15.6. Common Errors 313

15.5.8.2 Mapping of Windows File ACLs to UNIX POSIX ACLs

Microsoft Windows NT4/200X ACLs must of necessity be mapped to POSIX

ACLs. The mappings for file permissions are shown in Table 15.5. The #
character means this flag is set only when the Windows administrator sets
the Full Control flag on the file.

As can be seen from the mapping table, there is no one-to-one mapping ca-
pability, and therefore Samba must make a logical mapping that will permit
Windows to operate more-or-less the way that is intended by the adminis-
trator.

In general the mapping of UNIX POSIX user/group/other permissions will

be mapped to Windows ACLs. This has precedence over the creation of
POSIX ACLs. POSIX ACLs are necessary to establish access controls for
users and groups other than the user and group that own the file or directory.

The UNIX administrator can set any directory permission from within the
UNIX environment. The Windows administrator is more restricted in that
it is not possible from within Windows Explorer to remove read permission
for the file owner.

15.5.8.3 Mapping of Windows Directory ACLs to UNIX POSIX ACLs

Interesting things happen in the mapping of UNIX POSIX directory per-

missions and UNIX POSIX ACLs to Windows ACEs (Access Control En-
tries, the discrete components of an ACL) are mapped to Windows directory
ACLs.

Directory permissions function in much the same way as shown for file per-
missions, but there are some notable exceptions and a few peculiarities that
the astute administrator will want to take into account in the setting up of
directory permissions.

15.6 Common Errors

File, directory, and share access problems are common topics on the mailing
list. The following are examples recently taken from the mailing list.
314 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

15.6.1 Users Cannot Write to a Public Share

“We are facing some troubles with file/directory permissions. I can log
on the domain as admin user (root), and there’s a public share on which
everyone needs to have permission to create/modify files, but only root can
change the file, no one else can. We need to constantly go to the server to
chgrp -R users * and chown -R nobody * to allow others users to change
the file.”

There are many ways to solve this problem, and here are a few hints:

1. Go to the top of the directory that is shared.

2. Set the ownership to whatever public user and group you want

$ find ‘directory_name’ -type d -exec chown user.group {}\;

$ find ‘directory_name’ -type d -exec chmod 1775 {}\;
$ find ‘directory_name’ -type f -exec chmod 0775 {}\;
$ find ‘directory_name’ -type f -exec chown user.group {}\;

Note

The above will set the sticky bit on all direc-

tories. Read your UNIX/Linux man page on what
that does. It causes the OS to assign to all files
created in the directories the ownership of the di-
rectory.

3. Directory is /foodbar:

$ chown jack.engr /foodbar

Section 15.6. Common Errors 315

Note

This is the same as doing:

$ chown jack /foodbar

$ chgrp engr /foodbar

4. Now type:

$ chmod 6775 /foodbar

$ ls -al /foodbar/..

You should see:

drwsrwsr-x 2 jack engr 48 2003-02-04 09:55 foodbar

5. Now type:

$ su - jill
$ cd /foodbar
$ touch Afile
$ ls -al

You should see that the file Afile created by Jill will have ownership
and permissions of Jack, as follows:

-rw-r--r-- 1 jack engr 0 2003-02-04 09:57 Afile

6. Now in your smb.conf for the share add:

f o r c e c r e a t e mode = 0775
f o r c e d i r e c t o r y mode = 6775

316 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

Note

These procedures are needed only if your users are

not members of the group you have used — that is,
if within the OS they do not have write permission
on the directory.

An alternative is to set in the smb.conf entry for the share:

force user = jack
f o r c e group = e n g r

15.6.2 File Operations Done as root with force user Set

When you have a user in admin users, Samba will always do file operations
for this user as root, even if force user has been set.

15.6.3 MS Word with Samba Changes Owner of File

Question: “When user B saves a word document that is owned by user A,

the updated file is now owned by user B. Why is Samba doing this? How
do I fix this?”

Answer: Word does the following when you modify/change a Word docu-
ment: MS Word creates a new document with a temporary name. Word
then closes the old document and deletes it, then renames the new document
to the original document name. There is no mechanism by which Samba
can in any way know that the new document really should be owned by the
owners of the original file. Samba has no way of knowing that the file will
be renamed by MS Word. As far as Samba is able to tell, the file that gets
created is a new file, not one that the application (Word) is updating.

There is a workaround to solve the permissions problem. It involves under-

standing how you can manage file system behavior from within the smb.
conf file, as well as understanding how UNIX file systems work. Set on the
Section 15.6. Common Errors 317

directory in which you are changing Word documents: chmod g+s ‘direc-
tory name’. This ensures that all files will be created with the group that
owns the directory. In smb.conf share declaration section set:

f o r c e c r e a t e mode = 0660
f o r c e d i r e c t o r y mode = 0770

These two settings will ensure that all directories and files that get created
in the share will be readable/writable by the owner and group set on the
directory itself.
318 File, Directory, and Share Access Controls Chapter 15

Table 15.4. Other Controls

Control Parameter Description, Action, Notes
This means that all file name
case sensitive, default case, short lookup will be done in a case-
preserve case sensitive manner. Files will be
created with the precise file name
Samba received from the MS Win-
dows client.
Client-side caching policy parallels
csc policy MS Windows client-side file caching
capabilities.
Allows specifying a comma-
dont descend delimited list of directories that
the server should always show as
empty.
This option is mainly used as
dos filetime resolution a compatibility option for Visual
C++ when used against Samba
shares.
DOS and Windows allow users to
dos filetimes change file timestamps if they can
write to the file. POSIX seman-
tics prevent this. This option al-
lows DOS and Windows behavior.
Oplocks are the way that SMB
fake oplocks clients get permission from a server
to locally cache file operations. If a
server grants an oplock, the client
is free to assume that it is the only
one accessing the file, and it will ag-
gressively cache file data.
Note: MS Windows Explorer al-
hide dot files, hide files, veto files lows override of files marked as hid-
den so they will still be visible.
If this parameter is yes, then users
read only of a service may not create or mod-
ify files in the service’s directory.
List of files and directories that are
veto files neither visible nor accessible.
Section 15.6. Common Errors 319

Table 15.5. How Windows File ACLs Map to UNIX POSIX File ACLs
Windows ACE File Attribute Flag
Full Control #
Traverse Folder/Execute File x
List Folder/Read Data r
Read Attributes r
Read Extended Attribures r
Create Files/Write Data w
Create Folders/Append Data w
Write Attributes w
Write Extended Attributes w
Delete Subfolders and Files w
Delete #
Read Permissions all
Change Permissions #
Take Ownership #
Chapter 16

FILE AND RECORD

LOCKING

One area that causes trouble for many network administrators is locking.
The extent of the problem is readily evident from searches over the Internet.

16.1 Features and Benefits

Samba provides all the same locking semantics that MS Windows clients
expect and that MS Windows NT4/200x servers also provide.

The term locking has exceptionally broad meaning and covers a range of
functions that are all categorized under this one term.

Opportunistic locking is a desirable feature when it can enhance the per-

ceived performance of applications on a networked client. However, the
opportunistic locking protocol is not robust and therefore can encounter
problems when invoked beyond a simplistic configuration or on extended
slow or faulty networks. In these cases, operating system management of
opportunistic locking and/or recovering from repetitive errors can offset the
perceived performance advantage that it is intended to provide.

The MS Windows network administrator needs to be aware that file and

record locking semantics (behavior) can be controlled either in Samba or by
way of registry settings on the MS Windows client.

320
Section 16.2. Discussion 321

Note

Sometimes it is necessary to disable locking control set-

tings on the Samba server as well as on each MS Windows
client!

16.2 Discussion

There are two types of locking that need to be performed by an SMB server.
The first is record locking that allows a client to lock a range of bytes in
an open file. The second is the deny modes that are specified when a file is
open.
Record locking semantics under UNIX are very different from record locking
under Windows. Versions of Samba before 2.2 have tried to use the native
fcntl() UNIX system call to implement proper record locking between dif-
ferent Samba clients. This cannot be fully correct for several reasons. The
simplest is that a Windows client is allowed to lock a byte range up to 2ˆ32
or 2ˆ64, depending on the client OS. The UNIX locking only supports byte
ranges up to 2ˆ31. So it is not possible to correctly satisfy a lock request
above 2ˆ31. There are many more differences, too many to be listed here.
Samba 2.2 and above implement record locking completely independently of
the underlying UNIX system. If a byte-range lock that the client requests
happens to fall into the range of 0 to 2ˆ31, Samba hands this request down
to the UNIX system. No other locks can be seen by UNIX, anyway.
Strictly speaking, an SMB server should check for locks before every read
and write call on a file. Unfortunately, with the way fcntl() works, this can be
slow and may overstress the rpc.lockd. This is almost always unnecessary
because clients are independently supposed to make locking calls before
reads and writes if locking is important to them. By default, Samba only
makes locking calls when explicitly asked to by a client, but if you set strict
locking = yes, it will make lock checking calls on every read and write call.
You can also disable byte-range locking completely by using locking = no.
This is useful for those shares that do not support locking or do not need it
(such as CD-ROMs). In this case, Samba fakes the return codes of locking
calls to tell clients that everything is okay.
322 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

The second class of locking is the deny modes. These are set by an applica-
tion when it opens a file to determine what types of access should be allowed
simultaneously with its open. A client may ask for DENY NONE, DENY READ,
DENY WRITE, or DENY ALL. There are also special compatibility modes called
DENY FCB and DENY DOS.

16.2.1 Opportunistic Locking Overview

Opportunistic locking (oplocks) is invoked by the Windows file system (as

opposed to an API) via registry entries (on the server and the client) for the
purpose of enhancing network performance when accessing a file residing on
a server. Performance is enhanced by caching the file locally on the client
that allows the following:

Read-ahead: The client reads the local copy of the file, eliminating network
latency.

Write caching: The client writes to the local copy of the file, eliminating
network latency.

Lock caching: The client caches application locks locally, eliminating net-
work latency.
The performance enhancement of oplocks is due to the opportunity of ex-
clusive access to the file — even if it is opened with deny-none — because
Windows monitors the file’s status for concurrent access from other pro-
cesses.
Windows Defines Four Kinds of Oplocks:

Level1 Oplock The redirector sees that the file was opened with deny none
(allowing concurrent access), verifies that no other process is accessing
the file, checks that oplocks are enabled, then grants deny-all/read-
write/exclusive access to the file. The client now performs operations
on the cached local file.
If a second process attempts to open the file, the open is deferred while
the redirector ”breaks” the original oplock. The oplock break signals
the caching client to write the local file back to the server, flush the
Section 16.2. Discussion 323

local locks, and discard read-ahead data. The break is then complete,
the deferred open is granted, and the multiple processes can enjoy
concurrent file access as dictated by mandatory or byte-range locking
options. However, if the original opening process opened the file with
a share mode other than deny-none, then the second process is granted
limited or no access, despite the oplock break.

Level2 Oplock Performs like a Level1 oplock, except caching is only oper-
ative for reads. All other operations are performed on the server disk
copy of the file.

Filter Oplock Does not allow write or delete file access.

Batch Oplock Manipulates file openings and closings and allows caching
of file attributes.
An important detail is that oplocks are invoked by the file system, not an
application API. Therefore, an application can close an oplocked file, but the
file system does not relinquish the oplock. When the oplock break is issued,
the file system then simply closes the file in preparation for the subsequent
open by the second process.
Opportunistic locking is actually an improper name for this feature. The
true benefit of this feature is client-side data caching, and oplocks is merely
a notification mechanism for writing data back to the networked storage
disk. The limitation of oplocks is the reliability of the mechanism to process
an oplock break (notification) between the server and the caching client. If
this exchange is faulty (usually due to timing out for any number of reasons),
then the client-side caching benefit is negated.
The actual decision that a user or administrator should consider is whether
it is sensible to share among multiple users data that will be cached locally
on a client. In many cases the answer is no. Deciding when to cache or
not cache data is the real question, and thus oplocks should be treated as
a toggle for client-side caching. Turn it “on” when client-side caching is
desirable and reliable. Turn it “off” when client-side caching is redundant,
unreliable, or counterproductive.
Oplocks is by default set to “on” by Samba on all configured shares, so
careful attention should be given to each case to determine if the potential
324 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

benefit is worth the potential for delays. The following recommendations

will help to characterize the environment where oplocks may be effectively
configured.

Windows oplocks is a lightweight performance-enhancing feature. It is not

a robust and reliable protocol. Every implementation of oplocks should
be evaluated as a trade-off between perceived performance and reliability.
Reliability decreases as each successive rule above is not enforced. Consider
a share with oplocks enabled, over a wide-area network, to a client on a
South Pacific atoll, on a high-availability server, serving a mission-critical
multiuser corporate database during a tropical storm. This configuration
will likely encounter problems with oplocks.

Oplocks can be beneficial to perceived client performance when treated as a

configuration toggle for client-side data caching. If the data caching is likely
to be interrupted, then oplock usage should be reviewed. Samba enables
oplocks by default on all shares. Careful attention should be given to the
client usage of shared data on the server, the server network reliability, and
the oplocks configuration of each share. In mission-critical, high-availability
environments, data integrity is often a priority. Complex and expensive
configurations are implemented to ensure that if a client loses connectivity
with a file server, a failover replacement will be available immediately to
provide continuous data availability.

Windows client failover behavior is more at risk of application interrup-

tion than other platforms because it is dependent upon an established TCP
transport connection. If the connection is interrupted — as in a file server
failover — a new session must be established. It is rare for Windows client
applications to be coded to recover correctly from a transport connection
loss; therefore, most applications will experience some sort of interruption
— at worst, abort and require restarting.

If a client session has been caching writes and reads locally due to oplocks,
it is likely that the data will be lost when the application restarts or recovers
from the TCP interrupt. When the TCP connection drops, the client state
is lost. When the file server recovers, an oplock break is not sent to the
client. In this case, the work from the prior session is lost. Observing this
scenario with oplocks disabled and with the client writing data to the file
server real-time, the failover will provide the data on disk as it existed at
the time of the disconnect.
Section 16.2. Discussion 325

In mission-critical, high-availability environments, careful attention should

be given to oplocks. Ideally, comprehensive testing should be done with all
affected applications with oplocks enabled and disabled.

16.2.1.1 Exclusively Accessed Shares

Oplocks is most effective when it is confined to shares that are exclusively ac-
cessed by a single user, or by only one user at a time. Because the true value
of oplocks is the local client caching of data, any operation that interrupts
the caching mechanism will cause a delay.

Home directories are the most obvious examples of where the performance
benefit of oplocks can be safely realized.

16.2.1.2 Multiple-Accessed Shares or Files

As each additional user accesses a file in a share with oplocks enabled, the po-
tential for delays and resulting perceived poor performance increases. When
multiple users are accessing a file on a share that has oplocks enabled, the
management impact of sending and receiving oplock breaks and the result-
ing latency while other clients wait for the caching client to flush data offset
the performance gains of the caching user.

As each additional client attempts to access a file with oplocks set, the
potential performance improvement is negated and eventually results in a
performance bottleneck.

16.2.1.3 UNIX or NFS Client-Accessed Files

Local UNIX and NFS clients access files without a mandatory file-locking
mechanism. Thus, these client platforms are incapable of initiating an oplock
break request from the server to a Windows client that has a file cached.
Local UNIX or NFS file access can therefore write to a file that has been
cached by a Windows client, which exposes the file to likely data corruption.

If files are shared between Windows clients and either local UNIX or NFS
users, turn oplocks off.
326 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

16.2.1.4 Slow and/or Unreliable Networks

The biggest potential performance improvement for oplocks occurs when

the client-side caching of reads and writes delivers the most differential over
sending those reads and writes over the wire. This is most likely to occur
when the network is extremely slow, congested, or distributed (as in a WAN).
However, network latency also has a high impact on the reliability of the
oplock break mechanism, and thus increases the likelihood of encountering
oplock problems that more than offset the potential perceived performance
gain. Of course, if an oplock break never has to be sent, then this is the
most advantageous scenario in which to utilize oplocks.

If the network is slow, unreliable, or a WAN, then do not configure oplocks

if there is any chance of multiple users regularly opening the same file.

16.2.1.5 Multiuser Databases

Multiuser databases clearly pose a risk due to their very nature — they are
typically heavily accessed by numerous users at random intervals. Placing
a multiuser database on a share with oplocks enabled will likely result in a
locking management bottleneck on the Samba server. Whether the database
application is developed in-house or a commercially available product, ensure
that the share has oplocks disabled.

16.2.1.6 PDM Data Shares

Process data management (PDM) applications such as IMAN, Enovia, and

Clearcase are increasing in usage with Windows client platforms and there-
fore with SMB datastores. PDM applications manage multiuser environ-
ments for critical data security and access. The typical PDM environment
is usually associated with sophisticated client design applications that will
load data locally as demanded. In addition, the PDM application will usu-
ally monitor the data state of each client. In this case, client-side data
caching is best left to the local application and PDM server to negotiate
and maintain. It is appropriate to eliminate the client OS from any caching
tasks, and the server from any oplocks management, by disabling oplocks
on the share.
Section 16.2. Discussion 327

16.2.1.7 Beware of Force User

Samba includes an smb.conf parameter called force user that changes the
user accessing a share from the incoming user to whatever user is defined by
the smb.conf variable. If oplocks is enabled on a share, the change in user
access causes an oplock break to be sent to the client, even if the user has
not explicitly loaded a file. In cases where the network is slow or unreliable,
an oplock break can become lost without the user even accessing a file.
This can cause apparent performance degradation as the client continually
reconnects to overcome the lost oplock break.
Avoid the combination of the following:
• force user in the smb.conf share configuration.
• Slow or unreliable networks.
• Oplocks enabled.

16.2.1.8 Advanced Samba Oplocks Parameters

Samba provides oplock parameters that allow the administrator to adjust

various properties of the oplock mechanism to account for timing and usage
levels. These parameters provide good versatility for implementing oplocks
in environments where they would likely cause problems. The parameters
are oplock break wait time, and oplock contention limit.
For most users, administrators, and environments, if these parameters are
required, then the better option is simply to turn oplocks off. The Samba
SWAT help text for both parameters reads: “Do not change this parameter
unless you have read and understood the Samba oplock code.” This is good
advice.

16.2.1.9 Mission-Critical, High-Availability

In mission-critical, high-availability environments, data integrity is often a

priority. Complex and expensive configurations are implemented to ensure
that if a client loses connectivity with a file server, a failover replacement
will be available immediately to provide continuous data availability.
Windows client failover behavior is more at risk of application interrup-
tion than other platforms because it is dependent upon an established TCP
328 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

transport connection. If the connection is interrupted — as in a file server

failover — a new session must be established. It is rare for Windows client
applications to be coded to recover correctly from a transport connection
loss; therefore, most applications will experience some sort of interruption
— at worst, abort and require restarting.
If a client session has been caching writes and reads locally due to oplocks,
it is likely that the data will be lost when the application restarts or recovers
from the TCP interrupt. When the TCP connection drops, the client state
is lost. When the file server recovers, an oplock break is not sent to the
client. In this case, the work from the prior session is lost. Observing this
scenario with oplocks disabled, if the client was writing data to the file server
real-time, then the failover will provide the data on disk as it existed at the
time of the disconnect.
In mission-critical, high-availability environments, careful attention should
be given to oplocks. Ideally, comprehensive testing should be done with all
affected applications with oplocks enabled and disabled.

16.3 Samba Oplocks Control

Oplocks is a unique Windows file locking feature. It is not really file locking,
but is included in most discussions of Windows file locking, so is considered
a de facto locking feature. Oplocks is actually part of the Windows client file
caching mechanism. It is not a particularly robust or reliable feature when
implemented on the variety of customized networks that exist in enterprise
computing.
Like Windows, Samba implements oplocks as a server-side component of
the client caching mechanism. Because of the lightweight nature of the
Windows feature design, effective configuration of oplocks requires a good
understanding of its limitations, and then applying that understanding when
configuring data access for each particular customized network and client
usage state.
Oplocks essentially means that the client is allowed to download and cache a
file on its hard drive while making changes; if a second client wants to access
the file, the first client receives a break and must synchronize the file back to
the server. This can give significant performance gains in some cases; some
programs insist on synchronizing the contents of the entire file back to the
server for a single change.
Section 16.3. Samba Oplocks Control 329

Level1 Oplocks (also known as just plain “oplocks”) is another term for
opportunistic locking.
Level2 Oplocks provides opportunistic locking for a file that will be treated
as read only. Typically this is used on files that are read-only or on files that
the client has no initial intention to write to at time of opening the file.
Kernel Oplocks are essentially a method that allows the Linux kernel to
co-exist with Samba’s oplocked files, although this has provided better in-
tegration of MS Windows network file locking with the underlying OS. SGI
IRIX and Linux are the only two OSs that are oplock-aware at this time.
Unless your system supports kernel oplocks, you should disable oplocks if
you are accessing the same files from both UNIX/Linux and SMB clients.
Regardless, oplocks should always be disabled if you are sharing a database
file (e.g., Microsoft Access) between multiple clients, because any break the
first client receives will affect synchronization of the entire file (not just
the single record), which will result in a noticeable performance impairment
and, more likely, problems accessing the database in the first place. Notably,
Microsoft Outlook’s personal folders (*.pst) react quite badly to oplocks. If
in doubt, disable oplocks and tune your system from that point.
If client-side caching is desirable and reliable on your network, you will
benefit from turning on oplocks. If your network is slow and/or unreliable,
or you are sharing your files among other file sharing mechanisms (e.g.,
NFS) or across a WAN, or multiple people will be accessing the same files
frequently, you probably will not benefit from the overhead of your client
sending oplock breaks and will instead want to disable oplocks for the share.
Another factor to consider is the perceived performance of file access. If
oplocks provide no measurable speed benefit on your network, it might not
be worth the hassle of dealing with them.

16.3.1 Example Configuration

In the following section we examine two distinct aspects of Samba locking

controls.

16.3.1.1 Disabling Oplocks

You can disable oplocks on a per-share basis with the following:

330 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

[ acctdata ]
oplocks = False
l e v e l 2 oplocks = False

The default oplock type is Level1. Level2 oplocks are enabled on a per-share
basis in the smb.conf file.
Alternately, you could disable oplocks on a per-file basis within the share:

v e t o o p l o c k f i l e s = / ∗ .mdb/ ∗ .MDB/ ∗ . dbf / ∗ . ←-
DBF/

If you are experiencing problems with oplocks, as apparent from Samba’s

log entries, you may want to play it safe and disable oplocks and Level2
oplocks.

16.3.1.2 Disabling Kernel Oplocks

Kernel oplocks is an smb.conf parameter that notifies Samba (if the UNIX
kernel has the capability to send a Windows client an oplock break) when a
UNIX process is attempting to open the file that is cached. This parameter
addresses sharing files between UNIX and Windows with oplocks enabled
on the Samba server: the UNIX process can open the file that is Oplocked
(cached) by the Windows client and the smbd process will not send an
oplock break, which exposes the file to the risk of data corruption. If the
UNIX kernel has the ability to send an oplock break, then the kernel oplocks
parameter enables Samba to send the oplock break. Kernel oplocks are
enabled on a per-server basis in the smb.conf file.

kernel oplocks = yes

The default is no.

Veto oplocks is an smb.conf parameter that identifies specific files for which
oplocks are disabled. When a Windows client opens a file that has been
configured for veto oplocks, the client will not be granted the oplock, and
all operations will be executed on the original file on disk instead of a client-
cached file copy. By explicitly identifying files that are shared with UNIX
processes and disabling oplocks for those files, the server-wide oplock config-
uration can be enabled to allow Windows clients to utilize the performance
Section 16.3. Samba Oplocks Control 331

benefit of file caching without the risk of data corruption. Veto oplocks can
be enabled on a per-share basis, or globally for the entire server, in the smb.
conf file as shown in Example 16.3.1.

Example 16.3.1. Share with Some Files Oplocked

[ global ]
v e t o o p l o c k f i l e s = / f i l e n a m e . htm / ∗ . t x t /
[ share name ]
v e t o o p l o c k f i l e s = / ∗ . exe / f i l e n a m e . e x t /

oplock break wait time is an smb.conf parameter that adjusts the time inter-
val for Samba to reply to an oplock break request. Samba recommends: “Do
not change this parameter unless you have read and understood the Samba
oplock code.” Oplock break wait time can only be configured globally in the
smb.conf file as shown:

o p l o c k break w a i t time = 0 ( default )

Oplock break contention limit is an smb.conf parameter that limits the re-
sponse of the Samba server to grant an oplock if the configured number
of contending clients reaches the limit specified by the parameter. Samba
recommends “Do not change this parameter unless you have read and un-
derstood the Samba oplock code.” Oplock break contention limit can be
enabled on a per-share basis, or globally for the entire server, in the smb.
conf file as shown in Example 16.3.2.

Example 16.3.2. Configuration with Oplock Break Contention Limit

[ global ]
o p l o c k break c o n t e n t i o n l i m i t = 2 ( d e f a u l t ←-
)
[ share name ]
o p l o c k break c o n t e n t i o n l i m i t = 2 ( d e f a u l t ←-
)

332 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

16.4 MS Windows Oplocks and Caching Controls

There is a known issue when running applications (like Norton Antivirus) on

a Windows 2000/ XP workstation computer that can affect any application
attempting to access shared database files across a network. This is a result
of a default setting configured in the Windows 2000/XP operating system.
When a workstation attempts to access shared data files located on another
Windows 2000/XP computer, the Windows 2000/XP operating system will
attempt to increase performance by locking the files and caching information
locally. When this occurs, the application is unable to properly function,
which results in an “Access Denied” error message being displayed during
network operations.

All Windows operating systems in the NT family that act as database servers
for data files (meaning that data files are stored there and accessed by other
Windows PCs) may need to have oplocks disabled in order to minimize the
risk of data file corruption. This includes Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT,
Windows 200x, and Windows XP. 1

If you are using a Windows NT family workstation in place of a server, you

must also disable oplocks on that workstation. For example, if you use a PC
with the Windows NT Workstation operating system instead of Windows
NT Server, and you have data files located on it that are accessed from other
Windows PCs, you may need to disable oplocks on that system.

The major difference is the location in the Windows registry where the values
for disabling oplocks are entered. Instead of the LanManServer location, the
LanManWorkstation location may be used.

You can verify (change or add, if necessary) this registry value using the
Windows Registry Editor. When you change this registry value, you will
have to reboot the PC to ensure that the new setting goes into effect.

The location of the client registry entry for oplocks has changed in Windows
2000 from the earlier location in Microsoft Windows NT.

1
Microsoft has documented this in Knowledge Base article 300216.
Section 16.4. MS Windows Oplocks and Caching Controls 333

Note

Windows 2000 will still respect the EnableOplocks reg-

istry value used to disable oplocks in earlier versions of
Windows.

You can also deny the granting of oplocks by changing the following registry
entries:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Services\MRXSmb\Parameters\

OplocksDisabled REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Default: 0 (not disabled)

Note

The OplocksDisabled registry value configures Windows

clients to either request or not request oplocks on a re-
mote file. To disable oplocks, the value of OplocksDis-
abled must be set to 1.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

EnableOplocks REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Default: 1 (Enabled by Default)

EnableOpLockForceClose REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Default: 0 (Disabled by Default)
334 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

Note

The EnableOplocks value configures Windows-based

servers (including Workstations sharing files) to allow or
deny oplocks on local files.

To force closure of open oplocks on close or program exit, EnableOpLock-

ForceClose must be set to 1.

An illustration of how Level2 oplocks work follows:

• Station 1 opens the file requesting oplock.

• Since no other station has the file open, the server grants station 1
exclusive oplock.

• Station 2 opens the file requesting oplock.

• Since station 1 has not yet written to the file, the server asks station
1 to break to Level2 oplock.

• Station 1 complies by flushing locally buffered lock information to the

server.

• Station 1 informs the server that it has broken to level2 Oplock (al-
ternately, station 1 could have closed the file).

• The server responds to station 2’s open request, granting it Level2

oplock. Other stations can likewise open the file and obtain Level2
oplock.

• Station 2 (or any station that has the file open) sends a write request
SMB. The server returns the write response.

• The server asks all stations that have the file open to break to none,
meaning no station holds any oplock on the file. Because the worksta-
tions can have no cached writes or locks at this point, they need not
respond to the break-to-none advisory; all they need do is invalidate
locally cashed read-ahead data.
Section 16.4. MS Windows Oplocks and Caching Controls 335

16.4.1 Workstation Service Entries

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanWorkstation\Parameters

UseOpportunisticLocking REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Default: 1 (true)

This indicates whether the redirector should use oplocks performance en-
hancement. This parameter should be disabled only to isolate problems.

16.4.2 Server Service Entries

\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

EnableOplocks REG_DWORD 0 or 1
Default: 1 (true)

This specifies whether the server allows clients to use oplocks on files. Oplocks
are a significant performance enhancement, but have the potential to cause
lost cached data on some networks, particularly WANs.

MinLinkThroughput REG_DWORD 0 to infinite bytes per second

Default: 0

This specifies the minimum link throughput allowed by the server before it
disables raw I/O and oplocks for this connection.

MaxLinkDelay REG_DWORD 0 to 100,000 seconds

Default: 60

This specifies the maximum time allowed for a link delay. If delays exceed
this number, the server disables raw I/O and oplocks for this connection.
336 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

OplockBreakWait REG_DWORD 10 to 180 seconds

Default: 35

This specifies the time that the server waits for a client to respond to an
oplock break request. Smaller values can allow detection of crashed clients
more quickly but can potentially cause loss of cached data.

16.5 Persistent Data Corruption

If you have applied all of the settings discussed in this chapter but data
corruption problems and other symptoms persist, here are some additional
things to check out.
We have credible reports from developers that faulty network hardware,
such as a single faulty network card, can cause symptoms similar to read
caching and data corruption. If you see persistent data corruption even after
repeated re-indexing, you may have to rebuild the data files in question. This
involves creating a new data file with the same definition as the file to be
rebuilt and transferring the data from the old file to the new one. There are
several known methods for doing this that can be found in our knowledge
base.

16.6 Common Errors

In some sites locking problems surface as soon as a server is installed; in

other sites locking problems may not surface for a long time. Almost without
exception, when a locking problem does surface, it will cause embarrassment
and potential data corruption.
Over the past few years there have been a number of complaints on the
Samba mailing lists that have claimed that Samba caused data corruption.
Three causes have been identified so far:
• Incorrect configuration of oplocks (incompatible with the application
being used). This is a common problem even where MS Windows NT4
or MS Windows 200x-based servers were in use. It is imperative that
the software application vendors’ instructions for configuration of file
locking should be followed. If in doubt, disable oplocks on both the
Section 16.6. Common Errors 337

server and the client. Disabling of all forms of file caching on the MS
Windows client may be necessary also.
• Defective network cards, cables, or hubs/switches. This is generally
a more prevalent factor with low-cost networking hardware, although
occasionally there have also been problems with incompatibilities in
more up-market hardware.
• There have been some random reports of Samba log files being written
over data files. This has been reported by very few sites (about five
in the past 3 years) and all attempts to reproduce the problem have
failed. The Samba Team has been unable to catch this happening and
thus unable to isolate any particular cause. Considering the millions
of systems that use Samba, for the sites that have been affected by
this as well as for the Samba Team, this is a frustrating and vexing
challenge. If you see this type of thing happening, please create a bug
report on Samba Bugzilla2 without delay. Make sure that you give as
much information as you possibly can to help isolate the cause and to
allow replication of the problem (an essential step in problem isolation
and correction).

16.6.1 locking.tdb Error Messages

“We are seeing lots of errors in the Samba logs, like:”

tdb(/usr/local/samba_2.2.7/var/locks/locking.tdb): rec_read bad magic

0x4d6f4b61 at offset=36116

“What do these mean?”

This error indicates a corrupted tdb. Stop all instances of smbd, delete
locking.tdb, and restart smbd.

16.6.2 Problems Saving Files in MS Office on Windows XP

This is a bug in Windows XP. More information can be found in Microsoft

Knowledge Base article 8129373 .
2
<https://bugzilla.samba.org>
3
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=812937>
338 File and Record Locking Chapter 16

16.6.3 Long Delays Deleting Files over Network with XP SP1

“It sometimes takes approximately 35 seconds to delete files over the network
after XP SP1 has been applied.” This is a bug in Windows XP. More
information can be found in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 8114924 .

16.7 Additional Reading

You may want to check for an updated documentation regarding file and
record locking issues on the Microsoft Support5 web site. Additionally, a
search for the work locking on the Samba web6 site.
Section of the Microsoft MSDN Library on opportunistic locking:
Microsoft Knowledge Base, “Maintaining Transactional Integrity with OPLOCKS”,
Microsoft Corporation, April 1999, Microsoft KB Article 2249927 .
Microsoft Knowledge Base, “Configuring Opportunistic Locking in Windows
2000”, Microsoft Corporation, April 2001 Microsoft KB Article 2962648 .
Microsoft Knowledge Base, “PC Ext: Explanation of Opportunistic Locking
on Windows NT”, Microsoft Corporation, April 1995 Microsoft KB Article
1292029 .

4
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=811492>
5
<http://support.microsoft.com/>
6
<http://www.samba.org/>
7
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=224992>
8
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=296264>
9
<http://support.microsoft.com/?id=129202>
Chapter 17

SECURING SAMBA

17.1 Introduction

The information contained in this chapter applies in general to all Samba

installations. Security us everyone’s concern in the information technology
world. A surprising number of Samba servers are being installed on machines
that have direct internet access, thus security is made more critical than
had the server been located behind a firewall and on a private network.
Paranoia regarding server security is causing some network administrators
to insist on the installation of robust firewalls even on server that are located
inside secured networks. This chapter provides brief information to assist
the administrator who understands how to create the needed barriers and
deterents against “the enemy”, no matter where [s]he may come from.
A new apprentice reported for duty to the chief engineer of a
boiler house. He said, “Here I am, if you will show me the boiler
I’ll start working on it.” Then engineer replied, “You’re leaning
on it!”
Security concerns are just like that. You need to know a little about the
subject to appreciate how obvious most of it really is. The challenge for
most of us is to discover that first morsel of knowledge with which we may
unlock the secrets of the masters.

17.2 Features and Benefits

There are three levels at which security principles must be observed in order
to render a site at least moderately secure. They are the perimeter firewall,
the configuration of the host server that is running Samba, and Samba itself.

339
340 Securing Samba Chapter 17

Samba permits a most flexible approach to network security. As far as

possible Samba implements the latest protocols to permit more secure MS
Windows file and print operations.
Samba can be secured from connections that originate from outside the
local network. This can be done using host-based protection, using Samba’s
implementation of a technology known as “tcpwrappers,” or it may be done
be using interface-based exclusion so smbd will bind only to specifically
permitted interfaces. It is also possible to set specific share or resource-
based exclusions, for example, on the [IPC$] autoshare. The [IPC$] share
is used for browsing purposes as well as to establish TCP/IP connections.
Another method by which Samba may be secured is by setting Access Con-
trol Entries (ACEs) in an Access Control List (ACL) on the shares them-
selves. This is discussed in Chapter 15, “File, Directory, and Share Access
Controls”.

17.3 Technical Discussion of Protective Measures and Is-

sues

The key challenge of security is that protective measures suffice at best only
to close the door on known exploits and breach techniques. Never assume
that because you have followed these few measures, the Samba server is now
an impenetrable fortress! Given the history of information systems so far, it
is only a matter of time before someone will find yet another vulnerability.

17.3.1 Using Host-Based Protection

In many installations of Samba, the greatest threat comes from outside your
immediate network. By default, Samba accepts connections from any host,
which means that if you run an insecure version of Samba on a host that is
directly connected to the Internet, you can be especially vulnerable.
One of the simplest fixes in this case is to use the hosts allow and hosts deny
options in the Samba smb.conf configuration file to allow access to your
server only from a specific range of hosts. An example might be:

hosts allow = 1 27 . 0. 0. 1 192.168.2.0/24 ←-
192.168.3.0/24
h o s t s deny = 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 / 0

Section 17.3. Technical Discussion of Protective Measures and Issues 341

The above will allow SMB connections only from localhost (your own
computer) and from the two private networks 192.168.2 and 192.168.3. All
other connections will be refused as soon as the client sends its first packet.
The refusal will be marked as not listening on called name error.

17.3.2 User-Based Protection

If you want to restrict access to your server to valid users only, then the
following method may be of use. In the smb.conf [global] section put:

v a l i d u s e r s = @smbusers , j a c k o

This restricts all server access either to the user jacko or to members of the
system group smbusers.

17.3.3 Using Interface Protection

By default, Samba accepts connections on any network interface that it finds

on your system. That means if you have an ISDN line or a PPP connection
to the Internet then Samba will accept connections on those links. This may
not be what you want.
You can change this behavior using options like this:

i n t e r f a c e s = eth ∗ l o
bind i n t e r f a c e s o n l y = y e s

This tells Samba to listen for connections only on interfaces with a name
starting with eth such as eth0 or eth1, plus on the loopback interface
called lo. The name you will need to use depends on what OS you are
using. In the above, I used the common name for Ethernet adapters on
Linux.
If you use the above and someone tries to make an SMB connection to your
host over a PPP interface called ppp0, then [s]he will get a TCP connection
refused reply. In that case, no Samba code is run at all, because the operating
system has been told not to pass connections from that interface to any
Samba process. However, the refusal helps a would-be cracker by confirming
that the IP address provides valid active services.
342 Securing Samba Chapter 17

A better response would be to ignore the connection (from, e.g., ppp0)

altogether. The advantage of ignoring the connection attempt, as compared
with refusing it, is that it foils those who probe an interface with the sole
intention of finding valid IP addresses for later use in exploitation or denial
of service attacks. This method of dealing with potential malicious activity
demands the use of appropriate firewall mechanisms.

17.3.4 Using a Firewall

Many people use a firewall to deny access to services they do not want ex-
posed outside their network. This can be a good idea, although I recommend
using it in conjunction with the above methods so you are protected even if
your firewall is not active for some reason.
If you are setting up a firewall, you need to know what TCP and UDP ports
to allow and block. Samba uses the following:
Port 135/TCP - used by smbd
Port 137/UDP - used by nmbd
Port 138/UDP - used by nmbd
Port 139/TCP - used by smbd
Port 445/TCP - used by smbd
The last one is important because many older firewall setups may not be
aware of it, given that this port was only added to the protocol in recent
years.
When configuring a firewall, the high order ports (1024-65535) are often
used for outgoing connections and therefore should be permitted through
the firewall. It is prudent to block incoming packets on the high order ports
except for established connections.

17.3.5 Using IPC$ Share-Based Denials

If the above methods are not suitable, then you could also place a more spe-
cific deny on the IPC$ share that is used in the recently discovered security
hole. This allows you to offer access to other shares while denying access to
IPC$ from potentially untrustworthy hosts.
To do this you could use:

[ IPC$ ]
Section 17.3. Technical Discussion of Protective Measures and Issues 343

hosts allow = 192.168.115.0/24 1 2 7. 0. 0 . 1

h o s t s deny = 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 / 0

This instructs Samba that IPC$ connections are not allowed from anywhere
except the two listed network addresses (localhost and the 192.168.115 sub-
net). Connections to other shares are still allowed. Because the IPC$ share
is the only share that is always accessible anonymously, this provides some
level of protection against attackers who do not know a valid username/-
password for your host.

If you use this method, then clients will be given an ‘access denied’ reply
when they try to access the IPC$ share. Those clients will not be able to
browse shares and may also be unable to access some other resources. This
is not recommended unless for some reason you cannot use one of the other
methods just discussed.

17.3.6 NTLMv2 Security

To configure NTLMv2 authentication, the following registry keys are worth

knowing about:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa]
"lmcompatibilitylevel"=dword:00000003

The value 0x00000003 means to send NTLMv2 response only. Clients will
use NTLMv2 authentication; use NTLMv2 session security if the server
supports it. Domain controllers accept LM, NTLM, and NTLMv2 authen-
tication.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa\MSV1_0]
"NtlmMinClientSec"=dword:00080000

The value 0x00080000 means permit only NTLMv2 session security. If either
NtlmMinClientSec or NtlmMinServerSec is set to 0x00080000, the connec-
tion will fail if NTLMv2 session security is negotiated.
344 Securing Samba Chapter 17

17.4 Upgrading Samba

Please check regularly on <http://www.samba.org/> for updates and im-

portant announcements. Occasionally security releases are made, and it is
highly recommended to upgrade Samba promptly when a security vulnera-
bility is discovered. Check with your OS vendor for OS-specific upgrades.

17.5 Common Errors

If all Samba and host platform configurations were really as intuitive as

one might like them to be, this chapter would not be necessary. Security
issues are often vexing for a support person to resolve, not because of the
complexity of the problem, but because most administrators who post what
turns out to be a security problem request are totally convinced that the
problem is with Samba.

17.5.1 Smbclient Works on Localhost, but the Network Is Dead

This is a common problem. Linux vendors tend to install a default firewall.

With the default firewall in place, only traffic on the loopback adapter (IP
address 127.0.0.1) is allowed through the firewall.
The solution is either to remove the firewall (stop it) or modify the firewall
script to allow SMB networking traffic through. See Section 17.3.4 section.

17.5.2 Why Can Users Access Other Users Home Directories?

“ We are unable to keep individual users from mapping to any other user’s
home directory once they have supplied a valid password! They only need to
enter their own password. I have not found any method to configure Samba
so that users may map only their own home directory.”
“User xyzzy can map his home directory. Once mapped, user xyzzy can also
map anyone else’s home directory.”
This is not a security flaw, it is by design. Samba allows users to have exactly
the same access to the UNIX file system as when they were logged onto the
UNIX box, except that it only allows such views onto the file system as are
allowed by the defined shares.
Section 17.5. Common Errors 345

If your UNIX home directories are set up so that one user can happily cd
into another user’s directory and execute ls, the UNIX security solution is
to change file permissions on the user’s home directories so that the cd and
ls are denied.
Samba tries very hard not to second guess the UNIX administrator’s security
policies and trusts the UNIX admin to set the policies and permissions he
or she desires.
Samba allows the behavior you require. Simply put the only user = %S
option in the [homes] share definition.
The only user works in conjunction with the users = list, so to get the
behavior you require, add the line:

u s e r s = %S

This is equivalent to adding

v a l i d u s e r s = %S

to the definition of the [homes] share, as recommended in the smb.conf man

page.
Chapter 18

INTERDOMAIN TRUST
RELATIONSHIPS

Samba-3 supports NT4-style domain trust relationships. This is a feature

that many sites will want to use if they migrate to Samba-3 from an NT4-
style domain and do not want to adopt Active Directory or an LDAP-based
authentication backend. This chapter explains some background informa-
tion regarding trust relationships and how to create them. It is now possible
for Samba-3 to trust NT4 (and vice versa), as well as to create Samba-to-
Samba trusts.

The use of interdomain trusts requires use of winbind, so the winbindd

daemon must be running. Winbind operation in this mode is dependent on
the specification of a valid UID range and a valid GID range in the smb.
conf file. These are specified respectively using:

idmap u i d = 10000 −20000
idmap g i d = 10000 −20000

The range of values specified must not overlap values used by the host
operating system and must not overlap values used in the passdb backend
for POSIX user accounts. The maximum value is limited by the upper-
most value permitted by the host operating system. This is a UNIX kernel
limited parameter. Linux kernel 2.6 based systems support a maximum
value of 4294967295 (32-bit unsigned variable).

346
Section 18.1. Features and Benefits 347

Note

The use of winbind is necessary only when Samba is the

trusting domain, not when it is the trusted domain.

18.1 Features and Benefits

Samba-3 can participate in Samba-to-Samba as well as in Samba-to-MS

Windows NT4-style trust relationships. This imparts to Samba scalability
similar to that with MS Windows NT4.
Given that Samba-3 can function with a scalable backend authentication
database such as LDAP, and given its ability to run in primary as well as
backup domain control modes, the administrator would be well advised to
consider alternatives to the use of interdomain trusts simply because, by
the very nature of how trusts function, this system is fragile. That was,
after all, a key reason for the development and adoption of Microsoft Active
Directory.

18.2 Trust Relationship Background

MS Windows NT3/4-type security domains employ a nonhierarchical secu-

rity structure. The limitations of this architecture as it effects the scalability
of MS Windows networking in large organizations is well known. Addition-
ally, the flat namespace that results from this design significantly impacts
the delegation of administrative responsibilities in large and diverse organi-
zations.
Microsoft developed Active Directory Service (ADS), based on Kerberos and
LDAP, as a means of circumventing the limitations of the older technolo-
gies. Not every organization is ready or willing to embrace ADS. For small
companies the older NT4-style domain security paradigm is quite adequate,
and so there remains an entrenched user base for whom there is no direct
desire to go through a disruptive change to adopt ADS.
With Windows NT, Microsoft introduced the ability to allow different secu-
rity domains to effect a mechanism so users from one domain may be given
348 Interdomain Trust Relationships Chapter 18

access rights and privileges in another domain. The language that describes
this capability is couched in terms of trusts. Specifically, one domain will
trust the users from another domain. The domain from which users can
access another security domain is said to be a trusted domain. The domain
in which those users have assigned rights and privileges is the trusting do-
main. With NT3.x/4.0 all trust relationships are always in one direction
only, so if users in both domains are to have privileges and rights in each
others’ domain, then it is necessary to establish two relationships, one in
each direction.
Further, in an NT4-style MS security domain, all trusts are nontransitive.
This means that if there are three domains (let’s call them red, white, and
blue), where red and white have a trust relationship, and white and blue
have a trust relationship, then it holds that there is no implied trust between
the red and blue domains. Relationships are explicit and not transitive.
New to MS Windows 2000 ADS security contexts is the fact that trust
relationships are two-way by default. Also, all inter-ADS domain trusts are
transitive. In the case of the red, white, and blue domains, with Windows
2000 and ADS, the red and blue domains can trust each other. This is an
inherent feature of ADS domains. Samba-3 implements MS Windows NT4-
style interdomain trusts and interoperates with MS Windows 200x ADS
security domains in similar manner to MS Windows NT4-style domains.

18.3 Native MS Windows NT4 Trusts Configuration

There are two steps to creating an interdomain trust relationship. To effect

a two-way trust relationship, it is necessary for each domain administrator
to create a trust account for the other domain to use in verifying security
credentials.

18.3.1 Creating an NT4 Domain Trust

For MS Windows NT4, all domain trust relationships are configured using
the Domain User Manager. This is done from the Domain User Manager
Policies entry on the menu bar. From the Policy menu, select Trust Rela-
tionships. Next to the lower box labeled Permitted to Trust this Domain
are two buttons, Add and Remove. The Add button will open a panel in
which to enter the name of the remote domain that will be able to assign
Section 18.3. Native MS Windows NT4 Trusts Configuration 349

access rights to users in your domain. You will also need to enter a pass-
word for this trust relationship, which the trusting domain will use when
authenticating users from the trusted domain. The password needs to be
typed twice (for standard confirmation).

18.3.2 Completing an NT4 Domain Trust

A trust relationship will work only when the other (trusting) domain makes
the appropriate connections with the trusted domain. To consummate the
trust relationship, the administrator launches the Domain User Manager
from the menu selects Policies, then select Trust Relationships, and clicks
on the Add button next to the box that is labeled Trusted Domains. A
panel opens in which must be entered the name of the remote domain as
well as the password assigned to that trust.

18.3.3 Interdomain Trust Facilities

A two-way trust relationship is created when two one-way trusts are created,
one in each direction. Where a one-way trust has been established between
two MS Windows NT4 domains (let’s call them DomA and DomB), the
following facilities are created:

Domain A
Domain B

Trusts

Figure 18.1. Trusts overview.

• DomA (completes the trust connection) Trusts DomB.

• DomA is the Trusting domain.
• DomB is the Trusted domain (originates the trust account).
350 Interdomain Trust Relationships Chapter 18

• Users in DomB can access resources in DomA.

• Users in DomA cannot access resources in DomB.
• Global groups from DomB can be used in DomA.
• Global groups from DomA cannot be used in DomB.
• DomB does appear in the logon dialog box on client workstations in
DomA.
• DomA does not appear in the logon dialog box on client workstations
in DomB.
• Users and groups in a trusting domain cannot be granted rights, per-
missions, or access to a trusted domain.
• The trusting domain can access and use accounts (users/global groups)
in the trusted domain.
• Administrators of the trusted domain can be granted administrative
rights in the trusting domain.
• Users in a trusted domain can be given rights and privileges in the
trusting domain.
• Trusted domain global groups can be given rights and permissions in
the trusting domain.
• Global groups from the trusted domain can be made members in local
groups on MS Windows domain member machines.

18.4 Configuring Samba NT-Style Domain Trusts

This description is meant to be a fairly short introduction about how to set

up a Samba server so that it can participate in interdomain trust relation-
ships. Trust relationship support in Samba is at an early stage, so do not
be surprised if something does not function as it should.
Each of the procedures described next assumes the peer domain in the trust
relationship is controlled by a Windows NT4 server. However, the remote
end could just as well be another Samba-3 domain. It can be clearly seen,
after reading this document, that combining Samba-specific parts of what’s
written in the following sections leads to trust between domains in a purely
Samba environment.
Section 18.4. Configuring Samba NT-Style Domain Trusts 351

18.4.1 Samba as the Trusted Domain

In order to set the Samba PDC to be the trusted party of the relationship,
you first need to create a special account for the domain that will be the
trusting party. To do that, you can use the smbpasswd utility. Creating
the trusted domain account is similar to creating a trusted machine account.
Suppose, your domain is called SAMBA, and the remote domain is called
RUMBA. The first step will be to issue this command from your favorite
shell:

root# smbpasswd -a -i rumba

New SMB password: XXXXXXXX
Retype SMB password: XXXXXXXX
Added user rumba$

where -a means to add a new account into the passdb database and -i
means to “create this account with the Interdomain trust flag”.

The account name will be “rumba$” (the name of the remote domain). If
this fails, you should check that the trust account has been added to the
system password database (/etc/passwd). If it has not been added, you
can add it manually and then repeat the previous step.

After issuing this command, you will be asked to enter the password for the
account. You can use any password you want, but be aware that Windows
NT will not change this password until 7 days following account creation.
After the command returns successfully, you can look at the entry for the
new account (in the standard way as appropriate for your configuration)
and see that the account’s name is really RUMBA$ and it has the “I” flag
set in the flags field. Now you are ready to confirm the trust by establishing
it from Windows NT Server.

Open User Manager for Domains and from the Policies menu, select Trust
Relationships.... Beside the Trusted domains list box, click the Add... but-
ton. You will be prompted for the trusted domain name and the relationship
password. Type in SAMBA, as this is the name of the remote domain and
the password used at the time of account creation. Click on OK and, if
everything went without incident, you will see the Trusted domain rela-
tionship successfully established message.
352 Interdomain Trust Relationships Chapter 18

18.4.2 Samba as the Trusting Domain

This time activities are somewhat reversed. Again, we’ll assume that your
domain controlled by the Samba PDC is called SAMBA and the NT-controlled
domain is called RUMBA.

The very first step is to add an account for the SAMBA domain on RUMBA’s
PDC.

Launch the Domain User Manager, then from the menu select Policies,
Trust Relationships. Now, next to the Trusted Domains box, press the
Add button and type in the name of the trusted domain (SAMBA) and the
password to use in securing the relationship.

The password can be arbitrarily chosen. It is easy to change the password

from the Samba server whenever you want. After you confirm the password,
your account is ready for use. Now its Samba’s turn.

Using your favorite shell while logged in as root, issue this command:

root#net rpc trustdom establish rumba

You will be prompted for the password you just typed on your Windows
NT4 Server box. An error message, "NT STATUS NOLOGON INTERDOMAIN
TRUST ACCOUNT," that may be reported periodically is of no concern and
may safely be ignored. It means the password you gave is correct and the
NT4 server says the account is ready for interdomain connection and not for
ordinary connection. After that, be patient; it can take a while (especially
in large networks), but eventually you should see the Success message.
Congratulations! Your trust relationship has just been established.

Note

You have to run this command as root because you must

have write access to the secrets.tdb file.
Section 18.5. NT4-Style Domain Trusts with Windows 2000 353

18.5 NT4-Style Domain Trusts with Windows 2000

Although Domain User Manager is not present in Windows 2000, it is also

possible to establish an NT4-style trust relationship with a Windows 2000
domain controller running in mixed mode as the trusting server. It should
also be possible for Samba to trust a Windows 2000 server; however, more
testing is still needed in this area.
After Section 18.4.1 as described previously, open Active Directory Domains
and Trusts on the AD controller of the domain whose resources you wish
Samba users to have access to. Remember that since NT4-style trusts are
not transitive, if you want your users to have access to multiple mixed-mode
domains in your AD forest, you will need to repeat this process for each
of those domains. With Active Directory domains and trusts open, right-
click on the name of the Active Directory domain that will trust our Samba
domain and choose Properties, then click on the Trusts tab. In the upper
part of the panel, you will see a list box labeled Domains trusted by this
domain: and an Add... button next to it. Press this button and, just
as with NT4, you will be prompted for the trusted domain name and the
relationship password. Press OK and after a moment, Active Directory will
respond with The trusted domain has been added and the trust has
been verified. Your Samba users can now be granted access to resources
in the AD domain.

18.6 Common Errors

Interdomain trust relationships should not be attempted on networks that

are unstable or that suffer regular outages. Network stability and integrity
are key concerns with distributed trusted domains.

18.6.1 Browsing of Trusted Domain Fails

Browsing from a machine in a trusted Windows 200x domain to a Windows

200x member of a trusting Samba domain, I get the following error:

The system detected a possible attempt to compromise security. Please ensure that
you can contact the server that authenticated you.
354 Interdomain Trust Relationships Chapter 18

The event logs on the box I’m trying to connect to have entries regarding
group policy not being applied because it is a member of a down-level domain.
If there is a computer account in the Windows 200x domain for the machine
in question, and it is disabled, this problem can occur. If there is no com-
puter account (removed or never existed), or if that account is still intact
(i.e., you just joined it to another domain), everything seems to be fine. By
default, when you unjoin a domain (the Windows 200x domain), the com-
puter tries to automatically disable the computer account in the domain. If
you are running as an account that has privileges to do this when you unjoin
the machine, it is done; otherwise it is not done.

18.6.2 Problems with LDAP ldapsam and Older Versions of smbldap-

tools

If you use the smbldap-useradd script to create a trust account to set up

interdomain trusts, the process of setting up the trust will fail. The account
that was created in the LDAP database will have an account flags field that
has [W ], when it must have [I ] for interdomain trusts to work.
Here is a simple solution. Create a machine account as follows:

root# smbldap-useradd -w domain_name

Then set the desired trust account password as shown here:

root# smbldap-passwd domain_name\$

Using a text editor, create the following file:

dn: uid=domain_name$,ou=People,dc={your-domain},dc={your-top-level-domain}
changetype: modify
sambaAcctFlags: [I ]

Then apply the text file to the LDAP database as follows:

root# ldapmodify -x -h localhost \

Section 18.6. Common Errors 355

-D "cn=Manager,dc={your-domain},dc={your-top-level-domain}" \
-W -f /path-to/foobar

Create a single-sided trust under the NT4 Domain User Manager, then ex-
ecute:

root# net rpc trustdom establish domain_name

It works with Samba-3 and NT4 domains, and also with Samba-3 and Win-
dows 200x ADS in mixed mode. Both domain controllers, Samba and NT
must have the same WINS server; otherwise, the trust will never work.
Chapter 19

HOSTING A MICROSOFT
DISTRIBUTED FILE SYSTEM
TREE

19.1 Features and Benefits

The distributed file system (DFS) provides a means of separating the logical
view of files and directories that users see from the actual physical locations
of these resources on the network. It allows for higher availability, smoother
storage expansion, load balancing, and so on.
For information about DFS, refer to the Microsoft documentation1 . This
document explains how to host a DFS tree on a UNIX machine (for DFS-
aware clients to browse) using Samba.
A Samba server can be made a DFS server by setting the global Boolean host
msdfs parameter in the smb.conf file. You designate a share as a DFS root
using the share-level Boolean msdfs root parameter. A DFS root directory
on Samba hosts DFS links in the form of symbolic links that point to other
servers. For example, a symbolic link junction->msdfs:storage1\share1
in the share directory acts as the DFS junction. When DFS-aware clients at-
tempt to access the junction link, they are redirected to the storage location
(in this case, \\storage1\share1).
DFS trees on Samba work with all DFS-aware clients ranging from Windows
95 to 200x. Example 19.1.1 shows how to setup a DFS tree on a Samba
1
<http://www.microsoft.com/NTServer/nts/downloads/winfeatures/
NTSDistrFile/AdminGuide.asp>

356
Section 19.2. Common Errors 357

server. In the /export/dfsroot directory, you set up your DFS links to

other servers on the network.

root# cd /export/dfsroot
root# chown root /export/dfsroot
root# chmod 755 /export/dfsroot
root# ln -s msdfs:storageA\\shareA linka
root# ln -s msdfs:serverB\\share,serverC\\share linkb

Example 19.1.1. smb.conf with DFS Configured

[ global ]
n e t b i o s name = GANDALF
h o s t msdfs = yes
[ dfs ]
path = / e x p o r t / d f s r o o t
msdfs r o o t = y e s

You should set up the permissions and ownership of the directory acting as
the DFS root so that only designated users can create, delete, or modify the
msdfs links. Also note that symlink names should be all lowercase. This
limitation exists to have Samba avoid trying all the case combinations to get
at the link name. Finally, set up the symbolic links to point to the network
shares you want and start Samba.
Users on DFS-aware clients can now browse the DFS tree on the Samba
server at \\samba\dfs. Accessing links linka or linkb (which appear as
directories to the client) takes users directly to the appropriate shares on
the network.

19.2 Common Errors

• Windows clients need to be rebooted if a previously mounted non-DFS

share is made a DFS root, or vice versa. A better way is to introduce
a new share and make it the DFS root.
• Currently, there’s a restriction that msdfs symlink names should all
be lowercase.
358 Hosting a Microsoft Distributed File System Tree Chapter 19

• For security purposes, the directory acting as the root of the DFS tree
should have ownership and permissions set so only designated users
can modify the symbolic links in the directory.

19.2.1 MSDFS UNIX Path Is Case-Critical

A network administrator sent advice to the Samba mailing list after long
sessions trying to determine why DFS was not working. His advice is worth
noting.
“I spent some time trying to figure out why my particular DFS root wasn’t
working. I noted in the documentation that the symlink should be in all
lowercase. It should be amended that the entire path to the symlink should
all be in lowercase as well.”
“For example, I had a share defined as such:”

[ pub ]
path = / e x p o r t /home/ S h a r e s / p u b l i c s h a r e
msdfs r o o t = y e s

“and I could not make my Windows 9x/Me (with the dfs client installed)
follow this symlink:”

damage1 -> msdfs:damage\test-share

“Running a debug level of 10 reveals:”

[2003/08/20 11:40:33, 5] msdfs/msdfs.c:is_msdfs_link(176)

is_msdfs_link: /export/home/shares/public_share/* does not exist.

“Curious. So I changed the directory name from .../Shares/... to ...

/shares/... (along with my service definition) and it worked!”
Chapter 20

CLASSICAL PRINTING
SUPPORT

20.1 Features and Benefits

Printing is often a mission-critical service for the users. Samba can pro-
vide this service reliably and seamlessly for a client network consisting of
Windows workstations.
A Samba print service may be run on a standalone or domain member server,
side by side with file serving functions, or on a dedicated print server. It can
be made as tightly or as loosely secured as needs dictate. Configurations
may be simple or complex. Available authentication schemes are essentially
the same as described for file services in previous chapters. Overall, Samba’s
printing support is now able to replace an NT or Windows 2000 print server
full-square, with additional benefits in many cases. Clients may down-
load and install drivers and printers through their familiar Point’n’Print
mechanism. Printer installations executed by Logon Scripts are no prob-
lem. Administrators can upload and manage drivers to be used by clients
through the familiar Add Printer Wizard. As an additional benefit, driver
and printer management may be run from the command line or through
scripts, making it more efficient in case of large numbers of printers. If a
central accounting of print jobs (tracking every single page and supplying
the raw data for all sorts of statistical reports) is required, this function is
best supported by the newer Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS) as
the print subsystem underneath the Samba hood.
This chapter outlines the fundamentals of Samba printing as implemented
by the more traditional UNIX BSD- and System V-style printing systems.

359
360 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Much of the information in this chapter applies also to CUPS. If you use
CUPS, you may be tempted to jump to the next chapter, but you will
certainly miss a few things if you do. For further information refer to Chap-
ter 21, “CUPS Printing Support”.

Note

Most of the following examples have been verified on

Windows XP Professional clients. Where this document
describes the responses to commands given, bear in mind
that Windows 200x/XP clients are quite similar but may
differ in minor details. Windows NT4 is somewhat differ-
ent again.

20.2 Technical Introduction

Samba’s printing support always relies on the installed print subsystem of

the UNIX OS it runs on. Samba is a middleman. It takes print files from
Windows (or other SMB) clients and passes them to the real printing sys-
tem for further processing; therefore, it needs to communicate with both
sides: the Windows print clients and the UNIX printing system. Hence, we
must differentiate between the various client OS types, each of which behave
differently, as well as the various UNIX print subsystems, which themselves
have different features and are accessed differently.
This chapter deals with the traditional way of UNIX printing. The next
chapter covers in great detail the more modern CUPS.

Important

CUPS users, be warned: do not just jump on to the

next chapter. You might miss important information only
found here!
Section 20.2. Technical Introduction 361

It is apparent from postings on the Samba mailing list that print configura-
tion is one of the most problematic aspects of Samba administration today.
Many new Samba administrators have the impression that Samba performs
some sort of print processing. Rest assured, Samba does not perform any
type of print processing. It does not do any form of print filtering.
Samba obtains from its clients a data stream (print job) that it spools to
a local spool area. When the entire print job has been received, Samba
invokes a local UNIX/Linux print command and passes the spooled file to
it. It is up to the local system printing subsystems to correctly process the
print job and to submit it to the printer.

20.2.1 Client to Samba Print Job Processing

Successful printing from a Windows client via a Samba print server to a

UNIX printer involves six (potentially seven) stages:
1. Windows opens a connection to the printer share.
2. Samba must authenticate the user.
3. Windows sends a copy of the print file over the network into Samba’s
spooling area.
4. Windows closes the connection.
5. Samba invokes the print command to hand the file over to the UNIX
print subsystem’s spooling area.
6. The UNIX print subsystem processes the print job.
7. The print file may need to be explicitly deleted from the Samba spool-
ing area. This item depends on your print spooler configuration set-
tings.

20.2.2 Printing-Related Configuration Parameters

There are a number of configuration parameters to control Samba’s printing

behavior. Please refer to the man page for smb.conf for an overview of
these. As with other parameters, there are global-level (tagged with a G in
the listings) and service-level (S) parameters.
362 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Global Parameters These may not go into individual share definitions. If

they go in by error, the testparm utility can discover this (if you run
it) and tell you so.

Service-Level Parameters These may be specified in the [global] section

of smb.conf. In this case they define the default behavior of all in-
dividual or service-level shares (provided they do not have a different
setting defined for the same parameter, thus overriding the global de-
fault).

20.3 Simple Print Configuration

Example 20.3.1 shows a simple printing configuration. If you compare this

with your own, you may find additional parameters that have been precon-
figured by your OS vendor. Following is a discussion and explanation of
the parameters. This example does not use many parameters. However, in
many environments these are enough to provide a valid smb.conf file that
enables all clients to print.

Example 20.3.1. Simple Configuration with BSD Printing

[ global ]
p r i n t i n g = bsd
load p r i n t e r s = yes
[ printers ]
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
p r i n t a b l e = yes
public = yes
w r i t a b l e = no

This is only an example configuration. Samba assigns default values to all

configuration parameters. The defaults are conservative and sensible. When
a parameter is specified in the smb.conf file, this overwrites the default
value. The testparm utility when run as root is capable of reporting all
settings, both default as well as smb.conf file settings. Testparm gives
warnings for all misconfigured settings. The complete output is easily 360
lines and more, so you may want to pipe it through a pager program.
Section 20.3. Simple Print Configuration 363

The syntax for the configuration file is easy to grasp. You should know that
is not very picky about its syntax. As has been explained elsewhere in this
book, Samba tolerates some spelling errors (such as browseable instead of
browsable), and spelling is case-insensitive. It is permissible to use Yes/No
or True/False for Boolean settings. Lists of names may be separated by
commas, spaces, or tabs.

20.3.1 Verifying Configuration with testparm

To see all (or at least most) printing-related settings in Samba, including the
implicitly used ones, try the command outlined below. This command greps
for all occurrences of lp, print, spool, driver, ports, and [ in testparm’s
output. This provides a convenient overview of the running smbd print
configuration. This command does not show individually created printer
shares or the spooling paths they may use. Here is the output of my Samba
setup, with settings shown in Example 20.3.1:

root# testparm -s -v | egrep "(lp|print|spool|driver|ports|\[)"

Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf
Processing section "[homes]"
Processing section "[printers]"

[global]
smb ports = 139 445
lpq cache time = 10
load printers = Yes
printcap name = /etc/printcap
disable spoolss = No
enumports command =
addprinter command =
deleteprinter command =
show add printer wizard = Yes
os2 driver map =
printer admin =
min print space = 0
max print jobs = 1000
printable = No
printing = bsd
print command = lpr -r -P’%p’ %s
364 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

lpq command = lpq -P’%p’

lprm command = lprm -P’%p’ %j
lppause command =
lpresume command =
printer name =
use client driver = No

[homes]

[printers]
path = /var/spool/samba
printable = Yes

You can easily verify which settings were implicitly added by Samba’s de-
fault behavior. Remember: it may be important in your future dealings with
Samba.

Note

The testparm in Samba-3 behaves differently from that

in 2.2.x: used without the “-v” switch, it only shows you
the settings actually written into! To see the complete
configuration used, add the “-v” parameter to testparm.

20.3.2 Rapid Configuration Validation

Should you need to troubleshoot at any stage, please always come back to
this point first and verify if testparm shows the parameters you expect. To
give you a warning from personal experience, try to just comment out the
load printers parameter. If your 2.2.x system behaves like mine, you’ll see
this:

root# grep "load printers" /etc/samba/smb.conf

# load printers = Yes
Section 20.3. Simple Print Configuration 365

# This setting is commented out!!

root# testparm -v /etc/samba/smb.conf | egrep "(load printers)"

load printers = Yes

I assumed that commenting out of this setting should prevent Samba from
publishing my printers, but it still did. It took some time to figure out the
reason. But I am no longer fooled ... at least not by this.

root# grep -A1 "load printers" /etc/samba/smb.conf

load printers = No
# The above setting is what I want!
# load printers = Yes
# This setting is commented out!

root# testparm -s -v smb.conf.simpleprinting | egrep "(load printers)"

load printers = No

Only when the parameter is explicitly set to load printers = No would Samba
conform with my intentions. So, my strong advice is:
• Never rely on commented-out parameters.
• Always set parameters explicitly as you intend them to behave.
• Use testparm to uncover hidden settings that might not reflect your
intentions.
The following is the most minimal configuration file:

root# cat /etc/samba/smb.conf-minimal

[printers]

This example should show that you can use testparm to test any Samba
configuration file. Actually, we encourage you not to change your working
system (unless you know exactly what you are doing). Don’t rely on the
assumption that changes will only take effect after you restart smbd! This
is not the case. Samba rereads it every 60 seconds and on each new client
connection. You might have to face changes for your production clients that
366 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

you didn’t intend to apply. You will now note a few more interesting things;
testparm is useful to identify what the Samba print configuration would
be if you used this minimalistic configuration. Here is what you can expect
to find:

root# testparm -v smb.conf-minimal | egrep "(print|lpq|spool|driver|ports|[)"

Processing section "[printers]"
WARNING: [printers] service MUST be printable!
No path in service printers - using /tmp

lpq cache time = 10

load printers = Yes
printcap name = /etc/printcap
disable spoolss = No
enumports command =
addprinter command =
deleteprinter command =
show add printer wizard = Yes
os2 driver map =
printer admin =
min print space = 0
max print jobs = 1000
printable = No
printing = bsd
print command = lpr -r -P%p %s
lpq command = lpq -P%p
printer name =
use client driver = No

[printers]
printable = Yes

testparm issued two warnings:

• We did not specify the [printers] section as printable.
• We did not tell Samba which spool directory to use.
However, this was not fatal, and Samba will default to values that will
work. Please, do not rely on this and do not use this example. This was
Section 20.4. Extended Printing Configuration 367

included to encourage you to be careful to design and specify your setup

to do precisely what you require. The outcome on your system may vary
for some parameters given, since Samba may have been built with different
compile-time options. Warning: do not put a comment sign at the end of
a valid line. It will cause the parameter to be ignored (just as if you had
put the comment sign at the front). At first I regarded this as a bug in
my Samba versions. But the man page clearly says: Internal whitespace
in a parameter value is retained verbatim. This means that a line
consisting of, for example,

# This d e f i n e s LPRng as t h e p r i n t i n g system
printing = lprng

will regard the whole of the string after the = sign as the value you want to
define. This is an invalid value that will be ignored, and a default value will
be used in its place.

20.4 Extended Printing Configuration

Example 20.4.1 shows a more verbose configuration for print-related settings

in a BSD-style printing environment. What follows is a discussion and expla-
nation of the various parameters. We chose to use BSD-style printing here
because it is still the most commonly used system on legacy UNIX/Linux
installations. New installations predominantly use CUPS, which is discussed
in a separate chapter. The example explicitly names many parameters that
do not need to be specified because they are set by default. You could use a
much leaner smb.conf file, or you can use testparm or SWAT to optimize
the smb.conf file to remove all parameters that are set at default.
This is an example configuration. You may not find all the settings that
are in the configuration file that was provided by the OS vendor. Samba
configuration parameters, if not explicitly set, default to a sensible value. To
see all settings, as root use the testparm utility. testparm gives warnings
for misconfigured settings.

20.4.1 Detailed Explanation Settings

The following is a discussion of the settings from Example 20.4.1 Exam-

ple 20.4.1.
368 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Example 20.4.1. Extended BSD Printing Configuration

[ global ]
p r i n t i n g = bsd
load p r i n t e r s = yes
show add p r i n t e r w i z a r d = y e s
p r i n t c a p name = / e t c / p r i n t c a p
p r i n t e r admin = @ntadmin , r o o t
max p r i n t j o b s = 100
l p q c a c h e time = 20
u s e c l i e n t d r i v e r = no
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
p r i n t a b l e = yes
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
b r o w s e a b l e = no
g u e s t ok = y e s
public = yes
read only = yes
w r i t a b l e = no
[ my printer name ]
comment = P r i n t e r with R e s t r i c t e d A c c e s s
path = / var / s p o o l / s a m b a m y p r i n t e r
p r i n t e r admin = k u r t
browseable = yes
p r i n t a b l e = yes
w r i t a b l e = no
hosts allow = 0 . 0 . 0 . 0
h o s t s deny = turbo xp , 1 0 . 1 6 0 . 5 0 . 2 3 , ←-
10.160.51.60
g u e s t ok = no

20.4.1.1 The [global] Section

The [global] section is one of four special sections (along with [homes], [print-
ers], and [print$] ). The [global] contains all parameters that apply to the
server as a whole. It is the place for parameters that have only a global
meaning. It may also contain service-level parameters that define default
Section 20.4. Extended Printing Configuration 369

settings for all other sections and shares. This way you can simplify the
configuration and avoid setting the same value repeatedly. (Within each
individual section or share, you may, however, override these globally set
share settings and specify other values).

printing = bsd Causes Samba to use default print commands applicable

for the BSD (also known as RFC 1179 style or LPR/LPD) printing
system. In general, the printing parameter informs Samba about
the print subsystem it should expect. Samba supports CUPS, LPD,
LPRNG, SYSV, HPUX, AIX, QNX, and PLP. Each of these systems
defaults to a different print command (and other queue control com-
mands).

Caution

The printing parameter is normally a service-level

parameter. Since it is included here in the [global]
section, it will take effect for all printer shares that
are not defined differently. Samba-3 no longer sup-
ports the SOFTQ printing system.

load printers = yes Tells Samba to create automatically all available

printer shares. Available printer shares are discovered by scanning the
printcap file. All created printer shares are also loaded for browsing.
If you use this parameter, you do not need to specify separate shares
for each printer. Each automatically created printer share will clone
the configuration options found in the [printers] section. (The load
printers = no setting will allow you to specify each UNIX printer
you want to share separately, leaving out some you do not want to be
publicly visible and available).

show add printer wizard = yes Setting is normally enabled by default

(even if the parameter is not specified in smb.conf). It causes the Add
Printer Wizard icon to appear in the Printers folder of the Samba
host’s share listing (as shown in Network Neighborhood or by the
370 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

net view command). To disable it, you need to explicitly set it to no

(commenting it out will not suffice). The Add Printer Wizard lets
you upload a printer driver to the [print$] share and associate it with
a printer (if the respective queue exists before the action), or exchange
a printer’s driver for any other previously uploaded driver.

max print jobs = 100 Sets the upper limit to 100 print jobs being active
on the Samba server at any one time. Should a client submit a job
that exceeds this number, a ”no more space available on server” type
of error message will be returned by Samba to the client. A setting of
zero (the default) means there is no limit at all.

printcap name = /etc/printcap Tells Samba where to look for a list

of available printer names. Where CUPS is used, make sure that a
printcap file is written. This is controlled by the Printcap directive
in the cupsd.conf file.

printer admin = @ntadmin Members of the ntadmin group should be

able to add drivers and set printer properties (ntadmin is only an ex-
ample name; it needs to be a valid UNIX group name); root is implic-
itly always a printer admin. The @ sign precedes group names in the
/etc/group. A printer admin can do anything to printers via the re-
mote administration interfaces offered by MS-RPC (see Section 20.5).
In larger installations, the printer admin parameter is normally a per-
share parameter. This permits different groups to administer each
printer share.

lpq cache time = 20 Controls the cache time for the results of the lpq
command. It prevents the lpq command being called too often and
reduces the load on a heavily used print server.

use client driver = no If set to yes, only takes effect for Windows NT/200x/XP
clients (and not for Win 95/98/ME). Its default value is No (or False).
It must not be enabled on print shares (with a yes or true setting) that
have valid drivers installed on the Samba server. For more detailed
explanations, see the smb.conf man page.
Section 20.4. Extended Printing Configuration 371

20.4.1.2 The [printers] Section

The printers section is the second special section. If a section with this name
appears in the smb.conf, users are able to connect to any printer specified
in the Samba host’s printcap file, because Samba on startup then creates
a printer share for every printer name it finds in the printcap file. You
could regard this section as a convenient shortcut to share all printers with
minimal configuration. It is also a container for settings that should apply
as default to all printers. (For more details, see the smb.conf man page.)
Settings inside this container must be share-level parameters.

comment = All printers The comment is shown next to the share if a

client queries the server, either via Network Neighborhood or with
the net view command, to list available shares.

printable = yes The [printers] service must be declared as printable. If

you specify otherwise, smbd will refuse to load at startup. This param-
eter allows connected clients to open, write to, and submit spool files
into the directory specified with the path parameter for this service.
It is used by Samba to differentiate printer shares from file shares.

path = /var/spool/samba Must point to a directory used by Samba

to spool incoming print files. It must not be the same as the spool
directory specified in the configuration of your UNIX print subsystem!
The path typically points to a directory that is world writable, with
the sticky bit set to it.

browseable = no Is always set to no if printable = yes. It makes the

[printer] share itself invisible in the list of available shares in a net
view command or in the Explorer browse list. (You will of course see
the individual printers.)

guest ok = yes If this parameter is set to yes, no password is required

to connect to the printer’s service. Access will be granted with the
privileges of the guest account. On many systems the guest account
will map to a user named ”nobody.” This user will usually be found
in the UNIX passwd file with an empty password, but with no valid
372 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

UNIX login. On some systems the guest account might not have the
privilege to be able to print. Test this by logging in as your guest user
using su - guest and run a system print command like:
lpr -P printername /etc/motd

public = yes Is a synonym for guest ok = yes. Since we have guest ok =

yes, it really does not need to be here. (This leads to the interesting
question, “What if I by accident have two contradictory settings for the
same share?” The answer is that the last one encountered by Samba
wins. testparm does not complain about different settings of the same
parameter for the same share. You can test this by setting up multiple
lines for the guest account parameter with different usernames, and
then run testparm to see which one is actually used by Samba.)

read only = yes Normally (for other types of shares) prevents users from
creating or modifying files in the service’s directory. However, in a
printable service, it is always allowed to write to the directory (if user
privileges allow the connection), but only via print spooling operations.
Normal write operations are not permitted.

writable = no Is a synonym for read only = yes.

20.4.1.3 Any [my printer name] Section

If a [my printer name] section appears in the smb.conf file, which in-
cludes the parameter printable = yes Samba will configure it as a printer
share. Windows 9x/Me clients may have problems with connecting or load-
ing printer drivers if the share name has more than eight characters. Do not
name a printer share with a name that may conflict with an existing user or
file share name. On client connection requests, Samba always tries to find
file shares with that name first. If it finds one, it will connect to this and
will not connect to a printer with the same name!

comment = Printer with Restricted Access The comment says it all.

path = /var/spool/samba my printer Sets the spooling area for this

Section 20.4. Extended Printing Configuration 373

printer to a directory other than the default. It is not necessary to set

it differently, but the option is available.

printer admin = kurt The printer admin definition is different for this
explicitly defined printer share from the general [printers] share. It is
not a requirement; we did it to show that it is possible.

browseable = yes This makes the printer browseable so the clients may
conveniently find it when browsing the Network Neighborhood.

printable = yes See Section 20.4.1.2.

writable = no See Section 20.4.1.2.

hosts allow = 10.160.50.,10.160.51. Here we exercise a certain degree

of access control by using the hosts allow and hosts deny parameters.
This is not by any means a safe bet. It is not a way to secure your
printers. This line accepts all clients from a certain subnet in a first
evaluation of access control.

hosts deny = turbo xp,10.160.50.23,10.160.51.60 All listed hosts are

not allowed here (even if they belong to the allowed subnets). As you
can see, you could name IP addresses as well as NetBIOS hostnames
here.

guest ok = no This printer is not open for the guest account.

20.4.1.4 Print Commands

In each section defining a printer (or in the [printers] section), a print

command parameter may be defined. It sets a command to process the files
that have been placed into the Samba print spool directory for that printer.
(That spool directory was, if you remember, set up with the path parame-
ter). Typically, this command will submit the spool file to the Samba host’s
print subsystem, using the suitable system print command. But there is no
requirement that this needs to be the case. For debugging or some other
374 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

reason, you may want to do something completely different than print the
file. An example is a command that just copies the print file to a tempo-
rary location for further investigation when you need to debug printing. If
you craft your own print commands (or even develop print command shell
scripts), make sure you pay attention to the need to remove the files from
the Samba spool directory. Otherwise, your hard disk may soon suffer from
shortage of free space.

20.4.1.5 Default UNIX System Printing Commands

You learned earlier that Samba, in most cases, uses its built-in settings for
many parameters if it cannot find an explicitly stated one in its configuration
file. The same is true for the print command. The default print command
varies depending on the printing parameter setting. In the commands listed
in Table 20.1 , you will notice some parameters of the form %X where X is
p, s, J, and so on. These letters stand for printer name, spool file, and job
ID, respectively. They are explained in more detail in Table 20.1 presents
an overview of key printing options but excludes the special case of CUPS,
is discussed in Chapter 21, “CUPS Printing Support”.

Table 20.1. Default Printing Settings

Setting Default Printing Commands

For printing = CUPS, if Samba is compiled against libcups, it uses the

CUPS API to submit jobs. (It is a good idea also to set printcap = cups
in case your cupsd.conf is set to write its autogenerated printcap file to an
unusual place). Otherwise, Samba maps to the System V printing commands
with the -oraw option for printing; that is, it uses lp -c -d%p -oraw; rm
%s. With printing = cups, and if Samba is compiled against libcups, any
manually set print command will be ignored!

20.4.1.6 Custom Print Commands

After a print job has finished spooling to a service, the print command will
be used by Samba via a system() call to process the spool file. Usually the
command specified will submit the spool file to the host’s printing subsys-
tem. But there is no requirement at all that this must be the case. The print
subsystem may not remove the spool file on its own, so whatever command
you specify, you should ensure that the spool file is deleted after it has been
processed.
There is no difficulty with using your own customized print commands with
the traditional printing systems. However, if you do not wish to roll your
own, you should be well informed about the default built-in commands that
Samba uses for each printing subsystem (see Table 20.1). In all the com-
mands listed in the last paragraphs, you see parameters of the form %X.
These are macros, or shortcuts, used as placeholders for the names of real
objects. At the time of running a command with such a placeholder, Samba
will insert the appropriate value automatically. Print commands can handle
all Samba macro substitutions. In regard to printing, the following ones do
have special relevance:
• %s, %f — the path to the spool file name.
• %p — the appropriate printer name.
• %J — the job name as transmitted by the client.
• %c — the number of printed pages of the spooled job (if known).
• %z — the size of the spooled print job (in bytes).
The print command must contain at least one occurrence of %s or %f. The
%p is optional. If no printer name is supplied, the %p will be silently removed
from the print command. In this case, the job is sent to the default printer.
376 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

If specified in the [global] section, the print command given will be used for
any printable service that does not have its own print command specified.
If there is neither a specified print command for a printable service nor a
global print command, spool files will be created but not processed! Most
importantly, print files will not be removed, so they will consume disk space.
Printing may fail on some UNIX systems when using the nobody account.
If this happens, create an alternative guest account and give it the privilege
to print. Set up this guest account in the [global] section with the guest
account parameter.
You can form quite complex print commands. You need to realize that print
commands are just passed to a UNIX shell. The shell is able to expand the
included environment variables as usual. (The syntax to include a UNIX
environment variable $variable in the Samba print command is %$vari-
able.) To give you a working print command example, the following will log
a print job to /tmp/print.log, print the file, then remove it. The semicolon
(“;” is the usual separator for commands in shell scripts:

p r i n t command = echo P r i n t i n g %s >> /tmp/ ←-
p r i n t . l o g ; l p r −P %p %s ; rm %s

You may have to vary your own command considerably from this example
depending on how you normally print files on your system. The default
for the print command parameter varies depending on the setting of the
printing parameter. Another example is:

p r i n t command = / u s r / l o c a l /samba/ b i n / ←-
m y p r i n t s c r i p t %p %s

20.5 Printing Developments Since Samba-2.2

Prior to Samba-2.2.x, print server support for Windows clients was limited
to LanMan printing calls. This is the same protocol level as Windows 9x/Me
PCs offer when they share printers. Beginning with the 2.2.0 release, Samba
started to support the native Windows NT printing mechanisms. These are
implemented via MS-RPC (Remote Procedure Calls). MS-RPCs use the
SPOOLSS named pipe for all printing.
The additional functionality provided by the new SPOOLSS support in-
cludes:
Section 20.5. Printing Developments Since Samba-2.2 377

• Support for downloading printer driver files to Windows 95/98/NT/2000

clients upon demand (Point’n’Print).
• Uploading of printer drivers via the Windows NT Add Printer Wizard
(APW) or the Imprints1 tool set.
• Support for the native MS-RPC printing calls such as StartDocPrinter,
EnumJobs(), and so on. (See the MSDN documentation2 for more
information on the Win32 printing API).
• Support for NT Access Control Lists (ACL) on printer objects.
• Improved support for printer queue manipulation through the use of
internal databases for spooled job information (implemented by vari-
ous *.tdb files).
A benefit of updating is that Samba-3 is able to publish its printers to Active
Directory (or LDAP).
A fundamental difference exists between MS Windows NT print servers and
Samba operation. Windows NT permits the installation of local printers
that are not shared. This is an artifact of the fact that any Windows NT
machine (server or client) may be used by a user as a workstation. Samba
will publish all printers that are made available, either by default or by
specific declaration via printer-specific shares.
Windows NT/200x/XP Professional clients do not have to use the standard
SMB printer share; they can print directly to any printer on another Win-
dows NT host using MS-RPC. This, of course, assumes that the client has
the necessary privileges on the remote host that serves the printer resource.
The default permissions assigned by Windows NT to a printer gives the
print permissions to the well-known Everyone group. (The older clients of
type Windows 9x/Me can only print to shared printers.)

20.5.1 Point’n’Print Client Drivers on Samba Servers

There is much confusion about what all this means. The question is often
asked, “Is it or is it not necessary for printer drivers to be installed on a
Samba host in order to support printing from Windows clients?” The answer
to this is no, it is not necessary.
1
<http://imprints.sourceforge.net/>
2
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/>
378 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Windows NT/2000 clients can, of course, also run their APW to install
drivers locally (which then connect to a Samba-served print queue). This is
the same method used by Windows 9x/Me clients. (However, a bug existed
in Samba 2.2.0 that made Windows NT/2000 clients require that the Samba
server possess a valid driver for the printer. This was fixed in Samba 2.2.1).
But it is a new capability to install the printer drivers into the [print$] share
of the Samba server, and a big convenience, too. Then all clients (including
95/98/ME) get the driver installed when they first connect to this printer
share. The uploading or depositing of the driver into this [print$] share and
the following binding of this driver to an existing Samba printer share can
be achieved by different means:
• Running the APW on an NT/200x/XP Professional client (this does
not work from 95/98/ME clients).
• Using the Imprints toolset.
• Using the smbclient and rpcclient command-line tools.
• Using cupsaddsmb (only works for the CUPS printing system, not for
LPR/LPD, LPRng, and so on).
Samba does not use these uploaded drivers in any way to process spooled
files. These drivers are utilized entirely by the clients who download and
install them via the “Point’n’Print” mechanism supported by Samba. The
clients use these drivers to generate print files in the format the printer
(or the UNIX print system) requires. Print files received by Samba are
handed over to the UNIX printing system, which is responsible for all further
processing, as needed.

20.5.2 The Obsoleted [printer$] Section

Versions of Samba prior to 2.2 made it possible to use a share named

[printer$]. This name was taken from the same named service created
by Windows 9x/Me clients when a printer was shared by them. Windows
9x/Me printer servers always have a [printer$] service that provides read-
only access (with no password required) to support printer driver downloads.
However, Samba’s initial implementation allowed for a parameter named
printer driver location to be used on a per-share basis. This specified
the location of the driver files associated with that printer. Another param-
eter named printer driver provided a means of defining the printer driver
Section 20.5. Printing Developments Since Samba-2.2 379

name to be sent to the client.

These parameters, including the printer driver file parameter, are now
removed and cannot be used in installations of Samba-3. The share name
[print$] is now used for the location of downloadable printer drivers. It is
taken from the [print$] service created by Windows NT PCs when a printer
is shared by them. Windows NT print servers always have a [print$] ser-
vice that provides read-write access (in the context of its ACLs) to support
printer driver downloads and uploads. This does not mean Windows 9x/Me
clients are now thrown aside. They can use Samba’s [print$] share support
just fine.

20.5.3 Creating the [print$] Share

In order to support the uploading and downloading of printer driver files,

you must first configure a file share named [print$]. The public name of
this share is hard coded in the MS Windows clients. It cannot be renamed,
since Windows clients are programmed to search for a service of exactly this
name if they want to retrieve printer driver files.
You should modify the server’s file to add the global parameters and create
the [print$] file share (of course, some of the parameter values, such as path,
are arbitrary and should be replaced with appropriate values for your site).
See Example 20.5.1.
Of course, you also need to ensure that the directory named by the path
parameter exists on the UNIX file system.

20.5.4 [print$] Section Parameters

The [print$] is a special section in smb.conf. It contains settings relevant to

potential printer driver download and is used by Windows clients for local
print driver installation. The following parameters are frequently needed in
this share section:

comment = Printer Driver Download Area The comment appears next

to the share name if it is listed in a share list (usually Windows clients
will not see it, but it will also appear up in a smbclient -L sam-
baserver output).
380 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Example 20.5.1. [print\$] Example

[ global ]
# members o f t h e ntadmin group s h o u l d be a b l e t o ←-
add d r i v e r s and s e t
# p r i n t e r p r o p e r t i e s . r o o t i s i m p l i c i t l y a l w a y s a ←-
’ p r i n t e r admin ’ .
p r i n t e r admin = @ntadmin
[ printers ]
[ print$ ]
comment = P r i n t e r D r i v e r Download Area
path = / e t c /samba/ d r i v e r s
browseable = yes
g u e s t ok = y e s
read only = yes
w r i t e l i s t = @ntadmin , r o o t

path = /etc/samba/printers The path to the location of the Windows

driver file deposit from the UNIX point of view.

browseable = no Makes the [print$] share invisible to clients from the

Network Neighborhood. However, you can still mount it from any
client using the net use g:\\sambaserver\print$ command in a
DOS box or the Connect network drive menu> from Windows Ex-
plorer.

guest ok = yes Gives read-only access to this share for all guest users.
Access may be granted to download and install printer drivers on
clients. The requirement for guest ok = yes depends on how your
site is configured. If users will be guaranteed to have an account on
the Samba host, then this is a non-issue.
Section 20.5. Printing Developments Since Samba-2.2 381

Note

If all your Windows NT users are guaranteed to be

authenticated by the Samba server (for example,
if Samba authenticates via an NT domain server
and the user has already been validated by the do-
main controller in order to log on to the Windows
NT session), then guest access is not necessary. Of
course, in a workgroup environment where you just
want to print without worrying about silly accounts
and security, then configure the share for guest ac-
cess. You should consider adding map to guest =
Bad User in the [global] section as well. Make sure
you understand what this parameter does before
using it.

read only = yes Because we do not want everybody to upload driver files
(or even change driver settings), we tagged this share as not writable.

write list = @ntadmin, root The [print$] was made read-only by the
previous setting so we should create a write list entry also. UNIX
groups are denoted with a leading “@” character. Users listed here are
allowed write-access (as an exception to the general public’s read-only
access), which they need to update files on the share. Normally, you
will want to name only administrative-level user account in this setting.
Check the file system permissions to make sure these accounts can copy
files to the share. If this is a non-root account, then the account should
also be mentioned in the global printer admin parameter. See the smb.
conf man page for more information on configuring file shares.

20.5.5 The [print$] Share Directory

In order for a Windows NT print server to support the downloading of driver

files by multiple client architectures, you must create several subdirectories
within the [print$] service (i.e., the UNIX directory named by the path
parameter). These correspond to each of the supported client architectures.
Samba follows this model as well. Just like the name of the [print$] share
382 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

itself, the subdirectories must be exactly the names listed below (you may
leave out the subdirectories of architectures you do not need to support).

Therefore, create a directory tree below the [print$] share for each architec-
ture you wish to support like this:

Required Permissions

In order to add a new driver to your Samba host, one of

two conditions must hold true:
• The account used to connect to the Samba host
must have a UID of 0 (i.e., a root account).
• The account used to connect to the Samba host
must be named in the printer admin list.
Of course, the connected account must still have write
access to add files to the subdirectories beneath [print$].
Remember that all file shares are set to “read-only” by
default.

Once you have created the required [print$] service and associated sub-
directories, go to a Windows NT 4.0/200x/XP client workstation. Open
Network Neighborhood or My Network Places and browse for the Samba
host. Once you have located the server, navigate to its Printers and Faxes
folder. You should see an initial listing of printers that matches the printer
shares defined on your Samba host.
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 383

20.6 Installing Drivers into [print$]

Have you successfully created the [print$] share in smb.conf, and have you
forced Samba to reread its smb.conf file? Good. But you are not yet ready
to use the new facility. The client driver files need to be installed into this
share. So far, it is still an empty share. Unfortunately, it is not enough
to just copy the driver files over. They need to be correctly installed so
that appropriate records for each driver will exist in the Samba internal
databases so it can provide the correct drivers as they are requested from
MS Windows clients. And that is a bit tricky, to say the least. We now
discuss two alternative ways to install the drivers into [print$] :
• Using the Samba command-line utility rpcclient with its various sub-
commands (here, adddriver and setdriver) from any UNIX work-
station.
• Running a GUI (Printer Properties and Add Printer Wizard) from
any Windows NT/200x/XP client workstation.
The latter option is probably the easier one (even if the process may seem
a little bit weird at first).

20.6.1 Add Printer Wizard Driver Installation

The printers initially listed in the Samba host’s Printers folder accessed
from a client’s Explorer will have no real printer driver assigned to them.
By default this driver name is set to a null string. This must be changed
now. The local Add Printer Wizard (APW), run from NT/2000/XP clients,
will help us in this task.
Installation of a valid printer driver is not straightforward. You must at-
tempt to view the printer properties for the printer to which you want the
driver assigned. Open Windows Explorer, open Network Neighborhood,
browse to the Samba host, open Samba’s Printers folder, right-click on the
printer icon, and select Properties.... You are now trying to view printer
and driver properties for a queue that has this default NULL driver assigned.
This will result in the following error message: “Device settings cannot be
displayed. The driver for the specified printer is not installed, only spooler
properties will be displayed. Do you want to install the driver now?”
Do not click on Yes! Instead, click on No in the error dialog. Now you will
be presented with the printer properties window. From here, the way to
384 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

assign a driver to a printer is open. You now have the choice of:

• Select a driver from the pop-up list of installed drivers. Initially this
list will be empty.

• Click on New Driver to install a new printer driver (which will start
up the APW).

Once the APW is started, the procedure is exactly the same as the one
you are familiar with in Windows (we assume here that you are familiar
with the printer driver installations procedure on Windows NT). Make sure
your connection is, in fact, set up as a user with printer admin privileges
(if in doubt, use smbstatus to check for this). If you wish to install printer
drivers for client operating systems other than Windows NT x86, you will
need to use the Sharing tab of the printer properties dialog.

Assuming you have connected with an administrative (or root) account (as
named by the printer admin parameter), you will also be able to modify
other printer properties such as ACLs and default device settings using this
dialog. For the default device settings, please consider the advice given
further in Section 20.6.2.

20.6.2 Installing Print Drivers Using rpcclient

The second way to install printer drivers into [print$] and set them up in
a valid way is to do it from the UNIX command line. This involves four
distinct steps:

1. Gather information about required driver files and collect the files.

2. Deposit the driver files into the [print$] share’s correct subdirectories
(possibly by using smbclient).

3. Run the rpcclient command-line utility once with the adddriver

subcommand.

4. Run rpcclient a second time with the setdriver subcommand.

We provide detailed hints for each of these steps in the paragraphs that
follow.
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 385

20.6.2.1 Identifying Driver Files

To find out about the driver files, you have two options. You can check the
contents of the driver CDROM that came with your printer. Study the *.
inf files located on the CD-ROM. This may not be possible, since the *.inf
file might be missing. Unfortunately, vendors have now started to use their
own installation programs. These installations packages are often in some
Windows platform archive format. Additionally, the files may be re-named
during the installation process. This makes it extremely difficult to identify
the driver files required.
Then you have the second option. Install the driver locally on a Windows
client and investigate which filenames and paths it uses after they are in-
stalled. (You need to repeat this procedure for every client platform you
want to support. We show it here for the W32X86 platform only, a name
used by Microsoft for all Windows NT/200x/XP clients.)
A good method to recognize the driver files is to print the test page from
the driver’s Properties dialog (General tab). Then look at the list of driver
files named on the printout. You’ll need to recognize what Windows (and
Samba) are calling the Driver File, Data File, Config File, Help File, and
(optionally) Dependent Driver Files (this may vary slightly for Windows
NT). You need to note all filenames for the next steps.
Another method to quickly test the driver filenames and related paths is
provided by the rpcclient utility. Run it with enumdrivers or with the
getdriver subcommand, each at the 3 info level. In the following example,
TURBO XP is the name of the Windows PC (in this case it was a Windows
XP Professional laptop). I installed the driver locally to TURBO XP from
a Samba server called KDE-BITSHOP. We could run an interactive rpcclient
session; then we would get an rpcclient /> prompt and would type the sub-
commands at this prompt. This is left as a good exercise for you. For now,
we use rpcclient with the -c parameter to execute a single subcommand
line and exit again. This is the method you use if you want to create scripts
to automate the procedure for a large number of printers and drivers. Note
the different quotation marks used to overcome the different spaces between
words:

root# rpcclient -U’Danka%xxxx’ -c \

’getdriver "Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS)" 3’ TURBO_XP
cmd = getdriver "Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS)" 3
386 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

[Windows NT x86]
Printer Driver Info 3:
Version: [2]
Driver Name: [Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS)]
Architecture: [Windows NT x86]
Driver Path: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\HDNIS01_de.DLL]
Datafile: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.ppd]
Configfile: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\HDNIS01U_de.DLL]
Helpfile: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\HDNIS01U_de.HLP]

Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.DLL]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.INI]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.dat]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.cat]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.def]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.hre]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.vnd]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.hlp]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\HDNIS01Aux.dll]
Dependentfiles: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\HDNIS01_de.NTF]

Monitorname: []
Defaultdatatype: []

You may notice that this driver has quite a large number of Dependent files
(there are worse cases, however). Also, strangely, the Driver File is tagged
here Driver Path. We do not yet have support for the so-called WIN40 archi-
tecture installed. This name is used by Microsoft for the Windows 9x/Me
platforms. If we want to support these, we need to install the Windows
9x/Me driver files in addition to those for W32X86 (i.e., the Windows NT
2000/XP clients) onto a Windows PC. This PC can also host the Windows
9x/Me drivers, even if it runs on Windows NT, 2000, or XP.

Since the [print$] share is usually accessible through the Network Neighbor-
hood, you can also use the UNC notation from Windows Explorer to poke
at it. The Windows 9x/Me driver files will end up in subdirectory 0 of the
WIN40 directory. The full path to access them is \\WINDOWSHOST\print$\WIN40\0\.
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 387

Note

More recent drivers on Windows 2000 and Windows XP

are installed into the “3” subdirectory instead of the “2”.
The version 2 of drivers, as used in Windows NT, were
running in kernel mode. Windows 2000 changed this.
While it still can use the kernel mode drivers (if this is
enabled by the Admin), its native mode for printer drivers
is user mode execution. This requires drivers designed for
this purpose. These types of drivers install into the “3”
subdirectory.

20.6.2.2 Obtaining Driver Files from Windows Client [print$] Shares

Now we need to collect all the driver files we identified in our previous step.
Where do we get them from? Well, why not retrieve them from the very PC
and the same [print$] share that we investigated in our last step to identify
the files? We can use smbclient to do this. We will use the paths and
names that were leaked to us by getdriver. The listing is edited to include
line breaks for readability:

root# smbclient //TURBO_XP/print\$ -U’Danka%xxxx’ \

-c ’cd W32X86/2;mget HD*_de.* hd*ppd Hd*_de.* Hddm*dll HDN*Aux.DLL’

added interface ip=10.160.51.60 bcast=10.160.51.255 nmask=255.255.252.0

Got a positive name query response from 10.160.50.8 ( 10.160.50.8 )
Domain=[DEVELOPMENT] OS=[Windows 5.1] Server=[Windows 2000 LAN Manager]
Get file Hddm91c1_de.ABD? n
Get file Hddm91c1_de.def? y
getting file \W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.def of size 428 as Hddm91c1_de.def
Get file Hddm91c1_de.DLL? y
getting file \W32X86\2\Hddm91c1_de.DLL of size 876544 as Hddm91c1_de.DLL
[...]

After this command is complete, the files are in our current local directory.
You probably have noticed that this time we passed several commands to
388 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

the -c parameter, separated by semicolons. This ensures that all commands

are executed in sequence on the remote Windows server before smbclient
exits again.
Remember to repeat the procedure for the WIN40 architecture should you
need to support Windows 9x/Me/XP clients. Remember too, the files for
these architectures are in the WIN40/0/ subdirectory. Once this is complete,
we can run smbclient. . .put to store the collected files on the Samba
server’s [print$] share.

20.6.2.3 Installing Driver Files into [print$]

We are now going to locate the driver files into the [print$] share. Remem-
ber, the UNIX path to this share has been defined previously in your smb.
conf file. You also have created subdirectories for the different Windows
client types you want to support. If, for example, your [print$] share maps
to the UNIX path /etc/samba/drivers/, your driver files should now go
here:
• For all Windows NT, 2000, and XP clients, /etc/samba/drivers/
W32X86/ but not (yet) into the 2 subdirectory.
• For all Windows 95, 98, and Me clients, /etc/samba/drivers/WIN40/
but not (yet) into the 0 subdirectory.
We again use smbclient to transfer the driver files across the network. We
specify the same files and paths as were leaked to us by running getdriver
against the original Windows install. However, now we are going to store
the files into a Samba/UNIX print server’s [print$] share.

root# smbclient //SAMBA-CUPS/print\$ -U’root%xxxx’ -c \

’cd W32X86; put HDNIS01_de.DLL; \
put Hddm91c1_de.ppd; put HDNIS01U_de.DLL; \
put HDNIS01U_de.HLP; put Hddm91c1_de.DLL; \
put Hddm91c1_de.INI; put Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL; \
put Hddm91c1_de.dat; put Hddm91c1_de.dat; \
put Hddm91c1_de.def; put Hddm91c1_de.hre; \
put Hddm91c1_de.vnd; put Hddm91c1_de.hlp; \
put Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP; put HDNIS01Aux.dll; \
put HDNIS01_de.NTF’
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 389

added interface ip=10.160.51.60 bcast=10.160.51.255 nmask=255.255.252.0

Got a positive name query response from 10.160.51.162 ( 10.160.51.162 )
Domain=[CUPS-PRINT] OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba 2.2.7a]
putting file HDNIS01_de.DLL as \W32X86\HDNIS01_de.DLL
putting file Hddm91c1_de.ppd as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.ppd
putting file HDNIS01U_de.DLL as \W32X86\HDNIS01U_de.DLL
putting file HDNIS01U_de.HLP as \W32X86\HDNIS01U_de.HLP
putting file Hddm91c1_de.DLL as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.DLL
putting file Hddm91c1_de.INI as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.INI
putting file Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL as \W32X86\Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL
putting file Hddm91c1_de.dat as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.dat
putting file Hddm91c1_de.dat as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.dat
putting file Hddm91c1_de.def as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.def
putting file Hddm91c1_de.hre as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.hre
putting file Hddm91c1_de.vnd as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.vnd
putting file Hddm91c1_de.hlp as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de.hlp
putting file Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP as \W32X86\Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP
putting file HDNIS01Aux.dll as \W32X86\HDNIS01Aux.dll
putting file HDNIS01_de.NTF as \W32X86\HDNIS01_de.NTF

Whew — that was a lot of typing! Most drivers are a lot smaller — many
have only three generic PostScript driver files plus one PPD. While we did
retrieve the files from the 2 subdirectory of the W32X86 directory from the
Windows box, we do not put them (for now) in this same subdirectory of the
Samba box. This relocation will automatically be done by the adddriver
command, which we will run shortly (and do not forget to also put the files
for the Windows 9x/Me architecture into the WIN40/ subdirectory should
you need them).

20.6.2.4 smbclient to Confirm Driver Installation

For now we verify that our files are there. This can be done with smbclient,
too (but, of course, you can log in via SSH also and do this through a
standard UNIX shell access):

root# smbclient //SAMBA-CUPS/print\$ -U ’root%xxxx’ \

-c ’cd W32X86; pwd; dir; cd 2; pwd; dir’
added interface ip=10.160.51.60 bcast=10.160.51.255 nmask=255.255.252.0
390 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Got a positive name query response from 10.160.51.162 ( 10.160.51.162 )

Domain=[CUPS-PRINT] OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba 2.2.8a]

Current directory is \\SAMBA-CUPS\print$\W32X86\

. D 0 Sun May 4 03:56:35 2003
.. D 0 Thu Apr 10 23:47:40 2003
2 D 0 Sun May 4 03:56:18 2003
HDNIS01Aux.dll A 15356 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL A 46966 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
HDNIS01_de.DLL A 434400 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
HDNIS01_de.NTF A 790404 Sun May 4 03:56:35 2003
Hddm91c1_de.DLL A 876544 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.INI A 101 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.dat A 5044 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.def A 428 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.hlp A 37699 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.hre A 323584 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.ppd A 26373 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de.vnd A 45056 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
HDNIS01U_de.DLL A 165888 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
HDNIS01U_de.HLP A 19770 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP A 228417 Sun May 4 03:58:59 2003
40976 blocks of size 262144. 709 blocks available

Current directory is \\SAMBA-CUPS\print$\W32X86\2\

. D 0 Sun May 4 03:56:18 2003
.. D 0 Sun May 4 03:56:35 2003
ADOBEPS5.DLL A 434400 Sat May 3 23:18:45 2003
laserjet4.ppd A 9639 Thu Apr 24 01:05:32 2003
ADOBEPSU.DLL A 109568 Sat May 3 23:18:45 2003
ADOBEPSU.HLP A 18082 Sat May 3 23:18:45 2003
PDFcreator2.PPD A 15746 Sun Apr 20 22:24:07 2003
40976 blocks of size 262144. 709 blocks available

Notice that there are already driver files present in the 2 subdirectory (prob-
ably from a previous installation). Once the files for the new driver are there
too, you are still a few steps away from being able to use them on the clients.
The only thing you could do now is retrieve them from a client just like you
retrieve ordinary files from a file share, by opening print$ in Windows Ex-
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 391

plorer. But that wouldn’t install them per Point’n’Print. The reason is that
Samba does not yet know that these files are something special, namely
printer driver files, and it does not know to which print queue(s) these
driver files belong.

20.6.2.5 Running rpcclient with adddriver

Next, you must tell Samba about the special category of the files you just up-
loaded into the [print$] share. This is done by the adddriver command. It
will prompt Samba to register the driver files into its internal TDB database
files. The following command and its output has been edited for readability:

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’adddriver "Windows NT x86" \

"dm9110:HDNIS01_de.DLL: \
Hddm91c1_de.ppd:HDNIS01U_de.DLL:HDNIS01U_de.HLP: \
NULL:RAW:Hddm91c1_de.DLL,Hddm91c1_de.INI, \
Hddm91c1_de.dat,Hddm91c1_de.def,Hddm91c1_de.hre, \
Hddm91c1_de.vnd,Hddm91c1_de.hlp,Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL, \
HDNIS01Aux.dll,HDNIS01_de.NTF, \
Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP’ SAMBA-CUPS

cmd = adddriver "Windows NT x86" \

"dm9110:HDNIS01_de.DLL:Hddm91c1_de.ppd:HDNIS01U_de.DLL: \
HDNIS01U_de.HLP:NULL:RAW:Hddm91c1_de.DLL,Hddm91c1_de.INI, \
Hddm91c1_de.dat,Hddm91c1_de.def,Hddm91c1_de.hre, \
Hddm91c1_de.vnd,Hddm91c1_de.hlp,Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL, \
HDNIS01Aux.dll,HDNIS01_de.NTF,Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP"

Printer Driver dm9110 successfully installed.

After this step, the driver should be recognized by Samba on the print server.
You need to be very careful when typing the command. Don’t exchange the
order of the fields. Some changes would lead to an NT STATUS UNSUCCESSFUL
error message. These become obvious. Other changes might install the
driver files successfully but render the driver unworkable. So take care!
Hints about the syntax of the adddriver command are in the man page.
provides a more detailed description, should you need it.
392 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

20.6.2.6 Checking adddriver Completion

One indication for Samba’s recognition of the files as driver files is the suc-
cessfully installed message. Another one is the fact that our files have
been moved by the adddriver command into the 2 subdirectory. You can
check this again with smbclient:

root# smbclient //SAMBA-CUPS/print\$ -Uroot%xx \

-c ’cd W32X86;dir;pwd;cd 2;dir;pwd’
added interface ip=10.160.51.162 bcast=10.160.51.255 nmask=255.255.252.0
Domain=[CUPS-PRINT] OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba 2.2.7a]

Current directory is \\SAMBA-CUPS\print$\W32X86\

. D 0 Sun May 4 04:32:48 2003
.. D 0 Thu Apr 10 23:47:40 2003
2 D 0 Sun May 4 04:32:48 2003
40976 blocks of size 262144. 731 blocks available

Current directory is \\SAMBA-CUPS\print$\W32X86\2\

. D 0 Sun May 4 04:32:48 2003
.. D 0 Sun May 4 04:32:48 2003
DigiMaster.PPD A 148336 Thu Apr 24 01:07:00 2003
ADOBEPS5.DLL A 434400 Sat May 3 23:18:45 2003
laserjet4.ppd A 9639 Thu Apr 24 01:05:32 2003
ADOBEPSU.DLL A 109568 Sat May 3 23:18:45 2003
ADOBEPSU.HLP A 18082 Sat May 3 23:18:45 2003
PDFcreator2.PPD A 15746 Sun Apr 20 22:24:07 2003
HDNIS01Aux.dll A 15356 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL A 46966 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
HDNIS01_de.DLL A 434400 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
HDNIS01_de.NTF A 790404 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.DLL A 876544 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.INI A 101 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.dat A 5044 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.def A 428 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.hlp A 37699 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.hre A 323584 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.ppd A 26373 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de.vnd A 45056 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 393

HDNIS01U_de.DLL A 165888 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003

HDNIS01U_de.HLP A 19770 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP A 228417 Sun May 4 04:32:18 2003
40976 blocks of size 262144. 731 blocks available

Another verification is that the timestamp of the printing TDB files is now
updated (and possibly their file size has increased).

20.6.2.7 Check Samba for Driver Recognition

Now the driver should be registered with Samba. We can easily verify this
and will do so in a moment. However, this driver is not yet associated with
a particular printer. We may check the driver status of the files by at least
three methods:
• From any Windows client browse Network Neighborhood, find the
Samba host, and open the Samba Printers and Faxes folder. Select
any printer icon, right-click and select the printer Properties. Click
the Advanced tab. Here is a field indicating the driver for that printer.
A drop-down menu allows you to change that driver (be careful not to
do this unwittingly). You can use this list to view all drivers known
to Samba. Your new one should be among them. (Each type of client
will see only its own architecture’s list. If you do not have every driver
installed for each platform, the list will differ if you look at it from
Windows95/98/ME or Windows NT/2000/XP.)
• From a Windows 200x/XP client (not Windows NT) browse Network
Neighborhood, search for the Samba server, open the server’s Print-
ers folder, and right-click on the white background (with no printer
highlighted). Select Server Properties. On the Drivers tab you will
see the new driver listed. This view enables you to also inspect the list
of files belonging to that driver (this does not work on Windows NT,
but only on Windows 2000 and Windows XP; Windows NT does not
provide the Drivers tab). An alternative and much quicker method for
Windows 2000/XP to start this dialog is by typing into a DOS box
(you must of course adapt the name to your Samba server instead of
SAMBA-CUPS):

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /s /t2 /n\\SAMBA-CUPS

394 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

• From a UNIX prompt, run this command (or a variant thereof), where
SAMBA-CUPS is the name of the Samba host and xxxx represents the
actual Samba password assigned to root:

rpcclient -U’root%xxxx’ -c ’enumdrivers’ SAMBA-CUPS

You will see a listing of all drivers Samba knows about. Your new one
should be among them. But it is only listed under the [Windows NT
x86] heading, not under [Windows 4.0], since you didn’t install that
part. Or did you? In our example it is named dm9110. Note that the
third column shows the other installed drivers twice, one time for each
supported architecture. Our new driver only shows up for Windows
NT 4.0 or 2000. To have it present for Windows 95, 98, and Me, you’ll
have to repeat the whole procedure with the WIN40 architecture and
subdirectory.

20.6.2.8 Specific Driver Name Flexibility

You can name the driver as you like. If you repeat the adddriver step with
the same files as before but with a different driver name, it will work the
same:

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx \

-c ’adddriver "Windows NT x86" \
"mydrivername:HDNIS01_de.DLL: \
Hddm91c1_de.ppd:HDNIS01U_de.DLL:HDNIS01U_de.HLP: \
NULL:RAW:Hddm91c1_de.DLL,Hddm91c1_de.INI, \
Hddm91c1_de.dat,Hddm91c1_de.def,Hddm91c1_de.hre, \
Hddm91c1_de.vnd,Hddm91c1_de.hlp,Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL, \
HDNIS01Aux.dll,HDNIS01_de.NTF,Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP’ SAMBA-CUPS

cmd = adddriver "Windows NT x86" \

"mydrivername:HDNIS01_de.DLL:Hddm91c1_de.ppd:HDNIS01U_de.DLL:\
HDNIS01U_de.HLP:NULL:RAW:Hddm91c1_de.DLL,Hddm91c1_de.INI, \
Hddm91c1_de.dat,Hddm91c1_de.def,Hddm91c1_de.hre, \
Section 20.6. Installing Drivers into [print$] 395

Hddm91c1_de.vnd,Hddm91c1_de.hlp,Hddm91c1KMMin.DLL, \
HDNIS01Aux.dll,HDNIS01_de.NTF,Hddm91c1_de_reg.HLP"

Printer Driver mydrivername successfully installed.

You will be able to bind that driver to any print queue (however, you are
responsible that you associate drivers to queues that make sense with respect
to target printers). You cannot run the rpcclient adddriver command
repeatedly. Each run consumes the files you had put into the [print$] share
by moving them into the respective subdirectories, so you must execute
an smbclient ... put command before each rpcclient ... adddriver
command.

20.6.2.9 Running rpcclient with setdriver

Samba needs to know which printer owns which driver. Create a mapping
of the driver to a printer, and store this information in Samba’s memory,
the TDB files. The rpcclient setdriver command achieves exactly this:

root# rpcclient -U’root%xxxx’ -c ’setdriver dm9110 mydrivername’ SAMBA-CUPS

cmd = setdriver dm9110 mydrivername

Successfully set dm9110 to driver mydrivername.

Ah, no, I did not want to do that. Repeat, this time with the name I
intended:

root# rpcclient -U’root%xxxx’ -c ’setdriver dm9110 dm9110’ SAMBA-CUPS

cmd = setdriver dm9110 dm9110
Successfully set dm9110 to driver dm9110.

The syntax of the command is:

rpcclient -U’root%sambapassword’ -c ’setdriver printername \

drivername’ SAMBA-Hostname.
396 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Now we have done most of the work, but not all of it.

Note

The setdriver command will only succeed if the printer

is already known to Samba. A bug in 2.2.x prevented
Samba from recognizing freshly installed printers. You
had to restart Samba, or at least send an HUP signal to
all running smbd processes to work around this: kill -
HUP ‘pidof smbd‘.

20.7 Client Driver Installation Procedure

As Don Quixote said, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” The proof
for our setup lies in the printing. So let’s install the printer driver onto the
client PCs. This is not as straightforward as it may seem. Read on.

20.7.1 First Client Driver Installation

Especially important is the installation onto the first client PC (for each
architectural platform separately). Once this is done correctly, all further
clients are easy to set up and shouldn’t need further attention. What follows
is a description for the recommended first procedure. You now work from a
client workstation. You should check that your connection is not unwittingly
mapped to bad user nobody. In a DOS box type:
net use \\SAMBA-SERVER\print$ /user:root
Replace root, if needed, by another valid printer admin user as given in the
definition. Should you already be connected as a different user, you will
get an error message. There is no easy way to get rid of that connection,
because Windows does not seem to know a concept of logging off from a share
connection (do not confuse this with logging off from the local workstation;
that is a different matter). On Windows NT/200x, you can force a logoff
from all smb/cifs connections by restarting the workstation service. You can
try to close all Windows file explorers and Internet Explorer for Windows.
Section 20.7. Client Driver Installation Procedure 397

As a last resort, you may have to reboot. Make sure there is no automatic
reconnection set up. It may be easier to go to a different workstation and
try from there. After you have made sure you are connected as a printer
admin user (you can check this with the smbstatus command on Samba),
do this from the Windows workstation:

1. Open Network Neighborhood.

2. Browse to Samba server.

3. Open its Printers and Faxes folder.

4. Highlight and right-click on the printer.

5. Select Connect (for Windows NT4/200x it is possibly Install).

A new printer (named printername on Samba server) should now have

appeared in your local Printer folder (check Start -> Settings -> Control
Panel -> Printers and Faxes).

Most likely you are tempted to try to print a test page. After all, you now
can open the printer properties, and on the General tab there is a button
offering to do just that. But chances are that you get an error message
saying ”Unable to print Test Page.” The reason might be that there is
not yet a valid device mode set for the driver or that the “printer driver
data” set is still incomplete.

You must make sure that a valid device mode is set for the driver. We now
explain what that means.

20.7.2 Setting Device Modes on New Printers

For a printer to be truly usable by a Windows NT/200x/XP client, it must

possess:

• A valid device mode generated by the driver for the printer (defining
things like paper size, orientation and duplex settings).

• A complete set of printer driver data generated by the driver.

If either of these is incomplete, the clients can produce less than optimal out-
put at best. In the worst cases, unreadable garbage or nothing at all comes
from the printer, or it produces a harvest of error messages when attempting
398 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

to print. Samba stores the named values and all printing-related informa-
tion in its internal TDB database files (ntprinters.tdb, ntdrivers.tdb,
printing.tdb, and ntforms.tdb).
The device mode and the set of printer driver data are basically collections of
settings for all print queue properties, initialized in a sensible way. Device
modes and printer driver data should initially be set on the print server
(the Samba host) to healthy values so the clients can start to use them
immediately. How do we set these initial healthy values? This can be
achieved by accessing the drivers remotely from an NT (or 200x/XP) client,
as discussed in the following paragraphs.
Be aware that a valid device mode can only be initiated by a printer admin
or root (the reason should be obvious). Device modes can be correctly set
only by executing the printer driver program itself. Since Samba cannot
execute this Win32 platform driver code, it sets this field initially to NULL
(which is not a valid setting for clients to use). Fortunately, most drivers
automatically generate the printer driver data that is needed when they are
uploaded to the [print$] share with the help of the APW or rpcclient.
The generation and setting of a first valid device mode, however, requires
some tickling from a client to set it on the Samba server. The easiest means
of doing so is to simply change the page orientation on the server’s printer.
This executes enough of the printer driver program on the client for the
desired effect to happen and feeds back the new device mode to our Samba
server. You can use the native Windows NT/200x/XP printer properties
page from a Window client for this: Procedure to Initialize the Printer
Driver Settings
1. Browse the Network Neighborhood.
2. Find the Samba server.
3. Open the Samba server’s Printers and Faxes folder.
4. Highlight the shared printer in question.
5. Right-click on the printer (you may already be here if you followed the
last section’s description).
6. At the bottom of the context menu select Properties (if the menu still
offers the Connect entry further above, you need to click on that one
first to achieve the driver installation, as shown in the last section).
7. Go to the Advanced tab; click on Printing Defaults.
Section 20.7. Client Driver Installation Procedure 399

8. Change the Portrait page setting to Landscape (and back).

9. Make sure to apply changes between swapping the page orientation to

cause the change to actually take effect.

10. While you are at it, you may also want to set the desired printing
defaults here, which then apply to all future client driver installations.

This procedure executes the printer driver program on the client platform
and feeds back the correct device mode to Samba, which now stores it in
its TDB files. Once the driver is installed on the client, you can follow
the analogous steps by accessing the local Printers folder, too, if you are a
Samba printer admin user. From now on, printing should work as expected.

Samba includes a service-level parameter name default devmode for gen-

erating a default device mode for a printer. Some drivers function well with
Samba’s default set of properties. Others may crash the client’s spooler
service. So use this parameter with caution. It is always better to have the
client generate a valid device mode for the printer and store it on the server
for you.

20.7.3 Additional Client Driver Installation

Every additional driver may be installed in the same way as just described.
Browse Network Neighborhood, open the Printers folder on Samba server,
right-click on Printer, and choose Connect.... Once this completes (should
be not more than a few seconds, but could also take a minute, depend-
ing on network conditions), you should find the new printer in your client
workstation local Printers and Faxes folder.

You can also open your local Printers and Faxes folder by using this com-
mand on Windows 200x/XP Professional workstations:

rundll32 shell32.dll,SHHelpShortcuts_RunDLL PrintersFolder

or this command on Windows NT 4.0 workstations:

rundll32 shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL MAIN.CPL @2

400 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

You can enter the commands either inside a DOS box window or in the Run
command... field from the Start menu.

20.7.4 Always Make First Client Connection as root or “printer

admin”

After you installed the driver on the Samba server (in its [print$] share),
you should always make sure that your first client installation completes
correctly. Make it a habit for yourself to build the very first connection
from a client as printer admin. This is to make sure that:

• A first valid device mode is really initialized (see above Section 20.7.2)
for more explanation details).

• The default print settings of your printer for all further client instal-
lations are as you want them.

Do this by changing the orientation to landscape, click on Apply, and then

change it back again. Next, modify the other settings (for example, you do
not want the default media size set to Letter when you are all using A4,
right? You may want to set the printer for duplex as the default, and so
on).

To connect as root to a Samba printer, try this command from a Windows

200x/XP DOS box command prompt:

C:\> runas /netonly /user:root "rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /t3 /n

\\SAMBA-SERVER\printername"

You will be prompted for root’s Samba password; type it, wait a few sec-
onds, click on Printing Defaults, and proceed to set the job options that
should be used as defaults by all clients. Alternatively, instead of root you
can name one other member of the printer admin from the setting.

Now all the other users downloading and installing the driver the same way
(using Point’n’Print) will have the same defaults set for them. If you miss
this step, you’ll get a lot of help desk calls from your users, but maybe you
like to talk to people.
Section 20.8. Other Gotchas 401

20.8 Other Gotchas

Your driver is installed. It is now ready for Point’n’Print installation by

the clients. You may have tried to download and use it on your first client
machine, but wait. Let’s make sure you are acquainted first with a few tips
and tricks you may find useful. For example, suppose you did not set the
defaults on the printer, as advised in the preceding paragraphs. Your users
complain about various issues (such as, “We need to set the paper size for
each job from Letter to A4 and it will not store it”).

20.8.1 Setting Default Print Options for Client Drivers

The last sentence might be viewed with mixed feelings by some users and
Admins. They have struggled for hours and could not arrive at a point
where their settings seemed to be saved. It is not their fault. The confusing
thing is that in the multitabbed dialog that pops up when you right-click on
the printer name and select Properties, you can arrive at two dialogs that
appear identical, each claiming that they help you to set printer options
in three different ways. Here is the definitive answer to the Samba default
driver setting FAQ:

“I can not set and save default print options for all users on Win-
dows 200x/XP. Why not?”. How are you doing it? I bet the wrong way.
(It is not easy to find out, though.) There are three different ways to bring
you to a dialog that seems to set everything. All three dialogs look the same,
but only one of them does what you intend. You need to be Administrator
or Print Administrator to do this for all users. Here is how I reproduce it
in an XP Professional:

A The first “wrong” way:

1 Open the Printers folder.

2 Right-click on the printer (remoteprinter on cupshost) and select in

context menu Printing Preferences....

3 Look at this dialog closely and remember what it looks like.

B The second “wrong” way: .

1 Open the Printers folder.

402 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

2 Right-click on the printer (remoteprinter on cupshost) and select in the

context menu Properties
3 Click on the General tab.
4 Click on the Printing Preferences... button.
5 A new dialog opens. Keep this dialog open and go back to the parent
dialog.
C The third and correct way (should you do this from the beginning, just
carry out steps 1 and 2 from the second method above):
1 Click on the Advanced tab. (If everything is “grayed out,” then you
are not logged in as a user with enough privileges.)
2 Click on the Printing Defaults button.
3 On any of the two new tabs, click on the Advanced button.
4 A new dialog opens. Compare this one to the other. Are they identical
when you compare one from “B.5” and one from A.3?
Do you see any difference in the two settings dialogs? I do not either. How-
ever, only the last one, which you arrived at with steps C.1 through C.6
will permanently save any settings which will then become the defaults for
new users. If you want all clients to have the same defaults, you need to
conduct these steps as administrator (printer admin) before a client down-
loads the driver (the clients can later set their own per-user defaults by
following procedures A or B above). Windows 200x/XP allow per-user de-
fault settings and the ones the administrator gives them before they set up
their own. The parents of the identical-looking dialogs have a slight dif-
ference in their window names; one is called Default Print Values for
Printer Foo on Server Bar (which is the one you need) and the other is
called “Print Settings for Printer Foo on Server Bar”. The last one
is the one you arrive at when you right-click on the printer and select Print
Settings.... This is the one that you were taught to use back in the days
of Windows NT, so it is only natural to try the same way with Windows
200x/XP. You would not dream that there is now a different path to arrive
at an identical-looking, but functionally different, dialog to set defaults for
all users.
Section 20.8. Other Gotchas 403

Tip

Try (on Windows 200x/XP) to run this command (as a

user with the right privileges):
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /t3 /
n\\SAMBA-SERVER\printersharename
To see the tab with the Printing Defaults button (the
one you need), also run this command:
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /t0 /
n\\SAMBA-SERVER\printersharename
To see the tab with the Printing Preferences button
(the one that does not set systemwide defaults), you can
start the commands from inside a DOS box or from Start
-> Run.

20.8.2 Supporting Large Numbers of Printers

One issue that has arisen during the recent development phase of Samba
is the need to support driver downloads for hundreds of printers. Using
Windows NT APW for this task is somewhat awkward (to say the least). If
you do not want to acquire RSS pains from the printer installation clicking
orgy alone, you need to think about a non-interactive script.
If more than one printer is using the same driver, the rpcclient setdriver
command can be used to set the driver associated with an installed queue.
If the driver is uploaded to [print$] once and registered with the printing
TDBs, it can be used by multiple print queues. In this case, you just need to
repeat the setprinter subcommand of rpcclient for every queue (without
the need to conduct the adddriver repeatedly). The following is an example
of how this can be accomplished:

root# rpcclient SAMBA-CUPS -U root%secret -c ’enumdrivers’

cmd = enumdrivers

[Windows NT x86]
Printer Driver Info 1:
404 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Driver Name: [infotec IS 2075 PCL 6]

Printer Driver Info 1:

Driver Name: [DANKA InfoStream]

Printer Driver Info 1:

Driver Name: [Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS)]

Printer Driver Info 1:

Driver Name: [dm9110]

Printer Driver Info 1:

Driver Name: [mydrivername]

[....]

root# rpcclient SAMBA-CUPS -U root%secret -c ’enumprinters’

cmd = enumprinters
flags:[0x800000]
name:[\\SAMBA-CUPS\dm9110]
description:[\\SAMBA-CUPS\dm9110,,110ppm HiVolume DANKA Stuttgart]
comment:[110 ppm HiVolume DANKA Stuttgart]
[....]

root# rpcclient SAMBA-CUPS -U root%secret -c \

’setdriver dm9110 "Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS)"’
cmd = setdriver dm9110 Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PPD)
Successfully set dm9110 to driver Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS).

root# rpcclient SAMBA-CUPS -U root%secret -c ’enumprinters’

cmd = enumprinters
flags:[0x800000]
name:[\\SAMBA-CUPS\dm9110]
description:[\\SAMBA-CUPS\dm9110,Heidelberg Digimaster 9110 (PS),\
110ppm HiVolume DANKA Stuttgart]
Section 20.8. Other Gotchas 405

comment:[110ppm HiVolume DANKA Stuttgart]

[....]

root# rpcclient SAMBA-CUPS -U root%secret -c ’setdriver dm9110 mydrivername’

cmd = setdriver dm9110 mydrivername
Successfully set dm9110 to mydrivername.

root# rpcclient SAMBA-CUPS -U root%secret -c ’enumprinters’

cmd = enumprinters
flags:[0x800000]
name:[\\SAMBA-CUPS\dm9110]
description:[\\SAMBA-CUPS\dm9110,mydrivername,\
110ppm HiVolume DANKA Stuttgart]
comment:[110ppm HiVolume DANKA Stuttgart]
[....]

It may not be easy to recognize that the first call to enumprinters showed
the “dm9110” printer with an empty string where the driver should have
been listed (between the two commas in the description field). After the
setdriver command succeeds, all is well.

20.8.3 Adding New Printers with the Windows NT APW

By default, Samba exhibits all printer shares defined in smb.conf in the

Printers folder. Also located in this folder is the Windows NT Add Printer
Wizard icon. The APW will be shown only if:

• The connected user is able to successfully execute an OpenPrint-

erEx(\\server) with administrative privileges (i.e., root or printer
admin).
406 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

Tip

Try this from a Windows 200x/XP DOS box com-

mand prompt:
runas /netonly /user:root rundll32
printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /t0 /n
\\SAMBA-SERVER\printersharename
Click on Printing Preferences.

• ... contains the setting show add printer wizard = yes (the default).
The APW can do various things:
• Upload a new driver to the Samba [print$] share.
• Associate an uploaded driver with an existing (but still driverless)
print queue.
• Exchange the currently used driver for an existing print queue with
one that has been uploaded before.
• Add an entirely new printer to the Samba host (only in conjunction
with a working add printer command. A corresponding delete printer
command for removing entries from the Printers folder may also be
provided).
The last one (add a new printer) requires more effort than the previous
ones. To use the APW to successfully add a printer to a Samba server,
the add printer command must have a defined value. The program hook
must successfully add the printer to the UNIX print system (i.e., to /etc/
printcap, /etc/cups/printers.conf or other appropriate files) and to
smb.conf if necessary.
When using the APW from a client, if the named printer share does not
exist, smbd will execute the add printer command and reparse to attempt
to locate the new printer share. If the share is still not defined, an error
of ”Access Denied” is returned to the client. The add printer command is
executed under the context of the connected user, not necessarily a root
account. A map to guest = bad user may have connected you unwittingly
under the wrong privilege. You should check it by using the smbstatus
command.
Section 20.8. Other Gotchas 407

20.8.4 Error Message: “Cannot connect under a different Name”

Once you are connected with the wrong credentials, there is no means to
reverse the situation other than to close all Explorer windows, and perhaps
reboot.

• The net use \\SAMBA-SERVER\sharename /user:root gives

you an error message: “Multiple connections to a server or a shared
resource by the same user utilizing several user names are not allowed.
Disconnect all previous connections to the server, esp. the shared
resource, and try again.”

• Every attempt to “connect a network drive” to \\SAMBASERVER\\print$

to z: is countered by the pertinacious message: “This network folder
is currently connected under different credentials (username and pass-
word). Disconnect first any existing connection to this network share
in order to connect again under a different username and password”.

So you close all connections. You try again. You get the same message. You
check from the Samba side, using smbstatus. Yes, there are more connec-
tions. You kill them all. The client still gives you the same error message.
You watch the smbd.log file on a high debug level and try reconnect. Same
error message, but not a single line in the log. You start to wonder if there
was a connection attempt at all. You run ethereal and tcpdump while you
try to connect. Result: not a single byte goes on the wire. Windows still
gives the error message. You close all Explorer windows and start it again.
You try to connect — and this times it works! Windows seems to cache
connection information somewhere and does not keep it up to date (if you
are unlucky, you might need to reboot to get rid of the error message).

The easiest way to forcefully terminate all connections from your client to a
server is by executing:

C:\> net use * /delete

This will also disconnect all mapped drives and will allow you create fresh
connection as required.
408 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

20.8.5 Take Care When Assembling Driver Files

You need to be extremely careful when you take notes about the files be-
longing to a particular driver. Don’t confuse the files for driver version “0”
(for Windows 9x/Me, going into [print$]/WIN/0/), driver version 2 (kernel
mode driver for Windows NT, going into [print$]/W32X86/2/; may be used
on Windows 200x/XP also), and driver version “3” (non-kernel mode driver
going into [print$]/W32X86/3/; cannot be used on Windows NT). Quite
often these different driver versions contain files that have the same name
but actually are very different. If you look at them from the Windows Ex-
plorer (they reside in %WINDOWS%\system32\spool\drivers\W32X86\), you
will probably see names in capital letters, while an enumdrivers command
from Samba would show mixed or lowercase letters, so it is easy to confuse
them. If you install them manually using rpcclient and subcommands, you
may even succeed without an error message. Only later, when you try in-
stall on a client, you will encounter error messages like This server has
no appropriate driver for the printer.
Here is an example. You are invited to look closely at the various files,
compare their names and their spelling, and discover the differences in the
composition of the version 2 and 3 sets. Note: the version 0 set contained
40 Dependentfiles, so I left it out for space reasons:

root# rpcclient -U ’Administrator%secret’ -c ’enumdrivers 3’ 10.160.50.8

Printer Driver Info 3:

Version: [3]
Driver Name: [Canon iR8500 PS3]
Architecture: [Windows NT x86]
Driver Path: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cns3g.dll]
Datafile: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\iR8500sg.xpd]
Configfile: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cns3gui.dll]
Helpfile: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cns3g.hlp]

Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\aucplmNT.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\ucs32p.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\tnl32.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\aussdrv.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cnspdc.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\aussapi.dat]
Section 20.8. Other Gotchas 409

Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cns3407.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\CnS3G.cnt]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\NBAPI.DLL]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\NBIPC.DLL]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcview.exe]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcdspl.exe]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcedit.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcqm.exe]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcspl.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cfine32.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcr407.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\Cpcqm407.hlp]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cpcqm407.cnt]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\3\cns3ggr.dll]

Monitorname: []
Defaultdatatype: []

Printer Driver Info 3:

Version: [2]
Driver Name: [Canon iR5000-6000 PS3]
Architecture: [Windows NT x86]
Driver Path: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\cns3g.dll]
Datafile: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\IR5000sg.xpd]
Configfile: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\cns3gui.dll]
Helpfile: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\cns3g.hlp]

Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\AUCPLMNT.DLL]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\aussdrv.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\cnspdc.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\aussapi.dat]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\cns3407.dll]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\CnS3G.cnt]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\NBAPI.DLL]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\NBIPC.DLL]
Dependentfiles: [\\10.160.50.8\print$\W32X86\2\cns3gum.dll]

Monitorname: [CPCA Language Monitor2]

Defaultdatatype: []
410 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

If we write the “version 2” files and the “version 3” files into different text
files and compare the result, we see this picture:

root# sdiff 2-files 3-files

cns3g.dll cns3g.dll
iR8500sg.xpd iR8500sg.xpd
cns3gui.dll cns3gui.dll
cns3g.hlp cns3g.hlp
AUCPLMNT.DLL | aucplmNT.dll
> ucs32p.dll
> tnl32.dll
aussdrv.dll aussdrv.dll
cnspdc.dll cnspdc.dll
aussapi.dat aussapi.dat
cns3407.dll cns3407.dll
CnS3G.cnt CnS3G.cnt
NBAPI.DLL NBAPI.DLL
NBIPC.DLL NBIPC.DLL
cns3gum.dll | cpcview.exe
> cpcdspl.exe
> cpcqm.exe
> cpcspl.dll
> cfine32.dll
> cpcr407.dll
> Cpcqm407.hlp
> cpcqm407.cnt
> cns3ggr.dll

Do not be fooled! Driver files for each version with identical names may be
different in their content, as you can see from this size comparison:

root# for i in cns3g.hlp cns3gui.dll cns3g.dll; do \

smbclient //10.160.50.8/print\$ -U ’Administrator%xxxx’ \
-c "cd W32X86/3; dir $i; cd .. ; cd 2; dir $i"; \
Section 20.8. Other Gotchas 411

done

CNS3G.HLP A 122981 Thu May 30 02:31:00 2002

CNS3G.HLP A 99948 Thu May 30 02:31:00 2002

CNS3GUI.DLL A 1805824 Thu May 30 02:31:00 2002

CNS3GUI.DLL A 1785344 Thu May 30 02:31:00 2002

CNS3G.DLL A 1145088 Thu May 30 02:31:00 2002

CNS3G.DLL A 15872 Thu May 30 02:31:00 2002

In my example were even more differences than shown here. Conclusion: you
must be careful to select the correct driver files for each driver version. Don’t
rely on the names alone, and don’t interchange files belonging to different
driver versions.

20.8.6 Samba and Printer Ports

Windows NT/2000 print servers associate a port with each printer. These
normally take the form of LPT1:, COM1:, FILE:, and so on. Samba must also
support the concept of ports associated with a printer. By default, only one
printer port, named “Samba Printer Port”, exists on a system. Samba does
not really need such a “port” in order to print; rather it is a requirement
of Windows clients. They insist on being told about an available port when
they request this information; otherwise, they throw an error message at
you. So Samba fakes the port information to keep the Windows clients
happy.

Samba does not support the concept of Printer Pooling internally either.
Printer pooling assigns a logical printer to multiple ports as a form of load
balancing or failover.

If you require multiple ports to be defined for some reason or another (my
users and my boss should not know that they are working with Samba),
configure the enumports command, which can be used to define an external
program that generates a listing of ports on a system.
412 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

20.8.7 Avoiding Common Client Driver Misconfiguration

So now the printing works, but there are still problems. Most jobs print
well, some do not print at all. Some jobs have problems with fonts, which
do not look good. Some jobs print fast and some are dead-slow. We cannot
cover it all, but we want to encourage you to read the brief paragraph about
“Avoiding the Wrong PostScript Driver Settings” in Chapter 21, “CUPS
Printing Support”, Section 21.10.16.

20.9 The Imprints Toolset

The Imprints tool set provides a UNIX equivalent of the Windows NT APW.
For complete information, please refer to the Imprints3 Web site as well as
the documentation included with the Imprints source distribution. This
section provides only a brief introduction to the features of Imprints.
Unfortunately, the Imprints toolset is no longer maintained. As of December
2000, the project is in need of a new maintainer. The most important
skill to have is Perl coding and an interest in MS-RPC-based printing used
in Samba. If you wish to volunteer, please coordinate your efforts on the
Samba technical mailing list. The toolset is still in usable form, but only for
a series of older printer models where there are prepared packages to use.
Packages for more up-to-date print devices are needed if Imprints should
have a future. Information regarding the Imprints toolset can be obtained
from the Imprints4 home page.

20.9.1 What Is Imprints?

Imprints is a collection of tools for supporting these goals:

• Providing a central repository of information regarding Windows NT
and 95/98 printer driver packages.
• Providing the tools necessary for creating the Imprints printer driver
packages.
• Providing an installation client that will obtain printer drivers from
a central Internet (or intranet) Imprints Server repository and install
3
<http://imprints.sourceforge.net/>
4
<http://imprints.sourceforge.net/>
Section 20.9. The Imprints Toolset 413

them on remote Samba and Windows NT4 print servers.

20.9.2 Creating Printer Driver Packages

The process of creating printer driver packages is beyond the scope of this
document (refer to Imprints.txt, included with the Samba distribution for
more information). In short, an Imprints driver package is a gzipped tarball
containing the driver files, related INF files, and a control file needed by the
installation client.

20.9.3 The Imprints Server

The Imprints server is really a database server that may be queried via
standard HTTP mechanisms. Each printer entry in the database has an
associated URL for the actual downloading of the package. Each package is
digitally signed via GnuPG, which can be used to verify that the package
downloaded is actually the one referred in the Imprints database. It is
strongly recommended that this security check not be disabled.

20.9.4 The Installation Client

More information regarding the Imprints installation client is available from

the the documentation file Imprints-Client-HOWTO.ps that is included
with the Imprints source package. The Imprints installation client comes
in two forms:
• A set of command-line Perl scripts.
• A GTK+-based graphical interface to the command-line Perl scripts.
The installation client (in both forms) provides a means of querying the
Imprints database server for a matching list of known printer model names
as well as a means to download and install the drivers on remote Samba and
Windows NT print servers.
The basic installation process is in four steps, and Perl code is wrapped
around smbclient and rpcclient.
• For each supported architecture for a given driver:
1. rpcclient: Get the appropriate upload directory on the remote
server.
414 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

2. smbclient: Upload the driver files.

3. rpcclient: Issues an AddPrinterDriver() MS-RPC.
• rpcclient: Issues an AddPrinterEx() MS-RPC to actually create the
printer.
One of the problems encountered when implementing the Imprints tool set
was the namespace issues between various supported client architectures.
For example, Windows NT includes a driver named “Apple LaserWriter II
NTX v51.8”, and Windows 95 calls its version of this driver “Apple Laser-
Writer II NTX”.
The problem is how to know what client drivers have been uploaded for
a printer. An astute reader will remember that the Windows NT Printer
Properties dialog only includes space for one printer driver name. A quick
look in the Windows NT 4.0 system registry at:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environment
will reveal that Windows NT always uses the NT driver name. This is
okay because Windows NT always requires that at least the Windows NT
version of the printer driver is present. Samba does not have the requirement
internally; therefore, “How can you use the NT driver name if it has not
already been installed?”
The way of sidestepping this limitation is to require that all Imprints printer
driver packages include both the Intel Windows NT and 95/98 printer drivers
and that the NT driver is installed first.

20.10 Adding Network Printers without User Interaction

The following MS Knowledge Base article may be of some help if you need to
handle Windows 2000 clients: How to Add Printers with No User Interaction
in Windows 2000, (Microsoft KB 1891055 ). It also applies to Windows XP
Professional clients. The ideas sketched out in this section are inspired by
this article, which describes a command-line method that can be applied
to install network and local printers and their drivers. This is most useful
if integrated in Logon Scripts. You can see what options are available by
typing in the command prompt (DOS box):
5
<http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;189105>
Section 20.10. Adding Network Printers without User Interaction 415

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?
A window pops up that shows you all of the command-line switches available.
An extensive list of examples is also provided. This is only for Windows
200x/XP; it does not work on Windows NT. Windows NT probably has
some other tools in the respective Resource Kit. Here is a suggestion about
what a client logon script might contain, with a short explanation of what
the lines actually do (it works if 200x/XP Windows clients access printers
via Samba, and works for Windows-based print servers too):

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /dn /n "\\cupsserver\infotec2105-IPDS" /q

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /n "\\cupsserver\infotec2105-PS"
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /y /n "\\cupsserver\infotec2105-PS"

Here is a list of the used command-line parameters:

/dn deletes a network printer.

/q quiet modus.

/n names a printer.

/in adds a network printer connection.

/y sets printer as default printer.

• Line 1 deletes a possibly existing previous network printer infotec2105-
IPDS (which had used native Windows drivers with LPRng that were
removed from the server that was converted to CUPS). The /q at the
end prevents confirm or error dialog boxes from popping up. They
should not be presented to the user logging on.
• Line 2 adds the new printer infotec2105-PS (which actually is the same
physical device but is now run by the new CUPS printing system and
associated with the CUPS/Adobe PS drivers). The printer and its
driver must have been added to Samba prior to the user logging in
(e.g., by a procedure as discussed earlier in this chapter or by running
416 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

cupsaddsmb). The driver is now autodownloaded to the client PC

where the user is about to log in.
• Line 3 sets the default printer to this new network printer (there might
be several other printers installed with this same method, and some
may be local as well, so we decide for a default printer). The default
printer selection may, of course, be different for different users.
The second line only works if the printer infotec2105-PS has an already work-
ing print queue on the cupsserver and if the printer drivers have been suc-
cessfully uploaded (via the APW, smbclient/rpcclient, or cupsaddsmb)
into the [print$] driver repository of Samba. Some Samba versions prior to
version 3.0 required a restart of smbd after the printer install and the driver
upload; otherwise the script (or any other client driver download) would fail.
Since there is no easy way to test for the existence of an installed network
printer from the logon script, do not bother checking. Just allow the de-
installation/re-installation to occur every time a user logs in; it’s really quick
anyway (1 to 2 seconds).
The additional benefits for this are:
• It puts in place any printer default setup changes automatically at
every user logon.
• It allows for “roaming” users’ login to the domain from different work-
stations.
Since network printers are installed per user, this much simplifies the process
of keeping the installation up to date. The few extra seconds at logon time
will not really be noticeable. Printers can be centrally added, changed, and
deleted at will on the server with no user intervention required from the
clients (you just need to keep the logon scripts up to date).

20.11 The addprinter Command

The addprinter command can be configured to be a shell script or program

executed by Samba. It is triggered by running the APW from a client
against the Samba print server. The APW asks the user to fill in several
fields (such as printer name, driver to be used, comment, port monitor,
and so on). These parameters are passed on to Samba by the APW. If the
addprinter command is designed in a way that it can create a new printer
Section 20.12. Migration of Classical Printing to Samba 417

(through writing correct printcap entries on legacy systems or by executing

the lpadmin command on more modern systems) and create the associated
share, then the APW will in effect really create a new printer on Samba and
the UNIX print subsystem!

20.12 Migration of Classical Printing to Samba

The basic NT-style printer driver management has not changed considerably
in 3.0 over the 2.2.x releases (apart from many small improvements). Here
migration should be quite easy, especially if you followed previous advice
to stop using deprecated parameters in your setup. For migrations from
an existing 2.0.x setup, or if you continued Windows 9x/Me-style printing
in your Samba 2.2 installations, it is more of an effort. Please read the
appropriate release notes and the HOWTO Collection for Samba-2.2.x. You
can follow several paths. Here are possible scenarios for migration:

• You need to study and apply the new Windows NT printer and driver
support. Previously used parameters printer driver file, printer
driver, and printer driver location are no longer supported.

• If you want to take advantage of Windows NT printer driver support,

you also need to migrate the Windows 9x/Me drivers to the new setup.

• An existing printers.def file (the one specified in the now removed

parameter printer driver file) will no longer work with Samba-
3. In 3.0, smbd attempts to locate Windows 9x/Me driver files for
the printer in [print$] and additional settings in the TDB and only
there; if it fails, it will not (as 2.2.x used to do) drop down to using a
printers.def (and all associated parameters). The make printerdef
tool is removed and there is no backward compatibility for this.

• You need to install a Windows 9x/Me driver into the [print$] share
for a printer on your Samba host. The driver files will be stored in
the “WIN40/0” subdirectory of [print$], and some other settings and
information go into the printing-related TDBs.

• If you want to migrate an existing printers.def file into the new

setup, the only current solution is to use the Windows NT APW to
install the NT drivers and the 9x/Me drivers. This can be scripted
using smbclient and rpcclient. See the Imprints installation client on
418 Classical Printing Support Chapter 20

the Imprints6 web site for example. See also the discussion of rpcclient
usage in Chapter 21, “CUPS Printing Support”.

20.13 Publishing Printer Information in Active Directory or

LDAP

This topic has also been addressed in Chapter 12, “Remote and Local Man-
agement: The Net Command”. If you wish to volunteer your services to
help document this further, please contact John H. Terpstra7 .

20.14 Common Errors

20.14.1 I Give My Root Password but I Do Not Get Access

Do not confuse the root password, which is valid for the UNIX system (and
in most cases stored in the form of a one-way hash in a file named /etc/
shadow), with the password used to authenticate against Samba. Samba
does not know the UNIX password. Root access to Samba resources requires
that a Samba account for root must first be created. This is done with the
smbpasswd command as follows:

root# smbpasswd -a root

New SMB password: secret
Retype new SMB password: secret

20.14.2 My Print Jobs Get Spooled into the Spooling Directory,

but Then Get Lost

Do not use the existing UNIX print system spool directory for the Samba
spool directory. It may seem convenient and a savings of space, but it only
leads to problems. The two must be separate.

6
<http://imprints.sourceforge.net/>
7
<mail://[email protected]>
Chapter 21

CUPS PRINTING SUPPORT

21.1 Introduction

21.1.1 Features and Benefits

The Common UNIX Print System (CUPS1 ) has become quite popular. All
major Linux distributions now ship it as their default printing system. To
many, it is still a mystical tool. Mostly, it just works. People tend to regard
it as a “black box” that they do not want to look into as long as it works.
But once there is a little problem, they have trouble finding out where to
start debugging it. Refer to Chapter 20, “Classical Printing Support”, which
contains a much information that is also relevant to CUPS.
CUPS sports quite a few unique and powerful features. While its basic
functions may be grasped quite easily, they are also new. Because it is
different from other, more traditional printing systems, it is best not to try
to apply any prior knowledge about printing to this new system. Rather,
try to understand CUPS from the beginning. This documentation will lead
you to a complete understanding of CUPS. Let’s start with the most basic
things first.

21.1.2 Overview

CUPS is more than just a print spooling system. It is a complete printer

management system that complies with the new Internet Printing Protocol
(IPP). IPP is an industry and Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) stan-
dard for network printing. Many of its functions can be managed remotely
1
<http://www.cups.org/>

419
420 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

(or locally) via a Web browser (giving you platform-independent access to

the CUPS print server). Additionally, it has the traditional command line
and several more modern GUI interfaces (GUI interfaces developed by third
parties, like KDE’s overwhelming KDEPrint2 ).
CUPS allows creation of raw printers (i.e., no print file format translation) as
well as smart printers (i.e., CUPS does file format conversion as required for
the printer). In many ways this gives CUPS capabilities similar to the MS
Windows print monitoring system. Of course, if you are a CUPS advocate,
you would argue that CUPS is better! In any case, let us now explore how to
configure CUPS for interfacing with MS Windows print clients via Samba.

21.2 Basic CUPS Support Configuration

Printing with CUPS in the most basic smb.conf setup in Samba-3.0 (as was
true for 2.2.x) requires just two parameters: printing = cups and printcap
= cups. CUPS does not need a printcap file. However, the cupsd.conf
configuration file knows of two related directives that control how such a
file will be automatically created and maintained by CUPS for the conve-
nience of third-party applications (example: Printcap /etc/printcap and
PrintcapFormat BSD). Legacy programs often require the existence of a
printcap file containing printer names or they will refuse to print. Make
sure CUPS is set to generate and maintain a printcap file. For details, see
man cupsd.conf and other CUPS-related documentation, like the wealth
of documents regarding the CUPS server itself available from the CUPS3
web site.

21.2.1 Linking smbd with libcups.so

Samba has a special relationship to CUPS. Samba can be compiled with

CUPS library support. Most recent installations have this support enabled.
By default, CUPS linking is compiled into smbd and other Samba binaries.
Of course, you can use CUPS even if Samba is not linked against libcups.
so — but there are some differences in required or supported configuration.
When Samba is compiled and linked with libcups, printcap = cups uses the
CUPS API to list printers, submit jobs, query queues, and so on. Otherwise
2
<http://printing.kde.org/>
3
<http://localhost:631/documentation.html>
Section 21.2. Basic CUPS Support Configuration 421

it maps to the System V commands with an additional -oraw option for

printing. On a Linux system, you can use the ldd utility to find out if smbd
has been linked with the libcups library (ldd may not be present on other
OS platforms, or its function may be embodied by a different command):

root# ldd ‘which smbd‘

libssl.so.0.9.6 => /usr/lib/libssl.so.0.9.6 (0x4002d000)
libcrypto.so.0.9.6 => /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.0.9.6 (0x4005a000)
libcups.so.2 => /usr/lib/libcups.so.2 (0x40123000)
[....]

The line libcups.so.2 => /usr/lib/libcups.so.2 (0x40123000) shows

there is CUPS support compiled into this version of Samba. If this is the
case, and printing = cups is set, then any otherwise manually set print
command in smb.conf is ignored. This is an important point to remember!

Tip

Should it be necessary, for any reason, to set your own

print commands, you can do this by setting printing =
sysv. However, you will lose all the benefits of tight
CUPS-Samba integration. When you do this you must
manually configure the printing system commands (most
important: print command; other commands are lppause
command, lpresume command, lpq command, lprm com-
mand, queuepause command and queue resume com-
mand).

21.2.2 Simple smb.conf Settings for CUPS

To summarize, Example 21.2.1 shows simplest printing-related setup for

smb.conf to enable basic CUPS support:
This is all you need for basic printing setup for CUPS. It will print all
graphic, text, PDF, and PostScript files submitted from Windows clients.
However, most of your Windows users would not know how to send these
422 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Example 21.2.1. Simplest Printing-Related smb.conf

[ global ]
load p r i n t e r s = yes
p r i n t i n g = cups
p r i n t c a p name = cups
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
b r o w s e a b l e = no
public = yes
g u e s t ok = y e s
w r i t a b l e = no
p r i n t a b l e = yes
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t , @ntadmins

kinds of files to print without opening a GUI application. Windows clients

tend to have local printer drivers installed, and the GUI application’s print
buttons start a printer driver. Your users also rarely send files from the
command line. Unlike UNIX clients, they rarely submit graphic, text, or
PDF formatted files directly to the spooler. They nearly exclusively print
from GUI applications with a “printer driver” hooked between the applica-
tion’s native format and the print data stream. If the backend printer is not
a PostScript device, the print data stream is “binary,” sensible only for the
target printer. Read on to learn which problem this may cause and how to
avoid it.

21.2.3 More Complex CUPS smb.conf Settings

Example 21.2.2 is a slightly more complex printing-related setup for smb.

conf. It enables general CUPS printing support for all printers, but defines
one printer share, which is set up differently.
This special share is only for testing purposes. It does not write the print
job to a file. It just logs the job parameters known to Samba into the /tmp/
smbprn.log file and deletes the job-file. Moreover, the printer admin of this
share is “kurt” (not the “@ntadmins” group), guest access is not allowed,
the share isn’t published to the Network Neighborhood (so you need to know
Section 21.2. Basic CUPS Support Configuration 423

Example 21.2.2. Overriding Global CUPS Settings for One Printer

[ global ]
p r i n t i n g = cups
p r i n t c a p name = cups
load p r i n t e r s = yes
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
public = yes
g u e s t ok = y e s
w r i t a b l e = no
p r i n t a b l e = yes
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t , @ntadmins
[ special printer ]
comment = A s p e c i a l p r i n t e r with h i s own ←-
settings
path = / var / s p o o l /samba−s p e c i a l
printing = sysv
printcap = lpstat
p r i n t command = echo ”NEW: ‘ date ‘ : ←-
p r i n t f i l e %f ” >> /tmp/smbprn . l o g ; echo ←-
” ‘ date ‘ : p−%p s−%s f−%f ” >> /tmp/ ←-
smbprn . l o g ; echo ” ‘ date ‘ : j−%j J−% ←-
J z−%z c−%c ” >> /tmp/smbprn . l o g ; rm %f
p u b l i c = no
g u e s t ok = no
w r i t a b l e = no
p r i n t a b l e = yes
p r i n t e r admin = k u r t
h o s t s deny = 0 . 0 . 0 . 0
h o s t s a l l o w = turbo xp , 1 0 . 1 6 0 . 5 0 . 2 3 , ←-
10.160.51.60

it is there), and it allows access from only three hosts. To prevent CUPS
from kicking in and taking over the print jobs for that share, we need to set
printing = sysv and printcap = lpstat.
424 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.3 Advanced Configuration

Before we delve into all the configuration options, let us clarify a few points.
Network printing needs to be organized and set up correctly. This frequently
doesn’t happen. Legacy systems or small business LAN environments often
lack design and good housekeeping.

21.3.1 Central Spooling vs. “Peer-to-Peer” Printing

Many small office or home networks, as well as badly organized larger en-
vironments, allow each client a direct access to available network printers.
This is generally a bad idea. It often blocks one client’s access to the printer
when another client’s job is printing. It might freeze the first client’s ap-
plication while it is waiting to get rid of the job. Also, there are frequent
complaints about various jobs being printed with their pages mixed with
each other. A better concept is the use of a print server: it routes all jobs
through one central system, which responds immediately, takes jobs from
multiple concurrent clients, and transfers them to the printer(s) in the cor-
rect order.

21.3.2 Raw Print Serving: Vendor Drivers on Windows Clients

Most traditionally configured UNIX print servers acting on behalf of Samba’s

Windows clients represented a really simple setup. Their only task was to
manage the “raw” spooling of all jobs handed to them by Samba. This
approach meant that the Windows clients were expected to prepare the
print job file that is ready to be sent to the printing device. In this case,
a native (vendor-supplied) Windows printer driver needs to be installed on
each and every client for the target device.
It is possible to configure CUPS, Samba, and your Windows clients in the
same traditional and simple way. When CUPS printers are configured for
raw print-through mode operation, it is the responsibility of the Samba
client to fully render the print job (file). The file must be sent in a format
that is suitable for direct delivery to the printer. Clients need to run the
vendor-provided drivers to do this. In this case, CUPS will not do any print
file format conversion work.
The easiest printing configuration possible is raw print-through. This is
achieved by installation of the printer as if it were physically attached to
Section 21.3. Advanced Configuration 425

the Windows client. You then redirect output to a raw network print queue.
This procedure may be followed to achieve this: Configuration Steps for
Raw CUPS Printing Support
1. Edit /etc/cups/mime.types to uncomment the line near the end of
the file that has:

#application/octet-...

2. Do the same for the file /etc/cups/mime.convs.

3. Add a raw printer using the Web interface. Point your browser at
http://localhost:631. Enter Administration, and add the printer
following the prompts. Do not install any drivers for it. Choose Raw.
Choose queue name Raw Queue.
4. In the smb.conf file [printers] section add use client driver = Yes,
and in the [global] section add printing = CUPS, plus printcap =
CUPS.
5. Install the printer as if it is a local printer, that is, Printing to LPT1:.
6. Edit the configuration under the Detail tab and create a local port
that points to the raw printer queue that you have configured above.
Example: \\server\raw q. Here, the name raw q is the name you
gave the print queue in the CUPS environment.

21.3.3 Installation of Windows Client Drivers

The printer drivers on the Windows clients may be installed in two func-
tionally different ways:
• Manually install the drivers locally on each client, one by one; this
yields the old LanMan style printing and uses a \\sambaserver\printershare
type of connection.
• Deposit and prepare the drivers (for later download) on the print server
(Samba); this enables the clients to use “Point’n’Print” to get drivers
semi-automatically installed the first time they access the printer; with
this method NT/200x/XP clients use the SPOOLSS/MS-RPC type
printing calls.
426 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

The second method is recommended for use over the first.

21.3.4 Explicitly Enable “raw” Printing for application/octet-stream

If you use the first option (drivers are installed on the client side), there
is one setting to take care of: CUPS needs to be told that it should allow
“raw” printing of deliberate (binary) file formats. The CUPS files that need
to be correctly set for raw mode printers to work are:
• /etc/cups/mime.types
• /etc/cups/mime.convs
Both contain entries (at the end of the respective files) that must be uncom-
mented to allow RAW mode operation. In /etc/cups/mime.types, make
sure this line is present:

application/octet-stream

In /etc/cups/mime.convs, have this line:

application/octet-stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

If these two files are not set up correctly for raw Windows client printing,
you may encounter the dreaded Unable to convert file 0 in your CUPS
error log file.

Note

Editing the mime.convs and the mime.types file does

not enforce “raw” printing, it only allows it.

Background. That CUPS is a more security-aware printing system than

traditional ones does not by default allow a user to send deliberate (possibly
binary) data to printing devices. This could be easily abused to launch
a “Denial of Service” attack on your printer(s), causing at least the loss
Section 21.3. Advanced Configuration 427

of a lot of paper and ink. “Unknown” data are tagged by CUPS as MIME
type: application/octet-stream and not allowed to go to the printer.
By default, you can only send other (known) MIME types “raw”. Sending
data “raw” means that CUPS does not try to convert them and passes
them to the printer untouched (see Chapter 21, “CUPS Printing Support”
for more background explanations).

This is all you need to know to get the CUPS/Samba combo printing “raw”
files prepared by Windows clients, which have vendor drivers locally in-
stalled. If you are not interested in background information about more
advanced CUPS/Samba printing, simply skip the remaining sections of this
chapter.

21.3.5 Driver Upload Methods

This section describes three familiar methods, plus one new one, by which
printer drivers may be uploaded.

If you want to use the MS-RPC-type printing, you must upload the drivers
onto the Samba server first ([print$] share). For a discussion on how to de-
posit printer drivers on the Samba host (so the Windows clients can down-
load and use them via “Point’n’Print”), please refer to the Chapter 20,
“Classical Printing Support” of this book. There you will find a description
or reference to three methods of preparing the client drivers on the Samba
server:

• The GUI, “Add Printer Wizard” upload-from-a-Windows-client method.

• The command line, “smbclient/rpcclient” upload-from-a-UNIX-workstation

method.

• The Imprints tool set method.

These three methods apply to CUPS all the same. The cupsaddsmb utility
is new and more convenient way to load the Windows drivers into Samba is
provided if you use CUPS.

cupsaddsmb is discussed in much detail later in this chapter. But we first

explore the CUPS filtering system and compare the Windows and UNIX
printing architectures.
428 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.4 Advanced Intelligent Printing with PostScript Driver

Download

We now know how to set up a “dump” print server, that is, a server that
spools print jobs “raw”, leaving the print data untouched.
You might need to set up CUPS in a smarter way. The reasons could be
manifold:
• Maybe your boss wants to get monthly statistics: Which printer did
how many pages? What was the average data size of a job? What was
the average print run per day? What are the typical hourly peaks in
printing? Which department prints how much?
• Maybe you are asked to set up a print quota system: Users should not
be able to print more jobs once they have surpassed a given limit per
period.
• Maybe your previous network printing setup is a mess and must be
re-organized from a clean beginning.
• Maybe you are experiencing too many “blue screens” originating from
poorly debugged printer drivers running in NT “kernel mode”?
These goals cannot be achieved by a raw print server. To build a server
meeting these requirements, you’ll first need to learn how CUPS works and
how you can enable its features.
What follows is the comparison of some fundamental concepts for Windows
and UNIX printing, then a description of the CUPS filtering system, how it
works, and how you can tweak it.

21.4.1 GDI on Windows, PostScript on UNIX

Network printing is one of the most complicated and error-prone day-to-

day tasks any user or administrator may encounter. This is true for all OS
platforms, and there are reasons it is so.
You can’t expect to throw just any file format at a printer and have it get
printed. A file format conversion must take place. The problem is that
there is no common standard for print file formats across all manufacturers
and printer types. While PostScript (trademark held by Adobe) and, to
an extent, PCL (trademark held by Hewlett-Packard) have developed into
Section 21.4. Advanced Intelligent Printing with PostScript Driver Download 429

semi-official “standards” by being the most widely used page description

languages (PDLs), there are still many manufacturers who “roll their own”
(their reasons may be unacceptable license fees for using printer-embedded
PostScript interpreters, and so on).

21.4.2 Windows Drivers, GDI, and EMF

In Windows OS, the format conversion job is done by the printer drivers.
On MS Windows OS platforms all application programmers have at their
disposal a built-in API, the graphical device interface (GDI), as part and
parcel of the OS itself to base themselves on. This GDI core is used as one
common unified ground for all Windows programs to draw pictures, fonts,
and documents on screen as well as on paper (print). Therefore, printer
driver developers can standardize on a well-defined GDI output for their
own driver input. Achieving WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
is relatively easy, because the on-screen graphic primitives, as well as the
on-paper drawn objects, come from one common source. This source, the
GDI, often produces a file format called Enhanced MetaFile (EMF). The
EMF is processed by the printer driver and converted to the printer-specific
file format.

Note

To the GDI foundation in MS Windows, Apple has chosen

to put paper and screen output on a common foundation
for its (BSD-UNIX-based, did you know?) Mac OS X and
Darwin operating systems. Apple’s core graphic engine
uses a PDF derivative for all display work.

The example in Figure 21.1 illustrates local Windows printing.

21.4.3 UNIX Printfile Conversion and GUI Basics

In UNIX and Linux, there is no comparable layer built into the OS kernel(s)
or the X (screen display) server. Every application is responsible for itself
to create its print output. Fortunately, most use PostScript and that at
430 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Figure 21.1. Windows Printing to a Local Printer.

least gives some common ground. Unfortunately, there are many different
levels of quality for this PostScript. And worse, there is a huge difference
(and no common root) in the way the same document is displayed on screen
and how it is presented on paper. WYSIWYG is more difficult to achieve.
This goes back to the time, decades ago, when the predecessors of X.org,
designing the UNIX foundations and protocols for graphical user interfaces,
refused to take responsibility for “paper output”, as some had demanded at
the time, and restricted itself to “on-screen only.” (For some years now, the
“Xprint” project has been under development, attempting to build printing
support into the X framework, including a PostScript and a PCL driver, but
it is not yet ready for prime time.) You can see this unfavorable inheritance
up to the present day by looking into the various “font” directories on your
system; there are separate ones for fonts used for X display and fonts to be
used on paper.

Background. The PostScript programming language is an “invention”

by Adobe, but its specifications have been published extensively. Its strength
lies in its powerful abilities to describe graphical objects (fonts, shapes,
patterns, lines, curves, and dots), their attributes (color, linewidth), and
the way to manipulate (scale, distort, rotate, shift) them. Because of its
open specification, anybody with the skill can start writing his or her own
implementation of a PostScript interpreter and use it to display PostScript
files on screen or on paper. Most graphical output devices are based on
the concept of “raster images” or “pixels” (one notable exception is pen
Section 21.4. Advanced Intelligent Printing with PostScript Driver Download 431

plotters). Of course, you can look at a PostScript file in its textual form and
you will be reading its PostScript code, the language instructions that need
to be interpreted by a rasterizer. Rasterizers produce pixel images, which
may be displayed on screen by a viewer program or on paper by a printer.

21.4.4 PostScript and Ghostscript

So, UNIX is lacking a common ground for printing on paper and display-
ing on screen. Despite this unfavorable legacy for UNIX, basic printing is
fairly easy if you have PostScript printers at your disposal. The reason is
these devices have a built-in PostScript language “interpreter,” also called
a raster image processor (RIP), (which makes them more expensive than
other types of printers; throw PostScript toward them, and they will spit
out your printed pages. The RIP does all the hard work of converting the
PostScript drawing commands into a bitmap picture as you see it on paper,
in a resolution as done by your printer. This is no different than PostScript
printing a file from a Windows origin.

Note

Traditional UNIX programs and printing systems — while

using PostScript — are largely not PPD-aware. PPDs are
“PostScript Printer Description” files. They enable you
to specify and control all options a printer supports: du-
plexing, stapling, and punching. Therefore, UNIX users
for a long time couldn’t choose many of the supported
device and job options, unlike Windows or Apple users.
But now there is CUPS. as illustrated in Figure 21.2.

However, there are other types of printers out there. These do not know how
to print PostScript. They use their own PDL, often proprietary. To print
to them is much more demanding. Since your UNIX applications mostly
produce PostScript, and since these devices do not understand PostScript,
you need to convert the print files to a format suitable for your printer on
the host before you can send it away.
432 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Figure 21.2. Printing to a PostScript Printer.

21.4.5 Ghostscript: The Software RIP for Non-PostScript Print-

ers

Here is where Ghostscript kicks in. Ghostscript is the traditional (and quite
powerful) PostScript interpreter used on UNIX platforms. It is a RIP in soft-
ware, capable of doing a lot of file format conversions for a very broad spec-
trum of hardware devices as well as software file formats. Ghostscript tech-
nology and drivers are what enable PostScript printing to non-PostScript
hardware. This is shown in Figure 21.3.

Figure 21.3. Ghostscript as a RIP for Non-PostScript Printers.

Section 21.4. Advanced Intelligent Printing with PostScript Driver Download 433

Tip

Use the “gs -h” command to check for all built-in “de-
vices” on your Ghostscript version. If you specify a pa-
rameter of -sDEVICE=png256 on your Ghostscript com-
mand line, you are asking Ghostscript to convert the input
into a PNG file. Naming a “device” on the command line
is the most important single parameter to tell Ghostscript
exactly how it should render the input. New Ghostscript
versions are released at fairly regular intervals, now by
artofcode LLC. They are initially put under the “AFPL”
license, but re-released under the GNU GPL as soon as
the next AFPL version appears. GNU Ghostscript is
probably the version installed on most Samba systems.
But it has some deficiencies. Therefore, ESP Ghostscript
was developed as an enhancement over GNU Ghostscript,
with lots of bug-fixes, additional devices, and improve-
ments. It is jointly maintained by developers from CUPS,
Gimp-Print, MandrakeSoft, SuSE, Red Hat, and Debian.
It includes the “cups” device (essential to print to non-PS
printers from CUPS).

21.4.6 PostScript Printer Description (PPD) Specification

While PostScript in essence is a PDL to represent the page layout in a

device-independent way, real-world print jobs are always ending up being
output on hardware with device-specific features. To take care of all the
differences in hardware and to allow for innovations, Adobe has specified a
syntax and file format for PostScript Printer Description (PPD) files. Every
PostScript printer ships with one of these files.

PPDs contain all the information about general and special features of the
given printer model: Which different resolutions can it handle? Does it have
a duplexing unit? How many paper trays are there? What media types and
sizes does it take? For each item, it also names the special command string
to be sent to the printer (mostly inside the PostScript file) in order to enable
it.
434 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Information from these PPDs is meant to be taken into account by the

printer drivers. Therefore, installed as part of the Windows PostScript driver
for a given printer is the printer’s PPD. Where it makes sense, the PPD
features are presented in the drivers’ UI dialogs to display to the user a choice
of print options. In the end, the user selections are somehow written (in the
form of special PostScript, PJL, JCL, or vendor-dependent commands) into
the PostScript file created by the driver.

Warning

A PostScript file that was created to contain device-

specific commands for achieving a certain print job out-
put (e.g., duplexed, stapled, and punched) on a specific
target machine may not print as expected, or may not be
printable at all on other models; it also may not be fit for
further processing by software (e.g., by a PDF distilling
program).

21.4.7 Using Windows-Formatted Vendor PPDs

CUPS can handle all spec-compliant PPDs as supplied by the manufacturers

for their PostScript models. Even if a vendor does not mention our favorite
OS in his or her manuals and brochures, you can safely trust this: If you get
the Windows NT version of the PPD, you can use it unchanged in CUPS
and thus access the full power of your printer just like a Windows NT user
could!
Section 21.4. Advanced Intelligent Printing with PostScript Driver Download 435

Tip

To check the spec compliance of any PPD online, go

to <http://www.cups.org/testppd.php> and up-
load your PPD. You will see the results displayed im-
mediately. CUPS in all versions after 1.1.19 has a much
stricter internal PPD parsing and checking code enabled;
in case of printing trouble, this online resource should be
one of your first pit stops.

Warning

For real PostScript printers, do not use the Foomatic

or cupsomatic PPDs from Linuxprinting.org. With these
devices, the original vendor-provided PPDs are always the
first choice.

Tip

If you are looking for an original vendor-provided PPD

of a specific device, and you know that an NT4 box (or
any other Windows box) on your LAN has the PostScript
driver installed, just use smbclient //NT4-box/print\$
-U username to access the Windows directory where all
printer driver files are stored. First look in the W32X86/
2 subdirectory for the PPD you are seeking.

21.4.8 CUPS Also Uses PPDs for Non-PostScript Printers

CUPS also uses specially crafted PPDs to handle non-PostScript printers.

These PPDs are usually not available from the vendors (and no, you can’t
just take the PPD of a PostScript printer with the same model name and
436 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

hope it works for the non-PostScript version too). To understand how these
PPDs work for non-PS printers, we first need to dive deeply into the CUPS
filtering and file format conversion architecture. Stay tuned.

21.5 The CUPS Filtering Architecture

The core of the CUPS filtering system is based on Ghostscript. In addition

to Ghostscript, CUPS uses some other filters of its own. You (or your OS
vendor) may have plugged in even more filters. CUPS handles all data file
formats under the label of various MIME types. Every incoming print file
is subjected to an initial autotyping. The autotyping determines its given
MIME type. A given MIME type implies zero or more possible filtering
chains relevant to the selected target printer. This section discusses how
MIME types recognition and conversion rules interact. They are used by
CUPS to automatically set up a working filtering chain for any given input
data format.
If CUPS rasterizes a PostScript file natively to a bitmap, this is done in two
stages:
• The first stage uses a Ghostscript device named “cups” (this is since
version 1.1.15) and produces a generic raster format called “CUPS
raster”.
• The second stage uses a “raster driver” that converts the generic CUPS
raster to a device-specific raster.
Make sure your Ghostscript version has the “cups” device compiled in (check
with gs -h | grep cups). Otherwise you may encounter the dreaded Un-
able to convert file 0 in your CUPS error log file. To have “cups” as
a device in your Ghostscript, you either need to patch GNU Ghostscript
and recompile or use ESP Ghostscript4 . The superior alternative is ESP
Ghostscript. It supports not just CUPS, but 300 other devices (while GNU
Ghostscript supports only about 180). Because of this broad output device
support, ESP Ghostscript is the first choice for non-CUPS spoolers, too. It
is now recommended by Linuxprinting.org for all spoolers.
CUPS printers may be set up to use external rendering paths. One of
the most common is provided by the Foomatic/cupsomatic concept from
4
<http://www.cups.org/ghostscript.php>
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 437

Linuxprinting.org5 . This uses the classical Ghostscript approach, doing ev-

erything in one step. It does not use the “cups” device, but one of the many
others. However, even for Foomatic/cupsomatic usage, best results and
broadest printer model support is provided by ESP Ghostscript (more about
Foomatic/cupsomatic, particularly the new version called now foomatic-rip,
follows).

21.5.1 MIME Types and CUPS Filters

CUPS reads the file /etc/cups/mime.types (and all other files carrying a
*.types suffix in the same directory) upon startup. These files contain the
MIME type recognition rules that are applied when CUPS runs its autotyp-
ing routines. The rule syntax is explained in the man page for mime.types
and in the comments section of the mime.types file itself. A simple rule
reads like this:

application/pdf pdf string(0,%PDF)

This means if a filename has a .pdf suffix or if the magic string %PDF is
right at the beginning of the file itself (offset 0 from the start), then it is a
PDF file (application/pdf). Another rule is this:

application/postscript ai eps ps string(0,%!) string(0,<04>%!)

If the filename has one of the suffixes .ai, .eps, .ps, or if the file itself
starts with one of the strings %! or <04>%!, it is a generic PostScript file
(application/postscript).

Warning

Don’t confuse the other mime.types files your system

might be using with the one in the /etc/cups/ directory.

5
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/>
438 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Note

There is an important difference between two

similar MIME types in CUPS: one is applica-
tion/postscript, the other is application/vnd.
cups-postscript. While application/postscript
is meant to be device-independent, job options for
the file are still outside the PS file content, embedded
in command-line or environment variables by CUPS,
application/vnd.cups-postscript may have the
job options inserted into the PostScript data itself
(where applicable). The transformation of the generic
PostScript (application/postscript) to the device-
specific version (application/vnd.cups-postscript)
is the responsibility of the CUPS pstops filter. pstops
uses information contained in the PPD to do the
transformation.

CUPS can handle ASCII text, HP-GL, PDF, PostScript, DVI, and many
image formats (GIF, PNG, TIFF, JPEG, Photo-CD, SUN-Raster, PNM,
PBM, SGI-RGB, and more) and their associated MIME types with its filters.

21.5.2 MIME Type Conversion Rules

CUPS reads the file /etc/cups/mime.convs (and all other files named with
a *.convs suffix in the same directory) upon startup. These files contain
lines naming an input MIME type, an output MIME type, a format con-
version filter that can produce the output from the input type, and virtual
costs associated with this conversion. One example line reads like this:

application/pdf application/postscript 33 pdftops

This means that the pdftops filter will take application/pdf as input
and produce application/postscript as output; the virtual cost of this
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 439

operation is 33 CUPS-$. The next filter is more expensive, costing 66 CUPS-

application/vnd.hp-HPGL application/postscript 66 hpgltops

This is the hpgltops, which processes HP-GL plotter files to PostScript.

application/octet-stream

Here are two more examples:

application/x-shell application/postscript 33 texttops

text/plain application/postscript 33 texttops

The last two examples name the texttops filter to work on text/plain as
well as on application/x-shell. (Hint: This differentiation is needed for
the syntax highlighting feature of texttops).

21.5.3 Filtering Overview

There are many more combinations named in mime.convs. However, you

are not limited to use the ones predefined there. You can plug in any filter
you like to the CUPS framework. It must meet, or must be made to meet,
some minimal requirements. If you find (or write) a cool conversion filter
of some kind, make sure it complies with what CUPS needs and put in
the right lines in mime.types and mime.convs; then it will work seamlessly
inside CUPS.

21.5.3.1 Filter Requirements

The “CUPS requirements” for filters are simple. Take filenames or stdin
as input and write to stdout. They should take these arguments:

printer The name of the printer queue (normally this is the name of the
filter being run).
440 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

job The numeric job ID for the job being printed.

user The string from the originating-user-name attribute.

title The string from the job-name attribute.

copies The numeric value from the number-copies attribute.

options The job options.

filename (optionally) The print request file (if missing, filters expected data
fed through stdin). In most cases, it is easy to write a simple wrapper
script around existing filters to make them work with CUPS.

21.5.4 Prefilters

As previously stated, PostScript is the central file format to any UNIX-

based printing system. From PostScript, CUPS generates raster data to
feed non-PostScript printers.
But what happens if you send one of the supported non-PS formats to
print? Then CUPS runs “prefilters” on these input formats to generate
PostScript first. There are prefilters to create PostScript from ASCII text,
PDF, DVI, or HP-GL. The outcome of these filters is always of MIME type
application/postscript (meaning that any device-specific print options
are not yet embedded into the PostScript by CUPS and that the next fil-
ter to be called is pstops). Another prefilter is running on all supported
image formats, the imagetops filter. Its outcome is always of MIME type
application/vnd.cups-postscript (not application/postscript), meaning
it has the print options already embedded into the file. This is shown in
Figure 21.4.

21.5.5 pstops

pstops is a filter that is used to convert application/postscript to application/vnd.

Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 441

Figure 21.4. Prefiltering in CUPS to Form PostScript.

cups-postscript. As stated earlier, this filter inserts all device-specific

print options (commands to the printer to ask for the duplexing of output,
or stapling and punching it, and so on) into the PostScript file. An example
is illustrated in Figure 21.5.

Figure 21.5. Adding Device-Specific Print Options.

This is not all. Other tasks performed by it are:

• Selecting the range of pages to be printed (e.g., you can choose to print
only pages “3, 6, 8-11, 16, and 19-21”, or only odd-numbered pages).
• Putting two or more logical pages on one sheet of paper (the so-called
“number-up” function).
• Counting the pages of the job to insert the accounting information
into the /var/log/cups/page log.

21.5.6 pstoraster

pstoraster is at the core of the CUPS filtering system. It is responsible

442 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

for the first stage of the rasterization process. Its input is of MIME type
application/vnd.cups-postscript; its output is application/vnd.cups-raster.
This output format is not yet meant to be printable. Its aim is to serve as
a general-purpose input format for more specialized raster drivers that are
able to generate device-specific printer data. This is shown in Figure 21.6.

Figure 21.6. PostScript to Intermediate Raster Format.

CUPS raster is a generic raster format with powerful features. It is able

to include per-page information, color profiles, and more, to be used by the
downstream raster drivers. Its MIME type is registered with IANA and its
specification is, of course, completely open. It is designed to make it quite
easy and inexpensive for manufacturers to develop Linux and UNIX raster
drivers for their printer models should they choose to do so. CUPS always
takes care of the first stage of rasterization so these vendors do not need
to care about Ghostscript complications (in fact, there is currently more
than one vendor financing the development of CUPS raster drivers). This
is illustrated in Figure 21.7.

CUPS versions before version 1.1.15 shipped a binary (or source code) stan-
dalone filter, named pstoraster. pstoraster, which was derived from
GNU Ghostscript 5.50 and could be installed besides and in addition to any
GNU or AFPL Ghostscript package without conflicting.

From version 1.1.15, this feature has changed. The functions for this filter
have been integrated back into Ghostscript (now based on GNU Ghostscript
version 7.05). The pstoraster filter is now a simple shell script calling gs
with the -sDEVICE=cups parameter. If your Ghostscript fails when this
command is executed: gs -h |grep cups, you might not be able to print,
update your Ghostscript.
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 443

Figure 21.7. CUPS-Raster Production Using Ghostscript.

21.5.7 imagetops and imagetoraster

In the section about prefilters, we mentioned the prefilter that generates

PostScript from image formats. The imagetoraster filter is used to convert
directly from image to raster, without the intermediate PostScript stage. It
is used more often than the previously mentioned prefilters. We summarize
in a flowchart the image file filtering in Figure 21.8.

21.5.8 rasterto [printers specific]

CUPS ships with quite a variety of raster drivers for processing CUPS raster.
On my system I find in /usr/lib/cups/filter/ the following: rastertoalps,
rastertobj, rastertoepson, rastertoescp, rastertopcl, rastertotur-
boprint, rastertoapdk, rastertodymo, rastertoescp, rastertohp, and
rastertoprinter. Don’t worry if you have fewer drivers than this; some
of these are installed by commercial add-ons to CUPS (like rastertotur-
boprint), and others (like rastertoprinter) by third-party driver devel-
opment projects (such as Gimp-Print) wanting to cooperate as closely as
possible with CUPS. See Figure 21.9.
444 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Figure 21.8. Image Format to CUPS-Raster Format Conversion.

21.5.9 CUPS Backends

The last part of any CUPS filtering chain is a backend. Backends are special
programs that send the print-ready file to the final device. There is a sep-
arate backend program for any transfer protocol for sending print jobs over
the network, and one for every local interface. Every CUPS print queue
needs to have a CUPS “device-URI” associated with it. The device URI
is the way to encode the backend used to send the job to its destination.
Network device-URIs use two slashes in their syntax, local device URIs only
one, as you can see from the following list. Keep in mind that local interface
names may vary greatly from my examples, if your OS is not Linux:

usb This backend sends print files to USB-connected printers. An example

for the CUPS device-URI to use is usb:/dev/usb/lp0.
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 445

Figure 21.9. Raster to Printer-Specific Formats.

serial This backend sends print files to serially connected printers. An ex-
ample for the CUPS device-URI to use is serial:/dev/ttyS0?baud=11500.

parallel This backend sends print files to printers connected to the parallel
port. An example for the CUPS device-URI to use is parallel:/dev/
lp0.

SCSI This backend sends print files to printers attached to the SCSI in-
terface. An example for the CUPS device-URI to use is scsi:/dev/
sr1.

lpd This backend sends print files to LPR/LPD-connected network printers.

An example for the CUPS device-URI to use is lpd://remote host
name/remote queue name.

AppSocket/HP JetDirect This backend sends print files to AppSocket

(a.k.a., HP JetDirect) connected network printers. An example for the
CUPS device-URI to use is socket://10.11.12.13:9100.
446 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

ipp This backend sends print files to IPP-connected network printers (or
to other CUPS servers). Examples for CUPS device-URIs to use are
ipp:://192.193.194.195/ipp (for many HP printers) and ipp://
remote cups server/printers/remote printer name.

http This backend sends print files to HTTP-connected printers. (The

http:// CUPS backend is only a symlink to the ipp:// backend.)
Examples for the CUPS device-URIs to use are http:://192.193.
194.195:631/ipp (for many HP printers) and http://remote cups
server:631/printers/remote printer name.

smb This backend sends print files to printers shared by a Windows host.
Examples of CUPS device-URIs that may be used includes:

smb://workgroup/server/printersharename
smb://server/printersharename
smb://username:password@workgroup/server/printersharename
smb://username:password@server/printersharename

The smb:// backend is a symlink to the Samba utility smbspool (does

not ship with CUPS). If the symlink is not present in your CUPS back-
end directory, have your root user create it: ln -s ‘which smbspool’
/usr/lib/cups/backend/smb.

It is easy to write your own backends as shell or Perl scripts if you need
any modification or extension to the CUPS print system. One reason could
be that you want to create “special” printers that send the print jobs as
email (through a “mailto:/” backend), convert them to PDF (through a
“pdfgen:/” backend) or dump them to “/dev/null”. (In fact, I have the
systemwide default printer set up to be connected to a devnull:/ backend:
there are just too many people sending jobs without specifying a printer, and
scripts and programs that do not name a printer. The systemwide default
deletes the job and sends a polite email back to the $USER asking him or
her to always specify the correct printer name.)

Not all of the mentioned backends may be present on your system or usable
(depending on your hardware configuration). One test for all available CUPS
backends is provided by the lpinfo utility. Used with the -v parameter, it
lists all available backends:
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 447

$ lpinfo -v

21.5.10 The Role of cupsomatic/foomatic

cupsomatic filters may be the most widely used on CUPS installations. You
must be clear that these were not developed by the CUPS people. They are a
third-party add-on to CUPS. They utilize the traditional Ghostscript devices
to render jobs for CUPS. When troubleshooting, you should know about
the difference. Here the whole rendering process is done in one stage, inside
Ghostscript, using an appropriate device for the target printer. cupsomatic
uses PPDs that are generated from the Foomatic Printer & Driver Database
at Linuxprinting.org.
You can recognize these PPDs from the line calling the cupsomatic filter:

*cupsFilter: "application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 cupsomatic"

You may find this line among the first 40 or so lines of the PPD file. If you
have such a PPD installed, the printer shows up in the CUPS Web interface
with a foomatic namepart for the driver description. cupsomatic is a Perl
script that runs Ghostscript with all the complicated command-line options
autoconstructed from the selected PPD and command line options give to
the print job.
However, cupsomatic is now deprecated. Its PPDs (especially the first
generation of them, still in heavy use out there) are not meeting the Adobe
specifications. You might also suffer difficulties when you try to download
them with “Point’n’Print” to Windows clients. A better and more powerful
successor is now in a stable beta-version: it is called foomatic-rip. To use
foomatic-rip as a filter with CUPS, you need the new type of PPDs, which
have a similar but different line:

*cupsFilter: "application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 foomatic-rip"

The PPD-generating engine at Linuxprinting.org has been revamped. The

new PPDs comply with the Adobe spec. They also provide a new way to
448 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

specify different quality levels (hi-res photo, normal color, grayscale, and
draft) with a single click, whereas before you could have required five or
more different selections (media type, resolution, inktype, and dithering al-
gorithm). There is support for custom-size media built in. There is support
to switch print options from page to page in the middle of a job. And the
best thing is that the new foomatic-rip works seamlessly with all legacy
spoolers too (like LPRng, BSD-LPD, PDQ, PPR, and so on), providing for
them access to use PPDs for their printing.

21.5.11 The Complete Picture

If you want to see an overview of all the filters and how they relate to each
other, the complete picture of the puzzle is at the end of this chapter.

21.5.12 mime.convs

CUPS autoconstructs all possible filtering chain paths for any given MIME
type and every printer installed. But how does it decide in favor of or against
a specific alternative? (There may be cases where there is a choice of two or
more possible filtering chains for the same target printer.) Simple. You may
have noticed the figures in the third column of the mime.convs file. They
represent virtual costs assigned to this filter. Every possible filtering chain
will sum up to a total “filter cost.” CUPS decides for the most “inexpensive”
route.

Tip

Setting FilterLimit 1000 in cupsd.conf will not al-

low more filters to run concurrently than will consume a
total of 1000 virtual filter cost. This is an efficient way
to limit the load of any CUPS server by setting an ap-
propriate “FilterLimit” value. A FilterLimit of 200 allows
roughly one job at a time, while a FilterLimit of 1000
allows approximately five jobs maximum at a time.
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 449

21.5.13 “Raw” Printing

You can tell CUPS to print (nearly) any file “raw”. “Raw” means it will not
be filtered. CUPS will send the file to the printer “as is” without bothering if
the printer is able to digest it. Users need to take care themselves that they
send sensible data formats only. Raw printing can happen on any queue if
the “-o raw” option is specified on the command line. You can also set up
raw-only queues by simply not associating any PPD with it. This command:

$ lpadmin -P rawprinter -v socket://11.12.13.14:9100 -E

sets up a queue named “rawprinter”, connected via the “socket” protocol

(a.k.a. “HP JetDirect”) to the device at IP address 11.12.1.3.14, using port
9100. (If you had added a PPD with -P /path/to/PPD to this command
line, you would have installed a “normal” print queue.)
CUPS will automatically treat each job sent to a queue as a “raw” one if
it can’t find a PPD associated with the queue. However, CUPS will only
send known MIME types (as defined in its own mime.types file) and refuse
others.

21.5.14 application/octet-stream Printing

Any MIME type with no rule in the /etc/cups/mime.types file is regarded

as unknown or application/octet-stream and will not be sent. Because
CUPS refuses to print unknown MIME types by default, you will probably
have experienced that print jobs originating from Windows clients were not
printed. You may have found an error message in your CUPS logs like:
Unable to convert file 0 to printable format for job
To enable the printing of application/octet-stream files, edit these two
files:
• /etc/cups/mime.convs
• /etc/cups/mime.types
Both contain entries (at the end of the respective files) that must be uncom-
mented to allow raw mode operation for application/octet-stream. In /
etc/cups/mime.types make sure this line is present:
450 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

application/octet-stream

This line (with no specific autotyping rule set) makes all files not otherwise
auto-typed a member of application/octet-stream. In /etc/cups/mime.
convs, have this line:

application/octet-stream application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

This line tells CUPS to use the Null Filter (denoted as “-”, doing nothing at
all) on application/octet-stream, and tag the result as application/vnd.
cups-raw. This last one is always a green light to the CUPS scheduler to
now hand the file over to the backend connecting to the printer and sending
it over.

Note

Editing the mime.convs and the mime.types file does

not enforce “raw” printing, it only allows it.

Background. That CUPS is a more security-aware printing system than

traditional ones does not by default allow one to send deliberate (possibly
binary) data to printing devices. (This could be easily abused to launch a
Denial of Service attack on your printer(s), causing at least the loss of a lot
of paper and ink.) “Unknown” data are regarded by CUPS as MIME type
application/octet-stream. While you can send data “raw”, the MIME type
for these must be one that is known to CUPS and an allowed one. The file
/etc/cups/mime.types defines the “rules” of how CUPS recognizes MIME
types. The file /etc/cups/mime.convs decides which file conversion filter(s)
may be applied to which MIME types.
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 451

21.5.15 PostScript Printer Descriptions for Non-PostScript Print-

ers

Originally PPDs were meant to be used for PostScript printers only. Here,
they help to send device-specific commands and settings to the RIP, which
processes the job file. CUPS has extended this scope for PPDs to cover non-
PostScript printers too. This was not difficult, because it is a standardized
file format. In a way it was logical too: CUPS handles PostScript and uses
a PostScript RIP (Ghostscript) to process the job files. The only difference
is that a PostScript printer has the RIP built-in, for other types of printers
the Ghostscript RIP runs on the host computer.
PPDs for a non-PostScript printer have a few lines that are unique to CUPS.
The most important one looks similar to this:

*cupsFilter: application/vnd.cups-raster 66 rastertoprinter

It is the last piece in the CUPS filtering puzzle. This line tells the CUPS dae-
mon to use as a last filter rastertoprinter. This filter should be served
as input an application/vnd.cups-raster MIME type file. Therefore,
CUPS should autoconstruct a filtering chain, which delivers as its last out-
put the specified MIME type. This is then taken as input to the specified
rastertoprinter filter. After the last filter has done its work (rasterto-
printer is a Gimp-Print filter), the file should go to the backend, which
sends it to the output device.
CUPS by default ships only a few generic PPDs, but they are good for several
hundred printer models. You may not be able to control different paper
trays, or you may get larger margins than your specific model supports. See
Table 21.1Table 21.1 for summary information.

21.5.16 cupsomatic/foomatic-rip Versus Native CUPS Printing

Native CUPS rasterization works in two steps:

• First is the pstoraster step. It uses the special CUPS device from
ESP Ghostscript 7.05.x as its tool.
• Second is the rasterdriver step. It uses various device-specific filters;
there are several vendors who provide good quality filters for this step.
452 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Table 21.1. PPDs Shipped with CUPS

PPD file Printer type
deskjet.ppd older HP inkjet printers and compatible
deskjet2.ppd newer HP inkjet printers and compatible
dymo.ppd label printers
epson9.ppd Epson 24-pin impact printers and compatible
epson24.ppd Epson 24-pin impact printers and compatible
okidata9.ppd Okidata 9-pin impact printers and compatible
okidat24.ppd Okidata 24-pin impact printers and compatible
stcolor.ppd older Epson Stylus Color printers
stcolor2.ppd newer Epson Stylus Color printers
stphoto.ppd older Epson Stylus Photo printers
stphoto2.ppd newer Epson Stylus Photo printers
laserjet.ppd all PCL printers

Some are free software, some are shareware, and some are proprietary.
Often this produces better quality (and has several more advantages) than
other methods. This is shown in Figure 21.10.
One other method is the cupsomatic/foomatic-rip way. Note that cup-
somatic is not made by the CUPS developers. It is an independent contri-
bution to printing development, made by people from Linuxprinting.org.6
cupsomatic is no longer developed, maintained, or supported. It now been
replaced by foomatic-rip. foomatic-rip is a complete rewrite of the old
cupsomatic idea, but very much improved and generalized to other (non-
CUPS) spoolers. An upgrade to foomatic-rip is strongly advised, espe-
cially if you are upgrading to a recent version of CUPS, too.
Like the old cupsomatic method, the foomatic-rip (new) method from
Linuxprinting.org uses the traditional Ghostscript print file processing, do-
ing everything in a single step. It therefore relies on all the other devices
built into Ghostscript. The quality is as good (or bad) as Ghostscript render-
ing is in other spoolers. The advantage is that this method supports many
printer models not supported (yet) by the more modern CUPS method.
Of course, you can use both methods side by side on one system (and even
for one printer, if you set up different queues) and find out which works best
6
See also <http://www.cups.org/cups-help.html>
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 453

Figure 21.10. cupsomatic/foomatic Processing Versus Native CUPS.

for you.
cupsomatic kidnaps the print file after the application/vnd.cups-postscript
stage and deviates it through the CUPS-external, systemwide Ghostscript
installation. Therefore, the print file bypasses the pstoraster filter (and
also bypasses the CUPS raster drivers rastertosomething). After Ghostscript
finished its rasterization, cupsomatic hands the rendered file directly to the
CUPS backend. Figure 21.10, Figure 21.10, illustrates the difference be-
tween native CUPS rendering and the Foomatic/cupsomatic method.

21.5.17 Examples for Filtering Chains

Here are a few examples of commonly occurring filtering chains to illustrate

the workings of CUPS.
Assume you want to print a PDF file to an HP JetDirect-connected PostScript
454 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

printer, but you want to print pages 3-5, 7, and 11-13 only, and you want
to print them “two-up” and “duplex”:
• Your print options (page selection as required, two-up, duplex) are
passed to CUPS on the command line.
• The (complete) PDF file is sent to CUPS and autotyped as applica-
tion/pdf.
• The file therefore must first pass the pdftops prefilter, which pro-
duces PostScript MIME type application/postscript (a preview
here would still show all pages of the original PDF).
• The file then passes the pstops filter that applies the command-line
options: it selects pages 2-5, 7, and 11-13, creates the imposed layout
“two pages on one sheet”, and inserts the correct “duplex” command
(as defined in the printer’s PPD) into the new PostScript file; the file is
now of PostScript MIME type application/vnd.cups-postscript.
• The file goes to the socket backend, which transfers the job to the
printers.
The resulting filter chain, therefore, is as shown in Figure 21.11.

pdftops pstops socket

Figure 21.11. PDF to Socket Chain.

Assume you want to print the same filter to an USB-connected Epson Stylus
Photo printer installed with the CUPS stphoto2.ppd. The first few filtering
stages are nearly the same:
• Your print options (page selection as required, two-up, duplex) are
passed to CUPS on the command line.
• The (complete) PDF file is sent to CUPS and autotyped as applica-
tion/pdf.
• The file must first pass the pdftops prefilter, which produces PostScript
MIME type application/postscript (a preview here would still
show all pages of the original PDF).
• The file then passes the “pstops” filter that applies the command-
line options: it selects the pages 2-5, 7, and 11-13, creates the imposed
Section 21.5. The CUPS Filtering Architecture 455

layout “two pages on one sheet,” and inserts the correct “duplex” com-
mand (oops — this printer and PPD do not support duplex printing at
all, so this option will be ignored) into the new PostScript file; the file is
now of PostScript MIME type application/vnd.cups-postscript.
• The file then passes the pstoraster stage and becomes MIME type
application/cups-raster.
• Finally, the rastertoepson filter does its work (as indicated in the
printer’s PPD), creating the printer-specific raster data and embedding
any user-selected print options into the print data stream.
• The file goes to the usb backend, which transfers the job to the print-
ers.
The resulting filter chain therefore is as shown in Figure 21.12.

pdftops pstops pstoraster

usb rastertoepson

Figure 21.12. PDF to USB Chain.

21.5.18 Sources of CUPS Drivers/PPDs

On the Internet you can now find many thousands of CUPS-PPD files (with
their companion filters), in many national languages supporting more than
1,000 non-PostScript models.
• ESP PrintPro7 (commercial, non-free) is packaged with more than
3,000 PPDs, ready for successful use “out of the box” on Linux, Mac
OS X, IBM-AIX, HP-UX, Sun-Solaris, SGI-IRIX, Compaq Tru64, Dig-
ital UNIX, and other commercial Unices (it is written by the CUPS
developers themselves and its sales help finance the further develop-
ment of CUPS, as they feed their creators).
• The Gimp-Print Project8 (GPL, free software) provides around 140
7
<http://wwwl.easysw.com/printpro/>
8
<http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/>
456 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

PPDs (supporting nearly 400 printers, many driven to photo quality

output), to be used alongside the Gimp-Print CUPS filters.

• TurboPrint9 (shareware, non-free) supports roughly the same number

of printers in excellent quality.

• OMNI10 (LPGL, free) is a package made by IBM, now containing

support for more than 400 printers, stemming from the inheritance of
IBM OS/2 know-how ported over to Linux (CUPS support is in a beta
stage at present).

• HPIJS11 (BSD-style licenses, free) supports approximately 150 of HP’s

own printers and also provides excellent print quality now (currently
available only via the Foomatic path).

• Foomatic/cupsomatic12 (LPGL, free) from Linuxprinting.org provide

PPDs for practically every Ghostscript filter known to the world (in-
cluding Omni, Gimp-Print, and HPIJS).

21.5.19 Printing with Interface Scripts

CUPS also supports the use of “interface scripts” as known from System
V AT&T printing systems. These are often used for PCL printers, from
applications that generate PCL print jobs. Interface scripts are specific to
printer models. They have a role similar to PPDs for PostScript printers.
Interface scripts may inject the Escape sequences as required into the print
data stream if the user, for example, selects a certain paper tray, or changes
paper orientation, or uses A3 paper. Interface scripts are practically un-
known in the Linux realm. On HP-UX platforms they are more often used.
You can use any working interface script on CUPS too. Just install the
printer with the -i option:

root# lpadmin -p pclprinter -v socket://11.12.13.14:9100 \

-i /path/to/interface-script

9
<http://www.turboprint.com/>
10
<http://www-124.ibm.com/developerworks/oss/linux/projects/omni/>
11
<http://hpinkjet.sourceforge.net/>
12
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/>
Section 21.6. Network Printing (Purely Windows) 457

Interface scripts might be the “unknown animal” to many. However, with

CUPS they provide the easiest way to plug in your own custom-written filter-
ing script or program into one specific print queue (some information about
the traditional use of interface scripts is found at http://playground.sun.com/printing/documentation/interfa

21.6 Network Printing (Purely Windows)

Network printing covers a lot of ground. To understand what exactly goes

on with Samba when it is printing on behalf of its Windows clients, let’s
first look at a “purely Windows” setup: Windows clients with a Windows
NT print server.

21.6.1 From Windows Clients to an NT Print Server

Windows clients printing to an NT-based print server have two options.

They may:

• Execute the driver locally and render the GDI output (EMF) into the
printer-specific format on their own.

• Send the GDI output (EMF) to the server, where the driver is executed
to render the printer-specific output.

Both print paths are shown in the flowcharts in Figure 21.13, and Fig-
ure 21.14.

21.6.2 Driver Execution on the Client

In the first case the print server must spool the file as raw, meaning it
shouldn’t touch the job file and try to convert it in any way. This is what a
traditional UNIX-based print server can do too, and at a better performance
and more reliably than an NT print server. This is what most Samba ad-
ministrators probably are familiar with. One advantage of this setup is that
this “spooling-only” print server may be used even if no driver(s) for UNIX
are available. It is sufficient to have the Windows client drivers available
and installed on the clients. This is illustrated in Figure 21.13.
13
<http://playground.sun.com/printing/documentation/interface.html>
458 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Figure 21.13. Print Driver Execution on the Client.

21.6.3 Driver Execution on the Server

The other path executes the printer driver on the server. The client transfers
print files in EMF format to the server. The server uses the PostScript, PCL,
ESC/P, or other driver to convert the EMF file into the printer-specific
language. It is not possible for UNIX to do the same. Currently, there
is no program or method to convert a Windows client’s GDI output on a
UNIX server into something a printer could understand. This is illustrated
in Figure 21.14.

Figure 21.14. Print Driver Execution on the Server.

However, something similar is possible with CUPS, so read on.

Section 21.7. Network Printing (Windows Clients and UNIX/Samba Print Servers) 459

21.7 Network Printing (Windows Clients and UNIX/Samba

Print Servers)

Since UNIX print servers cannot execute the Win32 program code on their
platform, the picture is somewhat different. However, this does not limit
your options all that much. On the contrary, you may have a way here to
implement printing features that are not possible otherwise.

21.7.1 From Windows Clients to a CUPS/Samba Print Server

Here is a simple recipe showing how you can take advantage of CUPS’s
powerful features for the benefit of your Windows network printing clients:

• Let the Windows clients send PostScript to the CUPS server.

• Let the CUPS server render the PostScript into device-specific raster
format.

This requires the clients to use a PostScript driver (even if the printer is a
non-PostScript model. It also requires that you have a driver on the CUPS
server.

First, to enable CUPS-based printing through Samba, the following options

should be set in your smb.conf file [global] section:

p r i n t i n g = cups
p r i n t c a p = cups

When these parameters are specified, all manually set print directives (like
print command or lppause command ) in smb.conf (as well as in Samba
itself) will be ignored. Instead, Samba will directly interface with CUPS
through its application program interface (API), as long as Samba has been
compiled with CUPS library (libcups) support. If Samba has not been
compiled with CUPS support, and if no other print commands are set up,
then printing will use the System V AT&T command set, with the -oraw
option automatically passing through (if you want your own defined print
commands to work with a Samba server that has CUPS support compiled
in, simply use classicalprinting = sysv). This is illustrated in Figure 21.15.
460 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Figure 21.15. Printing via CUPS/Samba Server.

21.7.2 Samba Receiving Job-Files and Passing Them to CUPS

Samba must use its own spool directory (it is set by a line similar to path =
/var/spool/samba, in the [printers] or [printername] section of smb.conf).
Samba receives the job in its own spool space and passes it into the spool
directory of CUPS (the CUPS spool directory is set by the RequestRoot
directive in a line that defaults to RequestRoot /var/spool/cups). CUPS
checks the access rights of its spool directory and resets it to healthy values
with every restart. We have seen quite a few people who used a common
spooling space for Samba and CUPS, and struggled for weeks with this
“problem.”

A Windows user authenticates only to Samba (by whatever means is con-

figured). If Samba runs on the same host as CUPS, you only need to allow
“localhost” to print. If it runs on different machines, you need to make sure
the Samba host gets access to printing on CUPS.
Section 21.8. Network PostScript RIP 461

21.8 Network PostScript RIP

This section discusses the use of CUPS filters on the server — configuration
where clients make use of a PostScript driver with CUPS-PPDs.

PPDs can control all print device options. They are usually provided by
the manufacturer — if you own a PostScript printer, that is. PPD files
are always a component of PostScript printer drivers on MS Windows or
Apple Mac OS systems. They are ASCII files containing user-selectable
print options, mapped to appropriate PostScript, PCL, or PJL commands
for the target printer. Printer driver GUI dialogs translate these options
“on the fly” into buttons and drop-down lists for the user to select.

CUPS can load, without any conversions, the PPD file from any Windows
(NT is recommended) PostScript driver and handle the options. There is
a Web browser interface to the print options (select <http://localhost:
631/printers/> and click on one Configure Printer button to see it) or a
command-line interface (see man lpoptions or see if you have lphelp on
your system). There are also some different GUI front-ends on Linux/UNIX,
which can present PPD options to users. PPD options are normally meant
to be evaluated by the PostScript RIP on the real PostScript printer.

21.8.1 PPDs for Non-PS Printers on UNIX

CUPS does not limit itself to “real” PostScript printers in its use of PPDs.
The CUPS developers have extended the scope of the PPD concept to
also describe available device and driver options for non-PostScript printers
through CUPS-PPDs.

This is logical, because CUPS includes a fully featured PostScript inter-

preter (RIP). This RIP is based on Ghostscript. It can process all received
PostScript (and additionally many other file formats) from clients. All
CUPS-PPDs geared to non-PostScript printers contain an additional line,
starting with the keyword *cupsFilter. This line tells the CUPS print sys-
tem which printer-specific filter to use for the interpretation of the supplied
PostScript. Thus CUPS lets all its printers appear as PostScript devices
to its clients, because it can act as a PostScript RIP for those printers,
processing the received PostScript code into a proper raster print format.
462 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.8.2 PPDs for Non-PS Printers on Windows

CUPS-PPDs can also be used on Windows clients, on top of a “core”

PostScript driver (now recommended is the CUPS PostScript Driver for
Windows NT/200x/XP; you can also use the Adobe one, with limitations).
This feature enables CUPS to do a few tricks no other spooler can do:
• Act as a networked PostScript RIP handling print files from all client
platforms in a uniform way.
• Act as a central accounting and billing server, since all files are passed
through the pstops filter and are therefore logged in the CUPS page
log file. Note: this cannot happen with “raw” print jobs, which always
remain unfiltered per definition.
• Enable clients to consolidate on a single PostScript driver, even for
many different target printers.
Using CUPS PPDs on Windows clients enables them to control all print job
settings just as a UNIX client can do.

21.9 Windows Terminal Servers (WTS) as CUPS Clients

This setup may be of special interest to people experiencing major prob-

lems in WTS environments. WTS often need a multitude of non-PostScript
drivers installed to run their clients’ variety of different printer models. This
often imposes the price of much increased instability.

21.9.1 Printer Drivers Running in “Kernel Mode” Cause Many

Problems

Windows NT printer drivers, which run in “kernel mode”, introduce a high

risk for the stability of the system if the driver is not really stable and well
tested. And there are a lot of bad drivers out there! Especially notorious is
the example of the PCL printer driver that had an additional sound module
running to notify users via soundcard of their finished jobs. Do I need to say
that this one was also reliably causing “blue screens of death” on a regular
basis?
PostScript drivers are generally well tested. They are not known to cause
any problems, even though they also run in kernel mode. This might be
Section 21.9. Windows Terminal Servers (WTS) as CUPS Clients 463

because until now there have been only two different PostScript drivers: the
one from Adobe and the one from Microsoft. Both are well tested and are
as stable as you can imagine on Windows. The CUPS driver is derived from
the Microsoft one.

21.9.2 Workarounds Impose Heavy Limitations

In an attempt to work around problems, site administrators have resorted

to restricting the allowed drivers installed on their WTS to one generic
PCL and one PostScript driver. This, however, restricts the the number of
printer options available for clients to use. Often they can’t get out more
than simplex prints from one standard paper tray, while their devices could
do much better if driven by a different driver!

21.9.3 CUPS: A “Magical Stone”?

Using a PostScript driver, enabled with a CUPS-PPD, seems to be a very

elegant way to overcome all these shortcomings. There are, depending on
the version of Windows OS you use, up to three different PostScript drivers
now available: Adobe, Microsoft, and CUPS PostScript drivers. None of
them is known to cause major stability problems on WTS (even if used with
many different PPDs). The clients will be able to (again) choose paper trays,
duplex printing, and other settings. However, there is a certain price for this
too: a CUPS server acting as a PostScript RIP for its clients requires more
CPU and RAM than when just acting as a “raw spooling” device. Plus,
this setup is not yet widely tested, although the first feedbacks look very
promising.

21.9.4 PostScript Drivers with No Major Problems, Even in Ker-

nel Mode

More recent printer drivers on W200x and XP no longer run in kernel mode
(unlike Windows NT). However, both operating systems can still use the
NT drivers, running in kernel mode (you can roughly tell which is which
as the drivers in subdirectory “2” of “W32X86” are “old” ones). As was
said before, the Adobe as well as the Microsoft PostScript drivers are not
known to cause any stability problems. The CUPS driver is derived from
the Microsoft one. There is a simple reason for this: the MS DDK (Device
464 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Development Kit) for Windows NT (which used to be available at no cost to

licensees of Visual Studio) includes the source code of the Microsoft driver,
and licensees of Visual Studio are allowed to use and modify it for their
own driver development efforts. This is what the CUPS people have done.
The license does not allow them to publish the whole of the source code.
However, they have released the “diff” under the GPL, and if you are the
owner of an “MS DDK for Windows NT,” you can check the driver yourself.

21.10 Configuring CUPS for Driver Download

As we have said before, all previously known methods to prepare client

printer drivers on the Samba server for download and Point’n’Print conve-
nience of Windows workstations are working with CUPS, too. These meth-
ods were described in Chapter 20, “Classical Printing Support”. In reality,
this is a pure Samba business and relates only to the Samba-Windows client
relationship.

21.10.1 cupsaddsmb: The Unknown Utility

The cupsaddsmb utility (shipped with all current CUPS versions) is an al-
ternative method to transfer printer drivers into the Samba [print$] share.
Remember, this share is where clients expect drivers deposited and set up
for download and installation. It makes the sharing of any (or all) installed
CUPS printers quite easy. cupsaddsmb can use the Adobe PostScript
driver as well as the newly developed CUPS PostScript driver for Win-
dows NT/200x/XP. cupsaddsmb does not work with arbitrary vendor printer
drivers, but only with the exact driver files that are named in its man page.
The CUPS printer driver is available from the CUPS download site. Its
package name is cups-samba-[version].tar.gz. It is preferred over the
Adobe drivers because it has a number of advantages:
• It supports a much more accurate page accounting.
• It supports banner pages and page labels on all printers.
• It supports the setting of a number of job IPP attributes (such as job
priority, page label, and job billing).
However, currently only Windows NT, 2000, and XP are supported by the
CUPS drivers. You will also need to get the respective part of the Adobe
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 465

driver if you need to support Windows 95, 98, and Me clients.

21.10.2 Prepare Your smb.conf for cupsaddsmb

Prior to running cupsaddsmb, you need the settings in smb.conf as shown

in Example 21.10.1.

Example 21.10.1. smb.conf for cupsaddsmb Usage

[ global ]
load p r i n t e r s = yes
p r i n t i n g = cups
p r i n t c a p name = cups
[ printers ]
comment = A l l P r i n t e r s
path = / var / s p o o l /samba
b r o w s e a b l e = no
public = yes
# s e t t i n g depends on your r e q u i r e m e n t s
g u e s t ok = y e s
w r i t a b l e = no
p r i n t a b l e = yes
p r i n t e r admin = r o o t
[ print$ ]
comment = P r i n t e r D r i v e r s
path = / e t c /samba/ d r i v e r s
browseable = yes
g u e s t ok = no
read only = yes
write l i s t = root

21.10.3 CUPS “PostScript Driver for Windows NT/200x/XP”

CUPS users may get the exact same package from <http://www.cups.org/
software.html>. It is a separate package from the CUPS-based software
files, tagged as CUPS 1.1.x Windows NT/200x/XP Printer Driver for Samba
(tar.gz, 192k). The filename to download is cups-samba-1.1.x.tar.gz.
Upon untar and unzipping, it will reveal these files:
466 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

root# tar xvzf cups-samba-1.1.19.tar.gz

cups-samba.install
cups-samba.license
cups-samba.readme
cups-samba.remove
cups-samba.ss

These have been packaged with the ESP meta-packager software EPM. The
*.install and *.remove files are simple shell scripts, which untar the *.ss
(the *.ss is nothing else but a tar archive, which can be untarred by “tar”
too). Then it puts the content into /usr/share/cups/drivers/. This
content includes three files:

root# tar tv cups-samba.ss

cupsdrvr.dll
cupsui.dll
cups.hlp

The cups-samba.install shell scripts are easy to handle:

root# ./cups-samba.install
[....]
Installing software...
Updating file permissions...
Running post-install commands...
Installation is complete.

The script should automatically put the driver files into the /usr/share/
cups/drivers/ directory:

root# cp /usr/share/drivers/cups.hlp /usr/share/cups/drivers/

Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 467

Warning

Due to a bug, one recent CUPS release puts the

cups.hlp driver file into/usr/share/drivers/ instead
of /usr/share/cups/drivers/. To work around
this, copy/move the file (after running the ./cups-
samba.install script) manually to the correct place.

This new CUPS PostScript driver is currently binary only, but free of charge.
No complete source code is provided (yet). The reason is that it has been
developed with the help of the Microsoft DDK and compiled with Microsoft
Visual Studio 6. Driver developers are not allowed to distribute the whole
of the source code as free software. However, CUPS developers released the
“diff” in source code under the GPL, so anybody with a license for Visual
Studio and a DDK will be able to compile for himself or herself.

21.10.4 Recognizing Different Driver Files

The CUPS drivers do not support the older Windows 95/98/Me, but only
the Windows NT/2000/XP client.
Windows NT, 2000, and XP are supported by:
• cups.hlp
• cupsdrvr.dll
• cupsui.dll
Adobe drivers are available for the older Windows 95/98/Me as well as for
Windows NT/2000/XP clients. The set of files is different from the different
platforms.
Windows 95, 98, and ME are supported by:
• ADFONTS.MFM
• ADOBEPS4.DRV
• ADOBEPS4.HLP
• DEFPRTR2.PPD
468 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

• ICONLIB.DLL
• PSMON.DLL
Windows NT, 2000, and XP are supported by:
• ADOBEPS5.DLL
• ADOBEPSU.DLL
• ADOBEPSU.HLP

Note

If both the Adobe driver files and the CUPS driver files
for the support of Windows NT/200x/XP are present in-
stalled on the server, the Adobe files will be ignored and
the CUPS files will be used. If you prefer — for what-
ever reason — to use Adobe-only drivers, move away the
three CUPS driver files. The Windows 9x/Me clients use
the Adobe drivers in any case.

21.10.5 Acquiring the Adobe Driver Files

Acquiring the Adobe driver files seems to be unexpectedly difficult for many
users. They are not available on the Adobe Web site as single files, and
the self-extracting and/or self-installing Windows-.exe is not easy to locate
either. You probably need to use the included native installer and run the
installation process on one client once. This will install the drivers (and one
generic PostScript printer) locally on the client. When they are installed,
share the generic PostScript printer. After this, the client’s [print$] share
holds the Adobe files, which you can get with smbclient from the CUPS
host.

21.10.6 ESP Print Pro PostScript Driver for Windows NT/200x/XP

Users of the ESP Print Pro software are able to install the ESP print drivers
package as an alternative to the Adobe postscript drivers. To do so, retrieve
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 469

the driver files from the normal download area of the ESP Print Pro software
at Easy Software14 web site. You need to locate the link labeled “SAMBA”
among the Download Printer Drivers for ESP Print Pro 4.x area and
download the package. Once installed, you can prepare any driver by simply
highlighting the printer in the Printer Manager GUI and selecting Export
Driver... from the menu. Of course, you need to have prepared Samba
beforehand to handle the driver files; that is, set up the [print$] share, and
so on. The ESP Print Pro package includes the CUPS driver files as well as
a (licensed) set of Adobe drivers for the Windows 95/98/Me client family.

21.10.7 Caveats to Be Considered

Once you have run the install script (and possibly manually moved the cups.
hlp file to /usr/share/cups/drivers/), the driver is ready to be put into
Samba’s [print$] share (which often maps to /etc/samba/drivers/ and
contains a subdirectory tree with WIN40 and W32X86 branches). You do
this by running cupsaddsmb (see also man cupsaddsmb for CUPS since
release 1.1.16).

Tip

You may need to put root into the smbpasswd file by

running smbpasswd; this is especially important if you
should run this whole procedure for the first time and are
not working in an environment where everything is config-
ured for single sign-on to a Windows Domain Controller.

Once the driver files are in the [print$] share and are initialized, they are
ready to be downloaded and installed by the Windows NT/200x/XP clients.

14
<http://www.easysw.com/software.html>
470 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Note

Win 9x/Me clients will not work with the CUPS

PostScript driver. For these you still need to use the
ADOBE*.* drivers, as previously stated.

Note

It is not harmful if you still have the ADOBE. driver

files from previous installations in the /usr/share/
cups/drivers/ directory. The new cupsaddsmb (from
1.1.16) will automatically prefer its own drivers if it finds
both.
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 471

Note

Should your Windows clients have had the old ADOBE.

files for the Adobe PostScript driver installed, the down-
load and installation of the new CUPS PostScript driver
for Windows NT/200x/XP will fail at first. You need to
wipe the old driver from the clients first. It is not enough
to “delete” the printer, because the driver files will still
be kept by the clients and re-used if you try to re-install
the printer. To really get rid of the Adobe driver files on
the clients, open the Printers folder (possibly via Start
-> Settings -> Control Panel -> Printers), right-click
on the folder background, and select Server Properties.
When the new dialog opens, select the Drivers tab. On
the list select the driver you want to delete and click the
Delete button. This will only work if there is not one sin-
gle printer left that uses that particular driver. You need
to “delete” all printers using this driver in the Printers
folder first. You will need Administrator privileges to do
this.

Note

Once you have successfully downloaded the CUPS

PostScript driver to a client, you can easily switch all
printers to this one by proceeding as described in Chap-
ter 20, “Classical Printing Support”. Either change a
driver for an existing printer by running the Printer Prop-
erties dialog, or use rpcclient with the setdriver sub-
command.
472 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.10.8 Windows CUPS PostScript Driver Versus Adobe Driver

Are you interested in a comparison between the CUPS and the Adobe
PostScript drivers? For our purposes these are the most important items
that weigh in favor of CUPS:
• No hassle with the Adobe EULA.
• No hassle with the question, “Where do I get the ADOBE*.* driver
files?”
• The Adobe drivers (on request of the printer PPD associated with
them) often put a PJL header in front of the main PostScript part
of the print file. Thus, the print file starts with <1B >%-12345X or
<escape>%-12345X instead of %!PS. This leads to the CUPS dae-
mon autotyping the incoming file as a print-ready file, not initiating a
pass through the pstops filter (to speak more technically, it is not re-
garded as the generic MIME-type application/postscript, but as
the more special MIME type application/cups.vnd-postscript),
which therefore also leads to the page accounting in /var/log/cups/-
page log not receiving the exact number of pages; instead the dummy
page number of “1” is logged in a standard setup).
• The Adobe driver has more options to misconfigure the PostScript
generated by it (like setting it inadvertently to Optimize for Speed
instead of Optimize for Portability, which could lead to CUPS being
unable to process it).
• The CUPS PostScript driver output sent by Windows clients to the
CUPS server is guaranteed to autotype as the generic MIME type
application/postscript, thus passing through the CUPS pstops
filter and logging the correct number of pages in the page log for
accounting and quota purposes.
• The CUPS PostScript driver supports the sending of additional stan-
dard (IPP) print options by Windows NT/200x/XP clients. Such ad-
ditional print options are naming the CUPS standard banner pages
(or the custom ones, should they be installed at the time of driver
download), using the CUPS page-label option, setting a job priority,
and setting the scheduled time of printing (with the option to support
additional useful IPP job attributes in the future).
• The CUPS PostScript driver supports the inclusion of the new *cup-
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 473

sJobTicket comments at the beginning of the PostScript file (which

could be used in the future for all sort of beneficial extensions on the
CUPS side, but which will not disturb any other applications because
they will regard it as a comment and simply ignore it).
• The CUPS PostScript driver will be the heart of the fully fledged CUPS
IPP client for Windows NT/200x/XP to be released soon (probably
alongside the first beta release for CUPS 1.2).

21.10.9 Run cupsaddsmb (Quiet Mode)

The cupsaddsmb command copies the needed files into your [print$] share.
Additionally, the PPD associated with this printer is copied from /etc/
cups/ppd/ to [print$]. There the files wait for convenient Windows client
installations via Point’n’Print. Before we can run the command successfully,
we need to be sure that we can authenticate toward Samba. If you have a
small network, you are probably using user-level security (security = user).
Here is an example of a successfully run cupsaddsmb command:

root# cupsaddsmb -U root infotec_IS2027

Password for root required to access localhost via Samba: [’secret’]

To share all printers and drivers, use the -a parameter instead of a printer
name. Since cupsaddsmb “exports” the printer drivers to Samba, it should
be obvious that it only works for queues with a CUPS driver associated.

21.10.10 Run cupsaddsmb with Verbose Output

Probably you want to see what’s going on. Use the -v parameter to get a
more verbose output. The output below was edited for better readability:
all “\” at the end of a line indicate that I inserted an artificial line break
plus some indentation here:

root# cupsaddsmb -U root -v infotec_2105

Password for root required to access localhost via GANDALF:
Running command: smbclient //localhost/print\$ -N -U’root%secret’ \
-c ’mkdir W32X86; \
474 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

put /var/spool/cups/tmp/3e98bf2d333b5 W32X86/infotec_2105.ppd; \

put /usr/share/cups/drivers/cupsdrvr.dll W32X86/cupsdrvr.dll; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/cupsui.dll W32X86/cupsui.dll; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/cups.hlp W32X86/cups.hlp’
added interface ip=10.160.51.60 bcast=10.160.51.255 nmask=255.255.252.0
Domain=[CUPS-PRINT] OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba 2.2.7a]
NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_COLLISION making remote directory \W32X86
putting file /var/spool/cups/tmp/3e98bf2d333b5 as \W32X86/infotec_2105.ppd
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/cupsdrvr.dll as \W32X86/cupsdrvr.dll
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/cupsui.dll as \W32X86/cupsui.dll
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/cups.hlp as \W32X86/cups.hlp

Running command: rpcclient localhost -N -U’root%secret’

-c ’adddriver "Windows NT x86" \
"infotec_2105:cupsdrvr.dll:infotec_2105.ppd:cupsui.dll:cups.hlp:NULL: \
RAW:NULL"’
cmd = adddriver "Windows NT x86" \
"infotec_2105:cupsdrvr.dll:infotec_2105.ppd:cupsui.dll:cups.hlp:NULL: \
RAW:NULL"
Printer Driver infotec_2105 successfully installed.

Running command: smbclient //localhost/print\$ -N -U’root%secret’ \

-c ’mkdir WIN40; \
put /var/spool/cups/tmp/3e98bf2d333b5 WIN40/infotec_2105.PPD; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/ADFONTS.MFM WIN40/ADFONTS.MFM; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/ADOBEPS4.DRV WIN40/ADOBEPS4.DRV; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/ADOBEPS4.HLP WIN40/ADOBEPS4.HLP; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/DEFPRTR2.PPD WIN40/DEFPRTR2.PPD; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/ICONLIB.DLL WIN40/ICONLIB.DLL; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/PSMON.DLL WIN40/PSMON.DLL;’
added interface ip=10.160.51.60 bcast=10.160.51.255 nmask=255.255.252.0
Domain=[CUPS-PRINT] OS=[UNIX] Server=[Samba 2.2.7a]
NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_COLLISION making remote directory \WIN40
putting file /var/spool/cups/tmp/3e98bf2d333b5 as \WIN40/infotec_2105.PPD
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/ADFONTS.MFM as \WIN40/ADFONTS.MFM
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/ADOBEPS4.DRV as \WIN40/ADOBEPS4.DRV
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/ADOBEPS4.HLP as \WIN40/ADOBEPS4.HLP
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/DEFPRTR2.PPD as \WIN40/DEFPRTR2.PPD
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/ICONLIB.DLL as \WIN40/ICONLIB.DLL
putting file /usr/share/cups/drivers/PSMON.DLL as \WIN40/PSMON.DLL
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 475

Running command: rpcclient localhost -N -U’root%secret’ \

-c ’adddriver "Windows 4.0" \
"infotec_2105:ADOBEPS4.DRV:infotec_2105.PPD:NULL:ADOBEPS4.HLP: \
PSMON.DLL:RAW:ADOBEPS4.DRV,infotec_2105.PPD,ADOBEPS4.HLP,PSMON.DLL, \
ADFONTS.MFM,DEFPRTR2.PPD,ICONLIB.DLL"’
cmd = adddriver "Windows 4.0" "infotec_2105:ADOBEPS4.DRV:\
infotec_2105.PPD:NULL:ADOBEPS4.HLP:PSMON.DLL:RAW:ADOBEPS4.DRV,\
infotec_2105.PPD,ADOBEPS4.HLP,PSMON.DLL,ADFONTS.MFM,DEFPRTR2.PPD,\
ICONLIB.DLL"
Printer Driver infotec_2105 successfully installed.

Running command: rpcclient localhost -N -U’root%secret’ \

-c ’setdriver infotec_2105 infotec_2105’
cmd = setdriver infotec_2105 infotec_2105
Successfully set infotec_2105 to driver infotec_2105.

Warning

You will see the root password for the Samba account
printed on screen.

If you look closely, you’ll discover your root password was transferred un-
encrypted over the wire, so beware! Also, if you look further, you may
discover error messages like NT STATUS OBJECT NAME COLLISION in
the output. This will occur when the directories WIN40 and W32X86 al-
ready existed in the [print$] driver download share (from a previous driver
installation). These are harmless warning messages.

21.10.11 Understanding cupsaddsmb

What has happened? What did cupsaddsmb do? There are five stages of
the procedure:
1. Call the CUPS server via IPP and request the driver files and the PPD
file for the named printer.
476 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

2. Store the files temporarily in the local TEMPDIR (as defined in cupsd.
conf).
3. Connect via smbclient to the Samba server’s [print$] share and put
the files into the share’s WIN40 (for Windows 9x/Me) and W32X86
(for Windows NT/200x/XP) subdirectories.
4. Connect via rpcclient to the Samba server and execute the adddriver
command with the correct parameters.
5. Connect via rpcclient to the Samba server a second time and execute
the setdriver command.

Note

You can run the cupsaddsmb utility with parameters to

specify one remote host as Samba host and a second
remote host as CUPS host. Especially if you want to get
a deeper understanding, it is a good idea to try it and see
more clearly what is going on (though in real life most
people will have their CUPS and Samba servers run on
the same host):

root# cupsaddsmb -H sambaserver -h cupsserver -v printer

21.10.12 How to Recognize If cupsaddsmb Completed Success-

fully

You must always check if the utility completed successfully in all fields. You
need at minimum these three messages among the output:
1. Printer Driver infotec 2105 successfully installed. # (for the W32X86
== Windows NT/200x/XP architecture).
2. Printer Driver infotec 2105 successfully installed. # (for the WIN40
== Windows 9x/Me architecture).
3. Successfully set [printerXPZ] to driver [printerXYZ].
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 477

These messages are probably not easily recognized in the general output.
If you run cupsaddsmb with the -a parameter (which tries to prepare all
active CUPS printer drivers for download), you might miss if individual
printer drivers had problems installing properly. A redirection of the output
will help you analyze the results in retrospective.
If you get:

SetPrinter call failed!

result was WERR_ACCESS_DENIED

it means that you might have set use client driver = yes for this printer.
Setting it to “no” will solve the problem. Refer to the smb.conf man page
for explanantion of the use client driver.

Note

It is impossible to see any diagnostic output if you do

not run cupsaddsmb in verbose mode. Therefore, we
strongly recommend to not use the default quiet mode.
It will hide any problems from you that might occur.

21.10.13 cupsaddsmb with a Samba PDC

Can’t get the standard cupsaddsmb command to run on a Samba PDC?

Are you asked for the password credential again and again, and the command
just will not take off at all? Try one of these variations:

root# cupsaddsmb -U MIDEARTH\\root -v printername

root# cupsaddsmb -H SAURON -U MIDEARTH\\root -v printername
root# cupsaddsmb -H SAURON -U MIDEARTH\\root -h cups-server -v printername

(Note the two backslashes: the first one is required to “escape” the second
one).
478 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.10.14 cupsaddsmb Flowchart

Figure 21.16 shows a chart about the procedures, command flows, and data
flows of the cupaddsmb command. Note again: cupsaddsmb is not in-
tended to, and does not work with, raw print queues!

Figure 21.16. cupsaddsmb Flowchart.

21.10.15 Installing the PostScript Driver on a Client

After cupsaddsmb is completed, your driver is prepared for the clients to

use. Here are the steps you must perform to download and install it via
Point’n’Print. From a Windows client, browse to the CUPS/Samba server:
Section 21.10. Configuring CUPS for Driver Download 479

• Open the Printers share of Samba in Network Neighborhood.

• Right-click on the printer in question.
• From the opening context menu select Install... or Connect... (de-
pending on the Windows version you use).
After a few seconds, there should be a new printer in your client’s local
Printers folder. On Windows XP it will follow a naming convention of
PrinterName on SambaServer. (In my current case it is infotec 2105 on kde-
bitshop). If you want to test it and send your first job from an application
like Winword, the new printer appears in a \\SambaServer\PrinterName
entry in the drop-down list of available printers.
cupsaddsmb will only reliably work with CUPS version 1.1.15 or higher
and with Samba version 2.2.4, or later. If it does not work, or if the auto-
matic printer driver download to the clients does not succeed, you can still
manually install the CUPS printer PPD on top of the Adobe PostScript
driver on clients. Then point the client’s printer queue to the Samba printer
share for a UNC type of connection:

C:\> net use lpt1: \\sambaserver\printershare /user:ntadmin

should you desire to use the CUPS networked PostScript RIP functions.
(Note that user “ntadmin” needs to be a valid Samba user with the required
privileges to access the printershare.) This sets up the printer connection in
the traditional LanMan way (not using MS-RPC).

21.10.16 Avoiding Critical PostScript Driver Settings on the Client

Printing works, but there are still problems. Most jobs print well, some do
not print at all. Some jobs have problems with fonts, which do not look
very good. Some jobs print fast and some are dead-slow. Many of these
problems can be greatly reduced or even completely eliminated if you follow
a few guidelines. Remember, if your print device is not PostScript-enabled,
you are treating your Ghostscript installation on your CUPS host with the
output your client driver settings produce. Treat it well:
• Avoid the PostScript Output Option: Optimize for Speed setting. Use
the Optimize for Portability instead (Adobe PostScript driver).
480 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

• Don’t use the Page Independence: NO setting. Instead, use Page

Independence: YES (CUPS PostScript Driver).

• Recommended is the True Type Font Downloading Option: Native

True Type over Automatic and Outline; you should by all means avoid
Bitmap (Adobe PostScript Driver).

• Choose True Type Font: Download as Softfont into Printer over the
default Replace by Device Font (for exotic fonts, you may need to
change it back to get a printout at all; Adobe).

• Sometimes you can choose PostScript Language Level: in case of prob-

lems try 2 instead of 3 (the latest ESP Ghostscript package handles
Level 3 PostScript very well; Adobe).

• Say Yes to PostScript Error Handler (Adobe).

21.11 Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpc-

client

Of course, you can run all the commands that are embedded into the cup-
saddsmb convenience utility yourself, one by one, and upload and prepare
the driver files for future client downloads.

1. Prepare Samba (a CUPS print queue with the name of the printer
should be there. We are providing the driver now).

2. Copy all files to [print$].

3. Run rpcclient adddriver (for each client architecture you want to

support).

4. Run rpcclient setdriver.

We are going to do this now. First, read the man page on rpcclient to
get a first idea. Look at all the printing-related subcommands: enumprint-
ers, enumdrivers, enumports, adddriver, and setdriver are among the
most interesting ones. rpcclient implements an important part of the MS-
RPC protocol. You can use it to query (and command) a Windows NT
(or 200x/XP) PC, too. MS-RPC is used by Windows clients, among other
things, to benefit from the Point’n’Print features. Samba can now mimic
this as well.
Section 21.11. Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpcclient 481

21.11.1 A Check of the rpcclient man Page

First let’s check the rpcclient man page. Here are two relevant passages:
adddriver <arch> <config> Execute an AddPrinterDriver() RPC to
install the printer driver information on the server. The driver files should
already exist in the directory returned by getdriverdir. Possible values for
arch are the same as those for the getdriverdir command. The config
parameter is defined as follows:

Long Printer Name:\

Driver File Name:\
Data File Name:\
Config File Name:\
Help File Name:\
Language Monitor Name:\
Default Data Type:\
Comma Separated list of Files

Any empty fields should be entered as the string “NULL”.

Samba does not need to support the concept of print monitors, since these
only apply to local printers whose drivers can use a bidirectional link for
communication. This field should be “NULL”. On a remote NT print server,
the print monitor for a driver must already be installed before adding the
driver or else the RPC will fail.
setdriver <printername> <drivername> Execute a SetPrinter()
command to update the printer driver associated with an installed printer.
The printer driver must already be correctly installed on the print server.
See also the enumprinters and enumdrivers commands to obtain a list
of installed printers and drivers.

21.11.2 Understanding the rpcclient man Page

The exact format isn’t made too clear by the man page, since you have to
deal with some parameters containing spaces. Here is a better description
for it. We have line-broken the command and indicated the breaks with “\”.
Usually you would type the command in one line without the line breaks:
482 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

adddriver "Architecture" \
"LongPrinterName:DriverFile:DataFile:ConfigFile:HelpFile:\
LanguageMonitorFile:DataType:ListOfFiles,Comma-separated"

What the man pages denote as a simple <config> keyword in reality con-
sists of eight colon-separated fields. The last field may take multiple (in
some very insane cases, even 20 different additional) files. This might sound
confusing at first. What the man pages call the “LongPrinterName” in re-
ality should be called the “Driver Name”. You can name it anything you
want, as long as you use this name later in the rpcclient ... setdriver
command. For practical reasons, many name the driver the same as the
printer.
It isn’t simple at all. I hear you asking: “How do I know which files are Driver
File”, “Data File”, “Config File”, “Help File” and “Language Monitor File in
each case?” For an answer, you may want to have a look at how a Windows
NT box with a shared printer presents the files to us. Remember that this
whole procedure has to be developed by the Samba Team by listening to the
traffic caused by Windows computers on the wire. We may as well turn to a
Windows box now and access it from a UNIX workstation. We will query it
with rpcclient to see what it tells us and try to understand the man page
more clearly.

21.11.3 Producing an Example by Querying a Windows Box

We could run rpcclient with a getdriver or a getprinter subcommand (in

level 3 verbosity) against it. Just sit down at a UNIX or Linux workstation
with the Samba utilities installed, then type the following command:

root# rpcclient -U’user%secret’ NT-SERVER -c ’getdriver printername 3’

From the result it should become clear which is which. Here is an example
from my installation:

root# rpcclient -U’Danka%xxxx’ W200xSERVER \

-c’getdriver "DANKA InfoStream Virtual Printer" 3’
cmd = getdriver "DANKA InfoStream Virtual Printer" 3
Section 21.11. Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpcclient 483

[Windows NT x86]
Printer Driver Info 3:
Version: [2]
Driver Name: [DANKA InfoStream]
Architecture: [Windows NT x86]
Driver Path: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\PSCRIPT.DLL]
Datafile: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\INFOSTRM.PPD]
Configfile: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\PSCRPTUI.DLL]
Helpfile: [C:\WINNT\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\2\PSCRIPT.HLP]

Dependentfiles: []
Dependentfiles: []
Dependentfiles: []
Dependentfiles: []
Dependentfiles: []
Dependentfiles: []
Dependentfiles: []

Monitorname: []
Defaultdatatype: []

Some printer drivers list additional files under the label Dependentfiles,
and these would go into the last field ListOfFiles,Comma-separated. For
the CUPS PostScript drivers, we do not need any (nor would we for the
Adobe PostScript driver); therefore, the field will get a “NULL” entry.

21.11.4 Requirements for adddriver and setdriver to Succeed

From the man page (and from the quoted output of cupsaddsmb above)
it becomes clear that you need to have certain conditions in order to make
the manual uploading and initializing of the driver files succeed. The two
rpcclient subcommands (adddriver and setdriver) need to encounter the
following preconditions to complete successfully:
• You are connected as printer admin or root (this is not the “Printer
Operators” group in NT, but the printer admin group as defined in
the [global] section of smb.conf).
• Copy all required driver files to \\SAMBA\print$\w32x86 and \\SAMBA\print$\win40
484 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

as appropriate. They will end up in the “0” respective “2” subdirec-

tories later. For now, do not put them there; they’ll be automatically
used by the adddriver subcommand. (If you use smbclient to put
the driver files into the share, note that you need to escape the “$”:
smbclient //sambaserver/print\$ -U root.)
• The user you’re connecting as must be able to write to the [print$]
share and create subdirectories.
• The printer you are going to set up for the Windows clients needs to
be installed in CUPS already.
• The CUPS printer must be known to Samba; otherwise the setdriver
subcommand fails with an NT STATUS UNSUCCESSFUL error. To
check if the printer is known by Samba, you may use the enumprint-
ers subcommand to rpcclient. A long-standing bug prevented a
proper update of the printer list until every smbd process had re-
ceived a SIGHUP or was restarted. Remember this in case you’ve
created the CUPS printer just recently and encounter problems: try
restarting Samba.

21.11.5 Manual Driver Installation in 15 Steps

We are going to install a printer driver now by manually executing all re-
quired commands. Because this may seem a rather complicated process
at first, we go through the procedure step by step, explaining every single
action item as it comes up. Manual Driver Installation
1. Install the printer on CUPS.

root# lpadmin -p mysmbtstprn -v socket://10.160.51.131:9100 -E \

-P canonIR85.ppd

This installs a printer with the name mysmbtstprn to the CUPS sys-
tem. The printer is accessed via a socket (a.k.a. JetDirect or Direct
TCP/IP) connection. You need to be root for this step.
2. (Optional.) Check if the printer is recognized by Samba.

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’enumprinters’ localhost \

Section 21.11. Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpcclient 485

| grep -C2 mysmbtstprn

flags:[0x800000]
name:[\\kde-bitshop\mysmbtstprn]
description:[\\kde-bitshop\mysmbtstprn,,mysmbtstprn]
comment:[mysmbtstprn]

This should show the printer in the list. If not, stop and restart the
Samba daemon (smbd) or send a HUP signal:

root# kill -HUP ‘pidof smbd‘

Check again. Troubleshoot and repeat until successful. Note the

“empty” field between the two commas in the “description” line. The
driver name would appear here if there was one already. You need to
know root’s Samba password (as set by the smbpasswd command)
for this step and most of the following steps. Alternatively, you can
authenticate as one of the users from the “write list” as defined in
smb.conf for [print$].
3. (Optional.) Check if Samba knows a driver for the printer.

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’getprinter mysmbtstprn 2’\

localhost | grep driver

drivername:[]

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’getprinter mysmbtstprn 2’ \

localhost | grep -C4 driv

servername:[\\kde-bitshop]
printername:[\\kde-bitshop\mysmbtstprn]
sharename:[mysmbtstprn]
portname:[Samba Printer Port]
drivername:[]
comment:[mysmbtstprn]
location:[]
sepfile:[]
printprocessor:[winprint]
486 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

root# rpcclient -U root%xxxx -c ’getdriver mysmbtstprn’ localhost

result was WERR_UNKNOWN_PRINTER_DRIVER

None of the three commands shown above should show a driver. This
step was done for the purpose of demonstrating this condition. An
attempt to connect to the printer at this stage will prompt a message
along the lines of, “The server does not have the required printer driver
installed.”

4. Put all required driver files into Samba’s [print$].

root# smbclient //localhost/print\$ -U ’root%xxxx’ \

-c ’cd W32X86; \
put /etc/cups/ppd/mysmbtstprn.ppd mysmbtstprn.PPD; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/cupsui.dll cupsui.dll; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/cupsdrvr.dll cupsdrvr.dll; \
put /usr/share/cups/drivers/cups.hlp cups.hlp’

(This command should be entered in one long single line. Line breaks
and the line ends indicated by “\” have been inserted for readability
reasons.) This step is required for the next one to succeed. It makes the
driver files physically present in the [print$] share. However, clients
would still not be able to install them, because Samba does not yet
treat them as driver files. A client asking for the driver would still be
presented with a “not installed here” message.

5. Verify where the driver files are now.

root# ls -l /etc/samba/drivers/W32X86/
total 669
drwxr-sr-x 2 root ntadmin 532 May 25 23:08 2
drwxr-sr-x 2 root ntadmin 670 May 16 03:15 3
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 14234 May 25 23:21 cups.hlp
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 278380 May 25 23:21 cupsdrvr.dll
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 215848 May 25 23:21 cupsui.dll
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 169458 May 25 23:21 mysmbtstprn.PPD
Section 21.11. Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpcclient 487

The driver files now are in the W32X86 architecture “root” of [print$].

6. Tell Samba that these are driver files (adddriver).

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’adddriver "Windows NT x86" \

"mydrivername:cupsdrvr.dll:mysmbtstprn.PPD: \
cupsui.dll:cups.hlp:NULL:RAW:NULL"’ \
localhost
Printer Driver mydrivername successfully installed.

You cannot repeat this step if it fails. It could fail even as a result of
a simple typo. It will most likely have moved a part of the driver files
into the “2” subdirectory. If this step fails, you need to go back to the
fourth step and repeat it before you can try this one again. In this
step, you need to choose a name for your driver. It is normally a good
idea to use the same name as is used for the printer name; however, in
big installations you may use this driver for a number of printers that
obviously have different names, so the name of the driver is not fixed.

7. Verify where the driver files are now.

root# ls -l /etc/samba/drivers/W32X86/
total 1
drwxr-sr-x 2 root ntadmin 532 May 25 23:22 2
drwxr-sr-x 2 root ntadmin 670 May 16 03:15 3

root# ls -l /etc/samba/drivers/W32X86/2
total 5039
[....]
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 14234 May 25 23:21 cups.hlp
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 278380 May 13 13:53 cupsdrvr.dll
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 215848 May 13 13:53 cupsui.dll
-rwxr--r-- 1 root ntadmin 169458 May 25 23:21 mysmbtstprn.PPD

Notice how step 6 also moved the driver files to the appropriate sub-
directory. Compare this with the situation after step 5.

8. (Optional.) Verify if Samba now recognizes the driver.

488 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’enumdrivers 3’ \

localhost | grep -B2 -A5 mydrivername
Printer Driver Info 3:
Version: [2]
Driver Name: [mydrivername]
Architecture: [Windows NT x86]
Driver Path: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\cupsdrvr.dll]
Datafile: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\mysmbtstprn.PPD]
Configfile: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\cupsui.dll]
Helpfile: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\cups.hlp]

Remember, this command greps for the name you chose for the driver
in step 6. This command must succeed before you can proceed.
9. Tell Samba which printer should use these driver files (setdriver).

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’setdriver mysmbtstprn mydrivername’ \

localhost
Successfully set mysmbtstprn to driver mydrivername

Since you can bind any printer name (print queue) to any driver, this is
a convenient way to set up many queues that use the same driver. You
do not need to repeat all the previous steps for the setdriver command
to succeed. The only preconditions are that enumdrivers must find
the driver and enumprinters must find the printer.
10. (Optional) Verify if Samba has recognized this association.

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’getprinter mysmbtstprn 2’ localhost \

| grep driver
drivername:[mydrivername]

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’getprinter mysmbtstprn 2’ localhost \

| grep -C4 driv
servername:[\\kde-bitshop]
printername:[\\kde-bitshop\mysmbtstprn]
sharename:[mysmbtstprn]
portname:[Done]
Section 21.11. Installing PostScript Driver Files Manually Using rpcclient 489

drivername:[mydrivername]
comment:[mysmbtstprn]
location:[]
sepfile:[]
printprocessor:[winprint]

root# rpcclient -U root%xxxx -c ’getdriver mysmbtstprn’ localhost

[Windows NT x86]
Printer Driver Info 3:
Version: [2]
Driver Name: [mydrivername]
Architecture: [Windows NT x86]
Driver Path: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\cupsdrvr.dll]
Datafile: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\mysmbtstprn.PPD]
Configfile: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\cupsui.dll]
Helpfile: [\\kde-bitshop\print$\W32X86\2\cups.hlp]
Monitorname: []
Defaultdatatype: [RAW]
Monitorname: []
Defaultdatatype: [RAW]

root# rpcclient -Uroot%xxxx -c ’enumprinters’ localhost \

| grep mysmbtstprn
name:[\\kde-bitshop\mysmbtstprn]
description:[\\kde-bitshop\mysmbtstprn,mydrivername,mysmbtstprn]
comment:[mysmbtstprn]

Compare these results with the ones from steps 2 and 3. Every one of
these commands show the driver is installed. Even the enumprinters
command now lists the driver on the “description” line.
11. (Optional.) Tickle the driver into a correct device mode. You
certainly know how to install the driver on the client. In case you are
not particularly familiar with Windows, here is a short recipe: Browse
the Network Neighborhood, go to the Samba server, and look for the
shares. You should see all shared Samba printers. Double-click on
the one in question. The driver should get installed and the network
connection set up. Another way is to open the Printers (and Faxes)
folder, right-click on the printer in question, and select Connect or
490 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Install. As a result, a new printer should appear in your client’s local

Printers (and Faxes) folder, named something like printersharename
on Sambahostname. It is important that you execute this step as
a Samba printer admin (as defined in smb.conf). Here is another
method to do this on Windows XP. It uses a command line, which
you may type into the “DOS box” (type root’s smbpassword when
prompted):

C:\> runas /netonly /user:root "rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry \

/in /n \\sambaserver\mysmbtstprn"

Change any printer setting once (like changing portrait to landscape),

click on Apply, and change the setting back.
12. Install the printer on a client (Point’n’Print).

C:\> rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /n "\\sambaserver\mysmbtstprn"

If it does not work, it could be a permissions problem with the [print$]

share.
13. (Optional) Print a test page.

C:\> rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /p /n "\\sambaserver\mysmbtstprn"

Then hit [TAB] five times, [ENTER] twice, [TAB] once, and [ENTER]
again, and march to the printer.
14. (Recommended.) Study the test page. Hmmm. Just kidding!
By now you know everything about printer installations and you do not
need to read a word. Just put it in a frame and bolt it to the wall with
the heading ”MY FIRST RPCCLIENT-INSTALLED PRINTER” —
why not just throw it away!
15. (Obligatory.) Enjoy. Jump. Celebrate your success.

root# echo "Cheeeeerioooooo! Success..." >> /var/log/samba/log.smbd

Section 21.12. The Printing *.tdb Files 491

21.11.6 Troubleshooting Revisited

The setdriver command will fail if in Samba’s mind the queue is not already
there. A successful installation displys the promising message that the:

Printer Driver ABC successfully installed.

following the adddriver parts of the procedure. But you may also see a
disappointing message like this one: result was NT STATUS UNSUCCESSFUL
It is not good enough that you can see the queue in CUPS, using the lpstat
-p ir85wm command. A bug in most recent versions of Samba prevents the
proper update of the queue list. The recognition of newly installed CUPS
printers fails unless you restart Samba or send a HUP to all smbd processes.
To verify if this is the reason why Samba does not execute the setdriver
command successfully, check if Samba “sees” the printer:

root# rpcclient transmeta -N -U’root%xxxx’ -c ’enumprinters 0’|grep ir85wm

printername:[ir85wm]

An alternate command could be this:

root# rpcclient transmeta -N -U’root%secret’ -c ’getprinter ir85wm’

cmd = getprinter ir85wm
flags:[0x800000]
name:[\\transmeta\ir85wm]
description:[\\transmeta\ir85wm,ir85wm,DPD]
comment:[CUPS PostScript-Treiber for Windows NT/200x/XP]

By the way, you can use these commands, plus a few more, of course, to
install drivers on remote Windows NT print servers too!

21.12 The Printing *.tdb Files

Some mystery is associated with the series of files with a tdb suffix appear-
ing in every Samba installation. They are connections.tdb, printing.tdb,
492 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

share info.tdb, ntdrivers.tdb, unexpected.tdb, brlock.tdb, locking.

tdb, ntforms.tdb, messages.tdb , ntprinters.tdb, sessionid.tdb, and
secrets.tdb. What is their purpose?

21.12.1 Trivial Database Files

A Windows NT (print) server keeps track of all information needed to serve

its duty toward its clients by storing entries in the Windows registry. Client
queries are answered by reading from the registry, Administrator or user
configuration settings that are saved by writing into the registry. Samba and
UNIX obviously do not have such a Registry. Samba instead keeps track
of all client-related information in a series of *.tdb files. (TDB stands for
trivial data base). These are often located in /var/lib/samba/ or /var/
lock/samba/. The printing-related files are ntprinters.tdb, printing.
tdb,ntforms.tdb, and ntdrivers.tdb.

21.12.2 Binary Format

*.tdb files are not human readable. They are written in a binary format.
“Why not ASCII?”, you may ask. “After all, ASCII configuration files are
a good and proven tradition on UNIX.” The reason for this design decision
by the Samba Team is mainly performance. Samba needs to be fast; it runs
a separate smbd process for each client connection, in some environments
many thousands of them. Some of these smbds might need to write-access
the same *.tdb file at the same time. The file format of Samba’s *.tdb files
allows for this provision. Many smbd processes may write to the same *.
tdb file at the same time. This wouldn’t be possible with pure ASCII files.

21.12.3 Losing *.tdb Files

It is very important that all *.tdb files remain consistent over all write and
read accesses. However, it may happen that these files do get corrupted.
(A kill -9 ‘pidof smbd’ while a write access is in progress could do the
damage, as could a power interruption, etc.). In cases of trouble, a deletion
of the old printing-related *.tdb files may be the only option. After that,
you need to re-create all print-related setups unless you have made a backup
of the *.tdb files in time.
Section 21.13. CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 493

21.12.4 Using tdbbackup

Samba ships with a little utility that helps the root user of your system to
backup your *.tdb files. If you run it with no argument, it prints a usage
message:

root# tdbbackup
Usage: tdbbackup [options] <fname...>

Version:3.0a
-h this help message
-s suffix set the backup suffix
-v verify mode (restore if corrupt)

Here is how I backed up my printing.tdb file:

root# ls
. browse.dat locking.tdb ntdrivers.tdb printing.tdb
.. share_info.tdb connections.tdb messages.tdb ntforms.tdb
printing.tdbkp unexpected.tdb brlock.tdb gmon.out namelist.debug
ntprinters.tdb sessionid.tdb

root# tdbbackup -s .bak printing.tdb

printing.tdb : 135 records

root# ls -l printing.tdb*
-rw------- 1 root root 40960 May 2 03:44 printing.tdb
-rw------- 1 root root 40960 May 2 03:44 printing.tdb.bak

21.13 CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org

CUPS ships with good support for HP LaserJet-type printers. You can
install the generic driver as follows:

root# lpadmin -p laserjet4plus -v parallel:/dev/lp0 -E -m laserjet.ppd

494 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

The -m switch will retrieve the laserjet.ppd from the standard repository
for not-yet-installed PPDs, which CUPS typically stores in /usr/share/
cups/model. Alternatively, you may use -P /path/to/your.ppd.
The generic laserjet.ppd, however, does not support every special option
for every LaserJet-compatible model. It constitutes a sort of “least common
denominator” of all the models. If for some reason you must pay for the
commercially available ESP Print Pro drivers, your first move should be to
consult the database on the Linuxprinting15 Web site. Linuxprinting.org has
excellent recommendations about which driver is best used for each printer.
Its database is kept current by the tireless work of Till Kamppeter from
Mandrakesoft, who is also the principal author of the foomatic-rip utility.

Note

The former cupsomatic concept is now being replaced by

the new successor, a much more powerful foomatic-rip.
cupsomatic is no longer maintained. Here is the new
URL to the Foomatic-3.0a database. If you upgrade to
foomatic-rip, remember to also upgrade to the new-style
PPDs for your Foomatic-driven printers. foomatic-rip will
not work with PPDs generated for the old cupsomatic.
The new-style PPDs are 100% compliant with the Adobe
PPD specification. They are also intended to be used by
Samba and the cupsaddsmb utility, to provide the driver
files for the Windows clients!

a
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/driver_list.cgi>

21.13.1 foomatic-rip and Foomatic Explained

Nowadays, most Linux distributions rely on the utilities from the Linux-
printing.org16 to create their printing-related software (which, by the way,
15
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi>
16
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/>
Section 21.13. CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 495

works on all UNIXes and on Mac OS X and Darwin, too). The utilities
from this sire have a very end-user-friendly interface that allows for an easy
update of drivers and PPDs for all supported models, all spoolers, all oper-
ating systems, and all package formats (because there is none). Its history
goes back a few years.
Recently, Foomatic has achieved the astonishing milestone of 1,000 listed17
printer models. Linuxprinting.org keeps all the important facts about printer
drivers, supported models, and which options are available for the various
driver/printer combinations in its Foomatic18 database. Currently there are
245 drivers19 in the database. Many drivers support various models, and
many models may be driven by different drivers — its your choice!

21.13.1.1 690 “Perfect” Printers

At present, there are 690 devices dubbed as working perfectly: 181 are
mostly perfect, 96 are partially perfect, and 46 are paperweights. Keeping
in mind that most of these are non-PostScript models (PostScript print-
ers are automatically supported by CUPS to perfection by using their own
manufacturer-provided Windows PPD), and that a multifunctional device
never qualifies as working perfectly if it does not also scan and copy and fax
under GNU/Linux — then this is a truly astonishing achievement! Three
years ago the number was not more than 500, and Linux or UNIX printing
at the time wasn’t anywhere near the quality it is today.

21.13.1.2 How the Printing HOWTO Started It All

A few years ago Grant Taylor20 started it all. The roots of today’s Linux-
printing.org are in the first Linux Printing HOWTO21 that he authored. As
a side-project to this document, which served many Linux users and admins
to guide their first steps in this complicated and delicate setup (to a scientist,
printing is “applying a structured deposition of distinct patterns of ink or
toner particles on paper substrates”), he started to build in a little Postgres
database with information about the hardware and driver zoo that made
up Linux printing of the time. This database became the core component
17
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi?make=Anyone>
18
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/foomatic.html>
19
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/driver_list.cgi>
20
<http://www2.picante.com:81/~gtaylor/>
21
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/foomatic2.9/howto/>
496 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

of today’s Foomatic collection of tools and data. In the meantime, it has

moved to an XML representation of the data.

21.13.1.3 Foomatic’s Strange Name

“Why the funny name?” you ask. When it really took off, around spring
2000, CUPS was far less popular than today, and most systems used LPD,
LPRng, or even PDQ to print. CUPS shipped with a few generic drivers
(good for a few hundred different printer models). These didn’t support
many device-specific options. CUPS also shipped with its own built-in ras-
terization filter (pstoraster, derived from Ghostscript). On the other hand,
CUPS provided brilliant support for controlling all printer options through
standardized and well-defined PPD files. Plus, CUPS was designed to be
easily extensible.
Taylor already had in his database a respectable compilation of facts about
many more printers and the Ghostscript “drivers” they run with. His idea,
to generate PPDs from the database information and use them to make
standard Ghostscript filters work within CUPS, proved to work very well.
It also killed several birds with one stone:
• It made all current and future Ghostscript filter developments available
for CUPS.
• It made available a lot of additional printer models to CUPS users
(because often the traditional Ghostscript way of printing was the
only one available).
• It gave all the advanced CUPS options (Web interface, GUI driver
configurations) to users wanting (or needing) to use Ghostscript filters.

21.13.1.4 cupsomatic, pdqomatic, lpdomatic, directomatic

CUPS worked through a quickly hacked-up filter script named cupsomatic22 .

cupsomatic ran the printfile through Ghostscript, constructing automati-
cally the rather complicated command line needed. It just needed to be
copied into the CUPS system to make it work. To configure the way cup-
somatic controls the Ghostscript rendering process, it needs a CUPS-PPD.
This PPD is generated directly from the contents of the database. For CUPS
22
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/download.cgi?filename=cupsomatic&show=0>
Section 21.13. CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 497

and the respective printer/filter combo, another Perl script named CUPS-O-
Matic did the PPD generation. After that was working, Taylor implemented
within a few days a similar thing for two other spoolers. Names chosen for
the config-generator scripts were PDQ-O-Matic23 (for PDQ) and LPD-O-
Matic24 (for — you guessed it — LPD); the configuration here didn’t use
PPDs but other spooler-specific files.
From late summer of that year, Till Kamppeter25 started to put work into
the database. Kamppeter had been newly employed by Mandrakesoft26 to
convert its printing system over to CUPS, after they had seen his FLTK27 -
based XPP28 (a GUI front-end to the CUPS lp-command). He added a huge
amount of new information and new printers. He also developed the support
for other spoolers, like PPR29 (via ppromatic), GNUlpr30 , and LPRng31
(both via an extended lpdomatic) and spooler-less printing (directomatic32 ).
So, to answer your question, “Foomatic” is the general name for all the
overlapping code and data behind the “*omatic” scripts. Foomatic, up to
versions 2.0.x, required (ugly) Perl data structures attached to Linuxprint-
ing.org PPDs for CUPS. It had a different “*omatic” script for every spooler,
as well as different printer configuration files.

21.13.1.5 The Grand Unification Achieved

This has all changed in Foomatic versions 2.9 (beta) and released as “stable”
3.0. It has now achieved the convergence of all *omatic scripts and is called
the foomatic-rip33 . This single script is the unification of the previously
different spooler-specific *omatic scripts. foomatic-rip is used by all the
different spoolers alike, and because it can read PPDs (both the original
PostScript printer PPDs and the Linuxprinting.org-generated ones), all of a
23
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/download.cgi?filename=lpdomatic&show=0>
24
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/download.cgi?filename=lpdomatic&show=0>
25
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/till/>
26
<http://www.mandrakesoft.com/>
27
<http://www.fltk.org/>
28
<http://cups.sourceforge.net/xpp/>
29
<http://ppr.sourceforge.net/>
30
<http://sourceforge.net/projects/lpr/>
31
<http://www.lprng.org/>
32
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/download.cgi?filename=directomatic&show=
0>
33
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/foomatic2.9/download.cgi?filename=
foomatic-rip&show=0>
498 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

sudden all supported spoolers can have the power of PPDs at their disposal.
Users only need to plug foomatic-rip into their system. For users there is
improved media type and source support — paper sizes and trays are easier
to configure.
Also, the new generation of Linuxprinting.org PPDs no longer contains Perl
data structures. If you are a distro maintainer and have used the previous
version of Foomatic, you may want to give the new one a spin, but remember
to generate a new-version set of PPDs via the new foomatic-db-engine!34 .
Individual users just need to generate a single new PPD specific to their
model by following the steps35 outlined in the Foomatic tutorial or in this
chapter. This new development is truly amazing.
foomatic-rip is a very clever wrapper around the need to run Ghostscript
with a different syntax, options, device selections, and/or filters for each
different printer or spooler. At the same time, it can read the PPD associated
with a print queue and modify the print job according to the user selections.
Together with this comes the 100% compliance of the new Foomatic PPDs
with the Adobe spec. Some innovative features of the Foomatic concept
may surprise users. It will support custom paper sizes for many printers
and will support printing on media drawn from different paper trays within
the same job (in both cases, even where there is no support for this from
Windows-based vendor printer drivers).

21.13.1.6 Driver Development Outside

Most driver development itself does not happen within Linuxprinting.org.

Drivers are written by independent maintainers. Linuxprinting.org just
pools all the information and stores it in its database. In addition, it also
provides the Foomatic glue to integrate the many drivers into any modern
(or legacy) printing system known to the world.
Speaking of the different driver development groups, most of the work is
currently done in three projects:
• Omni36 — a free software project by IBM that tries to convert its
printer driver knowledge from good-ol’ OS/2 times into a modern,
34
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/download/foomatic/foomatic-db-engine-3.0.
0beta1.tar.gz>
35
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/kpfeifle/LinuxKongress2002/Tutorial/II.
Foomatic-User/II.tutorial-handout-foomatic-user.html>
36
<http://www-124.ibm.com/developerworks/oss/linux/projects/omni/>
Section 21.13. CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 499

modular, universal driver architecture for Linux/UNIX (still beta).

This currently supports 437 models.

• HPIJS37 — a free software project by HP to provide the support for

its own range of models (very mature, printing in most cases is perfect
and provides true photo quality). This currently supports 369 models.

• Gimp-Print38 — a free software effort, started by Michael Sweet (also

lead developer for CUPS), now directed by Robert Krawitz, which
has achieved an amazing level of photo print quality (many Epson
users swear that its quality is better than the vendor drivers provided
by Epson for the Microsoft platforms). This currently supports 522
models.

21.13.1.7 Forums, Downloads, Tutorials, Howtos (Also for Mac OS X

and Commercial UNIX)

Linuxprinting.org today is the one-stop shop to download printer drivers.

Look for printer information and tutorials39 or solve printing problems in its
popular forums40 . This forum is not just for GNU/Linux users, but admins
of commercial UNIX systems41 are also going there, and the relatively new
Mac OS X forum42 has turned out to be one of the most frequented forums
after only a few weeks.

Linuxprinting.org and the Foomatic driver wrappers around Ghostscript are

now a standard tool-chain for printing on all the important distros. Most of
them also have CUPS underneath. While in recent years most printer data
had been added by Kamppeter, many additional contributions came from
engineers with SuSE, Red Hat, Conectiva, Debian, and others. Vendor-
neutrality is an important goal of the Foomatic project. Mandrake and
Conectiva have merged and are now called Mandriva.

37
<http://hpinkjet.sf.net/>
38
<http://gimp-print.sf.net/>
39
<http://www.linuxprinting.org//kpfeifle/LinuxKongress2002/Tutorial/>
40
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/newsportal/>
41
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/macosx/>
42
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/newsportal/thread.php3?name=linuxprinting.
macosx.general>
500 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Note

Till Kamppeter from Mandrakesoft is doing an excellent

job in his spare time to maintain Linuxprinting.org and
Foomatic. So if you use it often, please send him a note
showing your appreciation.

21.13.1.8 Foomatic Database-Generated PPDs

The Foomatic database is an amazing piece of ingenuity in itself. Not

only does it keep the printer and driver information, but it is organized
in a way that it can generate PPD files on the fly from its internal XML-
based datasets. While these PPDs are modeled to the Adobe specifica-
tion of PPDs, the Linuxprinting.org/Foomatic-PPDs do not normally drive
PostScript printers. They are used to describe all the bells and whistles
you could ring or blow on an Epson Stylus inkjet, or an HP Photosmart,
or what-have-you. The main trick is one little additional line, not envis-
aged by the PPD specification, starting with the *cupsFilter keyword. It
tells the CUPS daemon how to proceed with the PostScript print file (old-
style Foomatic-PPDs named the cupsomatic filter script, while the new-style
PPDs are now call foomatic-rip). This filter script calls Ghostscript on the
host system (the recommended variant is ESP Ghostscript) to do the render-
ing work. foomatic-rip knows which filter or internal device setting it should
ask from Ghostscript to convert the PostScript print job into a raster for-
mat ready for the target device. This usage of PPDs to describe the options
of non-PostScript printers was the invention of the CUPS developers. The
rest is easy. GUI tools (like KDE’s marvelous kprinter43 or the GNOME
gtklp44 xpp and the CUPS Web interface) read the PPD as well and use
this information to present the available settings to the user as an intuitive
menu selection.

43
<http://printing.kde.org/overview/kprinter.phtml>
44
<http://gtklp.sourceforge.net/>
Section 21.13. CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 501

21.13.2 foomatic-rip and Foomatic PPD Download and Installa-

tion

Here are the steps to install a foomatic-rip-driven LaserJet 4 Plus-compatible

printer in CUPS (note that recent distributions of SuSE, UnitedLinux and
Mandrake may ship with a complete package of Foomatic-PPDs plus the
foomatic-rip utility. Going directly to Linuxprinting.org ensures that you
get the latest driver/PPD files).
• Open your browser at the Linuxprinting.org printer list page.45
• Check the complete list of printers in the database.46 .
• Select your model and click on the link.
• You’ll arrive at a page listing all drivers working with this model (for
all printers, there will always be one recommended driver. Try this
one first).
• In our case (HP LaserJet 4 Plus), we’ll arrive at the default driver for
the HP-LaserJet 4 Plus.47
• The recommended driver is ljet4.
• Several links are provided here. You should visit them all if you are
not familiar with the Linuxprinting.org database.
• There is a link to the database page for the ljet448 . On the driver’s
page, you’ll find important and detailed information about how to use
that driver within the various available spoolers.
• Another link may lead you to the home page of the author of the
driver.
• Important links are the ones that provide hints with setup instructions
for CUPS49 ; PDQ50 ; LPD, LPRng, and GNUlpr51 ); as well as PPR52
45
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi>
46
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi?make=Anyone>
47
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=HP-LaserJet_4_
Plus>
48
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_driver.cgi?driver=ljet4>
49
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/cups-doc.html>
50
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/pdq-doc.html>
51
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/lpd-doc.html>
52
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/ppr-doc.html>
502 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

or “spoolerless” printing53 .
• You can view the PPD in your browser through this link: <http://
www.linuxprinting.org/ppd-o-matic.cgi?driver=ljet4&printer=
HP-LaserJet_4_Plus&show=1>
• Most importantly, you can also generate and download the PPD54 .
• The PPD contains all the information needed to use our model and
the driver; once installed, this works transparently for the user. Later
you’ll only need to choose resolution, paper size, and so on, from the
Web-based menu, or from the print dialog GUI, or from the command
line.
• If you ended up on the drivers page55 , you can choose to use the
“PPD-O-Matic” online PPD generator program.
• Select the exact model and check either Download or Display PPD
file and click Generate PPD file.
• If you save the PPD file from the browser view, please do not use
cut and paste (since it could possibly damage line endings and tabs,
which makes the PPD likely to fail its duty), but use Save as... in
your browser’s menu. (It is best to use the Download option directly
from the Web page.)
• Another interesting part on each driver page is the Show execution
details button. If you select your printer model and click on that but-
ton, a complete Ghostscript command line will be displayed, enumer-
ating all options available for that combination of driver and printer
model. This is a great way to “learn Ghostscript by doing”. It is also
an excellent cheat sheet for all experienced users who need to recon-
struct a good command line for that darned printing script, but can’t
remember the exact syntax.
• Sometime during your visit to Linuxprinting.org, save the PPD to a
suitable place on your hard disk, say /path/to/my-printer.ppd (if
you prefer to install your printers with the help of the CUPS Web
interface, save the PPD to the /usr/share/cups/model/ path and
restart cupsd).
53
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/direct-doc.html>
54
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/ppd-o-matic.cgi?driver=ljet4&printer=
HP-LaserJet_4_Plus&show=0>
55
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/show_driver.cgi?driver=ljet4>
Section 21.13. CUPS Print Drivers from Linuxprinting.org 503

• Then install the printer with a suitable command line, like this:

root# lpadmin -p laserjet4plus -v parallel:/dev/lp0 -E \

-P path/to/my-printer.ppd

• For all the new-style “Foomatic-PPDs” from Linuxprinting.org, you

also need a special CUPS filter named foomatic-rip.
• The foomatic-rip Perl script itself also makes some interesting read-
ing56 because it is well documented by Kamppeter’s in-line comments
(even non-Perl hackers will learn quite a bit about printing by reading
it).
• Save foomatic-rip either directly in /usr/lib/cups/filter/foomatic-
rip or somewhere in your $PATH (and remember to make it world-
executable). Again, do not save by copy and paste but use the appro-
priate link or the Save as... menu item in your browser.
• If you save foomatic-rip in your $PATH, create a symlink:

root# cd /usr/lib/cups/filter/ ; ln -s ‘which foomatic-rip’

CUPS will discover this new available filter at startup after restarting
cupsd.
Once you print to a print queue set up with the Foomatic PPD, CUPS will in-
sert the appropriate commands and comments into the resulting PostScript
job file. foomatic-rip is able to read and act upon these and uses some
specially encoded Foomatic comments embedded in the job file. These in
turn are used to construct (transparently for you, the user) the complicated
Ghostscript command line telling the printer driver exactly how the result-
ing raster data should look and which printer commands to embed into the
data stream. You need:
• A “foomatic+something” PPD — but this is not enough to print with
CUPS (it is only one important component).
• The foomatic-rip filter script (Perl) in /usr/lib/cups/filters/.
56
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/foomatic2.9/download.cgi?filename=
foomatic-rip&show=1>
504 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

• Perl to make foomatic-rip run.

• Ghostscript (because it is doing the main work, controlled by the

PPD/foomatic-rip combo) to produce the raster data fit for your printer
model’s consumption.

• Ghostscript must (depending on the driver/model) contain support

for a certain device representing the selected driver for your model (as
shown by gs -h).

• foomatic-rip needs a new version of PPDs (PPD versions produced for

cupsomatic do not work with foomatic-rip).

21.14 Page Accounting with CUPS

Often there are questions regarding print quotas where Samba users (that
is, Windows clients) should not be able to print beyond a certain number of
pages or data volume per day, week, or month. This feature is dependent
on the real print subsystem you’re using. Samba’s part is always to receive
the job files from the clients (filtered or unfiltered) and hand them over to
this printing subsystem.

Of course one could hack things with one’s own scripts. But then there is
CUPS. CUPS supports quotas that can be based on the size of jobs or on
the number of pages or both, and can span any time period you want.

21.14.1 Setting Up Quotas

This is an example command of how root would set a print quota in CUPS,
assuming an existing printer named “quotaprinter”:

root# lpadmin -p quotaprinter -o job-quota-period=604800 \

-o job-k-limit=1024 -o job-page-limit=100

This would limit every single user to print no more than 100 pages or 1024
KB of data (whichever comes first) within the last 604,800 seconds ( = 1
week).
Section 21.14. Page Accounting with CUPS 505

21.14.2 Correct and Incorrect Accounting

For CUPS to count correctly, the printfile needs to pass the CUPS pstops
filter; otherwise it uses a dummy count of “one”. Some print files do not pass
it (e.g., image files), but then those are mostly one-page jobs anyway. This
also means that proprietary drivers for the target printer running on the
client computers and CUPS/Samba, which then spool these files as “raw”
(i.e., leaving them untouched, not filtering them), will be counted as one-
pagers too!
You need to send PostScript from the clients (i.e., run a PostScript driver
there) to have the chance to get accounting done. If the printer is a non-
PostScript model, you need to let CUPS do the job to convert the file to
a print-ready format for the target printer. This is currently working for
about a thousand different printer models. Linuxprinting.org has a driver
list57 .

21.14.3 Adobe and CUPS PostScript Drivers for Windows Clients

Before CUPS 1.1.16, your only option was to use the Adobe PostScript
driver on the Windows clients. The output of this driver was not always
passed through the pstops filter on the CUPS/Samba side, and therefore
was not counted correctly (the reason is that it often, depending on the
PPD being used, wrote a PJL-header in front of the real PostScript, which
caused CUPS to skip pstops and go directly to the pstoraster stage).
From CUPS 1.1.16 onward, you can use the CUPS PostScript driver for
Windows NT/200x/XP clients (which is tagged in the download area of
http://www.cups.org/ as the cups-samba-1.1.16.tar.gz package). It
does not work for Windows 9x/Me clients, but it guarantees:
• To not write a PJL-header.
• To still read and support all PJL-options named in the driver PPD
with its own means.
• That the file will pass through the pstops filter on the CUPS/Samba
server.
• To page-count correctly the print file.
57
<http://www.linuxprinting.org/printer_list.cgi>
506 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

You can read more about the setup of this combination in the man page for
cupsaddsmb (which is only present with CUPS installed, and only current
from CUPS 1.1.16).

21.14.4 The page log File Syntax

These are the items CUPS logs in the page log for every page of a job:
• Printer name
• User name
• Job ID
• Time of printing
• Page number
• Number of copies
• A billing information string (optional)
• The host that sent the job (included since version 1.1.19)
Here is an extract of my CUPS server’s page log file to illustrate the format
and included items:

tec_IS2027 kurt 401 [22/Apr/2003:10:28:43 +0100] 1 3 #marketing 10.160.50.13

tec_IS2027 kurt 401 [22/Apr/2003:10:28:43 +0100] 2 3 #marketing 10.160.50.13
tec_IS2027 kurt 401 [22/Apr/2003:10:28:43 +0100] 3 3 #marketing 10.160.50.13
tec_IS2027 kurt 401 [22/Apr/2003:10:28:43 +0100] 4 3 #marketing 10.160.50.13
Dig9110 boss 402 [22/Apr/2003:10:33:22 +0100] 1 440 finance-dep 10.160.51.33

This was job ID 401, printed on tec IS2027 by user kurt, a 64-page job
printed in three copies, billed to #marketing, and sent from IP address
10.160.50.13. The next job had ID 402, was sent by user boss from IP
address 10.160.51.33, printed from one page 440 copies, and is set to be
billed to finance-dep.

21.14.5 Possible Shortcomings

What flaws or shortcomings are there with this quota system?

Section 21.14. Page Accounting with CUPS 507

• The ones named above (wrongly logged job in case of printer hardware
failure, and so on).

• In reality, CUPS counts the job pages that are being processed in
software (that is, going through the RIP) rather than the physical
sheets successfully leaving the printing device. Thus, if there is a jam
while printing the fifth sheet out of 1,000 and the job is aborted by
the printer, the page count will still show the figure of 1,000 for that
job.

• All quotas are the same for all users (no flexibility to give the boss a
higher quota than the clerk) and no support for groups.

• No means to read out the current balance or the “used-up” number of

current quota.

• A user having used up 99 sheets of a 100 quota will still be able to

send and print a 1,000 sheet job.

• A user being denied a job because of a filled-up quota does not get
a meaningful error message from CUPS other than “client-error-not-
possible”.

21.14.6 Future Developments

This is the best system currently available, and there are huge improvements
under development for CUPS 1.2:

• Page counting will go into the backends (these talk directly to the
printer and will increase the count in sync with the actual printing
process; thus, a jam at the fifth sheet will lead to a stop in the count-
ing).

• Quotas will be handled more flexibly.

• Probably there will be support for users to inquire about their accounts
in advance.

• Probably there will be support for some other tools around this topic.
508 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.14.7 Other Accounting Tools

Other accounting tools that can be used includes: PrintAnalyzer, pyKota,

printbill, LogReport. For more information regarding these tools you can
try a Google search.

21.15 Additional Material

A printer queue with no PPD associated to it is a “raw” printer, and all

files will go directly there as received by the spooler. The exceptions are
file types application/octet-stream that need the pass-through feature
enabled. “Raw” queues do not do any filtering at all; they hand the file
directly to the CUPS backend. This backend is responsible for sending the
data to the device (as in the “device URI” notation: lpd://, socket://,
smb://, ipp://, http://, parallel:/, serial:/, usb:/, and so on).

cupsomatic/Foomatic are not native CUPS drivers and they do not ship
with CUPS. They are a third-party add-on developed at Linuxprinting.org.
As such, they are a brilliant hack to make all models (driven by Ghostscript
drivers/filters in traditional spoolers) also work via CUPS, with the same
(good or bad!) quality as in these other spoolers. cupsomatic is only a
vehicle to execute a Ghostscript command line at that stage in the CUPS
filtering chain where normally the native CUPS pstoraster filter would kick
in. cupsomatic bypasses pstoraster, kidnaps the print file from CUPS,
and redirects it to go through Ghostscript. CUPS accepts this because the
associated cupsomatic/foomatic-PPD specifies:

*cupsFilter: "application/vnd.cups-postscript 0 cupsomatic"

This line persuades CUPS to hand the file to cupsomatic once it has success-
fully converted it to the MIME type application/vnd.cups-postscript.
This conversion will not happen for jobs arriving from Windows that are au-
totyped application/octet-stream, with the according changes in /etc/
cups/mime.types in place.

CUPS is widely configurable and flexible, even regarding its filtering mech-
anism. Another workaround in some situations would be to have in /etc/
cups/mime.types entries as follows:
Section 21.15. Additional Material 509

application/postscript application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -
application/vnd.cups-postscript application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

This would prevent all PostScript files from being filtered (rather, they will
through the virtual nullfilter denoted with “-”). This could only be useful for
PostScript printers. If you want to print PostScript code on non-PostScript
printers (provided they support ASCII text printing), an entry as follows
could be useful:

*/* application/vnd.cups-raw 0 -

and would effectively send all files to the backend without further processing.

You could have the following entry:

application/vnd.cups-postscript application/vnd.cups-raw 0 \
my_PJL_stripping_filter

You will need to write a my PJL stripping filter (which could be a shell
script) that parses the PostScript and removes the unwanted PJL. This needs
to conform to CUPS filter design (mainly, receive and pass the parameters
printername, job-id, username, jobtitle, copies, print options, and possi-
bly the filename). It is installed as world executable into /usr/lib/cups/
filters/ and is called by CUPS if it encounters a MIME type application/vnd.
cups-postscript.

CUPS can handle -o job-hold-until=indefinite. This keeps the job in

the queue on hold. It will only be printed upon manual release by the printer
operator. This is a requirement in many central reproduction departments,
where a few operators manage the jobs of hundreds of users on some big
machine, where no user is allowed to have direct access (such as when the
operators often need to load the proper paper type before running the 10,000
page job requested by marketing for the mailing, and so on).
510 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.16 Autodeletion or Preservation of CUPS Spool Files

Samba print files pass through two spool directories. One is the incoming
directory managed by Samba (set in the path = /var/spool/samba directive
in the [printers] section of smb.conf). The other is the spool directory of
your UNIX print subsystem. For CUPS it is normally /var/spool/cups/,
as set by the cupsd.conf directive RequestRoot /var/spool/cups.

21.16.1 CUPS Configuration Settings Explained

Some important parameter settings in the CUPS configuration file cupsd.

conf are:

PreserveJobHistory Yes This keeps some details of jobs in cupsd’s mind

(well, it keeps the c12345, c12346, and so on, files in the CUPS spool
directory, which does a similar job as the old-fashioned BSD-LPD
control files). This is set to “Yes” as a default.

PreserveJobFiles Yes This keeps the job files themselves in cupsd’s mind
(it keeps the d12345, d12346, etc., files in the CUPS spool directory).
This is set to “No” as the CUPS default.

“MaxJobs 500” This directive controls the maximum number of jobs that
are kept in memory. Once the number of jobs reaches the limit, the
oldest completed job is automatically purged from the system to make
room for the new one. If all of the known jobs are still pending or
active, then the new job will be rejected. Setting the maximum to 0
disables this functionality. The default setting is 0.
(There are also additional settings for MaxJobsPerUser and MaxJobsPer-
Printer.)

21.16.2 Preconditions

For everything to work as it should, you need to have three things:

• A Samba smbd that is compiled against libcups (check on Linux by
running ldd ‘which smbd’).
Section 21.17. Printing from CUPS to Windows-Attached Printers 511

• A Samba-smb.conf setting of printing = cups.

• Another Samba smb.conf setting of printcap = cups.

Note

In this case, all other manually set printing-related com-

mands (like print command, lpq command, lprm com-
mand, lppause command, and lpresume command) are
ignored, and they should normally have no influence
whatsoever on your printing.

21.16.3 Manual Configuration

If you want to do things manually, replace the printing = cups by printing

= bsd. Then your manually set commands may work (I haven’t tested this),
and a print command = lp -d %P %s; rm %s may do what you need.

21.17 Printing from CUPS to Windows-Attached Printers

From time to time the question arises, how can you print to a Windows-
attached printer from Samba? Normally the local connection from Windows
host to printer would be done by USB or parallel cable, but this does not
matter to Samba. From here only an SMB connection needs to be opened to
the Windows host. Of course, this printer must be shared first. As you have
learned by now, CUPS uses backends to talk to printers and other servers.
To talk to Windows shared printers, you need to use the smb (surprise,
surprise!) backend. Check if this is in the CUPS backend directory. This
usually resides in /usr/lib/cups/backend/. You need to find an smb file
there. It should be a symlink to smbspool, and the file must exist and be
executable:

root# ls -l /usr/lib/cups/backend/
total 253
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 720 Apr 30 19:04 .
512 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

drwxr-xr-x 6 root root 125 Dec 19 17:13 ..

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 10692 Feb 16 21:29 canon
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 10692 Feb 16 21:29 epson
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 3 Apr 17 22:50 http -> ipp
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 17316 Apr 17 22:50 ipp
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 15420 Apr 20 17:01 lpd
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 8656 Apr 20 17:01 parallel
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 2162 Mar 31 23:15 pdfdistiller
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 25 Apr 30 19:04 ptal -> /usr/sbin/ptal-cups
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 6284 Apr 20 17:01 scsi
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 17 Apr 2 03:11 smb -> /usr/bin/smbspool
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 7912 Apr 20 17:01 socket
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 9012 Apr 20 17:01 usb

root# ls -l ‘which smbspool‘

-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 563245 Dec 28 14:49 /usr/bin/smbspool

If this symlink does not exist, create it:

root# ln -s ‘which smbspool‘ /usr/lib/cups/backend/smb

smbspool was written by Mike Sweet from the CUPS folks. It is included
and ships with Samba. It may also be used with print subsystems other
than CUPS, to spool jobs to Windows printer shares. To set up printer
winprinter on CUPS, you need to have a driver for it. Essentially this
means to convert the print data on the CUPS/Samba host to a format that
the printer can digest (the Windows host is unable to convert any files you
may send). This also means you should be able to print to the printer if
it were hooked directly at your Samba/CUPS host. For troubleshooting
purposes, this is what you should do to determine if that part of the process
chain is in order. Then proceed to fix the network connection/authentication
to the Windows host, and so on.
To install a printer with the smb backend on CUPS, use this command:

root# lpadmin -p winprinter -v smb://WINDOWSNETBIOSNAME/printersharename \

-P /path/to/PPD
Section 21.18. More CUPS Filtering Chains 513

The PPD must be able to direct CUPS to generate the print data for the
target model. For PostScript printers, just use the PPD that would be used
with the Windows NT PostScript driver. But what can you do if the printer
is only accessible with a password? Or if the printer’s host is part of another
workgroup? This is provided for: You can include the required parameters
as part of the smb:// device-URI like this:
• smb://WORKGROUP/WINDOWSNETBIOSNAME/printersharename
• smb://username:password@WORKGROUP/WINDOWSNETBIOSNAME/printersharename
• smb://username:password@WINDOWSNETBIOSNAME/printersharename
Note that the device URI will be visible in the process list of the Samba
server (e.g., when someone uses the ps -aux command on Linux), even if
the username and passwords are sanitized before they get written into the
log files. This is an inherently insecure option; however, it is the only one.
Don’t use it if you want to protect your passwords. Better share the printer
in a way that does not require a password! Printing will only work if you
have a working NetBIOS name resolution up and running. Note that this is
a feature of CUPS and you do not necessarily need to have smbd running.

21.18 More CUPS Filtering Chains

The diagrams in Figure 21.17 and Figure 21.18 show how CUPS handles
print jobs.

21.19 Common Errors

21.19.1 Windows 9x/Me Client Can’t Install Driver

For Windows 9x/Me, clients require the printer names to be eight characters
(or “8 plus 3 chars suffix”) max; otherwise, the driver files will not get
transferred when you want to download them from Samba.

21.19.2 “cupsaddsmb” Keeps Asking for Root Password in Never-

ending Loop

Have you set security = user? Have you used smbpasswd to give root
a Samba account? You can do two things: open another terminal and
514 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

CUPS in and of itself has this (general) filter chain (italic letters
are file-formats or MIME types, other are filters (this is
true for pre-1.1.15 of pre-4.3 versions of CUPS and ESP PrintPro):

something-fileformat

something-device-specific backend
somethingtops

e.g. Gimp-Print filters

rastertosomething
may be plugged in here
application/postscript
(= "raster driver")

application/vnd.cups-raster
pstops
as shipped with CUPS,
independent from any
GhostScript installation on the
application/vnd.cups-postscript pstoraster
system
(= "postscript interpreter")
ESP PrintPro has some enhanced "rastertosomething" filters as compared to
CUPS, and also a somewhat improved "pstoraster" filter.

NOTE: Gimp-Print and some other 3rd-Party-Filters (like TurboPrint) to

CUPS and ESP PrintPro plug-in where rastertosomething is noted.

Figure 21.17. Filtering Chain 1.

execute smbpasswd -a root to create the account and continue entering

the password into the first terminal. Or, break out of the loop by pressing
Enter twice (without trying to type a password).

If the error is “Tree connect failed: NT STATUS BAD NETWORK NAME”,

you may have forgotten to create the /etc/samba/drivers directory.

21.19.3 “cupsaddsmb” or “rpcclient addriver” Keeps Giving WERR BAD PASSWOR

See Section 21.19.2.

Section 21.19. Common Errors 515

21.19.4 “cupsaddsmb” Errors

The use of “cupsaddsmb” gives “No PPD file for printer...” message while
PPD file is present. What might the problem be?

Have you enabled printer sharing on CUPS? This means, do you have a <Lo-
cation /printers>....</Location> section in CUPS server’s cupsd.
conf that does not deny access to the host you run “cupsaddsmb” from?
It could be an issue if you use cupsaddsmb remotely, or if you use it with
a -h parameter: cupsaddsmb -H sambaserver -h cupsserver -v print-
ername.

Is your TempDir directive in cupsd.conf set to a valid value, and is it

writable?

21.19.5 Client Can’t Connect to Samba Printer

Use smbstatus to check which user you are from Samba’s point of view.
Do you have the privileges to write into the [print$] share?

21.19.6 New Account Reconnection from Windows 200x/XP Trou-

bles

Once you are connected as the wrong user (for example, as nobody, which
often occurs if you have map to guest = bad user), Windows Explorer will
not accept an attempt to connect again as a different user. There will
not be any bytes transferred on the wire to Samba, but still you’ll see a
stupid error message that makes you think Samba has denied access. Use
smbstatus to check for active connections. Kill the PIDs. You still can’t
re-connect, and you get the dreaded You can’t connect with a second
account from the same machine message as soon as you try. And you do
not see a single byte arriving at Samba (see logs; use “ethereal”) indicating a
renewed connection attempt. Shut all Explorer Windows. This makes Win-
dows forget what it has cached in its memory as established connections.
Then reconnect as the right user. The best method is to use a DOS terminal
window and first do net use z: \\GANDALF\print$ /user:root. Check
with smbstatus that you are connected under a different account. Now
open the Printers folder (on the Samba server in the Network Neighbor-
hood), right-click on the printer in question, and select Connect.....
516 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

21.19.7 Avoid Being Connected to the Samba Server as the

Wrong User

You see per smbstatus that you are connected as user nobody, but you
want to be root or printer admin. This is probably due to map to guest =
bad user, which silently connected you under the guest account when you
gave (maybe by accident) an incorrect username. Remove map to guest if
you want to prevent this.

21.19.8 Upgrading to CUPS Drivers from Adobe Drivers

This information came from a mailing list posting regarding problems expe-
rienced when upgrading from Adobe drivers to CUPS drivers on Microsoft
Windows NT/200x/XP clients.
First delete all old Adobe-using printers. Then delete all old Adobe drivers.
(On Windows 200x/XP, right-click in the background of Printers folder,
select Server Properties..., select tab Drivers, and delete here).

21.19.9 Can’t Use “cupsaddsmb” on Samba Server, Which Is a

PDC

Do you use the “naked” root user name? Try to do it this way: cupsaddsmb
-U DOMAINNAME\\root -v printername> (note the two backslashes: the
first one is required to “escape” the second one).

21.19.10 Deleted Windows 200x Printer Driver Is Still Shown

Deleting a printer on the client will not delete the driver too (to verify,
right-click on the white background of the Printers folder, select Server
Properties and click on the Drivers tab). These same old drivers will be
re-used when you try to install a printer with the same name. If you want
to update to a new driver, delete the old ones first. Deletion is only possible
if no other printer uses the same driver.

21.19.11 Windows 200x/XP Local Security Policies

Local security policies may not allow the installation of unsigned drivers —
“local security policies” may not allow the installation of printer drivers at
Section 21.19. Common Errors 517

all.

21.19.12 Administrator Cannot Install Printers for All Local Users

Windows XP handles SMB printers on a “per-user” basis. This means every

user needs to install the printer himself or herself. To have a printer available
for everybody, you might want to use the built-in IPP client capabilities of
Win XP. Add a printer with the print path of http://cupsserver:631/printers/printername.
We’re still looking into this one. Maybe a logon script could automatically
install printers for all users.

21.19.13 Print Change, Notify Functions on NT Clients

For print change, notify functions on NT++ clients. These need to run the
Server service first (renamed to File & Print Sharing for MS Networks
in XP).

21.19.14 Win XP-SP1

Win XP-SP1 introduced a Point and Print Restriction Policy (this restric-
tion does not apply to “Administrator” or “Power User” groups of users).
In Group Policy Object Editor, go to User Configuration -> Administra-
tive Templates -> Control Panel -> Printers. The policy is automatically
set to Enabled and the Users can only Point and Print to machines
in their Forest . You probably need to change it to Disabled or Users
can only Point and Print to these servers to make driver downloads
from Samba possible.

21.19.15 Print Options for All Users Can’t Be Set on Windows

200x/XP

How are you doing it? I bet the wrong way (it is not easy to find out,
though). There are three different ways to bring you to a dialog that seems
to set everything. All three dialogs look the same, yet only one of them does
what you intend. You need to be Administrator or Print Administrator to
do this for all users. Here is how I do in on XP:
A The first wrong way: .
518 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

(a) Open the Printers folder.

(b) Right-click on the printer (remoteprinter on cupshost) and select
in context menu Printing Preferences...
(c) Look at this dialog closely and remember what it looks like.
B The second wrong way: .
(a) Open the Printers folder.
(b) Right-click on the printer (remoteprinter on cupshost) and select
the context menu Properties.
(c) Click on the General tab.
(d) Click on the button Printing Preferences...
(e) A new dialog opens. Keep this dialog open and go back to the parent
dialog.
C The third and correct way:
(a) Open the Printers folder.
(b) Click on the Advanced tab. (If everything is “grayed out,” then you
are not logged in as a user with enough privileges).
(c) Click on the Printing Defaults... button.
(d) On any of the two new tabs, click on the Advanced... button.
(e) A new dialog opens. Compare this one to the other identical-looking
one from step “B.5” or A.3”.
Do you see any difference? I don’t either. However, only the last one, which
you arrived at with steps “C.1. to C.6.”, will save any settings permanently
and be the defaults for new users. If you want all clients to get the same
defaults, you need to conduct these steps as Administrator (printer admin
in smb.conf) before a client downloads the driver (the clients can later set
their own per-user defaults by following the procedures A or B).

21.19.16 Most Common Blunders in Driver Settings on Windows

Clients

Don’t use Optimize for Speed, but use Optimize for Portability in-
stead (Adobe PS Driver). Don’t use Page Independence: No. Always
Section 21.19. Common Errors 519

settle with Page Independence: Yes (Microsoft PS Driver and CUPS PS

Driver for Windows NT/200x/XP). If there are problems with fonts, use
Download as Softfont into printer (Adobe PS Driver). For TrueType
Download Options choose Outline. Use PostScript Level 2 if you are hav-
ing trouble with a non-PS printer and if there is a choice.

21.19.17 cupsaddsmb Does Not Work with Newly Installed Printer

Symptom: The last command of cupsaddsmb does not complete success-

fully. If the cmd = setdriver printername printername result was
NT STATUS UNSUCCESSFUL, then possibly the printer was not yet rec-
ognized by Samba. Did it show up in Network Neighborhood? Did it show
up in rpcclient hostname -c ‘enumprinters’? Restart smbd (or send a
kill -HUP to all processes listed by smbstatus, and try again.

21.19.18 Permissions on /var/spool/samba/ Get Reset After Each

Reboot

Have you ever by accident set the CUPS spool directory to the same location
(RequestRoot /var/spool/samba/ in cupsd.conf or the other way round:
/var/spool/cups/ is set as path> in the [printers] section)? These must be
different. Set RequestRoot /var/spool/cups/ in cupsd.conf and path =
/var/spool/samba in the [printers] section of smb.conf. Otherwise, cupsd
will sanitize permissions to its spool directory with each restart and printing
will not work reliably.

21.19.19 Print Queue Called “lp” Mishandles Print Jobs

In this case a print queue called “lp” intermittently swallows jobs and spits
out completely different ones from what was sent.
It is a bad idea to name any printer “lp”. This is the traditional UNIX name
for the default printer. CUPS may be set up to do an automatic creation of
Implicit Classes. This means, to group all printers with the same name to a
pool of devices and load-balance the jobs across them in a round-robin fash-
ion. Chances are high that someone else has a printer named “lp” too. You
may receive that person’s jobs and send your own to his or her device unwit-
tingly. To have tight control over the printer names, set BrowseShortNames
520 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

No. It will present any printer as printername@cupshost, which gives you

better control over what may happen in a large networked environment.

21.19.20 Location of Adobe PostScript Driver Files for “cup-

saddsmb”

Use smbclient to connect to any Windows box with a shared PostScript

printer: smbclient //windowsbox/print\$ -U guest. You can navigate
to the W32X86/2 subdir to mget ADOBE* and other files or to WIN40/
0 to do the same. Another option is to download the *.exe packaged files
from the Adobe Web site.

21.20 Overview of the CUPS Printing Processes

A complete overview of the CUPS printing processes can be found in Fig-

ure 21.19.
Section 21.20. Overview of the CUPS Printing Processes 521

something-fileformat

somethingtops

application/postscript

(constructs complicated
pstops
Ghostscript commandline
to let the file be processed by a
"-sDEVICE-s.th." call...)

application/vnd.cups-postscript cupsomatic

pstoraster
(= "postscript interpreter")

application/vnd.cups-raster

rastertosomething
(= "raster driver")
Ghostscript at work....

something device specific

backend

Note, that cupsomatic "kidnaps" the printfile after the

application/vnd.cups-postscript stage and deviates it gh
the CUPS-external, systemwide Ghostscript installation, bypassing the
"pstoraster" filter (therefore also bypassing the CUPS-raster-drivers
"rastertosomething", and hands the rasterized file directly to the CUPS
backend...

cupsomatic is not made by the CUPS developers. It is an independent

contribution to printing development, made by people from
Linuxprinting.org. (see also http://www.cups.org/cups-help.html)

Figure 21.18. Filtering Chain with cupsomatic

522 CUPS Printing Support Chapter 21

Figure 21.19. CUPS Printing Overview.

Chapter 22

STACKABLE VFS MODULES

22.1 Features and Benefits

Stackable VFS (Virtual File System) modules support was new to Samba-
3 and has proven quite popular. Samba passes each request to access the
UNIX file system through the loaded VFS modules. This chapter covers the
modules that come with the Samba source and provides references to some
external modules.

22.2 Discussion

If not supplied with your platform distribution binary Samba package you
may have problems compiling these modules, as shared libraries are compiled
and linked in different ways on different systems. They currently have been
tested against GNU/Linux and IRIX.
To use the VFS modules, create a share similar to the one below. The
important parameter is the vfs objects parameter where you can list one or
more VFS modules by name. For example, to log all access to files and put
deleted files in a recycle bin, see Example 22.2.1:
The modules are used in the order in which they are specified. Let’s say that
you want to both have a virus scanner module and a recycle bin module.
It is wise to put the virus scanner module as the first one so that it is the
first that get run an may detect a virus immediately, before any action is
performed on that file. vfs objects = vscan-clamav recycle
Samba will attempt to load modules from the /lib directory in the root
directory of the Samba installation (usually /usr/lib/samba/vfs or /usr/

523
524 Stackable VFS modules Chapter 22

Example 22.2.1. smb.conf with VFS modules

[ audit ]
comment = Audited / data d i r e c t o r y
path = / data
vfs objects = audit recycle
writeable = yes
browseable = yes

local/samba/lib/vfs).
Some modules can be used twice for the same share. This can be done using
a configuration similar to the one shown in Example 22.2.2.

Example 22.2.2. smb.conf with multiple VFS modules

[ test ]
comment = VFS TEST
path = / data
writeable = yes
browseable = yes
v f s o b j e c t s = example : example1 example ←-
example : t e s t
example1 : parameter = 1
example : parameter = 5
test : parameter = 7

22.3 Included Modules

22.3.1 audit

A simple module to audit file access to the syslog facility. The following
operations are logged:
• share
• connect/disconnect
Section 22.3. Included Modules 525

• directory opens/create/remove
• file open/close/rename/unlink/chmod

22.3.2 extd audit

This module is identical with the audit module above except that it sends
audit logs to both syslog as well as the smbd log files. The log level for this
module is set in the smb.conf file.
Valid settings and the information that will be recorded are shown in Ta-
ble 22.1.

Table 22.1. Extended Auditing Log Information

Log Level Log Details - File and Directory Operations
0 Make Directory, Remove Directory, Unlink
1 Open Directory, Rename File, Change Permissions/ACLs
2 Open & Close File
10 Maximum Debug Level

22.3.2.1 Configuration of Auditing

This auditing tool is more felxible than most people readily will recognize.
There are a number of ways by which useful logging information can be
recorded.
• Syslog can be used to record all transaction. This can be disabled by
setting in the smb.conf file syslog = 0.
• Logging can take place to the default log file (log.smbd) for all loaded
VFS modules just by setting in the smb.conf file log level = 0
vfs:x, where x is the log level. This will disable general logging while
activating all logging of VFS module activity at the log level specified.
• Detailed logging can be obtained per user, per client machine, etc.
This requires the above together with the creative use of the log file
settings.
An example of detailed per-user and per-machine logging can be ob-
tained by setting log file = /var/log/samba/%U.%m.log.
526 Stackable VFS modules Chapter 22

Auditing information often must be preserved for a long time. So that the
log files do not get rotated it is essential that the max log size = 0 be set in
the smb.conf file.

22.3.3 fake perms

This module was created to allow Roaming Profile files and directories to
be set (on the Samba server under UNIX) as read only. This module will, if
installed on the Profiles share, report to the client that the Profile files and
directories are writeable. This satisfies the client even though the files will
never be overwritten as the client logs out or shuts down.

22.3.4 recycle

A Recycle Bin-like module. Where used, unlink calls will be intercepted and
files moved to the recycle directory instead of being deleted. This gives the
same effect as the Recycle Bin on Windows computers.
The Recycle Bin will not appear in Windows Explorer views of the network
file system (share) nor on any mapped drive. Instead, a directory called .
recycle will be automatically created when the first file is deleted. Users
can recover files from the .recycle directory. If the recycle:keeptree has
been specified, deleted files will be found in a path identical with that from
which the file was deleted.
Supported options for the recycle module are as follow:

recycle:repository Relative path of the directory where deleted files should

be moved.

recycle:keeptree Specifies whether the directory structure should be kept

or if the files in the directory that is being deleted should be kept
separately in the recycle bin.

recycle:versions If this option is set, two files with the same name that
are deleted will both be kept in the recycle bin. Newer deleted versions
of a file will be called “Copy #x of filename”.
Section 22.3. Included Modules 527

recycle:touch Specifies whether a file’s access date should be touched when

the file is moved to the recycle bin.

recycle:maxsize Files that are larger than the number of bytes specified
by this parameter will not be put into the recycle bin.

recycle:exclude List of files that should not be put into the recycle bin
when deleted, but deleted in the regular way.

recycle:exclude dir Contains a list of directories. When files from these

directories are deleted, they are not put into the recycle bin but are
deleted in the regular way.

recycle:noversions Specifies a list of paths (wildcards such as * and ? are

supported) for which no versioning should be used. Only useful when
recycle:versions is enabled.

22.3.5 netatalk

A netatalk module will ease co-existence of Samba and netatalk file sharing
services.

Advantages compared to the old netatalk module:

• Does not care about creating .AppleDouble forks, just keeps them in
sync.

• If a share in smb.conf does not contain .AppleDouble item in hide or

veto list, it will be added automatically.

22.3.6 shadow copy

528 Stackable VFS modules Chapter 22

Warning

THIS IS NOT A BACKUP, ARCHIVAL, OR VERSION

CONTROL SOLUTION!
With Samba or Windows servers, shadow copy is de-
signed to be an end-user tool only. It does not replace or
enhance your backup and archival solutions and should in
no way be considered as such. Additionally, if you need
version control, implement a version control system. You
have been warned.

The shadow copy module allows you to setup functionality that is similar
to MS shadow copy services. When setup properly, this module allows
Microsoft shadow copy clients to browse ”shadow copies” on samba shares.
You will need to install the shadow copy client. You can get the MS shadow
copy client here.1 . Note the additional requirements for pre-Windows XP
clients. I did not test this functionality with any pre-Windows XP clients.
You should be able to get more information about MS Shadow Copy from
the Microsoft’s site2 .

The shadow copy VFS module requires some underlying file system setup
with some sort of Logical Volume Manager (LVM) such as LVM1, LVM2, or
EVMS. Setting up LVM is beyond the scope of this document; however, we
will outline the steps we took to test this functionality for example purposes
only. You need to make sure the LVM implementation you choose to deploy
is ready for production. Make sure you do plenty of tests.

Here are some common resources for LVM and EVMS:

• Sistina’s LVM1 and LVM23

• Enterprise Volume Management System (EVMS)4

• The LVM HOWTO5

1
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/downloads/shadowcopyclient.
mspx>
2
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/scr.mspx>
3
<http://www.sistina.com/products_lvm_download.htm>
4
<http://evms.sourceforge.net/>
5
<http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/>
Section 22.3. Included Modules 529

• See Learning Linux LVM, Part 16 and Learning Linux LWM, Part 27
for Daniel Robbins’ well written a two part tutorial on Linux and LVM
using LVM source code and reiserfs.

22.3.6.1 Shadow Copy Setup

At the time of this writing, not much testing has been done. I tested the
shadow copy VFS module with a specific scenario which was not deployed
in a production environment, but more as a proof of concept. The scenario
involved a Samba 3 file server on Debian Sarge with an XFS file system and
LVM1. I do NOT recommend you use this as a solution without doing your
own due diligence with regard to all the components presented here. That
said, following is an basic outline of how I got things going.
1. Installed Operating System. In my tests, I used Debian Sarge8
(i.e. testing) on an XFS file system. Setting up the OS is a bit beyond
the scope of this document. It is assumed that you have a working OS
capable of running Samba.
2. Install & Configure Samba. See the Part I of this HOWTO for
more detail on this. It doesn’t matter if it is a Domain Controller or
Member File Server, but it is assumed that you have a working Samba
3.0.3 or newer server running.
3. Install & Configure LVM. Before you can make shadow copies
available to the client, you have to create the shadow copies. This
is done by taking some sort of file system snapshot. Snapshots are a
typical feature of Logical Volume Managers such as LVM, so we first
need to have that setup.
The following is provided as an example and will be most helpful for
Debian users. Again, this was tested using the ”testing” or ”Sarge”
distribution.
• Install lvm10 and devfsd packages if you have not done so already.
On Debian systems, you are warned of the interaction of devfs
and lvm1 which requires the use of devfs filenames. Running
apt-get update && apt-get install lvm10 devfsd xfsprogs
should do the trick for this example.
6
<http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-lvm/>
7
<http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-lvm2.html>
8
<http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/>
530 Stackable VFS modules Chapter 22

• Now you need to create a volume. You will need to create a

partition (or partitions) to add to your volume. Use your favorite
partitioning tool (e.g. Linux fdisk, cfdisk, etc.). The partition
type should be set to 0x8e for ”Linux LVM.” In this example, we
will use /dev/hdb1.
Once you have the Linux LVM partition (type 0x8e), you can
run a series of commands to create the LVM volume. You can
use several disks and or partitions, but we will use only one in
this example. You may also need to load the kernel module with
something like modprobe lvm-mod and set your system up to
load it on reboot by adding it to (/etc/modules).
• Create the physical volume with pvcreate /dev/hdb1
• Create the volume group with and add /dev/hda1 to it with
vgcreate shadowvol /dev/hdb1
You can use vgdisplay to review information about the volume
group.
• Now you can create the logical volume with something like lvcre-
ate -L400M -nsh test shadowvol
This creates the logical volume of 400MB’s named ”sh test” in
the volume group we created called shadowvol. If everything is
working so far, you should see them in /dev/shadowvol.
• Now we should be ready to format the logical volume we named
sh test with mkfs.xfs /dev/shadowvol/sh test
You can format the logical volume with any file system you choose,
but make sure to use one that allows you to take advantage of the
additional features of LVM such as freezing, resizing and growing
your file systems.
Now we have an LVM volume where we can play with the shadow copy
VFS module.
• Now we need to prepare the directory with something like mkdir
-p /data/shadow share or whatever you want to name your
shadow copy enabled Samba share. Make sure you set the per-
missions such that you can use it. If in doubt, use chmod 777
/data/shadow share and tighten the permissions once you get
things working.
Section 22.3. Included Modules 531

• Mount the LVM volume using something like mount /dev/shad-

owvol/sh test /data/shadow share
You may also want to edit your /etc/fstab so that this partition
mounts during the system boot.
4. Install & Configure the shadow copy VFS Module. Finally we
get to the actual shadow copy VFS module. The shadow copy VFS
module should be available in Samba 3.0.3 and higher. The smb.conf
configuration is pretty standard. Here is our example of a share con-
figured with the shadow copy VFS module:

Example 22.3.1. Share With shadow copy VFS

[ shadow share ]
comment = Shadow Copy Enabled Share
path = / data / s h a d o w s h a r e
v f s o b j e c t s = shadow copy
write able = yes
browseable = yes

5. Create Snapshots and Make Them Available to shadow copy.so.

Before you can browse the shadow copies, you must create them and
mount them. This will most likely be done with a script that runs as a
cron job. With this particular solution, the shadow copy VFS module
is used to browse LVM snapshots. Those snapshots are not created by
the module. They are not made available by the module either. This
module allows the shadow copy enabled client to browse the snapshots
you take and make available.
Here is a simple script used to create and mount the snapshots:

#!/bin/bash
# This is a test, this is only a test
SNAPNAME=‘date +%Y.%m.%d-%H.%M.%S‘
xfs_freeze -f /data/shadow_share/
lvcreate -L10M -s -n $SNAPNAME /dev/shadowvol/sh_test
xfs_freeze -u /data/shadow_share/
mkdir /data/shadow_share/@GMT-$SNAPNAME
mount /dev/shadowvol/$SNAPNAME /data/shadow_share/@GMT-$SNAPNAME -onouuid,ro
532 Stackable VFS modules Chapter 22

Note that the script does not handle other things like remounting
snapshots on reboot.
6. Test From Client. To test, you will need to install the shadow copy
client which you can obtain from the Microsoft web site.9 I only tested
this with an XP client so your results may vary with other pre-XP
clients. Once installed, with your XP client you can right-click on
specific files or in the empty space of the shadow share and view the
”properties”. If anything has changed, then you will see it on the
”Previous Versions” tab of the properties window.

22.4 VFS Modules Available Elsewhere

This section contains a listing of various other VFS modules that have been
posted but do not currently reside in the Samba CVS tree for one reason or
another (e.g., it is easy for the maintainer to have his or her own CVS tree).
No statements about the stability or functionality of any module should be
implied due to its presence here.

22.4.1 DatabaseFS

URL: Taylors University DatabaeFS10

By Eric Lorimer.11
I have created a VFS module that implements a fairly complete read-only
filesystem. It presents information from a database as a filesystem in a
modular and generic way to allow different databases to be used (originally
designed for organizing MP3s under directories such as “Artists,” “Song
Keywords,” and so on. I have since easily applied it to a student roster
database.) The directory structure is stored in the database itself and the
module makes no assumptions about the database structure beyond the
table it requires to run.
9
<http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/downloads/shadowcopyclient.
mspx>
10
<http://www.css.tayloru.edu/~elorimer/databasefs/index.php>
11
<mailto:[email protected]>
Section 22.4. VFS Modules Available Elsewhere 533

Any feedback would be appreciated: comments, suggestions, patches, and

so on. If nothing else, hopefully it might prove useful for someone else who
wishes to create a virtual filesystem.

22.4.2 vscan

URL: Open Anti-Virus vscan12

samba-vscan is a proof-of-concept module for Samba, which provides on-
access anti-virus support for files shared using Samba. samba-vscan supports
various virus scanners and is maintained by Rainer Link.

12
<http://www.openantivirus.org/projects.php#samba-vscan>
Chapter 23

WINBIND: USE OF DOMAIN

ACCOUNTS

23.1 Features and Benefits

Integration of UNIX and Microsoft Windows NT through a unified logon has

been considered a “holy grail” in heterogeneous computing environments for
a long time.
There is one other facility without which UNIX and Microsoft Windows
network interoperability would suffer greatly. It is imperative that there be
a mechanism for sharing files across UNIX systems and to be able to assign
domain user and group ownerships with integrity.
winbind is a component of the Samba suite of programs that solves the
unified logon problem. Winbind uses a UNIX implementation of Microsoft
RPC calls, Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAMs), and the name service
switch (NSS) to allow Windows NT domain users to appear and operate
as UNIX users on a UNIX machine. This chapter describes the Winbind
system, the functionality it provides, how it is configured, and how it works
internally.
Winbind provides three separate functions:
• Authentication of user credentials (via PAM). This makes it possible
to log onto a UNIX/Linux system using user and group accounts from
a Windows NT4 (including a Samba domain) or an Active Directory
domain.
• Identity resolution (via NSS). This is the default when winbind is not
used.

534
Section 23.2. Introduction 535

• Winbind maintains a database called winbind idmap.tdb in which it

stores mappings between UNIX UIDs, GIDs, and NT SIDs. This
mapping is used only for users and groups that do not have a local
UID/GID. It stores the UID/GID allocated from the idmap uid/gid
range that it has mapped to the NT SID. If idmap backend has been
specified as ldap:ldap://hostname[:389], then instead of using a
local mapping, Winbind will obtain this information from the LDAP
database.

Note

If winbindd is not running, smbd (which calls winbindd)

will fall back to using purely local information from /
etc/passwd and /etc/group and no dynamic mapping
will be used. On an operating system that has beeb
enabled with the NSS, the resolution of user and group
information will be accomplished via NSS.

23.2 Introduction

It is well known that UNIX and Microsoft Windows NT have different mod-
els for representing user and group information and use different technologies
for implementing them. This fact has made it difficult to integrate the two
systems in a satisfactory manner.
One common solution in use today has been to create identically named user
accounts on both the UNIX and Windows systems and use the Samba suite
of programs to provide file and print services between the two. This solution
is far from perfect, however, because adding and deleting users on both sets
of machines becomes a chore, and two sets of passwords are required —
both of which can lead to synchronization problems between the UNIX and
Windows systems and confusion for users.
We divide the unified logon problem for UNIX machines into three smaller
problems:
• Obtaining Windows NT user and group information.
536 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

Figure 23.1. Winbind Idmap

• Authenticating Windows NT users.

• Password changing for Windows NT users.
Ideally, a prospective solution to the unified logon problem would satisfy
all the above components without duplication of information on the UNIX
machines and without creating additional tasks for the system administrator
when maintaining users and groups on either system. The Winbind system
provides a simple and elegant solution to all three components of the unified
logon problem.

23.3 What Winbind Provides

Winbind unifies UNIX and Windows NT account management by allowing

a UNIX box to become a full member of an NT domain. Once this is done,
the UNIX box will see NT users and groups as if they were “native” UNIX
users and groups, allowing the NT domain to be used in much the same
manner that NIS+ is used within UNIX-only environments.
The end result is that whenever a program on the UNIX machine asks
the operating system to look up a user or group name, the query will be
Section 23.3. What Winbind Provides 537

resolved by asking the NT domain controller for the specified domain to do

the lookup. Because Winbind hooks into the operating system at a low level
(via the NSS name resolution modules in the C library), this redirection to
the NT domain controller is completely transparent.
Users on the UNIX machine can then use NT user and group names as
they would “native” UNIX names. They can chown files so they are owned
by NT domain users or even login to the UNIX machine and run a UNIX
X-Window session as a domain user.
The only obvious indication that Winbind is being used is that user and
group names take the form DOMAIN\user and DOMAIN\group. This is neces-
sary because it allows Winbind to determine that redirection to a domain
controller is wanted for a particular lookup and which trusted domain is
being referenced.
Additionally, Winbind provides an authentication service that hooks into
the PAM system to provide authentication via an NT domain to any PAM-
enabled applications. This capability solves the problem of synchronizing
passwords between systems, since all passwords are stored in a single location
(on the domain controller).

23.3.1 Target Uses

Winbind is targeted at organizations that have an existing NT-based domain

infrastructure into which they wish to put UNIX workstations or servers.
Winbind will allow these organizations to deploy UNIX workstations without
having to maintain a separate account infrastructure. This greatly simplifies
the administrative overhead of deploying UNIX workstations into an NT-
based organization.
Another interesting way in which we expect Winbind to be used is as a
central part of UNIX-based appliances. Appliances that provide file and
print services to Microsoft-based networks will be able to use Winbind to
provide seamless integration of the appliance into the domain.

23.3.2 Handling of Foreign SIDs

The term foreign SID is often met with the reaction that it is not relevant
to a particular environment. The following documents an interchange that
538 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

took place on the Samba mailing list. It is a good example of the confusion
often expressed regarding the use of winbind.
Fact: Winbind is needed to handle users who use workstations that are NOT
part of the local domain.
Response: “Why? I’ve used Samba with workstations that are not part of
my domains lots of times without using winbind. I though winbind was
for using Samba as a member server in a domain controlled by another
Samba/Windows PDC.”
If the Samba server will be accessed from a domain other than the local
Samba domain, or if there will be access from machines that are not local
domain members, winbind will permit the allocation of UIDs and GIDs from
the assigned pool that will keep the identity of the foreign user separate from
users that are members of the Samba domain.
This means that winbind is eminently useful in cases where a single Samba
PDC on a local network is combined with both domain member and non-
domain member workstations. If winbind is not used, the user george on a
Windows workstation that is not a domain member will be able to access
the files of a user called george in the account database of the Samba server
that is acting as a PDC. When winbind is used, the default condition is
that the local user george will be treated as the account DOMAIN\george
and the foreign (non-member of the domain) account will be treated as
MACHINE\george because each has a different SID.

23.4 How Winbind Works

The Winbind system is designed around a client/server architecture. A

long-running winbindd daemon listens on a UNIX domain socket waiting
for requests to arrive. These requests are generated by the NSS and PAM
clients and are processed sequentially.
The technologies used to implement Winbind are described in detail below.

23.4.1 Microsoft Remote Procedure Calls

Over the last few years, efforts have been underway by various Samba Team
members to decode various aspects of the Microsoft Remote Procedure Call
(MSRPC) system. This system is used for most network-related operations
Section 23.4. How Winbind Works 539

between Windows NT machines, including remote management, user au-

thentication, and print spooling. Although initially this work was done to
aid the implementation of Primary Domain Controller (PDC) functionality
in Samba, it has also yielded a body of code that can be used for other
purposes.
Winbind uses various MSRPC calls to enumerate domain users and groups
and to obtain detailed information about individual users or groups. Other
MSRPC calls can be used to authenticate NT domain users and to change
user passwords. By directly querying a Windows PDC for user and group
information, Winbind maps the NT account information onto UNIX user
and group names.

23.4.2 Microsoft Active Directory Services

Since late 2001, Samba has gained the ability to interact with Microsoft
Windows 2000 using its “native mode” protocols rather than the NT4 RPC
services. Using LDAP and Kerberos, a domain member running Winbind
can enumerate users and groups in exactly the same way as a Windows 200x
client would, and in so doing provide a much more efficient and effective
Winbind implementation.

23.4.3 Name Service Switch

The NSS is a feature that is present in many UNIX operating systems. It

allows system information such as hostnames, mail aliases, and user informa-
tion to be resolved from different sources. For example, a standalone UNIX
workstation may resolve system information from a series of flat files stored
on the local file system. A networked workstation may first attempt to re-
solve system information from local files, and then consult an NIS database
for user information or a DNS server for hostname information.
The NSS application programming interface allows Winbind to present it-
self as a source of system information when resolving UNIX usernames and
groups. Winbind uses this interface and information obtained from a Win-
dows NT server using MSRPC calls to provide a new source of account
enumeration. Using standard UNIX library calls, you can enumerate the
users and groups on a UNIX machine running Winbind and see all users
and groups in an NT domain plus any trusted domain as though they were
local users and groups.
540 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

The primary control file for NSS is /etc/nsswitch.conf. When a UNIX

application makes a request to do a lookup, the C library looks in /etc/
nsswitch.conf for a line that matches the service type being requested; for
example, the “passwd” service type is used when user or group names are
looked up. This config line specifies which implementations of that service
should be tried and in what order. If the passwd config line is:

passwd: files example

then the C library will first load a module called /lib/libnss files.so
followed by the module /lib/libnss example.so. The C library will dy-
namically load each of these modules in turn and call resolver functions
within the modules to try to resolve the request. Once the request is re-
solved, the C library returns the result to the application.
This NSS interface provides an easy way for Winbind to hook into the op-
erating system. All that needs to be done is to put libnss winbind.so
in /lib/ then add “winbind” into /etc/nsswitch.conf at the appropriate
place. The C library will then call Winbind to resolve user and group names.

23.4.4 Pluggable Authentication Modules

PAMs provide a system for abstracting authentication and authorization

technologies. With a PAM module, it is possible to specify different au-
thentication methods for different system applications without having to
recompile these applications. PAM is also useful for implementing a par-
ticular policy for authorization. For example, a system administrator may
only allow console logins from users stored in the local password file but
only allow users resolved from an NIS database to log in over the network.
Winbind uses the authentication management and password management
PAM interface to integrate Windows NT users into a UNIX system. This
allows Windows NT users to log in to a UNIX machine and be authenticated
against a suitable PDC. These users can also change their passwords and
have this change take effect directly on the PDC.
PAM is configured by providing control files in the directory /etc/pam.d/
for each of the services that require authentication. When an authentication
request is made by an application, the PAM code in the C library looks up
this control file to determine what modules to load to do the authentication
Section 23.4. How Winbind Works 541

check and in what order. This interface makes adding a new authentication
service for Winbind very easy: simply copy the pam winbind.so module to /
lib/security/, and the PAM control files for relevant services are updated
to allow authentication via Winbind. See the PAM documentation in Chap-
ter 27, “PAM-Based Distributed Authentication”, for more information.

23.4.5 User and Group ID Allocation

When a user or group is created under Windows NT/200x, it is allocated

a numerical relative identifier (RID). This is slightly different from UNIX,
which has a range of numbers that are used to identify users and the same
range used to identify groups. It is Winbind’s job to convert RIDs to UNIX
ID numbers and vice versa. When Winbind is configured, it is given part of
the UNIX user ID space and a part of the UNIX group ID space in which to
store Windows NT users and groups. If a Windows NT user is resolved for
the first time, it is allocated the next UNIX ID from the range. The same
process applies for Windows NT groups. Over time, Winbind will have
mapped all Windows NT users and groups to UNIX user IDs and group
IDs.

The results of this mapping are stored persistently in an ID mapping database

held in a tdb database. This ensures that RIDs are mapped to UNIX IDs
in a consistent way.

23.4.6 Result Caching

An active system can generate a lot of user and group name lookups. To
reduce the network cost of these lookups, Winbind uses a caching scheme
based on the SAM sequence number supplied by NT domain controllers.
User or group information returned by a PDC is cached by Winbind along
with a sequence number also returned by the PDC. This sequence number
is incremented by Windows NT whenever any user or group information is
modified. If a cached entry has expired, the sequence number is requested
from the PDC and compared against the sequence number of the cached
entry. If the sequence numbers do not match, then the cached information
is discarded and up-to-date information is requested directly from the PDC.
542 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

23.5 Installation and Configuration

23.5.1 Introduction

This section describes the procedures used to get Winbind up and run-
ning. Winbind is capable of providing access and authentication control for
Windows Domain users through an NT or Windows 200x PDC for regular
services, such as telnet and ftp, as well for Samba services.
• Why should I do this?
This allows the Samba administrator to rely on the authentication
mechanisms on the Windows NT/200x PDC for the authentication of
domain members. Windows NT/200x users no longer need to have
separate accounts on the Samba server.
• Who should be reading this document?
This document is designed for system administrators. If you are im-
plementing Samba on a file server and wish to (fairly easily) integrate
existing Windows NT/200x users from your PDC onto the Samba
server, this document is for you.

23.5.2 Requirements

If you have a Samba configuration file that you are currently using, BACK
IT UP! If your system already uses PAM, back up the /etc/pam.d directory
contents! If you haven’t already made a boot disk, MAKE ONE NOW!
Messing with the PAM configuration files can make it nearly impossible
to log in to your machine. That’s why you want to be able to boot back
into your machine in single-user mode and restore your /etc/pam.d to the
original state it was in if you get frustrated with the way things are going.
The latest version of Samba-3 includes a functioning winbindd daemon.
Please refer to the main Samba Web page1 , or better yet, your closest Samba
mirror site for instructions on downloading the source code.
To allow domain users the ability to access Samba shares and files, as well as
potentially other services provided by your Samba machine, PAM must be
set up properly on your machine. In order to compile the Winbind modules,
1
<http://samba.org/>
Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 543

you should have at least the PAM development libraries installed on your
system. Please refer the PAM Web site <http://www.kernel.org/pub/
linux/libs/pam/>.

23.5.3 Testing Things Out

Before starting, it is probably best to kill off all the Samba-related daemons
running on your server. Kill off all smbd, nmbd, and winbindd processes that
may be running. To use PAM, make sure that you have the standard PAM
package that supplies the /etc/pam.d directory structure, including the
PAM modules that are used by PAM-aware services, several PAM libraries,
and the /usr/doc and /usr/man entries for PAM. Winbind is built better
in Samba if the pam-devel package is also installed. This package includes
the header files needed to compile PAM-aware applications.

23.5.3.1 Configure nsswitch.conf and the Winbind Libraries on Linux

and Solaris

PAM is a standard component of most current generation UNIX/Linux sys-

tems. Unfortunately, few systems install the pam-devel libraries that are
needed to build PAM-enabled Samba. Additionally, Samba-3 may auto-
install the Winbind files into their correct locations on your system, so before
you get too far down the track, be sure to check if the following configuration
is really necessary. You may only need to configure /etc/nsswitch.conf.
The libraries needed to run the winbindd daemon through nsswitch need to
be copied to their proper locations:

root# cp ../samba/source/nsswitch/libnss_winbind.so /lib

I also found it necessary to make the following symbolic link:

root# ln -s /lib/libnss winbind.so /lib/libnss winbind.so.2
And, in the case of Sun Solaris:

root# ln -s /usr/lib/libnss_winbind.so /usr/lib/libnss_winbind.so.1

root# ln -s /usr/lib/libnss_winbind.so /usr/lib/nss_winbind.so.1
544 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

root# ln -s /usr/lib/libnss_winbind.so /usr/lib/nss_winbind.so.2

Now, as root, you need to edit /etc/nsswitch.conf to allow user and group
entries to be visible from the winbindd daemon. My /etc/nsswitch.conf
file looked like this after editing:

passwd: files winbind

shadow: files
group: files winbind

The libraries needed by the winbindd daemon will be automatically entered

into the ldconfig cache the next time your system reboots, but it is faster
(and you do not need to reboot) if you do it manually:
root#/sbin/ldconfig -v | grep winbind
This makes libnss winbind available to winbindd and echos back a check
to you.

23.5.3.2 NSS Winbind on AIX

(This section is only for those running AIX.)

The Winbind AIX identification module gets built as libnss winbind.so
in the nsswitch directory of the Samba source. This file can be copied to /
usr/lib/security, and the AIX naming convention would indicate that it
should be named WINBIND. A stanza like the following:

WINBIND:
program = /usr/lib/security/WINBIND
options = authonly

can then be added to /usr/lib/security/methods.cfg. This module only

supports identification, but there have been reports of success using the
standard Winbind PAM module for authentication. Use caution configuring
loadable authentication modules, since misconfiguration can make it impos-
sible to log on to the system. Information regarding the AIX authentication
module API can be found in the “Kernel Extensions and Device Support
Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 545

Programming Concepts for AIX” document that describes the Loadable

Authentication Module Programming Interface2 for AIX. Further informa-
tion on administering the modules can be found in the System Management
Guide: Operating System and Devices.3

23.5.3.3 Configure smb.conf

Several parameters are needed in the smb.conf file to control the behavior of
winbindd. These are described in more detail in the winbindd(8) man page.
My smb.conf file, as shown in Example 23.5.1, was modified to include the
necessary entries in the [global] section.

Example 23.5.1. smb.conf for Winbind Setup

[ global ]
# s e p a r a t e domain and username w i t h ’\ ←-
t e x t b a c k s l a s h ’ , l i k e DOMAIN\ t e x t b a c k s l a s h ←-
username
winbind s e p a r a t o r = \
# use u i d s from 10000 t o 20000 f o r domain u s e r s
idmap u i d = 10000 −20000
# use g i d s from 10000 t o 20000 f o r domain g r o u p s
idmap g i d = 10000 −20000
# a l l o w enumeration o f w i n b i n d u s e r s and g r o u p s
winbind enum u s e r s = y e s
winbind enum g r oups = y e s
# g i v e w i n b i n d u s e r s a r e a l s h e l l ( o n l y needed i f ←-
t h e y have t e l n e t a c c e s s )
t e m p l a t e homedir = /home/ winnt/%D/%U
t e m p l a t e s h e l l = / b i n / bash

2
<http://publibn.boulder.ibm.com/doc_link/en_US/a_doc_lib/aixprggd/
kernextc/sec_load_mod.htm>
3
<http://publibn.boulder.ibm.com/doc_link/en_US/a_doc_lib/aixbman/
baseadmn/iandaadmin.htm>
546 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

23.5.3.4 Join the Samba Server to the PDC Domain

All machines that will participate in domain security should be members of

the domain. This applies also to the PDC and all BDCs.
The process of joining a domain requires the use of the net rpc join com-
mand. This process communicates with the domain controller it will register
with (usually the PDC) via MS DCE RPC. This means, of course, that the
smbd process must be running on the target domain controller. It is there-
fore necessary to temporarily start Samba on a PDC so that it can join its
own domain.
Enter the following command to make the Samba server join the domain,
where PDC is the name of your PDC and Administrator is a domain user
who has administrative privileges in the domain.

Note

Before attempting to join a machine to the domain, verify

that Samba is running on the target domain controller
(usually PDC) and that it is capable of being reached via
ports 137/udp, 135/tcp, 139/tcp, and 445/tcp (if Samba
or Windows Server 2Kx).

root#/usr/local/samba/bin/net rpc join -S PDC -U Administrator

The proper response to the command should be “Joined the domain DOMAIN”
where DOMAIN is your domain name.

23.5.3.5 Starting and Testing the winbindd Daemon

Eventually, you will want to modify your Samba startup script to automati-
cally invoke the winbindd daemon when the other parts of Samba start, but
it is possible to test out just the Winbind portion first. To start up Winbind
services, enter the following command as root:
root#/usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd
Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 547

Note

The command to start up Winbind services assumes that

Samba has been installed in the /usr/local/samba di-
rectory tree. You may need to search for the location
of Samba files if this is not the location of winbindd on
your system.

Winbindd can now also run in “dual daemon mode”. This will make it run
as two processes. The first will answer all requests from the cache, thus
making responses to clients faster. The other will update the cache for the
query to which the first has just responded. The advantage of this is that
responses stay accurate and are faster. You can enable dual daemon mode
by adding -B to the command line:
root#/usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd -B
I’m always paranoid and like to make sure the daemon is really running.
root#ps -ae | grep winbindd
This command should produce output like the following if the daemon is
running.

3025 ? 00:00:00 winbindd

Now, for the real test, try to get some information about the users on your
PDC:
root#/usr/local/samba/bin/wbinfo -u
This should echo back a list of users on your Windows users on your PDC.
For example, I get the following response:

CEO\Administrator
CEO\burdell
CEO\Guest
CEO\jt-ad
CEO\krbtgt
548 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

CEO\TsInternetUser

Obviously, I have named my domain “CEO” and my winbind separator is

“\”.

You can do the same sort of thing to get group information from the PDC:

root# /usr/local/samba/bin/wbinfo -g
CEO\Domain Admins
CEO\Domain Users
CEO\Domain Guests
CEO\Domain Computers
CEO\Domain Controllers
CEO\Cert Publishers
CEO\Schema Admins
CEO\Enterprise Admins
CEO\Group Policy Creator Owners

The function getent can now be used to get unified lists of both local and
PDC users and groups. Try the following command:

root#getent passwd

You should get a list that looks like your /etc/passwd list followed by the
domain users with their new UIDs, GIDs, home directories, and default
shells.

The same thing can be done for groups with the command:

root#getent group

23.5.3.6 Fix the init.d Startup Scripts

Linux The winbindd daemon needs to start up after the smbd and nmbd
daemons are running. To accomplish this task, you need to modify the
startup scripts of your system. They are located at /etc/init.d/smb in
Red Hat Linux and in /etc/init.d/samba in Debian Linux. Edit your
script to add commands to invoke this daemon in the proper sequence. My
startup script starts up smbd, nmbd, and winbindd from the /usr/local/
Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 549

samba/bin directory directly. The start function in the script looks like
this:

start() {
KIND="SMB"
echo -n $"Starting $KIND services: "
daemon /usr/local/samba/bin/smbd $SMBDOPTIONS
RETVAL=$?
echo
KIND="NMB"
echo -n $"Starting $KIND services: "
daemon /usr/local/samba/bin/nmbd $NMBDOPTIONS
RETVAL2=$?
echo
KIND="Winbind"
echo -n $"Starting $KIND services: "
daemon /usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd
RETVAL3=$?
echo
[ $RETVAL -eq 0 -a $RETVAL2 -eq 0 -a $RETVAL3 -eq 0 ] && \
touch /var/lock/subsys/smb || RETVAL=1
return $RETVAL
}

If you would like to run winbindd in dual daemon mode, replace the line:

daemon /usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd

in the example above with:

daemon /usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd -B

The stop function has a corresponding entry to shut down the services and
looks like this:
550 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

stop() {
KIND="SMB"
echo -n $"Shutting down $KIND services: "
killproc smbd
RETVAL=$?
echo
KIND="NMB"
echo -n $"Shutting down $KIND services: "
killproc nmbd
RETVAL2=$?
echo
KIND="Winbind"
echo -n $"Shutting down $KIND services: "
killproc winbindd
RETVAL3=$?
[ $RETVAL -eq 0 -a $RETVAL2 -eq 0 -a $RETVAL3 -eq 0 ] && \
rm -f /var/lock/subsys/smb
echo ""
return $RETVAL
}

Solaris Winbind does not work on Solaris 9; see Section 40.6.2 for details.
On Solaris, you need to modify the /etc/init.d/samba.server startup
script. It usually only starts smbd and nmbd but should now start winbindd,
too. If you have Samba installed in /usr/local/samba/bin, the file could
contains something like this:

##
## samba.server
##

if [ ! -d /usr/bin ]
then # /usr not mounted
exit
fi

killproc() { # kill the named process(es)

Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 551

pid=‘/usr/bin/ps -e |
/usr/bin/grep -w $1 |
/usr/bin/sed -e ’s/^ *//’ -e ’s/ .*//’‘
[ "$pid" != "" ] && kill $pid
}

# Start/stop processes required for Samba server

case "$1" in

’start’)
#
# Edit these lines to suit your installation (paths, workgroup, host)
#
echo Starting SMBD
/usr/local/samba/bin/smbd -D -s \
/usr/local/samba/smb.conf

echo Starting NMBD

/usr/local/samba/bin/nmbd -D -l \
/usr/local/samba/var/log -s /usr/local/samba/smb.conf

echo Starting Winbind Daemon

/usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd
;;

’stop’)
killproc nmbd
killproc smbd
killproc winbindd
;;

*)
echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/samba.server { start | stop }"
;;
esac

Again, if you would like to run Samba in dual daemon mode, replace:
552 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

/usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd

in the script above with:

/usr/local/samba/sbin/winbindd -B

Restarting If you restart the smbd, nmbd, and winbindd daemons at this
point, you should be able to connect to the Samba server as a domain
member just as if you were a local user.

23.5.3.7 Configure Winbind and PAM

If you have made it this far, you know that winbindd and Samba are
working together. If you want to use Winbind to provide authentication for
other services, keep reading. The PAM configuration files need to be altered
in this step. (Did you remember to make backups of your original /etc/
pam.d files? If not, do it now.)

You will need a PAM module to use winbindd with these other services. This
module will be compiled in the ../source/nsswitch directory by invoking
the command:

root#make nsswitch/pam winbind.so

from the ../source directory. The pam winbind.so file should be copied
to the location of your other PAM security modules. On my Red Hat sys-
tem, this was the /lib/security directory. On Solaris, the PAM security
modules reside in /usr/lib/security.

root#cp ../samba/source/nsswitch/pam winbind.so /lib/security

Linux/FreeBSD-Specific PAM Configuration The /etc/pam.d/samba file does

not need to be changed. I just left this file as it was:

auth required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth

account required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 553

The other services that I modified to allow the use of Winbind as an authen-
tication service were the normal login on the console (or a terminal session),
telnet logins, and ftp service. In order to enable these services, you may
first need to change the entries in /etc/xinetd.d (or /etc/inetd.conf).
Red Hat Linux 7.1 and later uses the new xinetd.d structure, in this case
you need to change the lines in /etc/xinetd.d/telnet and /etc/xinetd.
d/wu-ftp from

enable = no

enable = yes

For ftp services to work properly, you will also need to either have individual
directories for the domain users already present on the server or change the
home directory template to a general directory for all domain users. These
can be easily set using the smb.conf global entry template homedir.

Note

The directory in template homedir is not created auto-

matically! Use pam mkhomedir or pre-create the direc-
tories of users to make sure users can log in on UNIX
with their own home directory.

The /etc/pam.d/ftp file can be changed to allow Winbind ftp access in a

manner similar to the samba file. My /etc/pam.d/ftp file was changed to
look like this:

auth required /lib/security/pam_listfile.so item=user sense=deny \

file=/etc/ftpusers onerr=succeed
auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
auth required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
554 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

auth required /lib/security/pam_shells.so

account sufficient /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
account required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
session required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth

The /etc/pam.d/login file can be changed in nearly the same way. It now
looks like this:

auth required /lib/security/pam_securetty.so

auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_unix.so use_first_pass
auth required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
auth required /lib/security/pam_nologin.so
account sufficient /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
account required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
password required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
session required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
session optional /lib/security/pam_console.so

In this case, I added the

auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
lines as before, but also added the
required pam_securetty.so
above it to disallow root logins over the network. I also added a
sufficient /lib/security/pam_unix.so use_first_pass
line after the winbind.so line to get rid of annoying double prompts for
passwords.

Solaris-Specific Configuration The /etc/pam.conf needs to be changed. I

changed this file so my Domain users can log on both locally as well as with
telnet. The following are the changes that I made. You can customize the
pam.conf file as per your requirements, but be sure of those changes because
in the worst case it will leave your system nearly impossible to boot.

#
Section 23.5. Installation and Configuration 555

#ident "@(#)pam.conf 1.14 99/09/16 SMI"

#
# Copyright (c) 1996-1999, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
# All Rights Reserved.
#
# PAM configuration
#
# Authentication management
#
login auth required /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
login auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1 try_first_pass
login auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_dial_auth.so.1 try_first_pass
#
rlogin auth sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
rlogin auth sufficient /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_rhosts_auth.so.1
rlogin auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1 try_first_pass
#
dtlogin auth sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
dtlogin auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1 try_first_pass
#
rsh auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_rhosts_auth.so.1
other auth sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
other auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1 try_first_pass
#
# Account management
#
login account sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
login account requisite /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_roles.so.1
login account required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1
#
dtlogin account sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
dtlogin account requisite /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_roles.so.1
dtlogin account required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1
#
other account sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
other account requisite /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_roles.so.1
other account required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1
#
# Session management
#
556 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

other session required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1

#
# Password management
#
#other password sufficient /usr/lib/security/pam_winbind.so
other password required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1
dtsession auth required /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_unix.so.1
#
# Support for Kerberos V5 authentication (uncomment to use Kerberos)
#
#rlogin auth optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1 try_first_pass
#login auth optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1 try_first_pass
#dtlogin auth optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1 try_first_pass
#other auth optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1 try_first_pass
#dtlogin account optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1
#other account optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1
#other session optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1
#other password optional /usr/lib/security/$ISA/pam_krb5.so.1 try_first_pass

I also added a try first pass line after the winbind.so line to get rid of
annoying double prompts for passwords.

Now restart your Samba and try connecting through your application that
you configured in the pam.conf.

23.6 Conclusion

The Winbind system, through the use of the NSS, PAMs, and appropriate
Microsoft RPC calls, have allowed us to provide seamless integration of
Microsoft Windows NT domain users on a UNIX system. The result is a
great reduction in the administrative cost of running a mixed UNIX and NT
network.

23.7 Common Errors

Winbind has a number of limitations in its current released version that we

hope to overcome in future releases:
Section 23.7. Common Errors 557

• Winbind is currently only available for the Linux, Solaris, AIX, and
IRIX operating systems, although ports to other operating systems
are certainly possible. For such ports to be feasible, we require the C
library of the target operating system to support the NSS and PAM
systems. This is becoming more common as NSS and PAM gain sup-
port among UNIX vendors.
• The mappings of Windows NT RIDs to UNIX IDs is not made al-
gorithmically and depends on the order in which unmapped users or
groups are seen by Winbind. It may be difficult to recover the map-
pings of RID to UNIX ID if the file containing this information is
corrupted or destroyed.
• Currently the Winbind PAM module does not take into account pos-
sible workstation and logon time restrictions that may be set for Win-
dows NT users; this is instead up to the PDC to enforce.

23.7.1 NSCD Problem Warning

Warning

Do not under any circumstances run nscd on any system

on which winbindd is running.

If nscd is running on the UNIX/Linux system, then even though NSS-

WITCH is correctly configured, it will not be possible to resolve domain
users and groups for file and directory controls.

23.7.2 Winbind Is Not Resolving Users and Groups

“My smb.conf file is correctly configured. I have specified idmap uid =

12000, and idmap gid = 3000-3500 and winbind is running. When I do the
following, it all works fine.”

root# wbinfo -u
MIDEARTH\maryo
558 Winbind: Use of Domain Accounts Chapter 23

MIDEARTH\jackb
MIDEARTH\ameds
...
MIDEARTH\root

root# wbinfo -g
MIDEARTH\Domain Users
MIDEARTH\Domain Admins
MIDEARTH\Domain Guests
...
MIDEARTH\Accounts

root# getent passwd

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
bin:x:1:1:bin:/bin:/bin/bash
...
maryo:x:15000:15003:Mary Orville:/home/MIDEARTH/maryo:/bin/false

“But the following command just fails:”

root# chown maryo a_file

chown: ‘maryo’: invalid user

“This is driving me nuts! What can be wrong?”

Same problem as the one above. Your system is likely running nscd, the
name service caching daemon. Shut it down, do not restart it! You will find
your problem resolved.
Chapter 24

ADVANCED NETWORK
MANAGEMENT

This section documents peripheral issues that are of great importance to net-
work administrators who want to improve network resource access control,
to automate the user environment, and to make their lives a little easier.

24.1 Features and Benefits

Often the difference between a working network environment and a well-

appreciated one can best be measured by the little things that make every-
thing work more harmoniously. A key part of every network environment
solution is the ability to remotely manage MS Windows workstations, re-
motely access the Samba server, provide customized logon scripts, as well
as other housekeeping activities that help to sustain more reliable network
operations.

This chapter presents information on each of these areas. They are placed
here, and not in other chapters, for ease of reference.

24.2 Remote Server Administration

“How do I get User Manager and Server Manager?”

Since I do not need to buy an NT4 server, how do I get the User Manager
for Domains and the Server Manager?

559
560 Advanced Network Management Chapter 24

Microsoft distributes a version of these tools called Nexus.exe for installa-

tion on Windows 9x/Me systems. The tools set includes:

• Server Manager

• User Manager for Domains

• Event Viewer

Download the archived file at the Microsoft Nexus1 link.

The Windows NT 4.0 version of the User Manager for Domains and Server
Manager are available from Microsoft via ftp2 .

24.3 Remote Desktop Management

There are a number of possible remote desktop management solutions that

range from free through costly. Do not let that put you off. Sometimes the
most costly solution is the most cost effective. In any case, you will need
to draw your own conclusions as to which is the best tool in your network
environment.

24.3.1 Remote Management from NoMachine.Com

The following information was posted to the Samba mailing list at Apr 3
23:33:50 GMT 2003. It is presented in slightly edited form (with author
details omitted for privacy reasons). The entire answer is reproduced below
with some comments removed.

“I have a wonderful Linux/Samba server running as PDC for a network.

Now I would like to add remote desktop capabilities so users outside could
login to the system and get their desktop up from home or another country.”

“Is there a way to accomplish this? Do I need a Windows Terminal server?

Do I need to configure it so it is a member of the domain or a BDC or PDC?
Are there any hacks for MS Windows XP to enable remote login even if the
computer is in a domain?”
1
<ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/NEXUS.EXE>
2
<ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/SRVTOOLS.EXE>
Section 24.3. Remote Desktop Management 561

Answer provided: Check out the new offer of “NX” software from NoMa-
chine3 .
It implements an easy-to-use interface to the Remote X protocol as well as
incorporating VNC/RFB and rdesktop/RDP into it, but at a speed perfor-
mance much better than anything you may have ever seen.
Remote X is not new at all, but what they did achieve successfully is a
new way of compression and caching technologies that makes the thing fast
enough to run even over slow modem/ISDN connections.
I test drove their (public) Red Hat machine in Italy, over a loaded Inter-
net connection, with enabled thumbnail previews in KDE konqueror, which
popped up immediately on “mouse-over”. From inside that (remote X) ses-
sion I started a rdesktop session on another, a Windows XP machine. To
test the performance, I played Pinball. I am proud to announce that my
score was 631,750 points at first try.
NX performs better on my local LAN than any of the other “pure” connec-
tion methods I use from time to time: TightVNC, rdesktop or Remote X.
It is even faster than a direct crosslink connection between two nodes.
I even got sound playing from the Remote X app to my local boxes, and had
a working “copy’n’paste” from an NX window (running a KDE session in
Italy) to my Mozilla mailing agent. These guys are certainly doing something
right!
I recommend test driving NX to anybody with a only a passing interest in
remote computing the NX4 utility.
Just download the free-of-charge client software (available for Red Hat,
SuSE, Debian and Windows) and be up and running within 5 minutes (they
need to send you your account data, though, because you are assigned a real
UNIX account on their testdrive.nomachine.com box).
They plan to get to the point were you can have NX application servers
running as a cluster of nodes, and users simply start an NX session locally
and can select applications to run transparently (apps may even run on
another NX node, but pretend to be on the same as used for initial login,
because it displays in the same window. You also can run it full-screen, and
after a short time you forget that it is a remote session at all).
3
<http://www.nomachine.com/>
4
<http://www.nomachine.com/testdrive.php>
562 Advanced Network Management Chapter 24

Now the best thing for last: All the core compression and caching technolo-
gies are released under the GPL and available as source code to anybody
who wants to build on it! These technologies are working, albeit started
from the command line only (and very inconvenient to use in order to get a
fully running remote X session up and running).
To answer your questions:
• You do not need to install a terminal server; XP has RDP support
built in.
• NX is much cheaper than Citrix — and comparable in performance,
probably faster.
• You do not need to hack XP — it just works.
• You log into the XP box from remote transparently (and I think there
is no need to change anything to get a connection, even if authentica-
tion is against a domain).
• The NX core technologies are all Open Source and released under the
GPL — you can now use a (very inconvenient) command line at no
cost, but you can buy a comfortable (proprietary) NX GUI front end
for money.
• NoMachine is encouraging and offering help to OSS/Free Software
implementations for such a front-end too, even if it means competition
to them (they have written to this effect even to the LTSP, KDE, and
GNOME developer mailing lists).

24.4 Network Logon Script Magic

There are several opportunities for creating a custom network startup con-
figuration environment.
• No Logon Script.
• Simple universal Logon Script that applies to all users.
• Use of a conditional Logon Script that applies per-user or per-group
attributes.
• Use of Samba’s preexec and postexec functions on access to the NET-
LOGON share to create a custom logon script and then execute it.
Section 24.4. Network Logon Script Magic 563

• User of a tool such as KixStart.

The Samba source code tree includes two logon script generation/execution
tools. See examples directory genlogon and ntlogon subdirectories.
The following listings are from the genlogon directory.
This is the genlogon.pl file:

#!/usr/bin/perl
#
# genlogon.pl
#
# Perl script to generate user logon scripts on the fly, when users
# connect from a Windows client. This script should be called from
# smb.conf with the %U, %G and %L parameters. I.e:
#
# root preexec = genlogon.pl %U %G %L
#
# The script generated will perform
# the following:
#
# 1. Log the user connection to /var/log/samba/netlogon.log
# 2. Set the PC’s time to the Linux server time (which is maintained
# daily to the National Institute of Standards Atomic clock on the
# internet.
# 3. Connect the user’s home drive to H: (H for Home).
# 4. Connect common drives that everyone uses.
# 5. Connect group-specific drives for certain user groups.
# 6. Connect user-specific drives for certain users.
# 7. Connect network printers.

# Log client connection

#($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,$yday,$isdst) = localtime(time);
($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,$yday,$isdst) = localtime(time);
open LOG, ">>/var/log/samba/netlogon.log";
print LOG "$mon/$mday/$year $hour:$min:$sec";
print LOG " - User $ARGV[0] logged into $ARGV[1]\n";
close LOG;

# Start generating logon script

564 Advanced Network Management Chapter 24

open LOGON, ">/shared/netlogon/$ARGV[0].bat";

print LOGON "\@ECHO OFF\r\n";

# Connect shares just use by Software Development group

if ($ARGV[1] eq "SOFTDEV" || $ARGV[0] eq "softdev")
{
print LOGON "NET USE M: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\SOURCE\r\n";
}

# Connect shares just use by Technical Support staff

if ($ARGV[1] eq "SUPPORT" || $ARGV[0] eq "support")
{
print LOGON "NET USE S: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\SUPPORT\r\n";
}

# Connect shares just used by Administration staff

If ($ARGV[1] eq "ADMIN" || $ARGV[0] eq "admin")
{
print LOGON "NET USE L: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\ADMIN\r\n";
print LOGON "NET USE K: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\MKTING\r\n";
}

# Now connect Printers. We handle just two or three users a little

# differently, because they are the exceptions that have desktop
# printers on LPT1: - all other user’s go to the LaserJet on the
# server.
if ($ARGV[0] eq ’jim’
|| $ARGV[0] eq ’yvonne’)
{
print LOGON "NET USE LPT2: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\LJET3\r\n";
print LOGON "NET USE LPT3: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\FAXQ\r\n";
}
else
{
print LOGON "NET USE LPT1: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\LJET3\r\n";
print LOGON "NET USE LPT3: \\\\$ARGV[2]\\FAXQ\r\n";
}

# All done! Close the output file.

close LOGON;
Section 24.4. Network Logon Script Magic 565

Those wishing to use a more elaborate or capable logon processing system

should check out these sites:
• <http://www.craigelachie.org/rhacer/ntlogon>
• <http://www.kixtart.org>

24.4.1 Adding Printers without User Intervention

Printers may be added automatically during logon script processing through

the use of:

C:\> rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /?

See the documentation in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 1891055 .

24.4.2 Limiting Logon Connections

Sometimes it is necessary to limit the number of concurrent connections to

a Samba shared resource. For example, a site may wish to permit only one
network logon per user.
The Samba preexec script parameter can be used to permit only one
connection per user. Though this method is not foolproof and may have side
effects, the following contributed method may inspire someone to provide a
better solution.
This is not a perfect solution because Windows clients can drop idle connec-
tions with an auto-reconnect capability that could result in the appearance
that a share is no longer in use, while actually it is. Even so, it demonstrates
the principle of use of the preexec script parameter.
The following share configuration demonstrates use of the script shown in
Example 24.4.1.

[myshare]
...
5
<http://support.microsoft.com/default.asp?scid=kb;en-us;189105>
566 Advanced Network Management Chapter 24

preexec script = /sbin/PermitSingleLogon.sh

preexec close = Yes
...

Example 24.4.1. Script to Enforce Single Resource Logon

#!/bin/bash

IFS="-"
RESULT=$(smbstatus -S -u $1 2> /dev/null | awk ’NF > 6 {print $1}’ | sort | uniq

if [ "X${RESULT}" == X ]; then
exit 0
else
exit 1
fi
Chapter 25

SYSTEM AND ACCOUNT

POLICIES

This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge derived from per-
sonal practice and knowledge from Samba mailing list subscribers. Before
reproduction of posted information, every effort has been made to validate
the information given. Where additional information was uncovered through
this validation, it is provided also.

25.1 Features and Benefits

When MS Windows NT 3.5 was introduced, the hot new topic was the
ability to implement Group Policies for users and groups. Then along came
MS Windows NT4 and a few sites started to adopt this capability. How do
we know that? By the number of “boo-boos” (or mistakes) administrators
made and then requested help to resolve.
By the time that MS Windows 2000 and Active Directory was released,
administrators got the message: Group Policies are a good thing! They
can help reduce administrative costs and actually make happier users. But
adoption of the true potential of MS Windows 200x Active Directory and
Group Policy Objects (GPOs) for users and machines were picked up on
rather slowly. This was obvious from the Samba mailing list back in 2000
and 2001 when there were few postings regarding GPOs and how to replicate
them in a Samba environment.
Judging by the traffic volume since mid 2002, GPOs have become a standard
part of the deployment in many sites. This chapter reviews techniques and

567
568 System and Account Policies Chapter 25

methods that can be used to exploit opportunities for automation of control

over user desktops and network client workstations.
A tool new to Samba — the editreg tool — may become an important
part of the future Samba administrators’ arsenal and is described in this
document.

25.2 Creating and Managing System Policies

Under MS Windows platforms, particularly those following the release of

MS Windows NT4 and MS Windows 95, it is possible to create a type of
file that would be placed in the NETLOGON share of a domain controller.
As the client logs onto the network, this file is read and the contents initiate
changes to the registry of the client machine. This file allows changes to
be made to those parts of the registry that affect users, groups of users, or
machines.
For MS Windows 9x/Me, this file must be called Config.POL and may
be generated using a tool called poledit.exe, better known as the Policy
Editor. The policy editor was provided on the Windows 98 installation CD-
ROM, but disappeared again with the introduction of MS Windows Me.
From comments of MS Windows network administrators, it would appear
that this tool became a part of the MS Windows Me Resource Kit.
MS Windows NT4 server products include the System Policy Editor under
Start -> Programs -> Administrative Tools. For MS Windows NT4 and
later clients, this file must be called NTConfig.POL.
New with the introduction of MS Windows 2000 was the Microsoft Man-
agement Console or MMC. This tool is the new wave in the ever-changing
landscape of Microsoft methods for management of network access and secu-
rity. Every new Microsoft product or technology seems to make the old rules
obsolete and introduces newer and more complex tools and methods. To Mi-
crosoft’s credit, the MMC does appear to be a step forward, but improved
functionality comes at a great price.
Before embarking on the configuration of network and system policies, it
is highly advisable to read the documentation available from Microsoft’s
Web site regarding Implementing Profiles and Policies in Windows NT 4.01 .
1
<http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/techresources/management/prof_
policies.asp>
Section 25.2. Creating and Managing System Policies 569

There are a large number of documents in addition to this old one that
should also be read and understood. Try searching on the Microsoft Web
site for “Group Policies”.
What follows is a brief discussion with some helpful notes. The information
provided here is incomplete — you are warned.

25.2.1 Windows 9x/ME Policies

You need the Windows 98 Group Policy Editor to set up Group Profiles un-
der Windows 9x/Me. It can be found on the original full-product Windows
98 installation CD-ROM under tools/reskit/netadmin/poledit. Install
this using the Add/Remove Programs facility, and then click on Have Disk.
Use the Group Policy Editor to create a policy file that specifies the location
of user profiles and/or My Documents, and so on. Then save these settings
in a file called Config.POL that needs to be placed in the root of the [NET-
LOGON] share. If Windows 98 is configured to log onto the Samba domain,
it will automatically read this file and update the Windows 9x/Me registry
of the machine as it logs on.
Further details are covered in the Windows 98 Resource Kit documentation.
If you do not take the correct steps, then every so often Windows 9x/Me will
check the integrity of the registry and restore its settings from the backup
copy of the registry it stores on each Windows 9x/Me machine. So, you will
occasionally notice things changing back to the original settings.
Install the Group Policy handler for Windows 9x/Me to pick up Group Poli-
cies. Look on the Windows 98 CD-ROM in \tools\reskit\netadmin\poledit.
Install Group Policies on a Windows 9x/Me client by double-clicking on
grouppol.inf. Log off and on again a couple of times and see if Windows
98 picks up Group Policies. Unfortunately, this needs to be done on every
Windows 9x/Me machine that uses Group Policies.

25.2.2 Windows NT4-Style Policy Files

To create or edit ntconfig.pol, you must use the NT Server Policy Editor,
poledit.exe, which is included with NT4 Server but not with NT worksta-
tion. There is a Policy Editor on an NT4 Workstation but it is not suitable
for creating domain policies. Furthermore, although the Windows 95 Policy
570 System and Account Policies Chapter 25

Editor can be installed on an NT4 workstation/server, it will not work with

NT clients. However, the files from the NT Server will run happily enough
on an NT4 workstation.
You need poledit.exe, common.adm, and winnt.adm. It is convenient to
put the two *.adm files in the c:\winnt\inf directory, which is where the
binary will look for them unless told otherwise. This directory is normally
“hidden.”
The Windows NT Policy Editor is also included with the Service Pack 3
(and later) for Windows NT 4.0. Extract the files using servicepackname
/x — that’s Nt4sp6ai.exe /x for service pack 6a. The Policy Editor,
poledit.exe, and the associated template files (*.adm) should be extracted
as well. It is also possible to download the policy template files for Office97
and get a copy of the Policy Editor. Another possible location is with the
Zero Administration Kit available for download from Microsoft.

25.2.2.1 Registry Spoiling

With NT4-style registry-based policy changes, a large number of settings are

not automatically reversed as the user logs off. The settings that were in
the NTConfig.POL file were applied to the client machine registry and apply
to the hive key HKEY LOCAL MACHINE are permanent until explicitly
reversed. This is known as tattooing. It can have serious consequences
downstream, and the administrator must be extremely careful not to lock
out the ability to manage the machine at a later date.

25.2.3 MS Windows 200x/XP Professional Policies

Windows NT4 system policies allow the setting of registry parameters spe-
cific to users, groups, and computers (client workstations) that are members
of the NT4-style domain. Such policy files will work with MS Windows
200x/XP clients also.
New to MS Windows 2000, Microsoft recently introduced a style of Group
Policy that confers a superset of capabilities compared with NT4-style poli-
cies. Obviously, the tool used to create them is different, and the mechanism
for implementing them is much improved.
The older NT4-style registry-based policies are known as Administrative
Templates in MS Windows 2000/XP GPOs. The latter includes the abil-
Section 25.2. Creating and Managing System Policies 571

ity to set various security configurations, enforce Internet Explorer browser

settings, change and redirect aspects of the users desktop (including the
location of My Documents files, as well as intrinsics of where menu items
will appear in the Start menu). An additional new feature is the ability to
make available particular software Windows applications to particular users
and/or groups.

Remember, NT4 policy files are named NTConfig.POL and are stored in the
root of the NETLOGON share on the domain controllers. A Windows NT4
user enters a username and password and selects the domain name to which
the logon will attempt to take place. During the logon process, the client
machine reads the NTConfig.POL file from the NETLOGON share on the
authenticating server and modifies the local registry values according to the
settings in this file.

Windows 200x GPOs are feature-rich. They are not stored in the NET-
LOGON share, but rather part of a Windows 200x policy file is stored in
the Active Directory itself and the other part is stored in a shared (and
replicated) volume called the SYSVOL folder. This folder is present on all
Active Directory domain controllers. The part that is stored in the Active
Directory itself is called the Group Policy Container (GPC), and the part
that is stored in the replicated share called SYSVOL is known as the Group
Policy Template (GPT).

With NT4 clients, the policy file is read and executed only as each user
logs onto the network. MS Windows 200x policies are much more complex
— GPOs are processed and applied at client machine startup (machine
specific part), and when the user logs onto the network, the user-specific part
is applied. In MS Windows 200x-style policy management, each machine
and/or user may be subject to any number of concurrently applicable (and
applied) policy sets (GPOs). Active Directory allows the administrator to
also set filters over the policy settings. No such equivalent capability exists
with NT4-style policy files.

25.2.3.1 Administration of Windows 200x/XP Policies

Instead of using the tool called the System Policy Editor, commonly called
Poledit (from the executable name poledit.exe), GPOs are created and
managed using a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in as follows:
572 System and Account Policies Chapter 25

1. Go to the Windows 200x/XP menu Start->Programs->Administrative

Tools and select the MMC snap-in called Active Directory Users and
Computers
2. Select the domain or organizational unit (OU) that you wish to man-
age, then right-click to open the context menu for that object, and
select the Properties.
3. Left-click on the Group Policy tab, then left-click on the New tab.
Type a name for the new policy you will create.
4. Left-click on the Edit tab to commence the steps needed to create the
GPO.
All policy configuration options are controlled through the use of policy
administrative templates. These files have an .adm extension, both in NT4
as well as in Windows 200x/XP. Beware, however, the .adm files are not
interchangeable across NT4 and Windows 200x. The latter introduces many
new features as well as extended definition capabilities. It is well beyond the
scope of this documentation to explain how to program .adm files; for that,
refer to the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit for your particular version of
MS Windows.

Note

The MS Windows 2000 Resource Kit contains a tool

called gpolmig.exe. This tool can be used to migrate
an NT4 NTConfig.POL file into a Windows 200x style
GPO. Be VERY careful how you use this powerful tool.
Please refer to the resource kit manuals for specific usage
information.

25.3 Managing Account/User Policies

Policies can define a specific user’s settings or the settings for a group of
users. The resulting policy file contains the registry settings for all users,
groups, and computers that will be using the policy file. Separate policy
files for each user, group, or computer are not necessary.
Section 25.3. Managing Account/User Policies 573

If you create a policy that will be automatically downloaded from validat-

ing domain controllers, you should name the file NTConfig.POL. As system
administrator, you have the option of renaming the policy file and, by modi-
fying the Windows NT-based workstation, directing the computer to update
the policy from a manual path. You can do this by either manually chang-
ing the registry or by using the System Policy Editor. This can even be a
local path such that each machine has its own policy file, but if a change is
necessary to all machines, it must be made individually to each workstation.
When a Windows NT4/200x/XP machine logs onto the network, the client
looks in the NETLOGON share on the authenticating domain controller
for the presence of the NTConfig.POL file. If one exists, it is downloaded,
parsed, and then applied to the user’s part of the registry.
MS Windows 200x/XP clients that log onto an MS Windows Active Di-
rectory security domain may additionally acquire policy settings through
GPOs that are defined and stored in Active Directory itself. The key ben-
efit of using AD GPOs is that they impose no registry spoiling effect. This
has considerable advantage compared with the use of NTConfig.POL (NT4)
style policy updates.
In addition to user access controls that may be imposed or applied via system
and/or group policies in a manner that works in conjunction with user pro-
files, the user management environment under MS Windows NT4/200x/XP
allows per-domain as well as per-user account restrictions to be applied.
Common restrictions that are frequently used include:
• Logon hours
• Password aging
• Permitted logon from certain machines only
• Account type (local or global)
• User rights
Samba-3.0.20 does not yet implement all account controls that are common
to MS Windows NT4/200x/XP. While it is possible to set many controls
using the Domain User Manager for MS Windows NT4, only password expiry
is functional today. Most of the remaining controls at this time have only
stub routines that may eventually be completed to provide actual control.
Do not be misled by the fact that a parameter can be set using the NT4
Domain User Manager or in the NTConfig.POL.
574 System and Account Policies Chapter 25

25.4 Management Tools

Anyone who wishes to create or manage Group Policies will need to be

familiar with a number of tools. The following sections describe a few key
tools that will help you to create a low-maintenance user environment.

25.4.1 Samba Editreg Toolset

A new tool called editreg is under development. This tool can be used
to edit registry files (called NTUser.DAT) that are stored in user and group
profiles. NTConfig.POL files have the same structure as the NTUser.DAT file
and can be edited using this tool. editreg is being built with the intent
to enable NTConfig.POL files to be saved in text format and to permit the
building of new NTConfig.POL files with extended capabilities. It is proving
difficult to realize this capability, so do not be surprised if this feature does
not materialize. Formal capabilities will be announced at the time that this
tool is released for production use.

25.4.2 Windows NT4/200x

The tools that may be used to configure these types of controls from the MS
Windows environment are the NT4 User Manager for Domains, the NT4
System and Group Policy Editor, and the Registry Editor (regedt32.exe).
Under MS Windows 200x/XP, this is done using the MMC with appropriate
“snap-ins,” the registry editor, and potentially also the NT4 System and
Group Policy Editor.

25.4.3 Samba PDC

With a Samba domain controller, the new tools for managing user account
and policy information include: smbpasswd, pdbedit, net, and rpc-
client. The administrator should read the man pages for these tools and
become familiar with their use.

25.5 System Startup and Logon Processing Overview

The following attempts to document the order of processing the system and
user policies following a system reboot and as part of the user logon:
Section 25.5. System Startup and Logon Processing Overview 575

1. Network starts, then Remote Procedure Call System Service (RPCSS)

and multiple universal naming convention provider (MUP) start.
2. Where Active Directory is involved, an ordered list of GPOs is down-
loaded and applied. The list may include GPOs that:
• Apply to the location of machines in a directory.
• Apply only when settings have changed.
• Depend on configuration of the scope of applicability: local, site,
domain, organizational unit, and so on.
No desktop user interface is presented until the above have been pro-
cessed.
3. Execution of startup scripts (hidden and synchronous by default).
4. A keyboard action to effect start of logon (Ctrl-Alt-Del).
5. User credentials are validated, user profile is loaded (depends on policy
settings).
6. An ordered list of user GPOs is obtained. The list contents depends
on what is configured in respect of:
• Is the user a domain member, thus subject to particular policies?
• Loopback enablement, and the state of the loopback policy (merge
or replace).
• Location of the Active Directory itself.
• Has the list of GPOs changed? No processing is needed if not
changed.
7. User policies are applied from Active Directory. Note: There are sev-
eral types.
8. Logon scripts are run. New to Windows 200x and Active Directory,
logon scripts may be obtained based on GPOs (hidden and executed
synchronously). NT4-style logon scripts are then run in a normal
window.
9. The user interface as determined from the GPOs is presented. Note:
In a Samba domain (like an NT4 domain), machine (system) policies
are applied at startup; user policies are applied at logon.
576 System and Account Policies Chapter 25

25.6 Common Errors

Policy-related problems can be quite difficult to diagnose and even more

difficult to rectify. The following collection demonstrates only basic issues.

25.6.1 Policy Does Not Work

“We have created the Config.POL file and put it in the NETLOGON share.
It has made no difference to our Win XP Pro machines, they just do not
see it. It worked fine with Win 98 but does not work any longer since we
upgraded to Win XP Pro. Any hints?”
Policy files are not portable between Windows 9x/Me and MS Windows
NT4/200x/XP-based platforms. You need to use the NT4 Group Policy
Editor to create a file called NTConfig.POL so it is in the correct format for
your MS Windows XP Pro clients.
Chapter 26

DESKTOP PROFILE
MANAGEMENT

26.1 Features and Benefits

Roaming profiles are feared by some, hated by a few, loved by many, and a
godsend for some administrators.
Roaming profiles allow an administrator to make available a consistent user
desktop as the user moves from one machine to another. This chapter pro-
vides much information regarding how to configure and manage roaming
profiles.
While roaming profiles might sound like nirvana to some, they are a real and
tangible problem to others. In particular, users of mobile computing tools,
where often there may not be a sustained network connection, are often
better served by purely local profiles. This chapter provides information to
help the Samba administrator deal with those situations.

26.2 Roaming Profiles

Warning

Roaming profiles support is different for Windows 9x/Me

and Windows NT4/200x.

577
578 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

Before discussing how to configure roaming profiles, it is useful to see how

Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT4/200x clients implement these features.

Windows 9x/Me clients send a NetUserGetInfo request to the server to get

the user’s profiles location. However, the response does not have room for a
separate profiles location field, only the user’s home share. This means that
Windows 9x/Me profiles are restricted to being stored in the user’s home
directory.

Windows NT4/200x clients send a NetSAMLogon RPC request, which con-

tains many fields including a separate field for the location of the user’s
profiles.

26.2.1 Samba Configuration for Profile Handling

This section documents how to configure Samba for MS Windows client

profile support.

26.2.1.1 NT4/200x User Profiles

For example, to support Windows NT4/200x clients, set the following in the
[global] section of the smb.conf file:

l o g o n path = \\ p r o f i l e s e r v e r \ p r o f i l e s h a r e \ ←-
p r o f i l e p a t h \%U\ m o r e p r o f i l e p a t h

This is typically implemented like:

l o g o n path = \\%L\ P r o f i l e s \%U

where “%L” translates to the name of the Samba server and “%U” translates
to the username.

The default for this option is \\%N\%U\profile, namely, \\sambaserver\username\profile.

The \\%N\%U service is created automatically by the [homes] service. If you
are using a Samba server for the profiles, you must make the share that is
specified in the logon path browseable. Please refer to the man page for
smb.conf regarding the different semantics of “%L” and “%N”, as well as
“%U” and “%u”.
Section 26.2. Roaming Profiles 579

Note

MS Windows NT/200x clients at times do not disconnect

a connection to a server between logons. It is recom-
mended to not use the homes metaservice name as part
of the profile share path.

26.2.1.2 Windows 9x/Me User Profiles

To support Windows 9x/Me clients, you must use the logon home parameter.
Samba has been fixed so net use /home now works as well and it, too, relies
on the logon home parameter.
By using the logon home parameter, you are restricted to putting Windows
9x/Me profiles in the user’s home directory. But wait! There is a trick you
can use. If you set the following in the [global] section of your smb.conf file:

l o g o n home = \\%L\%U\ . p r o f i l e s

then your Windows 9x/Me clients will dutifully put their clients in a subdi-
rectory of your home directory called .profiles (making them hidden).
Not only that, but net use /home will also work because of a feature in
Windows 9x/Me. It removes any directory stuff off the end of the home
directory area and only uses the server and share portion. That is, it looks
like you specified \\%L\%U for logon home.

26.2.1.3 Mixed Windows 9x/Me and Windows NT4/200x User Profiles

You can support profiles for Windows 9x and Windows NT clients by setting
both the logon home and logon path parameters. For example,

l o g o n home = \\%L\%u \ . p r o f i l e s
l o g o n path = \\%L\ p r o f i l e s \%u

Windows 9x/Me and NT4 and later profiles should not be stored in the
same location because Windows NT4 and later will experience problems
580 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

with mixed profile environments.

26.2.1.4 Disabling Roaming Profile Support

The question often asked is, “How may I enforce use of local profiles?” or
“How do I disable roaming profiles?”
There are three ways of doing this:

In smb.conf Affect the following settings and ALL clients will be forced to
use a local profile: logon home = and logon path =
The arguments to these parameters must be left blank. It is necessary
to include the = sign to specifically assign the empty value.

MS Windows Registry: Use the Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

gpedit.msc to instruct your MS Windows XP machine to use only a
local profile. This, of course, modifies registry settings. The full path
to the option is:

Local Computer Policy\

Computer Configuration\
Administrative Templates\
System\
User Profiles\

Disable: Only Allow Local User Profiles

Disable: Prevent Roaming Profile Change from Propagating to the Server

Change of Profile Type: From the start menu right-click on the My Com-
puter icon, select Properties, click on the User Profiles tab, select the
profile you wish to change from Roaming type to Local, and click on
Change Type.
Consult the MS Windows registry guide for your particular MS Windows
version for more information about which registry keys to change to enforce
use of only local user profiles.
Section 26.2. Roaming Profiles 581

Note

The specifics of how to convert a local profile to a roam-

ing profile, or a roaming profile to a local one, vary ac-
cording to the version of MS Windows you are running.
Consult the Microsoft MS Windows Resource Kit for your
version of Windows for specific information.

26.2.2 Windows Client Profile Configuration Information

26.2.2.1 Windows 9x/Me Profile Setup

When a user first logs in on Windows 9x, the file user.DAT is created, as
are folders Start Menu, Desktop, Programs, and Nethood. These direc-
tories and their contents will be merged with the local versions stored in
c:\windows\profiles\username on subsequent logins, taking the most re-
cent from each. You will need to use the [global] options preserve case =
yes, short preserve case = yes, and case sensitive = no in order to maintain
capital letters in shortcuts in any of the profile folders.

The user.DAT file contains all the user’s preferences. If you wish to enforce
a set of preferences, rename their user.DAT file to user.MAN, and deny them
write access to this file.

1. On the Windows 9x/Me machine, go to Control Panel -> Passwords

and select the User Profiles tab. Select the required level of roaming
preferences. Press OK, but do not allow the computer to reboot.

2. On the Windows 9x/Me machine, go to Control Panel -> Network ->

Client for Microsoft Networks -> Preferences. Select Log on to NT
Domain. Then, ensure that the Primary Logon is Client for Microsoft
Networks. Press OK, and this time allow the computer to reboot.

Under Windows 9x/Me, profiles are downloaded from the Primary Logon.
If you have the Primary Logon as “Client for Novell Networks”, then the
profiles and logon script will be downloaded from your Novell server. If
you have the Primary Logon as “Windows Logon”, then the profiles will
582 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

be loaded from the local machine — a bit against the concept of roaming
profiles, it would seem!
You will now find that the Microsoft Networks Login box contains [user,
password, domain] instead of just [user, password]. Type in the Samba
server’s domain name (or any other domain known to exist, but bear in
mind that the user will be authenticated against this domain and profiles
downloaded from it if that domain logon server supports it), user name and
user’s password.
Once the user has been successfully validated, the Windows 9x/Me machine
informs you that The user has not logged on before and asks Do you
wish to save the user’s preferences? Select Yes.
Once the Windows 9x/Me client comes up with the desktop, you should be
able to examine the contents of the directory specified in the logon path on
the Samba server and verify that the Desktop, Start Menu, Programs, and
Nethood folders have been created.
These folders will be cached locally on the client and updated when the user
logs off (if you haven’t made them read-only by then). You will find that if
the user creates further folders or shortcuts, the client will merge the profile
contents downloaded with the contents of the profile directory already on
the local client, taking the newest folders and shortcut from each set.
If you have made the folders/files read-only on the Samba server, then you
will get errors from the Windows 9x/Me machine on logon and logout as
it attempts to merge the local and remote profile. Basically, if you have
any errors reported by the Windows 9x/Me machine, check the UNIX file
permissions and ownership rights on the profile directory contents, on the
Samba server.
If you have problems creating user profiles, you can reset the user’s local
desktop cache, as shown below. When this user next logs in, the user will
be told that he/she is logging in “for the first time”.
1. Instead of logging in under the [user, password, domain] dialog, press
escape.
2. Run the regedit.exe program, and look in:
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
You will find an entry for each user of ProfilePath. Note the contents
of this key (likely to be c:\windows\profiles\username), then delete
Section 26.2. Roaming Profiles 583

the key ProfilePath for the required user.

3. Exit the registry editor.

4. Search for the user’s .PWL password-caching file in the c:\windows

directory, and delete it.

5. Log off the Windows 9x/Me client.

6. Check the contents of the profile path (see logon path described above)
and delete the user.DAT or user.MAN file for the user, making a backup
if required.

Warning

Before deleting the contents of the directory

listed in the ProfilePath (this is likely to be
c:\windows\profiles\username), ask whether
the owner has any important files stored on his or her
desktop or start menu. Delete the contents of the
directory ProfilePath (making a backup if any of the
files are needed).
This will have the effect of removing the local (read-only
hidden system file) user.DAT in their profile directory,
as well as the local “desktop,” “nethood,” “start menu,”
and “programs” folders.

If all else fails, increase Samba’s debug log levels to between 3 and 10, and/or
run a packet sniffer program such as ethereal or netmon.exe, and look for
error messages.

If you have access to an Windows NT4/200x server, then first set up roam-
ing profiles and/or netlogons on the Windows NT4/200x server. Make a
packet trace, or examine the example packet traces provided with Windows
NT4/200x server, and see what the differences are with the equivalent Samba
trace.
584 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

26.2.2.2 Windows NT4 Workstation

When a user first logs in to a Windows NT workstation, the profile NTuser.DAT

is created. The profile location can be now specified through the logon path
parameter.
There is a parameter that is now available for use with NT Profiles: logon
drive. This should be set to H: or any other drive, and should be used in
conjunction with the new logon home parameter.
The entry for the NT4 profile is a directory, not a file. The NT help on
profiles mentions that a directory is also created with a .PDS extension.
The user, while logging in, must have write permission to create the full
profile path (and the folder with the .PDS extension for those situations
where it might be created).
In the profile directory, Windows NT4 creates more folders than Windows
9x/Me. It creates Application Data and others, as well as Desktop, Net-
hood, Start Menu, and Programs. The profile itself is stored in a file
NTuser.DAT. Nothing appears to be stored in the .PDS directory, and its
purpose is currently unknown.
You can use the System Control Panel to copy a local profile onto a Samba
server (see NT help on profiles; it is also capable of firing up the correct lo-
cation in the System Control Panel for you). The NT help file also mentions
that renaming NTuser.DAT to NTuser.MAN turns a profile into a mandatory
one.
The case of the profile is significant. The file must be called NTuser.DAT or,
for a mandatory profile, NTuser.MAN.

26.2.2.3 Windows 2000/XP Professional

You must first convert the profile from a local profile to a domain profile on
the MS Windows workstation as follows:
1. Log on as the local workstation administrator.
2. Right-click on the My Computer icon, and select Properties.
3. Click on the User Profiles tab.
4. Select the profile you wish to convert (click it once).
Section 26.2. Roaming Profiles 585

5. Click on the Copy To button.

6. In the Permitted to use box, click on the Change button.
7. Click on the Look in area that lists the machine name. When you click
here, it will open up a selection box. Click on the domain to which
the profile must be accessible.

Note

You will need to log on if a logon box opens up.

For example, connect as DOMAIN\root, password:
mypassword.

8. To make the profile capable of being used by anyone, select “Every-

one”.
9. Click on OK and the Selection box will close.
10. Now click on OK to create the profile in the path you nominated.
Done. You now have a profile that can be edited using the Samba profiles
tool.

Note

Under Windows NT/200x, the use of mandatory profiles

forces the use of MS Exchange storage of mail data and
keeps it out of the desktop profile. That keeps desktop
profiles from becoming unusable.

Windows XP Service Pack 1 There is a security check new to Windows XP

(or maybe only Windows XP service pack 1). It can be disabled via a group
policy in the Active Directory. The policy is called:
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\User Pro-
files\Do not check for user ownership of Roaming Profile Foldersi
This should be set to Enabled.
586 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

Does the new version of Samba have an Active Directory analogue? If so,
then you may be able to set the policy through this.
If you cannot set group policies in Samba, then you may be able to set the
policy locally on each machine. If you want to try this, then do the following:
1. On the XP workstation, log in with an administrative account.
2. Click on Start -> Run.
3. Type mmc.
4. Click on OK.
5. A Microsoft Management Console should appear.
6. Click on File -> Add/Remove Snap-in -> Add.
7. Double-click on Group Policy.
8. Click on Finish -> Close.
9. Click on OK.
10. In the “Console Root” window expand Local Computer Policy ->
Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System
-> User Profiles.
11. Double-click on Do not check for user ownership of Roaming Profile
Folders.
12. Select Enabled.
13. Click on OK.
14. Close the whole console. You do not need to save the settings (this
refers to the console settings rather than the policies you have changed).
15. Reboot.

26.2.3 User Profile Hive Cleanup Service

There are certain situations that cause a cached local copy of roaming profile
not to be deleted on exit, even if the policy to force such deletion is set. To
deal with that situation, a special service was created. The application
UPHClean (User Profile Hive Cleanup) can be installed as a service on
Windows NT4/2000/XP Professional and Windows 2003.
Section 26.2. Roaming Profiles 587

The UPHClean software package can be downloaded from User Profile Hive
Cleanup Service.1

26.2.4 Sharing Profiles between Windows 9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP

Workstations

Sharing of desktop profiles between Windows versions is not recommended.

Desktop profiles are an evolving phenomenon, and profiles for later versions
of MS Windows clients add features that may interfere with earlier versions
of MS Windows clients. Probably the more salient reason to not mix profiles
is that when logging off an earlier version of MS Windows, the older format
of profile contents may overwrite information that belongs to the newer
version, resulting in loss of profile information content when that user logs
on again with the newer version of MS Windows.
If you then want to share the same Start Menu and Desktop with Windows
9x/Me, you must specify a common location for the profiles. The smb.conf
parameters that need to be common are logon path and logon home.
If you have this set up correctly, you will find separate user.DAT and
NTuser.DAT files in the same profile directory.

26.2.5 Profile Migration from Windows NT4/200x Server to Samba

There is nothing to stop you from specifying any path that you like for the
location of users’ profiles. Therefore, you could specify that the profile be
stored on a Samba server or any other SMB server, as long as that SMB
server supports encrypted passwords.

26.2.5.1 Windows NT4 Profile Management Tools

Unfortunately, the resource kit information is specific to the version of MS

Windows NT4/200x. The correct resource kit is required for each platform.
Here is a quick guide: Profile Migration Procedure
1. On your NT4 domain controller, right-click on My Computer, then
select Properties, then the tab labeled User Profiles.
1
<http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=
1B286E6D-8912-4E18-B570-42470E2F3582&displaylang=en>
588 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

2. Select a user profile you want to migrate and click on it.

Note

I am using the term “migrate” loosely. You can

copy a profile to create a group profile. You can
give the user Everyone rights to the profile you
copy this to. That is what you need to do, since
your Samba domain is not a member of a trust
relationship with your NT4 PDC.

3. Click on the Copy To button.

4. In the box labeled Copy Profile to add your new path, such as,
c:\temp\foobar

5. Click on Change in the Permitted to use box.

6. Click on the group “Everyone”, click on OK. This closes the “choose
user” box.

7. Now click on OK.

Follow these steps for every profile you need to migrate.

26.2.5.2 Side Bar Notes

You should obtain the SID of your NT4 domain. You can use the net rpc
info to do this. See Chapter 12, “Remote and Local Management: The Net
Command”, Section 12.13 for more information.

26.2.5.3 moveuser.exe

The Windows 200x professional resource kit has moveuser.exe. moveuser.exe

changes the security of a profile from one user to another. This allows the
account domain to change and/or the username to change.

This command is like the Samba profiles tool.

Section 26.3. Mandatory Profiles 589

26.2.5.4 Get SID

You can identify the SID by using GetSID.exe from the Windows NT
Server 4.0 Resource Kit.
Windows NT 4.0 stores the local profile information in the registry un-
der the following key: HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList
Under the ProfileList key, there will be subkeys named with the SIDs of the
users who have logged on to this computer. (To find the profile information
for the user whose locally cached profile you want to move, find the SID
for the user with the GetSID.exe utility.) Inside the appropriate user’s
subkey, you will see a string value named ProfileImagePath.

26.3 Mandatory Profiles

A mandatory profile is a profile that the user does not have the ability
to overwrite. During the user’s session, it may be possible to change the
desktop environment; however, as the user logs out, all changes made will
be lost. If it is desired to not allow the user any ability to change the
desktop environment, then this must be done through policy settings. See
Chapter 25, “System and Account Policies”.

Note

Under NO circumstances should the profile directory (or

its contents) be made read-only because this may ren-
der the profile unusable. Where it is essential to make
a profile read-only within the UNIX file system, this
can be done, but then you absolutely must use the
fake-permissions VFS module to instruct MS Windows
NT/200x/XP clients that the Profile has write permission
for the user. See Section 22.3.3.

For MS Windows NT4/200x/XP, the procedure shown in Section 26.2.5.1

can also be used to create mandatory profiles. To convert a group profile
590 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

into a mandatory profile, simply locate the NTUser.DAT file in the copied
profile and rename it to NTUser.MAN.

For MS Windows 9x/Me, it is the User.DAT file that must be renamed to

User.MAN to effect a mandatory profile.

26.4 Creating and Managing Group Profiles

Most organizations are arranged into departments. There is a nice benefit in

this fact, since usually most users in a department require the same desktop
applications and the same desktop layout. MS Windows NT4/200x/XP will
allow the use of group profiles. A group profile is a profile that is created
first using a template (example) user. Then using the profile migration tool
(see above), the profile is assigned access rights for the user group that needs
to be given access to the group profile.

The next step is rather important. Instead of assigning a group profile to

users (Using User Manager) on a “per-user” basis, the group itself is assigned
the now modified profile.

Note

Be careful with group profiles. If the user who is a mem-

ber of a group also has a personal profile, then the result
will be a fusion (merge) of the two.

26.5 Default Profile for Windows Users

MS Windows 9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP will use a default profile for any
user for whom a profile does not already exist. Armed with a knowledge
of where the default profile is located on the Windows workstation, and
knowing which registry keys affect the path from which the default profile
is created, it is possible to modify the default profile to one that has been
optimized for the site. This has significant administrative advantages.
Section 26.5. Default Profile for Windows Users 591

26.5.1 MS Windows 9x/Me

To enable default per-use profiles in Windows 9x/Me, you can either use the
Windows 98 System Policy Editor or change the registry directly.
To enable default per-user profiles in Windows 9x/Me, launch the System
Policy Editor, then select File -> Open Registry. Next click on the Local
Computer icon, click on Windows 98 System, select User Profiles, and
click on the enable box. Remember to save the registry changes.
To modify the registry directly, launch the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
and select the hive HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\Network\Logon. Now add a DWORD
type key with the name “User Profiles.” To enable user profiles to set the
value to 1; to disable user profiles set it to 0.

26.5.1.1 User Profile Handling with Windows 9x/Me

When a user logs on to a Windows 9x/Me machine, the local profile path,
HKEY LOCAL MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProfileList,
is checked for an existing entry for that user.
If the user has an entry in this registry location, Windows 9x/Me checks
for a locally cached version of the user profile. Windows 9x/Me also checks
the user’s home directory (or other specified directory if the location has
been modified) on the server for the user profile. If a profile exists in both
locations, the newer of the two is used. If the user profile exists on the
server but does not exist on the local machine, the profile on the server is
downloaded and used. If the user profile only exists on the local machine,
that copy is used.
If a user profile is not found in either location, the default user profile from
the Windows 9x/Me machine is used and copied to a newly created folder for
the logged on user. At log off, any changes that the user made are written
to the user’s local profile. If the user has a roaming profile, the changes are
written to the user’s profile on the server.

26.5.2 MS Windows NT4 Workstation

On MS Windows NT4, the default user profile is obtained from the location
%SystemRoot%\Profiles, which in a default installation will translate to
592 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

C:\Windows NT\Profiles. Under this directory on a clean install, there

will be three directories: Administrator, All Users, and Default User.
The All Users directory contains menu settings that are common across
all system users. The Default User directory contains menu entries that
are customizable per user depending on the profile settings chosen/created.
When a new user first logs onto an MS Windows NT4 machine, a new profile
is created from:
• All Users settings.
• Default User settings (contains the default NTUser.DAT file).
When a user logs on to an MS Windows NT4 machine that is a member
of a Microsoft security domain, the following steps are followed for profile
handling:
1. The user’s account information that is obtained during the logon pro-
cess contains the location of the user’s desktop profile. The profile
path may be local to the machine or it may be located on a net-
work share. If there exists a profile at the location of the path from
the user account, then this profile is copied to the location %System-
Root%\Profiles\%USERNAME%. This profile then inherits the settings
in the All Users profile in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles location.
2. If the user account has a profile path, but at its location a pro-
file does not exist, then a new profile is created in the %System-
Root%\Profiles\%USERNAME% directory from reading the Default User
profile.
3. If the NETLOGON share on the authenticating server (logon server)
contains a policy file (NTConfig.POL), then its contents are applied to
the NTUser.DAT, which is applied to the HKEY CURRENT USER part of
the registry.
4. When the user logs out, if the profile is set to be a roaming profile, it
will be written out to the location of the profile. The NTuser.DAT file is
then re-created from the contents of the HKEY CURRENT USER contents.
Thus, should there not exist in the NETLOGON share an NTConfig.
POL at the next logon, the effect of the previous NTConfig.POL will
still be held in the profile. The effect of this is known as tattooing.
MS Windows NT4 profiles may be local or roaming. A local profile is stored
in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%USERNAME% location. A roaming profile
Section 26.5. Default Profile for Windows Users 593

will also remain stored in the same way, unless the following registry key is
created:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\
winlogon\"DeleteRoamingCache"=dword:0000000

In this case, the local copy (in %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%USERNAME%) will

be deleted on logout.

Under MS Windows NT4, default locations for common resources like My

Documents may be redirected to a network share by modifying the following
registry keys. These changes may be made via use of the System Policy
Editor. To do so may require that you create your own template extension
for the Policy Editor to allow this to be done through the GUI. Another
way to do this is by first creating a default user profile, then while logged
in as that user, running regedt32 to edit the key settings.

The Registry Hive key that affects the behavior of folders that are part of
the default user profile are controlled by entries on Windows NT4 is:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
\Software
\Microsoft
\Windows
\CurrentVersion
\Explorer
\User Shell Folders

The above hive key contains a list of automatically managed folders. The
default entries are shown in Table 26.1.

The registry key that contains the location of the default profile settings is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
User Shell Folders

The default entries are shown in Table 26.2.

594 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

Table 26.1. User Shell Folder Registry Keys Default Values

Name Default Value
AppData %USERPROFILE%\Application Data
Desktop %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
Favorites %USERPROFILE%\Favorites
NetHood %USERPROFILE%\NetHood
PrintHood %USERPROFILE%\PrintHood
Programs %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs
Recent %USERPROFILE%\Recent
SendTo %USERPROFILE%\SendTo
Start Menu %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu
Startup %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

Table 26.2. Defaults of Profile Settings Registry Keys

Common Desktop %SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Desktop

Common Programs %SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Programs
Common Start Menu %SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu
Common Startup %SystemRoot%\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

26.5.3 MS Windows 200x/XP

Note

MS Windows XP Home Edition does use default per-user

profiles, but cannot participate in domain security, cannot
log onto an NT/ADS-style domain, and thus can obtain
the profile only from itself. While there are benefits in
doing this, the beauty of those MS Windows clients that
can participate in domain logon processes is that they
allow the administrator to create a global default profile
and enforce it through the use of Group Policy Objects
(GPOs).
Section 26.5. Default Profile for Windows Users 595

When a new user first logs onto an MS Windows 200x/XP machine, the de-
fault profile is obtained from C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.
The administrator can modify or change the contents of this location, and
MS Windows 200x/XP will gladly use it. This is far from the optimum
arrangement, since it will involve copying a new default profile to every MS
Windows 200x/XP client workstation.
When MS Windows 200x/XP participates in a domain security context, and
if the default user profile is not found, then the client will search for a default
profile in the NETLOGON share of the authenticating server. In MS Win-
dows parlance, it is
%LOGONSERVER%\NETLOGON\Default User, and if one exists there, it will
copy this to the workstation in the C:\Documents and Settings\ under
the Windows login name of the use.

Note

This path translates, in Samba parlance, to the smb.conf

[NETLOGON] share. The directory should be created at
the root of this share and must be called Default User.

If a default profile does not exist in this location, then MS Windows 200x/XP
will use the local default profile.
On logging out, the user’s desktop profile is stored to the location specified
in the registry settings that pertain to the user. If no specific policies have
been created or passed to the client during the login process (as Samba does
automatically), then the user’s profile is written to the local machine only
under the path C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%.
Those wishing to modify the default behavior can do so through these three
methods:
• Modify the registry keys on the local machine manually and place
the new default profile in the NETLOGON share root. This is not
recommended because it is maintenance intensive.
• Create an NT4-style NTConfig.POL file that specifies this behavior
and locate this file in the root of the NETLOGON share along with
596 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

the new default profile.

• Create a GPO that enforces this through Active Directory, and place
the new default profile in the NETLOGON share.
The registry hive key that affects the behavior of folders that are part of the
default user profile are controlled by entries on Windows 200x/XP is:
HKEY CURRENT USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders\
This hive key contains a list of automatically managed folders. The default
entries are shown in Table 26.3

Table 26.3. Defaults of Default User Profile Paths Registry Keys

Name Default Value

AppData %USERPROFILE%\Application Data
Cache %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files
Cookies %USERPROFILE%\Cookies
Desktop %USERPROFILE%\Desktop
Favorites %USERPROFILE%\Favorites
History %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\History
Local AppData %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data
Local Settings %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings
My Pictures %USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Pictures
NetHood %USERPROFILE%\NetHood
Personal %USERPROFILE%\My Documents
PrintHood %USERPROFILE%\PrintHood
Programs %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs
Recent %USERPROFILE%\Recent
SendTo %USERPROFILE%\SendTo
Start Menu %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu
Startup %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
Templates %USERPROFILE%\Templates

There is also an entry called “Default” that has no value set. The default
entry is of type REG SZ; all the others are of type REG EXPAND SZ.
It makes a huge difference to the speed of handling roaming user profiles if
all the folders are stored on a dedicated location on a network server. This
Section 26.6. Common Errors 597

means that it will not be necessary to write the Outlook PST file over the
network for every login and logout.

To set this to a network location, you could use the following examples:

%LOGONSERVER%\%USERNAME%\Default Folders

This stores the folders in the user’s home directory under a directory called
Default Folders. You could also use:

\\SambaServer\FolderShare\%USERNAME%

in which case the default folders are stored in the server named SambaServer
in the share called FolderShare under a directory that has the name of the
MS Windows user as seen by the Linux/UNIX file system.

Please note that once you have created a default profile share, you must
migrate a user’s profile (default or custom) to it.

MS Windows 200x/XP profiles may be local or roaming. A roaming profile

is cached locally unless the following registry key is created:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\
winlogon\"DeleteRoamingCache"=dword:00000001

In this case, the local cache copy is deleted on logout.

26.6 Common Errors

The following are some typical errors, problems, and questions that have
been asked on the Samba mailing lists.

26.6.1 Configuring Roaming Profiles for a Few Users or Groups

With Samba-2.2.x, the choice you have is to enable or disable roaming pro-
files support. It is a global-only setting. The default is to have roaming
profiles, and the default path will locate them in the user’s home directory.
598 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

If disabled globally, then no one will have roaming profile ability. If enabled
and you want it to apply only to certain machines, then on those machines
on which roaming profile support is not wanted, it is necessary to disable
roaming profile handling in the registry of each such machine.

With Samba-3, you can have a global profile setting in smb.conf, and you
can override this by per-user settings using the Domain User Manager (as
with MS Windows NT4/200x).

In any case, you can configure only one profile per user. That profile can be
either:

• A profile unique to that user.

• A mandatory profile (one the user cannot change).

• A group profile (really should be mandatory — that is, unchangable).

26.6.2 Cannot Use Roaming Profiles

A user requested the following: “I do not want roaming profiles to be im-

plemented. I want to give users a local profile alone. I am totally lost with
this error. For the past two days I tried everything, I googled around but
found no useful pointers. Please help me.”

The choices are:

Local profiles I know of no registry keys that will allow autodeletion of

LOCAL profiles on log out.

Roaming profiles As a user logs onto the network, a centrally stored pro-
file is copied to the workstation to form a local profile. This local
profile will persist (remain on the workstation disk) unless a registry
key is changed that will cause this profile to be automatically deleted
on logout.

The roaming profile choices are:

Personal roaming profiles These are typically stored in a profile share

on a central (or conveniently located local) server.
Section 26.6. Common Errors 599

Workstations cache (store) a local copy of the profile. This cached

copy is used when the profile cannot be downloaded at next logon.

Group profiles These are loaded from a central profile server.

Mandatory profiles Mandatory profiles can be created for a user as well

as for any group that a user is a member of. Mandatory profiles cannot
be changed by ordinary users. Only the administrator can change or
reconfigure a mandatory profile.

A Windows NT4/200x/XP profile can vary in size from 130KB to very

large. Outlook PST files are most often part of the profile and can be many
gigabytes in size. On average (in a well controlled environment), roaming
profile size of 2MB is a good rule of thumb to use for planning purposes. In
an undisciplined environment, I have seen up to 2GB profiles. Users tend to
complain when it takes an hour to log onto a workstation, but they harvest
the fruits of folly (and ignorance).

The point of this discussion is to show that roaming profiles and good con-
trols of how they can be changed as well as good discipline make for a
problem-free site.

Microsoft’s answer to the PST problem is to store all email in an MS Ex-

change Server backend. This removes the need for a PST file.

Local profiles mean:

• If each machine is used by many users, then much local disk storage
is needed for local profiles.

• Every workstation the user logs into has its own profile; these can be
very different from machine to machine.

On the other hand, use of roaming profiles means:

• The network administrator can control the desktop environment of all

users.

• Use of mandatory profiles drastically reduces network management

overheads.

• In the long run, users will experience fewer problems.

600 Desktop Profile Management Chapter 26

26.6.3 Changing the Default Profile

“When the client logs onto the domain controller, it searches for a profile to
download. Where do I put this default profile?”
First, the Samba server needs to be configured as a domain controller. This
can be done by setting in smb.conf:

security = user
o s l e v e l = 32 ( o r more )
domain l o g o n s = Yes

There must be a [netlogon] share that is world readable. It is a good idea

to add a logon script to preset printer and drive connections. There is also
a facility for automatically synchronizing the workstation time clock with
that of the logon server (another good thing to do).

Note

To invoke autodeletion of roaming profile from the local

workstation cache (disk storage), use the Group Policy
Editor to create a file called NTConfig.POL with the ap-
propriate entries. This file needs to be located in the
netlogon share root directory.

Windows clients need to be members of the domain. Workgroup machines

do not use network logons, so they do not interoperate with domain profiles.
For roaming profiles, add to smb.conf:

l o g o n path = \\%N\ p r o f i l e s \%U
# Default logon drive i s Z:
l o g o n d r i v e = H:
# This r e q u i r e s a PROFILES s h a r e t h a t i s w o r l d ←-
writable .

Chapter 27

PAM-BASED DISTRIBUTED
AUTHENTICATION

This chapter should help you to deploy Winbind-based authentication on any

PAM-enabled UNIX/Linux system. Winbind can be used to enable user-
level application access authentication from any MS Windows NT domain,
MS Windows 200x Active Directory-based domain, or any Samba-based
domain environment. It will also help you to configure PAM-based local
host access controls that are appropriate to your Samba configuration.
In addition to knowing how to configure Winbind into PAM, you will learn
generic PAM management possibilities and in particular how to deploy tools
like pam smbpass.so to your advantage.

Note

The use of Winbind requires more than PAM configura-

tion alone. Please refer to Chapter 23, “Winbind: Use
of Domain Accounts”, for further information regarding
Winbind.

27.1 Features and Benefits

A number of UNIX systems (e.g., Sun Solaris), as well as the xxxxBSD

family and Linux, now utilize the Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)

601
602 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

facility to provide all authentication, authorization, and resource control

services. Prior to the introduction of PAM, a decision to use an alternative
to the system password database (/etc/passwd) would require the provision
of alternatives for all programs that provide security services. Such a choice
would involve provision of alternatives to programs such as login, passwd,
chown, and so on.
PAM provides a mechanism that disconnects these security programs from
the underlying authentication/authorization infrastructure. PAM is config-
ured by making appropriate modifications to one file, /etc/pam.conf (So-
laris), or by editing individual control files that are located in /etc/pam.
d.
On PAM-enabled UNIX/Linux systems, it is an easy matter to configure
the system to use any authentication backend so long as the appropriate
dynamically loadable library modules are available for it. The backend may
be local to the system or may be centralized on a remote server.
PAM support modules are available for:

/etc/passwd There are several PAM modules that interact with this stan-
dard UNIX user database. The most common are called pam unix.
so, pam unix2.so, pam pwdb.so and pam userdb.so.

Kerberos The pam krb5.so module allows the use of any Kerberos-compliant
server. This tool is used to access MIT Kerberos, Heimdal Kerberos,
and potentially Microsoft Active Directory (if enabled).

LDAP The pam ldap.so module allows the use of any LDAP v2- or v3-
compatible backend server. Commonly used LDAP backend servers
include OpenLDAP v2.0 and v2.1, Sun ONE iDentity server, Novell
eDirectory server, and Microsoft Active Directory.

NetWare Bindery The pam ncp auth.so module allows authentication

off any bindery-enabled NetWare Core Protocol-based server.

SMB Password This module, called pam smbpass.so, allows user authen-
tication of the passdb backend that is configured in the Samba smb.
conf file.
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 603

SMB Server The pam smb auth.so module is the original MS Windows
networking authentication tool. This module has been somewhat out-
dated by the Winbind module.

Winbind The pam winbind.so module allows Samba to obtain authentica-

tion from any MS Windows domain controller. It can just as easily be
used to authenticate users for access to any PAM-enabled application.

RADIUS There is a PAM RADIUS (Remote Access Dial-In User Service)

authentication module. In most cases, administrators need to locate
the source code for this tool and compile and install it themselves.
RADIUS protocols are used by many routers and terminal servers.
Of the modules listed, Samba provides the pam smbpasswd.so and the pam
winbind.so modules alone.
Once configured, these permit a remarkable level of flexibility in the location
and use of distributed Samba domain controllers that can provide wide-
area network bandwidth, efficient authentication services for PAM-capable
systems. In effect, this allows the deployment of centrally managed and
maintained distributed authentication from a single-user account database.

27.2 Technical Discussion

PAM is designed to provide system administrators with a great deal of flex-

ibility in configuration of the privilege-granting applications of their system.
The local configuration of system security controlled by PAM is contained
in one of two places: either the single system file /etc/pam.conf or the /
etc/pam.d/ directory.

27.2.1 PAM Configuration Syntax

In this section we discuss the correct syntax of and generic options respected
by entries to these files. PAM-specific tokens in the configuration file are
case insensitive. The module paths, however, are case sensitive, since they
indicate a file’s name and reflect the case dependence of typical file systems.
604 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

The case sensitivity of the arguments to any given module is defined for each
module in turn.
In addition to the lines described below, there are two special characters
provided for the convenience of the system administrator: comments are
preceded by a “#” and extend to the next end-of-line; also, module specifi-
cation lines may be extended with a “\”-escaped newline.
If the PAM authentication module (loadable link library file) is located in
the default location, then it is not necessary to specify the path. In the case
of Linux, the default location is /lib/security. If the module is located
outside the default, then the path must be specified as:

auth required /other_path/pam_strange_module.so

27.2.1.1 Anatomy of /etc/pam.d Entries

The remaining information in this subsection was taken from the documen-
tation of the Linux-PAM project. For more information on PAM, see the
Official Linux-PAM home page1 .
A general configuration line of the /etc/pam.conf file has the following
form:

service-name module-type control-flag module-path args

We explain the meaning of each of these tokens. The second (and more
recently adopted) way of configuring Linux-PAM is via the contents of the
/etc/pam.d/ directory. Once we have explained the meaning of the tokens,
we describe this method.

service-name The name of the service associated with this entry. Fre-
quently, the service-name is the conventional name of the given appli-
cation — for example, ftpd, rlogind and su, and so on.
There is a special service-name reserved for defining a default authen-
tication mechanism. It has the name OTHER and may be specified in
1
<http://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/libs/pam/>
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 605

either lower- or uppercase characters. Note, when there is a module

specified for a named service, the OTHER entries are ignored.

module-type One of (currently) four types of module. The four types are
as follows:

• auth: This module type provides two aspects of authenticating

the user. It establishes that the user is who he or she claims to be
by instructing the application to prompt the user for a password
or other means of identification. Second, the module can grant
group membership (independently of the /etc/groups file) or
other privileges through its credential-granting properties.

• account: This module performs non-authentication-based ac-

count management. It is typically used to restrict/permit access
to a service based on the time of day, currently available system
resources (maximum number of users), or perhaps the location of
the user login. For example, the “root” login may be permitted
only on the console.

• session: Primarily, this module is associated with doing things

that need to be done for the user before and after he or she
can be given service. Such things include logging information
concerning the opening and closing of some data exchange with
a user, mounting directories, and so on.

• password: This last module type is required for updating the

authentication token associated with the user. Typically, there is
one module for each “challenge/response”-based authentication
(auth) module type.

control-flag The control-flag is used to indicate how the PAM library will
react to the success or failure of the module it is associated with. Since
modules can be stacked (modules of the same type execute in series,
one after another), the control-flags determine the relative importance
of each module. The application is not made aware of the individual
success or failure of modules listed in the /etc/pam.conf file. Instead,
it receives a summary success or fail response from the Linux-PAM
library. The order of execution of these modules is that of the entries
in the /etc/pam.conf file; earlier entries are executed before later
606 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

ones. As of Linux-PAM v0.60, this control-flag can be defined with

one of two syntaxes.
The simpler (and historical) syntax for the control-flag is a single key-
word defined to indicate the severity of concern associated with the
success or failure of a specific module. There are four such keywords:
required, requisite, sufficient, and optional.
The Linux-PAM library interprets these keywords in the following
manner:
• required: This indicates that the success of the module is re-
quired for the module-type facility to succeed. Failure of this
module will not be apparent to the user until all of the remaining
modules (of the same module-type) have been executed.
• requisite: Like required, except that if such a module returns a
failure, control is directly returned to the application. The return
value is that associated with the first required or requisite module
to fail. This flag can be used to protect against the possibility of
a user getting the opportunity to enter a password over an unsafe
medium. It is conceivable that such behavior might inform an
attacker of valid accounts on a system. This possibility should
be weighed against the not insignificant concerns of exposing a
sensitive password in a hostile environment.
• sufficient: The success of this module is deemed sufficient
to satisfy the Linux-PAM library that this module-type has suc-
ceeded in its purpose. In the event that no previous required
module has failed, no more “stacked” modules of this type are
invoked. (In this case, subsequent required modules are not in-
voked). A failure of this module is not deemed as fatal to satis-
fying the application that this module-type has succeeded.
• optional: As its name suggests, this control-flag marks the mod-
ule as not being critical to the success or failure of the user’s ap-
plication for service. In general, Linux-PAM ignores such a mod-
ule when determining if the module stack will succeed or fail.
However, in the absence of any definite successes or failures of
previous or subsequent stacked modules, this module will deter-
mine the nature of the response to the application. One example
of this latter case is when the other modules return something
like PAM IGNORE.
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 607

The more elaborate (newer) syntax is much more specific and gives
the administrator a great deal of control over how the user is authen-
ticated. This form of the control-flag is delimited with square brackets
and consists of a series of value=action tokens:

[value1=action1 value2=action2 ...]

Here, value1 is one of the following return values:

success; open_err; symbol_err; service_err; system_err; buf_err;

perm_denied; auth_err; cred_insufficient; authinfo_unavail;
user_unknown; maxtries; new_authtok_reqd; acct_expired; session_err;
cred_unavail; cred_expired; cred_err; no_module_data; conv_err;
authtok_err; authtok_recover_err; authtok_lock_busy;
authtok_disable_aging; try_again; ignore; abort; authtok_expired;
module_unknown; bad_item; and default.

The last of these (default) can be used to set the action for those
return values that are not explicitly defined.
The action1 can be a positive integer or one of the following tokens:
ignore; ok; done; bad; die; and reset. A positive integer, J, when
specified as the action, can be used to indicate that the next J modules
of the current module-type will be skipped. In this way, the adminis-
trator can develop a moderately sophisticated stack of modules with
a number of different paths of execution. Which path is taken can be
determined by the reactions of individual modules.
• ignore: When used with a stack of modules, the module’s re-
turn status will not contribute to the return code the application
obtains.
• bad: This action indicates that the return code should be thought
of as indicative of the module failing. If this module is the first
in the stack to fail, its status value will be used for that of the
whole stack.
• die: Equivalent to bad with the side effect of terminating the
module stack and PAM immediately returning to the application.
608 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

• ok: This tells PAM that the administrator thinks this return code
should contribute directly to the return code of the full stack of
modules. In other words, if the former state of the stack would
lead to a return of PAM SUCCESS, the module’s return code will
override this value. Note, if the former state of the stack holds
some value that is indicative of a module’s failure, this ok value
will not be used to override that value.

• done: Equivalent to ok with the side effect of terminating the

module stack and PAM immediately returning to the application.

• reset: Clears all memory of the state of the module stack and
starts again with the next stacked module.

Each of the four keywords, required; requisite; sufficient; and

optional, have an equivalent expression in terms of the [...] syntax.
They are as follows:

• required is equivalent to [success=ok new authtok reqd=ok

ignore=ignore default=bad].

• requisite is equivalent to [success=ok new authtok reqd=ok

ignore=ignore default=die].

• sufficient is equivalent to [success=done new authtok reqd=done

default=ignore].

• optional is equivalent to [success=ok new authtok reqd=ok

default=ignore].

Just to get a feel for the power of this new syntax, here is a taste of
what you can do with it. With Linux-PAM-0.63, the notion of client
plug-in agents was introduced. This makes it possible for PAM to sup-
port machine-machine authentication using the transport protocol in-
herent to the client/server application. With the [ ... value=action
... ] control syntax, it is possible for an application to be configured
to support binary prompts with compliant clients, but to gracefully fail
over into an alternative authentication mode for legacy applications.

module-path The pathname of the dynamically loadable object file; the

pluggable module itself. If the first character of the module path is
“/”, it is assumed to be a complete path. If this is not the case, the
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 609

given module path is appended to the default module path: /lib/

security (but see the previous notes).

The arguments are a list of tokens that are passed to the module when
it is invoked, much like arguments to a typical Linux shell command.
Generally, valid arguments are optional and are specific to any given
module. Invalid arguments are ignored by a module; however, when
encountering an invalid argument, the module is required to write an
error to syslog(3). For a list of generic options, see the next section.

If you wish to include spaces in an argument, you should surround

that argument with square brackets. For example:

squid auth required pam_mysql.so user=passwd_query passwd=mada \

db=eminence [query=select user_name from internet_service where \
user_name=%u and password=PASSWORD(%p) and service=web_proxy]

When using this convention, you can include “[” characters inside the
string, and if you wish to have a “]” character inside the string that
will survive the argument parsing, you should use “\[”. In other words,

[..[..\]..] --> ..[..]..

Any line in one of the configuration files that is not formatted cor-
rectly will generally tend (erring on the side of caution) to make the
authentication process fail. A corresponding error is written to the
system log files with a call to syslog(3).

27.2.2 Example System Configurations

The following is an example /etc/pam.d/login configuration file. This

example had all options uncommented and is probably not usable because
it stacks many conditions before allowing successful completion of the login
process. Essentially, all conditions can be disabled by commenting them
out, except the calls to pam pwdb.so.
610 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

27.2.2.1 PAM: Original Login Config

#%PAM-1.0
# The PAM configuration file for the login service
#
auth required pam_securetty.so
auth required pam_nologin.so
# auth required pam_dialup.so
# auth optional pam_mail.so
auth required pam_pwdb.so shadow md5
# account requisite pam_time.so
account required pam_pwdb.so
session required pam_pwdb.so
# session optional pam_lastlog.so
# password required pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password required pam_pwdb.so shadow md5

27.2.2.2 PAM: Login Using pam smbpass

PAM allows use of replaceable modules. Those available on a sample system

include:
$/bin/ls /lib/security

pam_access.so pam_ftp.so pam_limits.so

pam_ncp_auth.so pam_rhosts_auth.so pam_stress.so
pam_cracklib.so pam_group.so pam_listfile.so
pam_nologin.so pam_rootok.so pam_tally.so
pam_deny.so pam_issue.so pam_mail.so
pam_permit.so pam_securetty.so pam_time.so
pam_dialup.so pam_lastlog.so pam_mkhomedir.so
pam_pwdb.so pam_shells.so pam_unix.so
pam_env.so pam_ldap.so pam_motd.so
pam_radius.so pam_smbpass.so pam_unix_acct.so
pam_wheel.so pam_unix_auth.so pam_unix_passwd.so
pam_userdb.so pam_warn.so pam_unix_session.so
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 611

The following example for the login program replaces the use of the pam
pwdb.so module that uses the system password database (/etc/passwd, /
etc/shadow, /etc/group) with the module pam smbpass.so, which uses the
Samba database containing the Microsoft MD4 encrypted password hashes.
This database is stored either in /usr/local/samba/private/smbpasswd,
/etc/samba/smbpasswd or in /etc/samba.d/smbpasswd, depending on the
Samba implementation for your UNIX/Linux system. The pam smbpass.
so module is provided by Samba version 2.2.1 or later. It can be compiled
by specifying the --with-pam smbpass options when running Samba’s con-
figure script. For more information on the pam smbpass module, see the
documentation in the source/pam smbpass directory of the Samba source
distribution.

#%PAM-1.0
# The PAM configuration file for the login service
#
auth required pam_smbpass.so nodelay
account required pam_smbpass.so nodelay
session required pam_smbpass.so nodelay
password required pam_smbpass.so nodelay

The following is the PAM configuration file for a particular Linux system.
The default condition uses pam pwdb.so.

#%PAM-1.0
# The PAM configuration file for the samba service
#
auth required pam_pwdb.so nullok nodelay shadow audit
account required pam_pwdb.so audit nodelay
session required pam_pwdb.so nodelay
password required pam_pwdb.so shadow md5

In the following example, the decision has been made to use the smbpasswd
database even for basic Samba authentication. Such a decision could also
be made for the passwd program and would thus allow the smbpasswd
passwords to be changed using the passwd program:
612 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

#%PAM-1.0
# The PAM configuration file for the samba service
#
auth required pam_smbpass.so nodelay
account required pam_pwdb.so audit nodelay
session required pam_pwdb.so nodelay
password required pam_smbpass.so nodelay smbconf=/etc/samba.d/smb.conf

Note

PAM allows stacking of authentication mechanisms. It

is also possible to pass information obtained within one
PAM module through to the next module in the PAM
stack. Please refer to the documentation for your par-
ticular system implementation for details regarding the
specific capabilities of PAM in this environment. Some
Linux implementations also provide the pam stack.so
module that allows all authentication to be configured
in a single central file. The pam stack.so method has
some devoted followers on the basis that it allows for eas-
ier administration. As with all issues in life, though, every
decision has trade-offs, so you may want to examine the
PAM documentation for further helpful information.

27.2.3 smb.conf PAM Configuration

There is an option in smb.conf called obey pam restrictions. The following

is from the online help for this option in SWAT:
When Samba is configured to enable PAM support (i.e., --with-pam),
this parameter will control whether or not Samba should obey
PAM’s account and session management directives. The default
behavior is to use PAM for clear-text authentication only and
to ignore any account or session management. Samba always ig-
nores PAM for authentication in the case of encrypt passwords =
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 613

yes. The reason is that PAM modules cannot support the chal-
lenge/response authentication mechanism needed in the presence
of SMB password encryption.

Default: obey pam restrictions = no

27.2.4 Remote CIFS Authentication Using winbindd.so

All operating systems depend on the provision of user credentials acceptable

to the platform. UNIX requires the provision of a user identifier (UID) as
well as a group identifier (GID). These are both simple integer numbers that
are obtained from a password backend such as /etc/passwd.

Users and groups on a Windows NT server are assigned a relative ID (RID)

which is unique for the domain when the user or group is created. To convert
the Windows NT user or group into a UNIX user or group, a mapping
between RIDs and UNIX user and group IDs is required. This is one of the
jobs that winbind performs.

As winbind users and groups are resolved from a server, user and group
IDs are allocated from a specified range. This is done on a first come, first
served basis, although all existing users and groups will be mapped as soon
as a client performs a user or group enumeration command. The allocated
UNIX IDs are stored in a database file under the Samba lock directory and
will be remembered.

The astute administrator will realize from this that the combination of pam
smbpass.so, winbindd, and a distributed passdb backend such as ldap will
allow the establishment of a centrally managed, distributed user/password
database that can also be used by all PAM-aware (e.g., Linux) programs
and applications. This arrangement can have particularly potent advantages
compared with the use of Microsoft Active Directory Service (ADS) insofar
as the reduction of wide-area network authentication traffic.
614 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

Warning

The RID to UNIX ID database is the only location where

the user and group mappings are stored by winbindd. If
this file is deleted or corrupted, there is no way for win-
bindd to determine which user and group IDs correspond
to Windows NT user and group RIDs.

27.2.5 Password Synchronization Using pam smbpass.so

pam smbpass is a PAM module that can be used on conforming systems

to keep the smbpasswd (Samba password) database in sync with the UNIX
password file. PAM is an API supported under some UNIX operating sys-
tems, such as Solaris, HPUX, and Linux, that provides a generic interface
to authentication mechanisms.
This module authenticates a local smbpasswd user database. If you re-
quire support for authenticating against a remote SMB server, or if you are
concerned about the presence of SUID root binaries on your system, it is
recommended that you use pam winbind instead.
Options recognized by this module are shown in Table 27.1.
The following are examples of the use of pam smbpass.so in the format of
the Linux /etc/pam.d/ files structure. Those wishing to implement this
tool on other platforms will need to adapt this appropriately.

27.2.5.1 Password Synchronization Configuration

The following is a sample PAM configuration that shows the use of pam smbpass
to make sure private/smbpasswd is kept in sync when /etc/passwd (/
etc/shadow) is changed. It is useful when an expired password might be
changed by an application (such as ssh).

#%PAM-1.0
# password-sync
#
auth requisite pam_nologin.so
Section 27.2. Technical Discussion 615

Table 27.1. Options recognized by pam smbpass

debug Log more debugging info.
audit Like debug, but also logs unknown usernames.
use first pass Do not prompt the user for passwords; take them from
PAM items instead.
try first pass Try to get the password from a previous PAM module;
fall back to prompting the user.
use authtok Like try first pass, but *fail* if the new
PAM AUTHTOK has not been previously set (in-
tended for stacking password modules only).
not set pass Do not make passwords used by this module available
to other modules.
nodelay dDo not insert ˜1-second delays on authentication fail-
ure.
nullok nNull passwords are allowed.
nonull Null passwords are not allowed. Used to override the
Samba configuration.
migrate oOnly meaningful in an “auth” context; used to update
smbpasswd file with a password used for successful au-
thentication.
smbconf=file Specify an alternate path to the smb.conf file.

auth required pam_unix.so

account required pam_unix.so
password requisite pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password requisite pam_unix.so shadow md5 use_authtok try_first_pass
password required pam_smbpass.so nullok use_authtok try_first_pass
session required pam_unix.so

27.2.5.2 Password Migration Configuration

The following PAM configuration shows the use of pam smbpass to migrate
from plaintext to encrypted passwords for Samba. Unlike other methods,
this can be used for users who have never connected to Samba shares: pass-
word migration takes place when users ftp in, login using ssh, pop their
mail, and so on.
616 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

#%PAM-1.0
# password-migration
#
auth requisite pam_nologin.so
# pam_smbpass is called IF pam_unix succeeds.
auth requisite pam_unix.so
auth optional pam_smbpass.so migrate
account required pam_unix.so
password requisite pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password requisite pam_unix.so shadow md5 use_authtok try_first_pass
password optional pam_smbpass.so nullok use_authtok try_first_pass
session required pam_unix.so

27.2.5.3 Mature Password Configuration

The following is a sample PAM configuration for a mature smbpasswd instal-

lation. private/smbpasswd is fully populated, and we consider it an error
if the SMB password does not exist or does not match the UNIX password.

#%PAM-1.0
# password-mature
#
auth requisite pam_nologin.so
auth required pam_unix.so
account required pam_unix.so
password requisite pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password requisite pam_unix.so shadow md5 use_authtok try_first_pass
password required pam_smbpass.so use_authtok use_first_pass
session required pam_unix.so

27.2.5.4 Kerberos Password Integration Configuration

The following is a sample PAM configuration that shows pam smbpass used
together with pam krb5. This could be useful on a Samba PDC that is also
a member of a Kerberos realm.
Section 27.3. Common Errors 617

#%PAM-1.0
# kdc-pdc
#
auth requisite pam_nologin.so
auth requisite pam_krb5.so
auth optional pam_smbpass.so migrate
account required pam_krb5.so
password requisite pam_cracklib.so retry=3
password optional pam_smbpass.so nullok use_authtok try_first_pass
password required pam_krb5.so use_authtok try_first_pass
session required pam_krb5.so

27.3 Common Errors

PAM can be fickle and sensitive to configuration glitches. Here we look at

a few cases from the Samba mailing list.

27.3.1 pam winbind Problem

A user reported, I have the following PAM configuration:

auth required /lib/security/pam_securetty.so

auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
auth sufficient /lib/security/pam_unix.so use_first_pass nullok
auth required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
auth required /lib/security/pam_nologin.so
account required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth
account required /lib/security/pam_winbind.so
password required /lib/security/pam_stack.so service=system-auth

When I open a new console with [ctrl][alt][F1], I can’t log in with my user
“pitie.” I have tried with user “scienceu\pitie” also.
The problem may lie with the inclusion of pam stack.so service=system-auth.
That file often contains a lot of stuff that may duplicate what you are already
doing. Try commenting out the pam stack lines for auth and account and
618 PAM-Based Distributed Authentication Chapter 27

see if things work. If they do, look at /etc/pam.d/system-auth and copy

only what you need from it into your /etc/pam.d/login file. Alternatively,
if you want all services to use Winbind, you can put the Winbind-specific
stuff in /etc/pam.d/system-auth.

27.3.2 Winbind Is Not Resolving Users and Groups

“My smb.conf file is correctly configured. I have specified idmap uid =

12000 and idmap gid = 3000-3500, and winbind is running. When I do the
following it all works fine.”

root# wbinfo -u
MIDEARTH\maryo
MIDEARTH\jackb
MIDEARTH\ameds
...
MIDEARTH\root

root# wbinfo -g
MIDEARTH\Domain Users
MIDEARTH\Domain Admins
MIDEARTH\Domain Guests
...
MIDEARTH\Accounts

root# getent passwd

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
bin:x:1:1:bin:/bin:/bin/bash
...
maryo:x:15000:15003:Mary Orville:/home/MIDEARTH/maryo:/bin/false

“But this command fails:”

root# chown maryo a_file

chown: ’maryo’: invalid user

“This is driving me nuts! What can be wrong?”

Section 27.3. Common Errors 619

Your system is likely running nscd, the name service caching daemon. Shut
it down, do not restart it! You will find your problem resolved.
Chapter 28

INTEGRATING MS
WINDOWS NETWORKS
WITH SAMBA

This chapter deals with NetBIOS over TCP/IP name to IP address resolu-
tion. If your MS Windows clients are not configured to use NetBIOS over
TCP/IP, then this section does not apply to your installation. If your in-
stallation involves the use of NetBIOS over TCP/IP, then this chapter may
help you to resolve networking problems.

Note

NetBIOS over TCP/IP has nothing to do with NetBEUI.

NetBEUI is NetBIOS over Logical Link Control (LLC). On
modern networks it is highly advised to not run NetBEUI
at all. Note also that there is no such thing as NetBEUI
over TCP/IP — the existence of such a protocol is a
complete and utter misapprehension.

28.1 Features and Benefits

Many MS Windows network administrators have never been exposed to

basic TCP/IP networking as it is implemented in a UNIX/Linux operating

620
Section 28.2. Background Information 621

system. Likewise, many UNIX and Linux administrators have not been
exposed to the intricacies of MS Windows TCP/IP-based networking (and
may have no desire to be, either).
This chapter gives a short introduction to the basics of how a name can be
resolved to its IP address for each operating system environment.

28.2 Background Information

Since the introduction of MS Windows 2000, it is possible to run MS Win-

dows networking without the use of NetBIOS over TCP/IP. NetBIOS over
TCP/IP uses UDP port 137 for NetBIOS name resolution and uses TCP
port 139 for NetBIOS session services. When NetBIOS over TCP/IP is dis-
abled on MS Windows 2000 and later clients, then only the TCP port 445
is used, and the UDP port 137 and TCP port 139 are not.

Note

When using Windows 2000 or later clients, if NetBIOS

over TCP/IP is not disabled, then the client will use UDP
port 137 (NetBIOS Name Service, also known as the Win-
dows Internet Name Service, or WINS), TCP port 139,
and TCP port 445 (for actual file and print traffic).

When NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled, the use of DNS is essential. Most
installations that disable NetBIOS over TCP/IP today use MS Active Di-
rectory Service (ADS). ADS requires dynamic DNS with Service Resource
Records (SRV RR) and with Incremental Zone Transfers (IXFR). Use of
DHCP with ADS is recommended as a further means of maintaining central
control over the client workstation network configuration.

28.3 Name Resolution in a Pure UNIX/Linux World

The key configuration files covered in this section are:

• /etc/hosts
622 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba Chapter 28

• /etc/resolv.conf

• /etc/host.conf

• /etc/nsswitch.conf

28.3.1 /etc/hosts

This file contains a static list of IP addresses and names.

127.0.0.1 localhost localhost.localdomain

192.168.1.1 bigbox.quenya.org bigbox alias4box

The purpose of /etc/hosts is to provide a name resolution mechanism so

users do not need to remember IP addresses.

Network packets that are sent over the physical network transport layer
communicate not via IP addresses but rather using the Media Access Control
address, or MAC address. IP addresses are currently 32 bits in length and
are typically presented as four decimal numbers that are separated by a dot
(or period) — for example, 168.192.1.1.

MAC addresses use 48 bits (or 6 bytes) and are typically represented as
two-digit hexadecimal numbers separated by colons: 40:8e:0a:12:34:56.

Every network interface must have a MAC address. Associated with a MAC
address may be one or more IP addresses. There is no relationship between
an IP address and a MAC address; all such assignments are arbitrary or dis-
cretionary in nature. At the most basic level, all network communications
take place using MAC addressing. Since MAC addresses must be globally
unique and generally remain fixed for any particular interface, the assign-
ment of an IP address makes sense from a network management perspective.
More than one IP address can be assigned per MAC address. One address
must be the primary IP address — this is the address that will be returned
in the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) reply.

When a user or a process wants to communicate with another machine, the

protocol implementation ensures that the “machine name” or “host name”
is resolved to an IP address in a manner that is controlled by the TCP/IP
configuration control files. The file /etc/hosts is one such file.
Section 28.3. Name Resolution in a Pure UNIX/Linux World 623

When the IP address of the destination interface has been determined, a

protocol called ARP/RARP is used to identify the MAC address of the tar-
get interface. ARP is a broadcast-oriented method that uses User Datagram
Protocol (UDP) to send a request to all interfaces on the local network seg-
ment using the all 1s MAC address. Network interfaces are programmed
to respond to two MAC addresses only; their own unique address and the
address ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff. The reply packet from an ARP request will contain the
MAC address and the primary IP address for each interface.
The /etc/hosts file is foundational to all UNIX/Linux TCP/IP installa-
tions and as a minimum will contain the localhost and local network interface
IP addresses and the primary names by which they are known within the
local machine. This file helps to prime the pump so a basic level of name
resolution can exist before any other method of name resolution becomes
available.

28.3.2 /etc/resolv.conf

This file tells the name resolution libraries:

• The name of the domain to which the machine belongs.
• The name(s) of any domains that should be automatically searched
when trying to resolve unqualified host names to their IP address.
• The name or IP address of available domain name servers that may
be asked to perform name-to-address translation lookups.

28.3.3 /etc/host.conf

/etc/host.conf is the primary means by which the setting in /etc/resolv.

conf may be effected. It is a critical configuration file. This file controls the
order by which name resolution may proceed. The typical structure is:

order hosts,bind
multi on

Both addresses should be returned. Please refer to the man page for host.
conf for further details.
624 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba Chapter 28

28.3.4 /etc/nsswitch.conf

This file controls the actual name resolution targets. The file typically has
resolver object specifications as follows:

# /etc/nsswitch.conf
#
# Name Service Switch configuration file.
#

passwd: compat
# Alternative entries for password authentication are:
# passwd: compat files nis ldap winbind
shadow: compat
group: compat

hosts: files nis dns

# Alternative entries for host name resolution are:
# hosts: files dns nis nis+ hesiod db compat ldap wins
networks: nis files dns

ethers: nis files

protocols: nis files
rpc: nis files
services: nis files

Of course, each of these mechanisms requires that the appropriate facilities

and/or services are correctly configured.
It should be noted that unless a network request/message must be sent,
TCP/IP networks are silent. All TCP/IP communications assume a princi-
pal of speaking only when necessary.
Starting with version 2.2.0, Samba has Linux support for extensions to the
name service switch infrastructure so Linux clients will be able to obtain
resolution of MS Windows NetBIOS names to IP addresses. To gain this
functionality, Samba needs to be compiled with appropriate arguments to
the make command (i.e., make nsswitch/libnss wins.so). The resulting
library should then be installed in the /lib directory, and the wins param-
eter needs to be added to the “hosts:” line in the /etc/nsswitch.conf file.
Section 28.4. Name Resolution as Used within MS Windows Networking 625

At this point, it will be possible to ping any MS Windows machine by its

NetBIOS machine name, as long as that machine is within the workgroup
to which both the Samba machine and the MS Windows machine belong.

28.4 Name Resolution as Used within MS Windows Net-

working

MS Windows networking is predicated on the name each machine is given.

This name is known variously (and inconsistently) as the “computer name,”
“machine name,” “networking name,” “NetBIOS name,” or “SMB name.”
All terms mean the same thing with the exception of “NetBIOS name,”
which can also apply to the name of the workgroup or the domain name. The
terms “workgroup” and “domain” are really just a simple name with which
the machine is associated. All NetBIOS names are exactly 16 characters in
length. The 16th character is reserved. It is used to store a 1-byte value that
indicates service level information for the NetBIOS name that is registered.
A NetBIOS machine name is therefore registered for each service type that
is provided by the client/server.

Table 28.1 and Table 28.2 tables list typical NetBIOS name/service type
registrations.

Table 28.1. Unique NetBIOS Names

MACHINENAME<00> Server Service is running on MACHINE-
NAME
MACHINENAME<03> Generic machine name (NetBIOS name)
MACHINENAME<20> LanMan server service is running on MACHI-
NENAME
WORKGROUP<1b> Domain master browser

Table 28.2. Group Names

WORKGROUP<03> Generic name registered by all members of
WORKGROUP
WORKGROUP<1c> Domain cntrollers/netlogon servers
WORKGROUP<1d> Local master browsers
WORKGROUP<1e> Browser election service
626 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba Chapter 28

It should be noted that all NetBIOS machines register their own names as
per Table 28.1 and Table 28.2. This is in vast contrast to TCP/IP instal-
lations where the system administrator traditionally determines in the /
etc/hosts or in the DNS database what names are associated with each IP
address.
One further point of clarification should be noted. The /etc/hosts file and
the DNS records do not provide the NetBIOS name information that MS
Windows clients depend on to locate the type of service that may be needed.
An example of this is what happens when an MS Windows client wants to
locate a domain logon server. It finds this service and the IP address of a
server that provides it by performing a lookup (via a NetBIOS broadcast)
for enumeration of all machines that have registered the name type *<1c>.
A logon request is then sent to each IP address that is returned in the
enumerated list of IP addresses. Whichever machine first replies, it then
ends up providing the logon services.
The name “workgroup” or “domain” really can be confusing, since these
have the added significance of indicating what is the security architecture
of the MS Windows network. The term “workgroup” indicates that the
primary nature of the network environment is that of a peer-to-peer design.
In a workgroup, all machines are responsible for their own security, and
generally such security is limited to the use of just a password (known as
share-level security). In most situations with peer-to-peer networking, the
users who control their own machines will simply opt to have no security at
all. It is possible to have user-level security in a workgroup environment,
thus requiring the use of a username and a matching password.
MS Windows networking is thus predetermined to use machine names for
all local and remote machine message passing. The protocol used is called
Server Message Block (SMB), and this is implemented using the NetBIOS
protocol (Network Basic Input/Output System). NetBIOS can be encap-
sulated using LLC (Logical Link Control) protocol — in which case the
resulting protocol is called NetBEUI (Network Basic Extended User Inter-
face). NetBIOS can also be run over IPX (Internetworking Packet Exchange)
protocol as used by Novell NetWare, and it can be run over TCP/IP pro-
tocols — in which case the resulting protocol is called NBT or NetBT, the
NetBIOS over TCP/IP.
MS Windows machines use a complex array of name resolution mechanisms.
Since we are primarily concerned with TCP/IP, this demonstration is limited
to this area.
Section 28.4. Name Resolution as Used within MS Windows Networking 627

28.4.1 The NetBIOS Name Cache

All MS Windows machines employ an in-memory buffer in which is stored

the NetBIOS names and IP addresses for all external machines that machine
has communicated with over the past 10 to 15 minutes. It is more efficient
to obtain an IP address for a machine from the local cache than it is to go
through all the configured name resolution mechanisms.
If a machine whose name is in the local name cache is shut down before the
name is expired and flushed from the cache, then an attempt to exchange
a message with that machine will be subject to timeout delays. Its name
is in the cache, so a name resolution lookup will succeed, but the machine
cannot respond. This can be frustrating for users but is a characteristic of
the protocol.
The MS Windows utility that allows examination of the NetBIOS name
cache is called “nbtstat.” The Samba equivalent is called nmblookup.

28.4.2 The LMHOSTS File

This file is usually located in MS Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 200x/XP in

the directory %SystemRoot%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC and contains the IP
address and the machine name in matched pairs. The LMHOSTS file performs
NetBIOS name to IP address mapping.
It typically looks like this:

#
# This is a sample LMHOSTS file used by the Microsoft Wins Client (NetBIOS
# over TCP/IP) stack for Windows98
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to NT computer names
# (NetBIOS) names. Each entry should be kept on an individual line.
# The IP address should be placed in the first column followed by the
# corresponding computer name. The address and the computer name
# should be separated by at least one space or tab. The "#" character
# is generally used to denote the start of a comment (see the exceptions
# below).
#
628 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba Chapter 28

# This file is compatible with Microsoft LAN Manager 2.x TCP/IP lmhosts
# files and offers the following extensions:
#
# #PRE
# #DOM:<domain>
# #INCLUDE <filename>
# #BEGIN_ALTERNATE
# #END_ALTERNATE
# \0xnn (non-printing character support)
#
# Following any entry in the file with the characters "#PRE" will cause
# the entry to be preloaded into the name cache. By default, entries are
# not preloaded, but are parsed only after dynamic name resolution fails.
#
# Following an entry with the "#DOM:<domain>" tag will associate the
# entry with the domain specified by <domain>. This effects how the
# browser and logon services behave in TCP/IP environments. To preload
# the host name associated with #DOM entry, it is necessary to also add a
# #PRE to the line. The <domain> is always pre-loaded although it will not
# be shown when the name cache is viewed.
#
# Specifying "#INCLUDE <filename>" will force the RFC NetBIOS (NBT)
# software to seek the specified <filename> and parse it as if it were
# local. <filename> is generally a UNC-based name, allowing a
# centralized lmhosts file to be maintained on a server.
# It is ALWAYS necessary to provide a mapping for the IP address of the
# server prior to the #INCLUDE. This mapping must use the #PRE directive.
# In addition the share "public" in the example below must be in the
# LanMan Server list of "NullSessionShares" in order for client machines to
# be able to read the lmhosts file successfully. This key is under
# \machine\system\currentcontrolset\services\lanmanserver\
# parameters\nullsessionshares
# in the registry. Simply add "public" to the list found there.
#
# The #BEGIN_ and #END_ALTERNATE keywords allow multiple #INCLUDE
# statements to be grouped together. Any single successful include
# will cause the group to succeed.
#
# Finally, non-printing characters can be embedded in mappings by
# first surrounding the NetBIOS name in quotations, then using the
Section 28.4. Name Resolution as Used within MS Windows Networking 629

# \0xnn notation to specify a hex value for a non-printing character.

#
# The following example illustrates all of these extensions:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino #PRE #DOM:networking #net group’s DC
# 102.54.94.102 "appname \0x14" #special app server
# 102.54.94.123 popular #PRE #source server
# 102.54.94.117 localsrv #PRE #needed for the include
#
# #BEGIN_ALTERNATE
# #INCLUDE \\localsrv\public\lmhosts
# #INCLUDE \\rhino\public\lmhosts
# #END_ALTERNATE
#
# In the above example, the "appname" server contains a special
# character in its name, the "popular" and "localsrv" server names are
# pre-loaded, and the "rhino" server name is specified so it can be used
# to later #INCLUDE a centrally maintained lmhosts file if the "localsrv"
# system is unavailable.
#
# Note that the whole file is parsed including comments on each lookup,
# so keeping the number of comments to a minimum will improve performance.
# Therefore it is not advisable to simply add lmhosts file entries onto the
# end of this file.

28.4.3 HOSTS File

This file is usually located in MS Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 200x/XP in

the directory %SystemRoot%\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC and contains the IP
address and the IP hostname in matched pairs. It can be used by the name
resolution infrastructure in MS Windows, depending on how the TCP/IP
environment is configured. This file is in every way the equivalent of the
UNIX/Linux /etc/hosts file.

28.4.4 DNS Lookup

This capability is configured in the TCP/IP setup area in the network con-
figuration facility. If enabled, an elaborate name resolution sequence is fol-
630 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba Chapter 28

lowed, the precise nature of which is dependent on how the NetBIOS Node
Type parameter is configured. A Node Type of 0 means that NetBIOS
broadcast (over UDP broadcast) is used if the name that is the subject of
a name lookup is not found in the NetBIOS name cache. If that fails, then
DNS, HOSTS, and LMHOSTS are checked. If set to Node Type 8, then a
NetBIOS Unicast (over UDP Unicast) is sent to the WINS server to obtain
a lookup before DNS, HOSTS, LMHOSTS, or broadcast lookup is used.

28.4.5 WINS Lookup

A WINS (Windows Internet Name Server) service is the equivalent of the

rfc1001/1002 specified NBNS (NetBIOS Name Server). A WINS server
stores the names and IP addresses that are registered by a Windows client
if the TCP/IP setup has been given at least one WINS server IP address.

To configure Samba to be a WINS server, the following parameter needs to

be added to the smb.conf file:

wins s u p p o r t = Yes

To configure Samba to use a WINS server, the following parameters are

needed in the smb.conf file:

wins s u p p o r t = No
wins s e r v e r = xxx . xxx . xxx . xxx

where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of the WINS server.

For information about setting up Samba as a WINS server, read Chapter 9,

“Network Browsing”.

28.5 Common Errors

TCP/IP network configuration problems find every network administrator

sooner or later. The cause can be anything from keyboard mishaps to for-
getfulness to simple mistakes to carelessness. Of course, no one is ever
deliberately careless!
Section 28.5. Common Errors 631

28.5.1 Pinging Works Only One Way

“I can ping my Samba server from Windows, but I cannot ping my Windows
machine from the Samba server.”
The Windows machine was at IP address 192.168.1.2 with netmask 255.255.255.0,
the Samba server (Linux) was at IP address 192.168.1.130 with netmask
255.255.255.128. The machines were on a local network with no external
connections.
Due to inconsistent netmasks, the Windows machine was on network 192.168.1.0/24,
while the Samba server was on network 192.168.1.128/25 — logically a dif-
ferent network.

28.5.2 Very Slow Network Connections

A common cause of slow network response includes:

• Client is configured to use DNS and the DNS server is down.
• Client is configured to use remote DNS server, but the remote connec-
tion is down.
• Client is configured to use a WINS server, but there is no WINS server.
• Client is not configured to use a WINS server, but there is a WINS
server.
• Firewall is filtering out DNS or WINS traffic.

28.5.3 Samba Server Name-Change Problem

“The name of the Samba server was changed, Samba was restarted, and now
the Samba server cannot be pinged by its new name from an MS Windows
NT4 workstation, but it does still respond to pinging using the old name.
Why?”
From this description, three things are obvious:
• WINS is not in use; only broadcast-based name resolution is used.
• The Samba server was renamed and restarted within the last 10 or 15
minutes.
632 Integrating MS Windows Networks with Samba Chapter 28

• The old Samba server name is still in the NetBIOS name cache on the
MS Windows NT4 workstation.
To find what names are present in the NetBIOS name cache on the MS
Windows NT4 machine, open a cmd shell and then:

C:\> nbtstat -n

NetBIOS Local Name Table

Name Type Status

------------------------------------------------
FRODO <03> UNIQUE Registered
ADMINISTRATOR <03> UNIQUE Registered
FRODO <00> UNIQUE Registered
SARDON <00> GROUP Registered
FRODO <20> UNIQUE Registered
FRODO <1F> UNIQUE Registered

C:\> nbtstat -c

NetBIOS Remote Cache Name Table

Name Type Host Address Life [sec]

--------------------------------------------------------------
GANDALF <20> UNIQUE 192.168.1.1 240

C:\>

In this example, GANDALF is the Samba server and FRODO is the MS

Windows NT4 workstation. The first listing shows the contents of the Local
Name Table (i.e., identity information on the MS Windows workstation),
and the second shows the NetBIOS name in the NetBIOS name cache. The
name cache contains the remote machines known to this workstation.
Chapter 29

UNICODE/CHARSETS

29.1 Features and Benefits

Every industry eventually matures. One of the great areas of maturation is

in the focus that has been given over the past decade to make it possible for
anyone anywhere to use a computer. It has not always been that way. In
fact, not so long ago, it was common for software to be written for exclusive
use in the country of origin.
Of all the effort that has been brought to bear on providing native language
support for all computer users, the efforts of the Openi18n organization1 is
deserving of special mention.
Samba-2.x supported a single locale through a mechanism called codepages.
Samba-3 is destined to become a truly transglobal file- and printer-sharing
platform.

29.2 What Are Charsets and Unicode?

Computers communicate in numbers. In texts, each number is translated

to a corresponding letter. The meaning that will be assigned to a certain
number depends on the character set (charset) that is used.
A charset can be seen as a table that is used to translate numbers to letters.
Not all computers use the same charset (there are charsets with German
umlauts, Japanese characters, and so on). The American Standard Code for
Information Interchange (ASCII) encoding system has been the normative
1
<http://www.openi18n.org/>

633
634 Unicode/Charsets Chapter 29

character encoding scheme used by computers to date. This employs a

charset that contains 256 characters. Using this mode of encoding, each
character takes exactly one byte.
There are also charsets that support extended characters, but those need at
least twice as much storage space as does ASCII encoding. Such charsets
can contain 256 * 256 = 65536 characters, which is more than all possible
characters one could think of. They are called multibyte charsets because
they use more then one byte to store one character.
One standardized multibyte charset encoding scheme is known as unicode2 .
A big advantage of using a multibyte charset is that you only need one.
There is no need to make sure two computers use the same charset when
they are communicating.
Old Windows clients use single-byte charsets, named codepages, by Mi-
crosoft. However, there is no support for negotiating the charset to be used
in the SMB/CIFS protocol. Thus, you have to make sure you are using the
same charset when talking to an older client. Newer clients (Windows NT,
200x, XP) talk Unicode over the wire.

29.3 Samba and Charsets

As of Samba-3, Samba can (and will) talk Unicode over the wire. Internally,
Samba knows of three kinds of character sets:

unix charset This is the charset used internally by your operating system.
The default is UTF-8, which is fine for most systems and covers all
characters in all languages. The default in previous Samba releases
was to save filenames in the encoding of the clients — for example,
cp850 for Western European countries.

display charset This is the charset Samba uses to print messages on your
screen. It should generally be the same as the unix charset.

dos charset This is the charset Samba uses when communicating with
DOS and Windows 9x/Me clients. It will talk Unicode to all newer
2
<http://www.unicode.org/>
Section 29.4. Conversion from Old Names 635

clients. The default depends on the charsets you have installed on

your system. Run testparm -v | grep ”dos charset” to see what
the default is on your system.

29.4 Conversion from Old Names

Because previous Samba versions did not do any charset conversion, char-
acters in filenames are usually not correct in the UNIX charset but only for
the local charset used by the DOS/Windows clients.
Bjoern Jacke has written a utility named convmv3 that can convert whole
directory structures to different charsets with one single command.

29.5 Japanese Charsets

Setting up Japanese charsets is quite difficult. This is mainly because:

• The Windows character set is extended from the original legacy Japanese
standard (JIS X 0208) and is not standardized. This means that the
strictly standardized implementation cannot support the full Windows
character set.
• Mainly for historical reasons, there are several encoding methods in
Japanese, which are not fully compatible with each other. There are
two major encoding methods. One is the Shift JIS series used in Win-
dows and some UNIXes. The other is the EUC-JP series used in most
UNIXes and Linux. Moreover, Samba previously also offered several
unique encoding methods, named CAP and HEX, to keep interop-
erability with CAP/NetAtalk and UNIXes that can’t use Japanese
filenames. Some implementations of the EUC-JP series can’t support
the full Windows character set.
• There are some code conversion tables between Unicode and legacy
Japanese character sets. One is compatible with Windows, another
one is based on the reference of the Unicode consortium, and others are
a mixed implementation. The Unicode consortium does not officially
define any conversion tables between Unicode and legacy character
sets, so there cannot be standard one.
3
<http://j3e.de/linux/convmv/>
636 Unicode/Charsets Chapter 29

• The character set and conversion tables available in iconv() depend

on the iconv library that is available. Next to that, the Japanese
locale names may be different on different systems. This means that
the value of the charset parameters depends on the implementation of
iconv() you are using.
Though 2-byte fixed UCS-2 encoding is used in Windows internally,
Shift JIS series encoding is usually used in Japanese environments as
ASCII encoding is in English environments.

29.5.1 Basic Parameter Setting

The dos charset and display charset should be set to the locale compatible
with the character set and encoding method used on Windows. This is
usually CP932 but sometimes has a different name.
The unix charset can be either Shift JIS series, EUC-JP series, or UTF-8.
UTF-8 is always available, but the availability of other locales and the name
itself depends on the system.
Additionally, you can consider using the Shift JIS series as the value of the
unix charset parameter by using the vfs cap module, which does the same
thing as setting “coding system = CAP” in the Samba 2.2 series.
Where to set unix charset to is a difficult question. Here is a list of details,
advantages, and disadvantages of using a certain value.

Shift JIS series Shift JIS series means a locale that is equivalent to Shift JIS,
used as a standard on Japanese Windows. In the case of Shift JIS,
for example, if a Japanese filename consists of 0x8ba4 and 0x974c (a
4-bytes Japanese character string meaning “share”) and “.txt” is writ-
ten from Windows on Samba, the filename on UNIX becomes 0x8ba4,
0x974c, “.txt” (an 8-byte BINARY string), same as Windows.
Since Shift JIS series is usually used on some commercial-based UNIXes;
hp-ux and AIX as the Japanese locale (however, it is also possible to
use the EUC-JP locale series). To use Shift JIS series on these plat-
forms, Japanese filenames created from Windows can be referred to
also on UNIX.
If your UNIX is already working with Shift JIS and there is a user who
needs to use Japanese filenames written from Windows, the Shift JIS
Section 29.5. Japanese Charsets 637

series is the best choice. However, broken filenames may be displayed,

and some commands that cannot handle non-ASCII filenames may be
aborted during parsing filenames. Especially, there may be “\ (0x5c)”
in filenames, which need to be handled carefully. It is best to not touch
filenames written from Windows on UNIX.
Note that most Japanized free software actually works with EUC-JP
only. It is good practice to verify that the Japanized free software can
work with Shift JIS.

EUC-JP series EUC-JP series means a locale that is equivalent to the

industry standard called EUC-JP, widely used in Japanese UNIX (al-
though EUC contains specifications for languages other than Japanese,
such as EUC-KR). In the case of EUC-JP series, for example, if a
Japanese filename consists of 0x8ba4 and 0x974c and “.txt” is writ-
ten from Windows on Samba, the filename on UNIX becomes 0xb6a6,
0xcdad, “.txt” (an 8-byte BINARY string).
Since EUC-JP is usually used on open source UNIX, Linux, and FreeBSD,
and on commercial-based UNIX, Solaris, IRIX, and Tru64 UNIX as
Japanese locale (however, it is also possible on Solaris to use Shift JIS
and UTF-8, and on Tru64 UNIX it is possible to use Shift JIS). To use
EUC-JP series, most Japanese filenames created from Windows can
be referred to also on UNIX. Also, most Japanized free software work
mainly with EUC-JP only.
It is recommended to choose EUC-JP series when using Japanese file-
names on UNIX.
Although there is no character that needs to be carefully treated like “\
(0x5c)”, broken filenames may be displayed and some commands that
cannot handle non-ASCII filenames may be aborted during parsing
filenames.
Moreover, if you built Samba using differently installed libiconv, the
eucJP-ms locale included in libiconv and EUC-JP series locale included
in the operating system may not be compatible. In this case, you may
need to avoid using incompatible characters for filenames.

UTF-8 UTF-8 means a locale equivalent to UTF-8, the international stan-

dard defined by the Unicode consortium. In UTF-8, a character is
638 Unicode/Charsets Chapter 29

expressed using 1 to 3 bytes. In case of the Japanese language, most

characters are expressed using 3 bytes. Since on Windows Shift JIS,
where a character is expressed with 1 or 2 bytes is used to express
Japanese, basically a byte length of a UTF-8 string the length of the
UTF-8 string is 1.5 times that of the original Shift JIS string. In the
case of UTF-8, for example, if a Japanese filename consists of 0x8ba4
and 0x974c, and “.txt” is written from Windows on Samba, the file-
name on UNIX becomes 0xe585, 0xb1e6, 0x9c89, “.txt” (a 10-byte
BINARY string).
For systems where iconv() is not available or where iconv()’s locales
are not compatible with Windows, UTF-8 is the only locale available.
There are no systems that use UTF-8 as the default locale for Japanese.
Some broken filenames may be displayed, and some commands that
cannot handle non-ASCII filenames may be aborted during parsing
filenames. Especially, there may be “\ (0x5c)” in filenames, which
must be handled carefully, so you had better not touch filenames writ-
ten from Windows on UNIX.
In addition, although it is not directly concerned with Samba, since
there is a delicate difference between the iconv() function, which is
generally used on UNIX, and the functions used on other platforms,
such as Windows and Java, so far is concerens the conversion between
Shift JIS and Unicode UTF-8 must be done with care and recognition
of the limitations involved in the process.
Although Mac OS X uses UTF-8 as its encoding method for filenames,
it uses an extended UTF-8 specification that Samba cannot handle, so
UTF-8 locale is not available for Mac OS X.

Shift JIS series + vfs cap (CAP encoding) CAP encoding means a spec-
ification used in CAP and NetAtalk, file server software for Macintosh.
In the case of CAP encoding, for example, if a Japanese filename con-
sists of 0x8ba4 and 0x974c, and “.txt” is written from Windows on
Samba, the filename on UNIX becomes “:8b:a4:97L.txt” (a 14 bytes
ASCII string).
For CAP encoding, a byte that cannot be expressed as an ASCII char-
acter (0x80 or above) is encoded in an “:xx” form. You need to take
care of containing a “\(0x5c)” in a filename, but filenames are not
Section 29.5. Japanese Charsets 639

broken in a system that cannot handle non-ASCII filenames.

The greatest merit of CAP encoding is the compatibility of encoding
filenames with CAP or NetAtalk. These are respectively the Columbia
Appletalk Protocol, and the NetAtalk Open Source software project.
Since these software applications write a file name on UNIX with CAP
encoding, if a directory is shared with both Samba and NetAtalk, you
need to use CAP encoding to avoid non-ASCII filenames from being
broken.
However, recently, NetAtalk has been patched on some systems to
write filenames with EUC-JP (e.g., Japanese original Vine Linux). In
this case, you need to choose EUC-JP series instead of CAP encoding.
vfs cap itself is available for non-Shift JIS series locales for systems
that cannot handle non-ASCII characters or systems that share files
with NetAtalk.
To use CAP encoding on Samba-3, you should use the unix charset
parameter and VFS as in Example 29.5.1:

Example 29.5.1. VFS CAP

[ global ]
# t h e l o c a l e name ”CP932” may be d i f f e r e n t
dos c h a r s e t = CP932
unix c h a r s e t = CP932
[ cap−s h a r e ]
v f s o p t i o n = cap

You should set CP932 if using GNU libiconv for unix charset. With
this setting, filenames in the “cap-share” share are written with CAP
encoding.

29.5.2 Individual Implementations

Here is some additional information regarding individual implementations:

GNU libiconv To handle Japanese correctly, you should apply the patch
640 Unicode/Charsets Chapter 29

libiconv-1.8-cp932-patch.diff.gz4 to libiconv-1.8.

Using the patched libiconv-1.8, these settings are available:

dos charset = CP932

unix charset = CP932 / eucJP-ms / UTF-8
| |
| +-- EUC-JP series
+-- Shift_JIS series
display charset = CP932

Other Japanese locales (for example, Shift JIS and EUC-JP) should
not be used because of the lack of the compatibility with Windows.

GNU glibc To handle Japanese correctly, you should apply a patch5 to

glibc-2.2.5/2.3.1/2.3.2 or should use the patch-merged versions, glibc-
2.3.3 or later.

Using the above glibc, these setting are available:

dos c h a r s e t = CP932
unix c h a r s e t = CP932 / eucJP−ms / UTF−8
d i s p l a y c h a r s e t = CP932

Other Japanese locales (for example, Shift JIS and EUC-JP) should
not be used because of the lack of the compatibility with Windows.

29.5.3 Migration from Samba-2.2 Series

Prior to Samba-2.2 series, the “coding system” parameter was used. The
default codepage in Samba 2.x was code page 850. In the Samba-3 series
this has been replaced with the unix charset parameter. Table 29.1 shows
the mapping table when migrating from the Samba-2.2 series to Samba-3.

4
<http://www2d.biglobe.ne.jp/~msyk/software/libiconv-patch.html>
5
<http://www2d.biglobe.ne.jp/~msyk/software/glibc/>
Section 29.6. Common Errors 641

Table 29.1. Japanese Character Sets in Samba-2.2 and Samba-3

Samba-2.2 Coding System Samba-3 unix charset
SJIS Shift JIS series
EUC EUC-JP series
EUC3a EUC-JP series
CAP Shift JIS series + VFS
HEX currently none
UTF8 UTF-8
UTF8-Macb currently none
others none
a
Only exists in Japanese Samba version
b
Only exists in Japanese Samba version

29.6 Common Errors

29.6.1 CP850.so Can’t Be Found

“Samba is complaining about a missing CP850.so file.”

CP850 is the default dos charset. The dos charset is used to convert data
to the codepage used by your DOS clients. If you do not have any DOS
clients, you can safely ignore this message.
CP850 should be supported by your local iconv implementation. Make sure
you have all the required packages installed. If you compiled Samba from
source, make sure that the configure process found iconv. This can be
confirmed by checking the config.log file that is generated when configure
is executed.
Chapter 30

BACKUP TECHNIQUES

30.1 Features and Benefits

The Samba project is over 10 years old. During the early history of Samba,
UNIX administrators were its key implementors. UNIX administrators use
UNIX system tools to backup UNIX system files. Over the past 4 years,
an increasing number of Microsoft network administrators have taken an
interest in Samba. This is reflected in the questions about backup in general
on the Samba mailing lists.

30.2 Discussion of Backup Solutions

During discussions at a Microsoft Windows training course, one of the pro-

UNIX delegates stunned the class when he pointed out that Windows NT4 is
limiting compared with UNIX. He likened UNIX to a Meccano set that has
an unlimited number of tools that are simple, efficient, and, in combination,
capable of achieving any desired outcome.

One of the Windows networking advocates retorted that if she wanted a

Meccano set, she would buy one. She made it clear that a complex single
tool that does more than is needed but does it with a clear purpose and
intent is preferred by some like her.

Please note that all information here is provided as is and without recom-
mendation of fitness or suitability. The network administrator is strongly en-
couraged to perform due diligence research before implementing any backup
solution, whether free software or commercial.

642
Section 30.2. Discussion of Backup Solutions 643

A useful Web site I recently stumbled across that you might like to refer to
is located at www.allmerchants.com1 .
The following three free software projects might also merit consideration.

30.2.1 BackupPC

BackupPC version 2.0.0 has been released on SourceForge2 . New features

include support for rsync/rsyncd and internationalization of the CGI in-
terface (including English, French, Spanish, and German).
BackupPC is a high-performance Perl-based package for backing up Linux,
UNIX, and Windows PCs and laptops to a server’s disk. BackupPC is
highly configurable and easy to install and maintain. SMB (via smbclient),
tar over rsh/ssh, or rsync/rsyncd are used to extract client data.
Given the ever-decreasing cost of disks and RAID systems, it is now practical
and cost effective to backup a large number of machines onto a server’s local
disk or network storage. This is what BackupPC does.
Key features are pooling of identical files (big savings in server disk space),
compression, and a comprehensive CGI interface that allows users to browse
backups and restore files.
BackupPC is free software distributed under a GNU GPL license. BackupPC
runs on Linux/UNIX/freenix servers and has been tested on Linux, UNIX,
Windows 9x/Me, Windows 98, Windows 200x, Windows XP, and Mac OSX
clients.

30.2.2 Rsync

rsync is a flexible program for efficiently copying files or directory trees.

rsync has many options to select which files will be copied and how they
are to be transferred. It may be used as an alternative to ftp, http, scp,
or rcp.
The rsync remote-update protocol allows rsync to transfer just the differ-
ences between two sets of files across the network link, using an efficient
1
<http://www.allmerchants.com/Software/Backup_Software/>
2
<http://backuppc.sourceforge.net>
644 Backup Techniques Chapter 30

checksum-search algorithm described in the technical report that accompa-

nies the rsync package.
Some of the additional features of rsync are:
• Support for copying links, devices, owners, groups, and permissions.
• Exclude and exclude-from options are similar to GNU tar.
• A CVS exclude mode for ignoring the same files that CVS would ig-
nore.
• Can use any transparent remote shell, including rsh or ssh.
• Does not require root privileges.
• Pipelining of file transfers to minimize latency costs.
• Support for anonymous or authenticated rsync servers (ideal for mir-
roring).

30.2.3 Amanda

Amanda, the Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver, is a

backup system that allows the administrator of a LAN to set up a single
master backup server to back up multiple hosts to a single large capacity
tape drive. Amanda uses native dump and/or GNU tar facilities and can
back up a large number of workstations running multiple versions of UNIX.
Recent versions can also use Samba to back up Microsoft Windows hosts.
For more information regarding Amanda, please check the www.amanda.org/
site3 .

30.2.4 BOBS: Browseable Online Backup System

Browseable Online Backup System (BOBS) is a complete online backup

system. Uses large disks for storing backups and lets users browse the files
using a Web browser. Handles some special files like AppleDouble and icon
files.
The home page for BOBS is located at bobs.sourceforge.net4 .

3
<http://www.amanda.org/>
4
<http://bobs.sourceforge.net/>
Chapter 31

HIGH AVAILABILITY

31.1 Features and Benefits

Network administrators are often concerned about the availability of file and
print services. Network users are inclined toward intolerance of the services
they depend on to perform vital task responsibilities.

A sign in a computer room served to remind staff of their responsibilities.

It read:

All humans fail, in both great and small ways we fail continually.
Machines fail too. Computers are machines that are managed
by humans, the fallout from failure can be spectacular. Your
responsibility is to deal with failure, to anticipate it and to elim-
inate it as far as is humanly and economically wise to achieve.
Are your actions part of the problem or part of the solution?

If we are to deal with failure in a planned and productive manner, then first
we must understand the problem. That is the purpose of this chapter.

Parenthetically, in the following discussion there are seeds of information

on how to provision a network infrastructure against failure. Our purpose
here is not to provide a lengthy dissertation on the subject of high avail-
ability. Additionally, we have made a conscious decision to not provide
detailed working examples of high availability solutions; instead we present
an overview of the issues in the hope that someone will rise to the challenge
of providing a detailed document that is focused purely on presentation of
the current state of knowledge and practice in high availability as it applies
to the deployment of Samba and other CIFS/SMB technologies.

645
646 High Availability Chapter 31

31.2 Technical Discussion

The following summary was part of a presentation by Jeremy Allison at the

SambaXP 2003 conference that was held at Goettingen, Germany, in April
2003. Material has been added from other sources, but it was Jeremy who
inspired the structure that follows.

31.2.1 The Ultimate Goal

All clustering technologies aim to achieve one or more of the following:

• Obtain the maximum affordable computational power.
• Obtain faster program execution.
• Deliver unstoppable services.
• Avert points of failure.
• Exact most effective utilization of resources.
A clustered file server ideally has the following properties:
• All clients can connect transparently to any server.
• A server can fail and clients are transparently reconnected to another
server.
• All servers serve out the same set of files.
• All file changes are immediately seen on all servers.
– Requires a distributed file system.
• Infinite ability to scale by adding more servers or disks.

31.2.2 Why Is This So Hard?

In short, the problem is one of state.

• All TCP/IP connections are dependent on state information.
The TCP connection involves a packet sequence number. This se-
quence number would need to be dynamically updated on all machines
in the cluster to effect seamless TCP failover.
Section 31.2. Technical Discussion 647

• CIFS/SMB (the Windows networking protocols) uses TCP connec-

tions.
This means that from a basic design perspective, failover is not seri-
ously considered.
– All current SMB clusters are failover solutions — they rely on
the clients to reconnect. They provide server failover, but clients
can lose information due to a server failure.
• Servers keep state information about client connections.
– CIFS/SMB involves a lot of state.
– Every file open must be compared with other open files to check
share modes.

31.2.2.1 The Front-End Challenge

To make it possible for a cluster of file servers to appear as a single server

that has one name and one IP address, the incoming TCP data streams
from clients must be processed by the front-end virtual server. This server
must de-multiplex the incoming packets at the SMB protocol layer level and
then feed the SMB packet to different servers in the cluster.
One could split all IPC4 connections and RPC calls to one server to handle
printing and user lookup requirements. RPC printing handles are shared
between different IPC4 sessions — it is hard to split this across clustered
servers!
Conceptually speaking, all other servers would then provide only file services.
This is a simpler problem to concentrate on.

31.2.2.2 Demultiplexing SMB Requests

De-multiplexing of SMB requests requires knowledge of SMB state informa-

tion, all of which must be held by the front-end virtual server. This is a
perplexing and complicated problem to solve.
Windows XP and later have changed semantics so state information (vuid,
tid, fid) must match for a successful operation. This makes things simpler
than before and is a positive step forward.
648 High Availability Chapter 31

SMB requests are sent by vuid to their associated server. No code exists
today to effect this solution. This problem is conceptually similar to the
problem of correctly handling requests from multiple requests from Windows
2000 Terminal Server in Samba.

One possibility is to start by exposing the server pool to clients directly.

This could eliminate the de-multiplexing step.

31.2.2.3 The Distributed File System Challenge

There exists many distributed file systems for UNIX and Linux.

Many could be adopted to backend our cluster, so long as awareness of

SMB semantics is kept in mind (share modes, locking, and oplock issues in
particular). Common free distributed file systems include:

• NFS

• AFS

• OpenGFS

• Lustre

The server pool (cluster) can use any distributed file system backend if all
SMB semantics are performed within this pool.

31.2.2.4 Restrictive Constraints on Distributed File Systems

Where a clustered server provides purely SMB services, oplock handling may
be done within the server pool without imposing a need for this to be passed
to the backend file system pool.

On the other hand, where the server pool also provides NFS or other file
services, it will be essential that the implementation be oplock-aware so it
can interoperate with SMB services. This is a significant challenge today.
A failure to provide this interoperability will result in a significant loss of
performance that will be sorely noted by users of Microsoft Windows clients.

Last, all state information must be shared across the server pool.
Section 31.2. Technical Discussion 649

31.2.2.5 Server Pool Communications

Most backend file systems support POSIX file semantics. This makes it
difficult to push SMB semantics back into the file system. POSIX locks
have different properties and semantics from SMB locks.
All smbd processes in the server pool must of necessity communicate very
quickly. For this, the current tdb file structure that Samba uses is not
suitable for use across a network. Clustered smbds must use something
else.

31.2.2.6 Server Pool Communications Demands

High-speed interserver communications in the server pool is a design pre-

requisite for a fully functional system. Possibilities for this include:
• Proprietary shared memory bus (example: Myrinet or SCI [scalable
coherent interface]). These are high-cost items.
• Gigabit Ethernet (now quite affordable).
• Raw Ethernet framing (to bypass TCP and UDP overheads).
We have yet to identify metrics for performance demands to enable this to
happen effectively.

31.2.2.7 Required Modifications to Samba

Samba needs to be significantly modified to work with a high-speed server

interconnect system to permit transparent failover clustering.
Particular functions inside Samba that will be affected include:
• The locking database, oplock notifications, and the share mode database.
• Failure semantics need to be defined. Samba behaves the same way as
Windows. When oplock messages fail, a file open request is allowed,
but this is potentially dangerous in a clustered environment. So how
should interserver pool failure semantics function, and how should such
functionality be implemented?
• Should this be implemented using a point-to-point lock manager, or
can this be done using multicast techniques?
650 High Availability Chapter 31

31.2.3 A Simple Solution

Allowing failover servers to handle different functions within the exported

file system removes the problem of requiring a distributed locking protocol.

If only one server is active in a pair, the need for high-speed server intercon-
nect is avoided. This allows the use of existing high-availability solutions,
instead of inventing a new one. This simpler solution comes at a price —
the cost of which is the need to manage a more complex file name space.
Since there is now not a single file system, administrators must remember
where all services are located — a complexity not easily dealt with.

The virtual server is still needed to redirect requests to backend servers.

Backend file space integrity is the responsibility of the administrator.

31.2.4 High-Availability Server Products

Failover servers must communicate in order to handle resource failover. This

is essential for high-availability services. The use of a dedicated heartbeat is
a common technique to introduce some intelligence into the failover process.
This is often done over a dedicated link (LAN or serial).

Many failover solutions (like Red Hat Cluster Manager and Microsoft Wolf-
pack) can use a shared SCSI of Fiber Channel disk storage array for failover
communication. Information regarding Red Hat high availability solutions
for Samba may be obtained from www.redhat.com1 .

The Linux High Availability project is a resource worthy of consultation if

your desire is to build a highly available Samba file server solution. Please
consult the home page at www.linux-ha.org/2 .

Front-end server complexity remains a challenge for high availability be-

cause it must deal gracefully with backend failures, while at the same time
providing continuity of service to all network clients.

1
<http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-AS-2.1-Manual/
cluster-manager/s1-service-samba.html>
2
<http://www.linux-ha.org/>
Section 31.2. Technical Discussion 651

31.2.5 MS-DFS: The Poor Man’s Cluster

MS-DFS links can be used to redirect clients to disparate backend servers.

This pushes complexity back to the network client, something already in-
cluded by Microsoft. MS-DFS creates the illusion of a simple, continuous
file system name space that works even at the file level.
Above all, at the cost of complexity of management, a distributed system
(pseudo-cluster) can be created using existing Samba functionality.

31.2.6 Conclusions

• Transparent SMB clustering is hard to do!

• Client failover is the best we can do today.
• Much more work is needed before a practical and manageable high-
availability transparent cluster solution will be possible.
• MS-DFS can be used to create the illusion of a single transparent
cluster.
Chapter 32

HANDLING LARGE
DIRECTORIES

Samba-3.0.12 implements a solution for sites that have experienced perfor-

mance degradation due to the problem of using Samba-3 with applications
that need large numbers of files (100,000 or more) per directory.

The key was fixing the directory handling to read only the current list re-
quested instead of the old (up to samba-3.0.11) behavior of reading the entire
directory into memory before doling out names. Normally this would have
broken OS/2 applications, which have very strange delete semantics, but
by stealing logic from Samba4 (thanks, Tridge), the current code in 3.0.12
handles this correctly.

To set up an application that needs large numbers of files per directory in a

way that does not damage performance unduly, follow these steps:

First, you need to canonicalize all the files in the directory to have one
case, upper or lower — take your pick (I chose upper because all my files
were already uppercase names). Then set up a new custom share for the
application as follows:

[bigshare]
path = /home/jeremy/tmp/manyfilesdir
read only = no
case sensitive = True
default case = upper
preserve case = no
short preserve case = no

652
653

Of course, use your own path and settings, but set the case options to match
the case of all the files in your directory. The path should point at the large
directory needed for the application — any new files created in there and in
any paths under it will be forced by smbd into uppercase, but smbd will no
longer have to scan the directory for names: it knows that if a file does not
exist in uppercase, then it doesn’t exist at all.
The secret to this is really in the case sensitive = True line. This tells smbd
never to scan for case-insensitive versions of names. So if an application
asks for a file called FOO, and it cannot be found by a simple stat call, then
smbd will return file not found immediately without scanning the containing
directory for a version of a different case. The other xxx case xxx lines
make this work by forcing a consistent case on all files created by smbd.
Remember, all files and directories under the path directory must be in
uppercase with this smb.conf stanza because smbd will not be able to find
lowercase filenames with these settings. Also note that this is done on a per-
share basis, allowing this parameter to be set only for a share servicing an
application with this problematic behavior (using large numbers of entries
in a directory) — the rest of your smbd shares don’t need to be affected.
This makes smbd much faster when dealing with large directories. My test
case has over 100,000 files, and smbd now deals with this very efficiently.
Part IV

Migration and Updating

Chapter 33

UPGRADING FROM
SAMBA-2.X TO
SAMBA-3.0.20

This chapter deals exclusively with the differences between Samba-3.0.20 and
Samba-2.2.8a. It points out where configuration parameters have changed,
and provides a simple guide for the move from 2.2.x to 3.0.20.

33.1 Quick Migration Guide

Samba-3.0.20 default behavior should be approximately the same as Samba-

2.2.x. The default behavior when the new parameter passdb backend is not
defined in the smb.conf file provides the same default behavior as Samba-
2.2.x with encrypt passwords = Yes and will use the smbpasswd database.
So why say that behavior should be approximately the same as Samba-2.2.x?
Because Samba-3.0.20 can negotiate new protocols, such as support for na-
tive Unicode, that may result in differing protocol code paths being taken.
The new behavior under such circumstances is not exactly the same as the
old one. The good news is that the domain and machine SIDs will be pre-
served across the upgrade.
If the Samba-2.2.x system is using an LDAP backend, and there is no time
to update the LDAP database, then make sure that passdb backend = ldap-
sam compat is specified in the smb.conf file. For the rest, behavior should
remain more or less the same. At a later date, when there is time to imple-
ment a new Samba-3-compatible LDAP backend, it is possible to migrate

655
656 Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20 Chapter 33

the old LDAP database to the new one through use of the pdbedit. See
Section 10.3.2.

33.2 New Features in Samba-3

The major new features are:

1 Active Directory support. This release is able to join an ADS realm as a
member server and authenticate users using LDAP/Kerberos.
2 Unicode support. Samba will now negotiate Unicode on the wire, and
internally there is a much better infrastructure for multibyte and Unicode
character sets.
3 New authentication system. The internal authentication system has been
almost completely rewritten. Most of the changes are internal, but the
new authoring system is also very configurable.
4 New filename mangling system. The filename mangling system has been
completely rewritten. An internal database now stores mangling maps
persistently.
5 New “net” command. A new “net” command has been added. It is some-
what similar to the “net” command in Windows. Eventually, we plan to
replace a bunch of other utilities (such as smbpasswd) with subcommands
in “net”.
6 Samba now negotiates NT-style status32 codes on the wire. This consid-
erably improves error handling.
7 Better Windows 200x/XP printing support, including publishing printer
attributes in Active Directory.
8 New loadable RPC modules for passdb backends and character sets.
9 New default dual-daemon winbindd support for better performance.
10 Support for migrating from a Windows NT 4.0 domain to a Samba domain
and maintaining user, group, and domain SIDs.
11 Support for establishing trust relationships with Windows NT 4.0 domain
controllers.
12 Initial support for a distributed Winbind architecture using an LDAP
directory for storing SID to UID/GID mappings.
Section 33.3. Configuration Parameter Changes 657

13 Major updates to the Samba documentation tree.

14 Full support for client and server SMB signing to ensure compatibility
with default Windows 2003 security settings.
Plus lots of other improvements!

33.3 Configuration Parameter Changes

This section contains a brief listing of changes to smb.conf options in the

3.0.20 release. Please refer to the smb.conf(5) man page for complete de-
scriptions of new or modified parameters.

33.3.1 Removed Parameters

In alphabetical order, these are the parameters eliminated for Samba 3.0.20.
• admin log
• alternate permissions
• character set
• client codepage
• code page directory
• coding system
• domain admin group
• domain guest group
• force unknown acl user
• nt smb support
• post script
• printer driver
• printer driver file
• printer driver location
• status
658 Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20 Chapter 33

• strip dot
• total print jobs
• use rhosts
• valid chars
• vfs options

33.3.2 New Parameters

New parameters in Samba 3.0.20 are grouped by function):

Remote Management
• abort shutdown script
• shutdown script
User and Group Account Management
• add group script
• add machine script
• add user to group script
• algorithmic rid base
• delete group script
• delete user from group script
• passdb backend
• set primary group script
Authentication
• auth methods
• realm
Protocol Options
• client lanman auth
• client NTLMv2 auth
• client schannel
Section 33.3. Configuration Parameter Changes 659

• client signing
• client use spnego
• disable netbios
• ntlm auth
• paranoid server security
• server schannel
• server signing
• smb ports
• use spnego
File Service
• get quota command
• hide special files
• hide unwriteable files
• hostname lookups
• kernel change notify
• mangle prefix
• map acl inherit
• msdfs proxy
• set quota command
• use sendfile
• vfs objects
Printing
• max reported print jobs
Unicode and Character Sets
• display charset
• dos charset
• unicode
660 Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20 Chapter 33

• UNIX charset
SID to UID/GID Mappings
• idmap backend
• idmap gid
• idmap uid
• winbind enable local accounts
• winbind trusted domains only
• template primary group
• enable rid algorithm
LDAP
• ldap delete dn
• ldap group suffix
• ldap idmap suffix
• ldap machine suffix
• ldap passwd sync
• ldap user suffix
General Configuration
• preload modules
• privatedir

33.3.3 Modified Parameters (Changes in Behavior)

• encrypt passwords (enabled by default)

• mangling method (set to hash2 by default)
• passwd chat
• passwd program
• password server
• restrict anonymous (integer value)
Section 33.4. New Functionality 661

• security (new ads value)

• strict locking (enabled by default)

• winbind cache time (increased to 5 minutes)

• winbind uid (deprecated in favor of idmap uid)

• winbind gid (deprecated in favor of idmap gid)

33.4 New Functionality

33.4.1 Databases

This section contains brief descriptions of any new databases introduced in

Samba-3. Please remember to back up your existing ${lock directory}/*tdb
before upgrading to Samba-3. Samba will upgrade databases as they are
opened (if necessary), but downgrading from 3.0 to 2.2 is an unsupported
path.

The new tdb files are described in Table 33.1.

Table 33.1. TDB File Descriptions

Name Description Backup?
account policy User policy settings yes
gencache Generic caching db no
group mapping Mapping table from Windows groups/SID yes
to UNIX groups
idmap New ID map table from SIDS to UNIX yes
UIDs/GIDs
namecache Name resolution cache entries no
netlogon unigrp Cache of universal group membership ob- no
tained when operating as a member of a
Windows domain
printing/*.tdb Cached output from lpq command created no
on a per-print-service basis
registry Read-only Samba registry skeleton that no
provides support for exporting various
database tables via the winreg RPCs
662 Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20 Chapter 33

33.4.2 Changes in Behavior

The following issues are known changes in behavior between Samba-2.2 and
Samba-3 that may affect certain installations of Samba.
1. When operating as a member of a Windows domain, Samba-2.2 would
map any users authenticated by the remote DC to the “guest account”
if a UID could not be obtained via the getpwnam() call. Samba-3 re-
jects the connection as
NT STATUS LOGON FAILURE. There is no current workaround to
re-establish the Samba-2.2 behavior.
2. When adding machines to a Samba-2.2 controlled domain, the “add
user script” was used to create the UNIX identity of the machine trust
account. Samba-3 introduces a new “add machine script” that must
be specified for this purpose. Samba-3 will not fall back to using the
“add user script” in the absence of an “add machine script”.

33.4.3 Passdb Backends and Authentication

There have been a few new changes that Samba administrators should be
aware of when moving to Samba-3.
1. Encrypted passwords have been enabled by default in order to inter-
operate better with out-of-the-box Windows client installations. This
does mean that either (a) a Samba account must be created for each
user, or (b) “encrypt passwords = no” must be explicitly defined in
smb.conf.
2. Inclusion of new security = ads option for integration with an Active
Directory domain using the native Windows Kerberos 5 and LDAP
protocols.
Samba-3 also includes the possibility of setting up chains of authentication
methods (auth methods) and account storage backends (passdb backend ).
Please refer to the smb.conf man page and Chapter 10, Chapter 10, “Ac-
count Information Databases”, for details. While both parameters assume
sane default values, it is likely that you will need to understand what the
values actually mean in order to ensure Samba operates correctly.
Certain functions of the smbpasswd tool have been split between the new
smbpasswd utility, the net tool, and the new pdbedit utility. See the
Section 33.4. New Functionality 663

respective man pages for details.

33.4.4 LDAP

This section outlines the new features effecting Samba/LDAP integration.

33.4.4.1 New Schema

A new object class (sambaSamAccount) has been introduced to replace the

old sambaAccount. This change aids in the renaming of attributes to prevent
clashes with attributes from other vendors. There is a conversion script
(examples/LDAP/convertSambaAccount) to modify an LDIF file to the new
schema.
Example:

$ ldapsearch .... -LLL -b "ou=people,dc=..." > old.ldif

$ convertSambaAccount --sid <DOM SID> --input old.ldif --output new.ldif

The <DOM SID> can be obtained by running

$ net getlocalsid <DOMAINNAME>

on the Samba PDC as root.

Under Samba-2.x the domain SID can be obtained by executing:

$ smbpasswd -S <DOMAINNAME>

The old sambaAccount schema may still be used by specifying the ldap-
sam compat passdb backend. However, the sambaAccount and associated
attributes have been moved to the historical section of the schema file and
must be uncommented before use if needed. The Samba-2.2 object class dec-
laration for a sambaAccount has not changed in the Samba-3 samba.schema
file.
Other new object classes and their uses include:
664 Upgrading from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.0.20 Chapter 33

• sambaDomain — domain information used to allocate RIDs for users

and groups as necessary. The attributes are added in “ldap suffix”
directory entry automatically if an idmap UID/GID range has been
set and the “ldapsam” passdb backend has been selected.

• sambaGroupMapping — an object representing the relationship be-

tween a posixGroup and a Windows group/SID. These entries are
stored in the “ldap group suffix” and managed by the “net groupmap”
command.

• sambaUNIXIdPool — created in the “ldap idmap suffix” entry auto-

matically and contains the next available “idmap UID” and “idmap
GID”.

• sambaIdmapEntry — object storing a mapping between a SID and a

UNIX UID/GID. These objects are created by the idmap ldap module
as needed.

33.4.4.2 New Suffix for Searching

The following new smb.conf parameters have been added to aid in directing
certain LDAP queries when passdb backend = ldapsam://... has been
specified.

• ldap suffix — used to search for user and computer accounts.

• ldap user suffix — used to store user accounts.

• ldap machine suffix — used to store machine trust accounts.

• ldap group suffix — location of posixGroup/sambaGroupMapping en-

tries.

• ldap idmap suffix — location of sambaIdmapEntry objects.

If an ldap suffix is defined, it will be appended to all of the remaining

subsuffix parameters. In this case, the order of the suffix listings in smb.conf
is important. Always place the ldap suffix first in the list.

Due to a limitation in Samba’s smb.conf parsing, you should not surround

the domain names with quotation marks.
Section 33.4. New Functionality 665

33.4.4.3 IdMap LDAP Support

Samba-3 supports an LDAP backend for the idmap subsystem. The fol-
lowing options inform Samba that the idmap table should be stored on the
directory server onterose in the ou=idmap,dc=quenya,dc=org partition.

[ global ]
... idmap backend = l d a p : l d a p : / / o n t e r o s e /
l d a p idmap s u f f i x = ou=idmap , dc=quenya , dc= ←-
org
idmap u i d = 40000 −50000
idmap g i d = 40000 −50000

This configuration allows Winbind installations on multiple servers to share

a UID/GID number space, thus avoiding the interoperability problems with
NFS that were present in Samba-2.2.
Chapter 34

MIGRATION FROM NT4 PDC

TO SAMBA-3 PDC

This is a rough guide to assist those wishing to migrate from NT4 domain
control to Samba-3-based domain control.

34.1 Planning and Getting Started

In the IT world there is often a saying that all problems are encountered
because of poor planning. The corollary to this saying is that not all prob-
lems can be anticipated and planned for. Then again, good planning will
anticipate most show-stopper-type situations.

Those wishing to migrate from MS Windows NT4 domain control to a

Samba-3 domain control environment would do well to develop a detailed
migration plan. So here are a few pointers to help migration get underway.

34.1.1 Objectives

The key objective for most organizations is to make the migration from MS
Windows NT4 to Samba-3 domain control as painless as possible. One of
the challenges you may experience in your migration process may well be
convincing management that the new environment should remain in place.
Many who have introduced open source technologies have experienced pres-
sure to return to a Microsoft-based platform solution at the first sign of
trouble.

666
Section 34.1. Planning and Getting Started 667

Before attempting a migration to a Samba-3-controlled network, make every

possible effort to gain all-round commitment to the change. Know precisely
why the change is important for the organization. Possible motivations to
make a change include:
• Improve network manageability.
• Obtain better user-level functionality.
• Reduce network operating costs.
• Reduce exposure caused by Microsoft withdrawal of NT4 support.
• Avoid MS License 6 implications.
• Reduce organization’s dependency on Microsoft.
Make sure everyone knows that Samba-3 is not MS Windows NT4. Samba-3
offers an alternative solution that is both different from MS Windows NT4
and offers advantages compared with it. Gain recognition that Samba-3
lacks many of the features that Microsoft has promoted as core values in
migration from MS Windows NT4 to MS Windows 2000 and beyond (with
or without Active Directory services).
What are the features that Samba-3 cannot provide?
• Active Directory Server.
• Group Policy Objects (in Active Directory).
• Machine Policy Objects.
• Logon Scripts in Active Directory.
• Software Application and Access Controls in Active Directory.
The features that Samba-3 does provide and that may be of compelling
interest to your site include:
• Lower cost of ownership.
• Global availability of support with no strings attached.
• Dynamic SMB servers (can run more than one SMB/CIFS server per
UNIX/Linux system).
• Creation of on-the-fly logon scripts.
• Creation of on-the-fly policy files.
668 Migration from NT4 PDC to Samba-3 PDC Chapter 34

• Greater stability, reliability, performance, and availability.

• Manageability via an SSH connection.
• Flexible choices of backend authentication technologies (tdbsam, ldap-
sam, mysqlsam).
• Ability to implement a full single-sign-on architecture.
• Ability to distribute authentication systems for absolute minimum
wide-area network bandwidth demand.
Before migrating a network from MS Windows NT4 to Samba-3, consider
all necessary factors. Users should be educated about changes they may
experience so the change will be a welcome one and not become an obstacle
to the work they need to do. The following sections explain factors that will
help ensure a successful migration.

34.1.1.1 Domain Layout

Samba-3 can be configured as a domain controller, a backup domain con-

troller (probably best called a secondary controller), a domain member, or
a standalone server. The Windows network security domain context should
be sized and scoped before implementation. Particular attention needs to
be paid to the location of the Primary Domain Controller (PDC) as well
as backup controllers (BDCs). One way in which Samba-3 differs from Mi-
crosoft technology is that if one chooses to use an LDAP authentication
backend, then the same database can be used by several different domains.
In a complex organization, there can be a single LDAP database, which
itself can be distributed (have a master server and multiple slave servers)
that can simultaneously serve multiple domains.
From a design perspective, the number of users per server as well as the
number of servers per domain should be scaled taking into consideration
server capacity and network bandwidth.
A physical network segment may house several domains. Each may span
multiple network segments. Where domains span routed network segments,
consider and test the performance implications of the design and layout of
a network. A centrally located domain controller that is designed to serve
multiple routed network segments may result in severe performance prob-
lems. Check the response time (ping timing) between the remote segment
Section 34.1. Planning and Getting Started 669

and the PDC. If it’s long (more than 100 ms), locate a BDC on the remote
segment to serve as the local authentication and access control server.

34.1.1.2 Server Share and Directory Layout

There are cardinal rules to effective network design that cannot be broken
with impunity. The most important rule: Simplicity is king in every well-
controlled network. Every part of the infrastructure must be managed; the
more complex it is, the greater will be the demand of keeping systems secure
and functional.

Keep in mind the nature of how data must be shared. Physical disk space
layout should be considered carefully. Some data must be backed up. The
simpler the disk layout, the easier it will be to keep track of backup needs.
Identify what backup media will meet your needs; consider backup to tape,
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or other offline storage medium. Plan and imple-
ment for minimum maintenance. Leave nothing to chance in your design;
above all, do not leave backups to chance: backup, test, and validate every
backup; create a disaster recovery plan and prove that it works.

Users should be grouped according to data access control needs. File and
directory access is best controlled via group permissions, and the use of
the “sticky bit” on group-controlled directories may substantially avoid file
access complaints from Samba share users.

Inexperienced network administrators often attempt elaborate techniques

to set access controls on files, directories, shares, as well as in share defi-
nitions. Keep your design and implementation simple and document your
design extensively. Have others audit your documentation. Do not create
a complex mess that your successor will not understand. Remember, job
security through complex design and implementation may cause loss of op-
erations and downtime to users as the new administrator learns to untangle
your knots. Keep access controls simple and effective, and make sure that
users will never be interrupted by obtuse complexity.

34.1.1.3 Logon Scripts

Logon scripts can help to ensure that all users gain the share and printer
connections they need.
670 Migration from NT4 PDC to Samba-3 PDC Chapter 34

Logon scripts can be created on the fly so all commands executed are specific
to the rights and privileges granted to the user. The preferred controls
should be effected through group membership so group information can be
used to create a custom logon script using the root preexec parameters to
the NETLOGON share.
Some sites prefer to use a tool such as kixstart to establish a controlled
user environment. In any case, you may wish to do a Google search for
logon script process controls. In particular, you may wish to explore the use
of the Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB189105 that deals with how to
add printers without user intervention via the logon script process.

34.1.1.4 Profile Migration/Creation

User and group profiles may be migrated using the tools described in the
section titled Desktop Profile Management.
Profiles may also be managed using the Samba-3 tool profiles. This tool
allows the MS Windows NT-style security identifiers (SIDs) that are stored
inside the profile NTuser.DAT file to be changed to the SID of the Samba-3
domain.

34.1.1.5 User and Group Accounts

It is possible to migrate all account settings from an MS Windows NT4 do-

main to Samba-3. Before attempting to migrate user and group accounts,
you are STRONGLY advised to create in Samba-3 the groups that are
present on the MS Windows NT4 domain AND to map them to suitable
UNIX/Linux groups. By following this simple advice, all user and group
attributes should migrate painlessly.

34.1.2 Steps in Migration Process

The approximate migration process is described below.

• You have an NT4 PDC that has the users, groups, policies, and profiles
to be migrated.
• Samba-3 is set up as a domain controller with netlogon share, profile
share, and so on. Configure the smb.conf file to function as a BDC:
domain master = No.
Section 34.2. Migration Options 671

The Account Migration Process

1. Create a BDC account in the old NT4 domain for the Samba server
using NT Server Manager. Samba must not be running.

2. net rpc join -S NT4PDC -w DOMNAME -U Administrator%passwd

3. net rpc vampire -S NT4PDC -U administrator%passwd

4. pdbedit -L Note: Did the users migrate?

5. Now assign each of the UNIX groups to NT groups: (It may be useful
to copy this text to a script called initGroups.sh)

#!/bin/bash
#### Keep this as a shell script for future re-use

# First assign well known domain global groups

net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Admins" unixgroup=root
net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Users" unixgroup=users
net groupmap modify ntgroup="Domain Guests" unixgroup=nobody

# Now for our added domain global groups

net groupmap add ntgroup="Designers" unixgroup=designers type=d rid=3200
net groupmap add ntgroup="Engineers" unixgroup=engineers type=d rid=3210
net groupmap add ntgroup="QA Team" unixgroup=qateam type=d rid=3220

6. net groupmap list Check that all groups are recognized.

Migrate all the profiles, then migrate all policy files.

34.2 Migration Options

Sites that wish to migrate from MS Windows NT4 domain control to a

Samba-based solution generally fit into three basic categories. Table 34.1
shows the possibilities.
672 Migration from NT4 PDC to Samba-3 PDC Chapter 34

Table 34.1. The Three Major Site Types

Number of Users Description
< 50 Want simple conversion with no pain.
50 - 250 Want new features; can manage some inhouse com-
plexity.
> 250 Solution/implementation must scale well; complex
needs. Cross-departmental decision process. Local
expertise in most areas.

34.2.1 Planning for Success

There are three basic choices for sites that intend to migrate from MS Win-
dows NT4 to Samba-3:
• Simple conversion (total replacement).
• Upgraded conversion (could be one of integration).
• Complete redesign (completely new solution).
Minimize downstream problems by:
• Taking sufficient time.
• Avoiding panic.
• Testing all assumptions.
• Testing the full roll-out program, including workstation deployment.
Table 34.2 lists the conversion choices given the type of migration being
contemplated.

34.2.2 Samba-3 Implementation Choices

Authentication Database/Backend Samba-3 can use an external au-

thentication backend:
• Winbind (external Samba or NT4/200x server).
• External server could use Active Directory or NT4 domain.
• Can use pam mkhomedir.so to autocreate home directories.
Section 34.2. Migration Options 673

Table 34.2. Nature of the Conversion Choices

Simple Upgraded Redesign
Make use of minimal Translate NT4 fea- Decide: (John, decide
OS specific features tures to new host OS what???????)
features
Move all accounts Copy and improve Authentication regime
from NT4 into Samba- (database location and
3 access)
Make least number of Make progressive im- Desktop management
operational changes provements methods
Take least amount of Minimize user impact Better control of Desk-
time to migrate tops/Users
Live versus isolated Maximize functional- Identify Needs for:
conversion ity Manageability, Scal-
ability, Security,
Availability
Integrate Samba-3, Take advantage of
then migrate while lower maintenance
users are active, then opportunity
change of control
(swap out)

• Samba-3 can use a local authentication backend: smbpasswd,

tdbsam, ldapsam, mysqlsam

Access Control Points Samba permits Access Control points to be set:

• On the share itself — using share ACLs.
• On the file system — using UNIX permissions on files and direc-
tories.
Note: Can enable Posix ACLs in file system also.
• Through Samba share parameters — not recommended except as
last resort.

Policies (migrate or create new ones) Exercise great caution when mak-
ing registry changes; use the right tool and be aware that changes made
674 Migration from NT4 PDC to Samba-3 PDC Chapter 34

through NT4-style NTConfig.POL files can leave permanent changes.

• Using Group Policy Editor (NT4).
• Watch out for tattoo effect.

User and Group Profiles Platform-specific, so use platform tool to change

from a local to a roaming profile. Can use new profiles tool to change
SIDs (NTUser.DAT).

Logon Scripts Know how they work.

User and Group Mapping to UNIX/Linux User and group mapping

code is new. Many problems have been experienced as network ad-
ministrators who are familiar with Samba-2.2.x migrate to Samba-3.
Carefully study the chapters that document the new password backend
behavior and the new group mapping functionality.
• The username map facility may be needed.
• Use net groupmap to connect NT4 groups to UNIX groups.
• Use pdbedit to set/change user configuration.
When migrating to LDAP backend, it may be easier to dump the
initial LDAP database to LDIF, edit, then reload into LDAP.

OS Specific Scripts/Programs May be Needed Every operating sys-

tem has its peculiarities. These are the result of engineering decisions
that were based on the experience of the designer and may have side
effects that were not anticipated. Limitations that may bite the Win-
dows network administrator include:
• Add/Delete Users: Note OS limits on size of name (Linux 8 chars,
NT4 up to 254 chars).
• Add/Delete Machines: Applied only to domain members (Note:
machine names may be limited to 16 characters).
• Use net groupmap to connect NT4 groups to UNIX groups.
• Add/Delete Groups: Note OS limits on size and nature. Linux
limit is 16 char, no spaces, and no uppercase chars (groupadd).
Section 34.2. Migration Options 675

Migration Tools Domain Control (NT4-Style) Profiles, Policies, Access

Controls, Security
• Samba: net, rpcclient, smbpasswd, pdbedit, profiles
• Windows: NT4 Domain User Manager, Server Manager
(NEXUS)
Chapter 35

SWAT: THE SAMBA WEB

ADMINISTRATION TOOL

There are many and varied opinions regarding the usefulness of SWAT. No
matter how hard one tries to produce the perfect configuration tool, it re-
mains an object of personal taste. SWAT is a tool that allows Web-based
configuration of Samba. It has a wizard that may help to get Samba con-
figured quickly, it has context-sensitive help on each smb.conf parameter,
it provides for monitoring of current state of connection information, and it
allows networkwide MS Windows network password management.

35.1 Features and Benefits

SWAT is a facility that is part of the Samba suite. The main executable
is called swat and is invoked by the internetworking super daemon. See
Section 35.2.2 for details.
SWAT uses integral Samba components to locate parameters supported by
the particular version of Samba. Unlike tools and utilities that are external
to Samba, SWAT is always up to date as known Samba parameters change.
SWAT provides context-sensitive help for each configuration parameter, di-
rectly from man page entries.
Some network administrators believe that it is a good idea to write systems
documentation inside configuration files, and for them SWAT will always be
a nasty tool. SWAT does not store the configuration file in any intermediate
form; rather, it stores only the parameter settings, so when SWAT writes
the smb.conf file to disk, it writes only those parameters that are at other

676
Section 35.2. Guidelines and Technical Tips 677

than the default settings. The result is that all comments, as well as pa-
rameters that are no longer supported, will be lost from the smb.conf file.
Additionally, the parameters will be written back in internal ordering.

Note

Before using SWAT, please be warned — SWAT will com-

pletely replace your smb.conf with a fully optimized file
that has been stripped of all comments you might have
placed there and only nondefault settings will be written
to the file.

35.2 Guidelines and Technical Tips

This section aims to unlock the dark secrets behind how SWAT may be
made to work, how it can be made more secure, and how to solve interna-
tionalization support problems.

35.2.1 Validate SWAT Installation

The very first step that should be taken before attempting to configure a
host system for SWAT operation is to check that it is installed. This may
seem a trivial point to some, but several Linux distributions do not install
SWAT by default, even though they do ship an installable binary support
package containing SWAT on the distribution media.

When you have confirmed that SWAT is installed, it is necessary to validate

that the installation includes the binary swat file as well as all the supporting
text and Web files. A number of operating system distributions in the past
have failed to include the necessary support files, even though the swat
binary executable file was installed.

Finally, when you are sure that SWAT has been fully installed, please check
that SWAT is enabled in the control file for the internetworking super-
daemon (inetd or xinetd) that is used on your operating system platform.
678 SWAT: The Samba Web Administration Tool Chapter 35

35.2.1.1 Locating the SWAT File

To validate that SWAT is installed, first locate the swat binary file on the
system. It may be found under the following directories:
/usr/local/samba/bin — the default Samba location
/usr/sbin — the default location on most Linux systems
/opt/samba/bin
The actual location is much dependent on the choice of the operating system
vendor or as determined by the administrator who compiled and installed
Samba.

There are a number of methods that may be used to locate the swat binary
file. The following methods may be helpful.

If swat is in your current operating system search path, it will be easy to

find it. You can ask what are the command-line options for swat as shown
here:

frodo:~ # swat -?
Usage: swat [OPTION...]
-a, --disable-authentication Disable authentication (demo mode)

Help options:
-?, --help Show this help message
--usage Display brief usage message

Common samba options:

-d, --debuglevel=DEBUGLEVEL Set debug level
-s, --configfile=CONFIGFILE Use alternative configuration file
-l, --log-basename=LOGFILEBASE Basename for log/debug files
-V, --version Print version

35.2.1.2 Locating the SWAT Support Files

Now that you have found that swat is in the search path, it is easy to
identify where the file is located. Here is another simple way this may be
done:
Section 35.2. Guidelines and Technical Tips 679

frodo:~ # whereis swat

swat: /usr/sbin/swat /usr/share/man/man8/swat.8.gz

If the above measures fail to locate the swat binary, another approach is
needed. The following may be used:

frodo:/ # find / -name swat -print

/etc/xinetd.d/swat
/usr/sbin/swat
/usr/share/samba/swat
frodo:/ #

This list shows that there is a control file for xinetd, the internetwork super-
daemon that is installed on this server. The location of the SWAT binary
file is /usr/sbin/swat, and the support files for it are located under the
directory /usr/share/samba/swat.
We must now check where swat expects to find its support files. This can
be done as follows:

frodo:/ # strings /usr/sbin/swat | grep "/swat"

/swat/
...
/usr/share/samba/swat
frodo:/ #

The /usr/share/samba/swat/ entry shown in this listing is the location of

the support files. You should verify that the support files exist under this
directory. A sample list is as shown:

jht@frodo:/> find /usr/share/samba/swat -print

/usr/share/samba/swat
/usr/share/samba/swat/help
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja/help
680 SWAT: The Samba Web Administration Tool Chapter 35

/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja/help/welcome.html
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja/images
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja/images/home.gif
...
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja/include
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/ja/include/header.nocss.html
...
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr/help
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr/help/welcome.html
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr/images
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr/images/home.gif
...
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr/include
/usr/share/samba/swat/lang/tr/include/header.html
/usr/share/samba/swat/using_samba
...
/usr/share/samba/swat/images
/usr/share/samba/swat/images/home.gif
...
/usr/share/samba/swat/include
/usr/share/samba/swat/include/footer.html
/usr/share/samba/swat/include/header.html
jht@frodo:/>

If the files needed are not available, it is necessary to obtain and install them
before SWAT can be used.

35.2.2 Enabling SWAT for Use

SWAT should be installed to run via the network super-daemon. Depending

on which system your UNIX/Linux system has, you will have either an
inetd- or xinetd-based system.
The nature and location of the network super-daemon varies with the op-
erating system implementation. The control file (or files) can be located in
the file /etc/inetd.conf or in the directory /etc/[x]inet[d].d or in a
similar location.
The control entry for the older style file might be:
Section 35.2. Guidelines and Technical Tips 681

# swat is the Samba Web Administration Tool

swat stream tcp nowait.400 root /usr/sbin/swat swat

A control file for the newer style xinetd could be:

# default: off
# description: SWAT is the Samba Web Admin Tool. Use swat \
# to configure your Samba server. To use SWAT, \
# connect to port 901 with your favorite web browser.
service swat
{
port = 901
socket_type = stream
wait = no
only_from = localhost
user = root
server = /usr/sbin/swat
log_on_failure += USERID
disable = no
}

In the above, the default setting for disable is yes. This means that SWAT
is disabled. To enable use of SWAT, set this parameter to no as shown.
Both of the previous examples assume that the swat binary has been located
in the /usr/sbin directory. In addition to the above, SWAT will use a
directory access point from which it will load its Help files as well as other
control information. The default location for this on most Linux systems
is in the directory /usr/share/samba/swat. The default location using
Samba defaults will be /usr/local/samba/swat.
Access to SWAT will prompt for a logon. If you log onto SWAT as any
non-root user, the only permission allowed is to view certain aspects of
configuration as well as access to the password change facility. The buttons
that will be exposed to the non-root user are HOME, STATUS, VIEW, and
PASSWORD. The only page that allows change capability in this case is
PASSWORD.
As long as you log onto SWAT as the user root, you should obtain full change
682 SWAT: The Samba Web Administration Tool Chapter 35

and commit ability. The buttons that will be exposed include HOME,
GLOBALS, SHARES, PRINTERS, WIZARD, STATUS, VIEW, and PASS-
WORD.

35.2.3 Securing SWAT through SSL

Many people have asked about how to set up SWAT with SSL to allow
for secure remote administration of Samba. Here is a method that works,
courtesy of Markus Krieger.
Modifications to the SWAT setup are as follows:
1. Install OpenSSL.
2. Generate certificate and private key.

root# /usr/bin/openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -nodes -config \

/usr/share/doc/packages/stunnel/stunnel.cnf \
-out /etc/stunnel/stunnel.pem -keyout /etc/stunnel/stunnel.pem

3. Remove SWAT entry from [x]inetd.

4. Start stunnel.

root# stunnel -p /etc/stunnel/stunnel.pem -d 901 \

-l /usr/local/samba/bin/swat swat

Afterward, simply connect to SWAT by using the URL <https://myhost:

901>, accept the certificate, and the SSL connection is up.

35.2.4 Enabling SWAT Internationalization Support

SWAT can be configured to display its messages to match the settings of the
language configurations of your Web browser. It will be passed to SWAT in
the Accept-Language header of the HTTP request.
To enable this feature:
• Install the proper msg files from the Samba source/po directory into
$LIBDIR.
Section 35.3. Overview and Quick Tour 683

• Set your browsers language setting.

The name of the msg file is the same as the language ID sent by the browser.
For example, en means English, ja means Japanese, fr means French.

If you do not like some of messages, or there are no msg files for your locale,
you can create them simply by copying the en.msg files to the directory for
“your language ID.msg” and filling in proper strings to each “msgstr”. For
example, in it.msg, the msg file for the Italian locale, just set:

msgid "Set Default"

msgstr "Imposta Default"

and so on. If you find a mistake or create a new msg file, please email it to
us so we will consider it in the next release of Samba. The msg file should
be encoded in UTF-8.

Note that if you enable this feature and the display charset is not matched
to your browser’s setting, the SWAT display may be corrupted. In a future
version of Samba, SWAT will always display messages with UTF-8 encoding.
You will then not need to set this smb.conf file parameter.

35.3 Overview and Quick Tour

SWAT is a tool that may be used to configure Samba or just to obtain useful
links to important reference materials such as the contents of this book as
well as other documents that have been found useful for solving Windows
networking problems.

35.3.1 The SWAT Home Page

The SWAT title page provides access to the latest Samba documentation.
The manual page for each Samba component is accessible from this page, as
are the Samba HOWTO-Collection (this document) as well as the O’Reilly
book “Using Samba.”

Administrators who wish to validate their Samba configuration may obtain

useful information from the man pages for the diagnostic utilities. These
684 SWAT: The Samba Web Administration Tool Chapter 35

are available from the SWAT home page also. One diagnostic tool that is
not mentioned on this page but that is particularly useful is ethereal1 .

Warning

SWAT can be configured to run in demo mode. This

is not recommended because it runs SWAT without au-
thentication and with full administrative ability. It allows
changes to smb.conf as well as general operation with
root privileges. The option that creates this ability is
the -a flag to SWAT. Do not use this in a production
environment.

35.3.2 Global Settings

The GLOBALS button exposes a page that allows configuration of the global
parameters in smb.conf. There are two levels of exposure of the parameters:

• Basic — exposes common configuration options.

• Advanced — exposes configuration options needed in more complex

environments.

To switch to other than Basic editing ability, click on Advanced. You may
also do this by clicking on the radio button, then click on the Commit
Changes button.

After making any changes to configuration parameters, make sure that you
click on the Commit Changes button before moving to another area; oth-
erwise, your changes will be lost.

1
<http://www.ethereal.com/>
Section 35.3. Overview and Quick Tour 685

Note

SWAT has context-sensitive help. To find out what each

parameter is for, simply click on the Help link to the left
of the configuration parameter.

35.3.3 Share Settings

To affect a currently configured share, simply click on the pull-down button

between the Choose Share and the Delete Share buttons and select the
share you wish to operate on. To edit the settings, click on the Choose
Share button. To delete the share, simply press the Delete Share button.
To create a new share, next to the button labeled Create Share, enter into
the text field the name of the share to be created, then click on the Create
Share button.

35.3.4 Printers Settings

To affect a currently configured printer, simply click on the pull-down button

between the Choose Printer and the Delete Printer buttons and select the
printer you wish to operate on. To edit the settings, click on the Choose
Printer button. To delete the share, simply press the Delete Printer button.
To create a new printer, next to the button labeled Create Printer, enter
into the text field the name of the share to be created, then click on the
Create Printer button.

35.3.5 The SWAT Wizard

The purpose of the SWAT Wizard is to help the Microsoft-knowledgeable

network administrator to configure Samba with a minimum of effort.
The Wizard page provides a tool for rewriting the smb.conf file in fully
optimized format. This will also happen if you press the Commit button.
The two differ because the Rewrite button ignores any changes that may
have been made, while the Commit button causes all changes to be affected.
686 SWAT: The Samba Web Administration Tool Chapter 35

The Edit button permits the editing (setting) of the minimal set of options
that may be necessary to create a working Samba server.

Finally, there are a limited set of options that determine what type of server
Samba will be configured for, whether it will be a WINS server, participate
as a WINS client, or operate with no WINS support. By clicking one button,
you can elect to expose (or not) user home directories.

35.3.6 The Status Page

The status page serves a limited purpose. First, it allows control of the
Samba daemons. The key daemons that create the Samba server environ-
ment are smbd, nmbd, and winbindd.

The daemons may be controlled individually or as a total group. Addi-

tionally, you may set an automatic screen refresh timing. As MS Windows
clients interact with Samba, new smbd processes are continually spawned.
The auto-refresh facility allows you to track the changing conditions with
minimal effort.

Finally, the status page may be used to terminate specific smbd client con-
nections in order to free files that may be locked.

35.3.7 The View Page

The view page allows you to view the optimized smb.conf file and, if you
are particularly masochistic, permits you also to see all possible global con-
figuration parameters and their settings.

35.3.8 The Password Change Page

The password change page is a popular tool that allows the creation, dele-
tion, deactivation, and reactivation of MS Windows networking users on the
local machine. You can also use this tool to change a local password for a
user account.

When logged in as a non-root account, the user must provide the old pass-
word as well as the new password (twice). When logged in as root, only the
new password is required.
Section 35.3. Overview and Quick Tour 687

One popular use for this tool is to change user passwords across a range of
remote MS Windows servers.
Part V

Troubleshooting
Chapter 36

THE SAMBA CHECKLIST

36.1 Introduction

This file contains a list of tests you can perform to validate your Samba
server. It also tells you what the likely cause of the problem is if it fails any
one of these steps. If it passes all these tests, then it is probably working
fine.
You should do all the tests in the order shown. We have tried to carefully
choose them so later tests only use capabilities verified in the earlier tests.
However, do not stop at the first error: there have been some instances when
continuing with the tests has helped to solve a problem.
If you send one of the Samba mailing lists an email saying, “It does not
work,” and you have not followed this test procedure, you should not be
surprised if your email is ignored.

36.2 Assumptions

In all of the tests, it is assumed you have a Samba server called BIGSERVER
and a PC called ACLIENT, both in workgroup TESTGROUP.
The procedure is similar for other types of clients.
It is also assumed you know the name of an available share in your smb.
conf. I for our examples this share is called tmp. You can add a tmp share
like this by adding the lines shown in Example 36.2.1.

689
690 The Samba Checklist Chapter 36

Example 36.2.1. smb.conf with [tmp] Share

[ tmp ]
comment = temporary f i l e s
path = /tmp
read only = yes

Note

These tests assume version 3.0.0 or later of the Samba

suite. Some commands shown did not exist in earlier
versions.

Please pay attention to the error messages you receive. If any error message
reports that your server is being unfriendly, you should first check that your
IP name resolution is correctly set up. Make sure your /etc/resolv.conf
file points to name servers that really do exist.
Also, if you do not have DNS server access for name resolution, please check
that the settings for your smb.conf file results in dns proxy = no. The
best way to check this is with testparm smb.conf.
It is helpful to monitor the log files during testing by using the tail -F
log file name in a separate terminal console (use ctrl-alt-F1 through F6 or
multiple terminals in X). Relevant log files can be found (for default instal-
lations) in /usr/local/samba/var. Also, connection logs from machines
can be found here or possibly in /var/log/samba, depending on how or if
you specified logging in your smb.conf file.
If you make changes to your smb.conf file while going through these test,
remember to restart smbd and nmbd.

36.3 The Tests

Diagnosing Your Samba Server

1. In the directory in which you store your smb.conf file, run the com-
mand testparm smb.conf. If it reports any errors, then your smb.
Section 36.3. The Tests 691

conf configuration file is faulty.

Note

Your smb.conf file may be located in /etc/samba

or in /usr/local/samba/lib.

2. Run the command ping BIGSERVER from the PC and ping ACLIENT
from the UNIX box. If you do not get a valid response, then your
TCP/IP software is not correctly installed. You will need to start a
“DOS prompt” window on the PC to run ping. If you get a message
saying “host not found” or a similar message, then your DNS software
or /etc/hosts file is not correctly set up. It is possible to run Samba
without DNS entries for the server and client, but it is assumed you do
have correct entries for the remainder of these tests. Another reason
why ping might fail is if your host is running firewall software. You will
need to relax the rules to let in the workstation in question, perhaps
by allowing access from another subnet (on Linux this is done via the
appropriate firewall maintenance commands ipchains or iptables).

Note

Modern Linux distributions install ipchains/iptables

by default. This is a common problem that is often
overlooked.

If you wish to check what firewall rules may be present in a system

under test, simply run iptables -L -v, or if ipchains-based firewall
rules are in use, ipchains -L -v. Here is a sample listing from a
system that has an external Ethernet interface (eth1) on which Samba
is not active and an internal (private network) interface (eth0) on
which Samba is active:

frodo:~ # iptables -L -v
Chain INPUT (policy DROP 98496 packets, 12M bytes)
pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination
692 The Samba Checklist Chapter 36

187K 109M ACCEPT all -- lo any anywhere anywhere

892K 125M ACCEPT all -- eth0 any anywhere anywhere
1399K 1380M ACCEPT all -- eth1 any anywhere anywhere \
state RELATED,ESTABLISHED

Chain FORWARD (policy DROP 0 packets, 0 bytes)

pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination
978K 1177M ACCEPT all -- eth1 eth0 anywhere anywhere \
state RELATED,ESTABLISHED
658K 40M ACCEPT all -- eth0 eth1 anywhere anywhere
0 0 LOG all -- any any anywhere anywhere \
LOG level warning

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT 2875K packets, 1508M bytes)

pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination

Chain reject_func (0 references)

pkts bytes target prot opt in out source destination

3. Run the command smbclient -L BIGSERVER on the UNIX box.

You should get back a list of available shares. If you get an error
message containing the string “bad password”, then you probably have
either an incorrect hosts allow, hosts deny, or valid users line in
your smb.conf, or your guest account is not valid. Check what your
guest account is using testparm and temporarily remove any hosts
allow, hosts deny, valid users, or invalid users lines. If you get
a message “connection refused” response, then the smbd server may
not be running. If you installed it in inetd.conf, then you probably
edited that file incorrectly. If you installed it as a daemon, then check
that it is running and check that the netbios-ssn port is in a LISTEN
state using netstat -a.
Section 36.3. The Tests 693

Note

Some UNIX/Linux systems use xinetd in place of

inetd. Check your system documentation for the
location of the control files for your particular sys-
tem implementation of the network super daemon.

If you get a message saying “session request failed,” the server refused
the connection. If it says “Your server software is being unfriendly,”
then it’s probably because you have invalid command line parameters
to smbd, or a similar fatal problem with the initial startup of smbd.
Also check your config file (smb.conf) for syntax errors with testparm
and that the various directories where Samba keeps its log and lock
files exist. There are a number of reasons for which smbd may refuse
or decline a session request. The most common of these involve one
or more of the smb.conf file entries as shown in Example 36.3.1.

Example 36.3.1. Configuration for Allowing Connections Only from a Certain

Subnet

[ globals ]
h o s t s deny = ALL
h o s t s a l l o w = xxx . xxx . xxx . xxx /yy
i n t e r f a c e s = eth0
bind i n t e r f a c e s o n l y = Yes

In Example 36.3.1, no allowance has been made for any session re-
quests that will automatically translate to the loopback adapter ad-
dress 127.0.0.1. To solve this problem, change these lines as shown in
Example 36.3.2.

Another common cause of these two errors is having something already

running on port 139, such as Samba (smbd is running from inetd
already) or Digital’s Pathworks. Check your inetd.conf file before
trying to start smbd as a daemon — it can avoid a lot of frustration!
And yet another possible cause for failure of this test is when the
694 The Samba Checklist Chapter 36

Example 36.3.2. Configuration for Allowing Connections from a Certain Subnet

and localhost

[ globals ]
h o s t s deny = ALL
h o s t s a l l o w = xxx . xxx . xxx . xxx /yy 1 2 7 .
i n t e r f a c e s = eth0 l o

subnet mask and/or broadcast address settings are incorrect. Please

check that the network interface IP address/broadcast address/subnet
mask settings are correct and that Samba has correctly noted these in
the log.nmbd file.

4. Run the command nmblookup -B BIGSERVER SAMBA .

You should get back the IP address of your Samba server. If you do
not, then nmbd is incorrectly installed. Check your inetd.conf if you
run it from there, or that the daemon is running and listening to UDP
port 137. One common problem is that many inetd implementations
can’t take many parameters on the command line. If this is the case,
then create a one-line script that contains the right parameters and
run that from inetd.

5. Run the command nmblookup -B ACLIENT ‘*’. You should get

the PC’s IP address back. If you do not, then the client software on
the PC isn’t installed correctly, or isn’t started, or you got the name
of the PC wrong. If ACLIENT does not resolve via DNS, then use the
IP address of the client in the above test.

6. Run the command nmblookup -d 2 ‘*’. This time we are trying

the same as the previous test but are trying it via a broadcast to the
default broadcast address. A number of NetBIOS/TCP/IP hosts on
the network should respond, although Samba may not catch all of
the responses in the short time it listens. You should see the “got a
positive name query response” messages from several hosts. If this
does not give a result similar to the previous test, then nmblookup
isn’t correctly getting your broadcast address through its automatic
mechanism. In this case you should experiment with the interfaces
option in smb.conf to manually configure your IP address, broadcast,
and netmask. If your PC and server aren’t on the same subnet, then
Section 36.3. The Tests 695

you will need to use the -B option to set the broadcast address to that
of the PC’s subnet. This test will probably fail if your subnet mask
and broadcast address are not correct. (Refer to test 3 notes above).
7. Run the command smbclient //BIGSERVER/TMP. You should
then be prompted for a password. You should use the password of
the account with which you are logged into the UNIX box. If you
want to test with another account, then add the -U accountname
option to the end of the command line — for example, smbclient
//bigserver/tmp -Ujohndoe.

Note

It is possible to specify the password along with the

username as follows: smbclient //bigserver/tmp
-Ujohndoe%secret.

Once you enter the password, you should get the smb> prompt. If you
do not, then look at the error message. If it says “invalid network
name,” then the service tmp is not correctly set up in your smb.conf.
If it says “bad password,” then the likely causes are:
(a) You have shadow passwords (or some other password system) but
didn’t compile in support for them in smbd.
(b) Your valid users configuration is incorrect.
(c) You have a mixed-case password and you haven’t enabled the
password level option at a high enough level.
(d) The path line in smb.conf is incorrect. Check it with testparm.
(e) You enabled password encryption but didn’t map UNIX to Samba
users. Run smbpasswd -a username
Once connected, you should be able to use the commands dir, get,
put, and so on. Type help command for instructions. You should
especially check that the amount of free disk space shown is correct
when you type dir.
8. On the PC, type the command net view \\BIGSERVER. You will
need to do this from within a DOS prompt window. You should get
696 The Samba Checklist Chapter 36

back a list of shares available on the server. If you get a message

“network name not found” or similar error, then NetBIOS name reso-
lution is not working. This is usually caused by a problem in nmbd.
To overcome it, you could do one of the following (you only need to
choose one of them):

(a) Fix the nmbd installation.

(b) Add the IP address of BIGSERVER to the wins server box in

the advanced TCP/IP setup on the PC.

(d) Add BIGSERVER to your lmhosts file on the PC.

If you get a message “invalid network name” or “bad password error,”

then apply the same fixes as for the smbclient -L test. In particu-
lar, make sure your hosts allow line is correct (see the man pages).
Also, do not overlook that fact that when the workstation requests
the connection to the Samba server, it will attempt to connect using
the name with which you logged onto your Windows machine. You
need to make sure that an account exists on your Samba server with
that exact same name and password. If you get a message “specified
computer is not receiving requests” or similar error, it probably means
that the host is not contactable via TCP services. Check to see if the
host is running TCP wrappers, and if so, add an entry in the hosts.
allow file for your client (or subnet, and so on.)

9. Run the command net use x: \\BIGSERVER\TMP. You should

be prompted for a password, then you should get a command com-
pleted successfully message. If not, then your PC software is
incorrectly installed or your smb.conf is incorrect. Make sure your
hosts allow and other config lines in smb.conf are correct. It’s also
possible that the server can’t work out what username to connect you
as. To see if this is the problem, add the line user = username to
the [tmp] section of smb.conf where username is the username cor-
responding to the password you typed. If you find this fixes things,
you may need the username mapping option. It might also be the case
that your client only sends encrypted passwords and you have encrypt
passwords = no in smb.conf. Change this setting to ‘yes’ to fix this.
Section 36.3. The Tests 697

10. Run the command nmblookup -M testgroup where testgroup is

the name of the workgroup that your Samba server and Windows PCs
belong to. You should get back the IP address of the master browser
for that workgroup. If you do not, then the election process has failed.
Wait a minute to see if it is just being slow, then try again. If it still
fails after that, then look at the browsing options you have set in smb.
conf. Make sure you have preferred master = yes to ensure that an
election is held at startup.
11. From file manager, try to browse the server. Your Samba server should
appear in the browse list of your local workgroup (or the one you
specified in smb.conf). You should be able to double-click on the
name of the server and get a list of shares. If you get the error message
“invalid password,” you are probably running Windows NT and it is
refusing to browse a server that has no encrypted password capability
and is in user-level security mode. In this case, either set security
= server and password server = Windows NT Machine in your smb.
conf file or make sure encrypt passwords is set to “yes”.
Chapter 37

ANALYZING AND SOLVING

SAMBA PROBLEMS

There are many sources of information available in the form of mailing lists,
RFCs, and documentation. The documentation that comes with the Samba
distribution contains good explanations of general SMB topics such as brows-
ing.

37.1 Diagnostics Tools

With SMB networking, it is often not immediately clear what the cause is
of a certain problem. Samba itself provides rather useful information, but
in some cases you might have to fall back to using a sniffer. A sniffer is a
program that listens on your LAN, analyzes the data sent on it, and displays
it on the screen.

37.1.1 Debugging with Samba Itself

One of the best diagnostic tools for debugging problems is Samba itself. You
can use the -d option for both smbd and nmbd to specify the debug level
at which to run. See the man pages for smbd, nmbd, and smb.conf for
more information regarding debugging options. The debug level can range
from 1 (the default) to 10 (100 for debugging passwords).
Another helpful method of debugging is to compile Samba using the gcc
-g flag. This will include debug information in the binaries and allow you
to attach gdb to the running smbd/nmbd process. To attach gdb to an
smbd process for an NT workstation, first get the workstation to make

698
Section 37.1. Diagnostics Tools 699

the connection. Pressing ctrl-alt-delete and going down to the domain box
is sufficient (at least, the first time you join the domain) to generate a
LsaEnumTrustedDomains. Thereafter, the workstation maintains an open
connection and there will be an smbd process running (assuming that you
haven’t set a really short smbd idle timeout). So, in between pressing ctrl-
alt-delete and actually typing in your password, you can attach gdb and
continue.
Some useful Samba commands worth investigating are:

$ testparm | more
$ smbclient -L //{netbios name of server}

37.1.2 Tcpdump

Tcpdump1 was the first UNIX sniffer with SMB support. It is a command-
line utility and now, its SMB support is somewhat lagging that of ethereal
and tethereal.

37.1.3 Ethereal

Ethereal2 is a graphical sniffer, available for both UNIX (Gtk) and Windows.
Ethereal’s SMB support is quite good. For details on the use of ethereal,
read the well-written Ethereal User Guide.
Listen for data on ports 137, 138, 139, and 445. For example, use the fil-
ter port 137, port 138, port 139, or port 445 as seen in Figure 37.1
snapshot.
A console version of ethereal is available as well and is called tethereal.

37.1.4 The Windows Network Monitor

For tracing things on Microsoft Windows NT, Network Monitor (aka Net-
mon) is available on Microsoft Developer Network CDs, the Windows NT
Server install CD, and the SMS CDs. The version of Netmon that ships with
1
<http://www.tcpdump.org/>
2
<http://www.ethereal.com/>
700 Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems Chapter 37

Figure 37.1. Starting a Capture.

SMS allows for dumping packets between any two computers (i.e., placing
the network interface in promiscuous mode). The version on the NT Server
install CD will only allow monitoring of network traffic directed to the local
NT box and broadcasts on the local subnet. Be aware that Ethereal can
read and write Netmon formatted files.

37.1.4.1 Installing Network Monitor on an NT Workstation

Installing Netmon on an NT workstation requires a couple of steps. The

following are instructions for installing Netmon V4.00.349, which comes with
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, on Microsoft Windows NT Workstation
4.0. The process should be similar for other versions of Windows NT version
of Netmon. You will need both the Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Install
Section 37.1. Diagnostics Tools 701

Figure 37.2. Main Ethereal Data Window.

CD and the Workstation 4.0 Install CD.

Initially you will need to install Network Monitor Tools and Agent on the
NT Server to do this:
• Go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network -> Services
-> Add.
• Select the Network Monitor Tools and Agent and click on OK.
• Click on OK on the Network Control Panel.
• Insert the Windows NT Server 4.0 install CD when prompted.
At this point, the Netmon files should exist in %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\netmon\*.
*. Two subdirectories exist as well: parsers\, which contains the necessary
DLLs for parsing the Netmon packet dump, and captures\.
To install the Netmon tools on an NT Workstation, you will first need to
install the Network Monitor Agent from the Workstation install CD.
• Go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network -> Services
-> Add.
• Select the Network Monitor Agent, click on OK.
702 Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems Chapter 37

• Click on OK in the Network Control Panel.

• Insert the Windows NT Workstation 4.0 install CD when prompted.
Now copy the files from the NT Server in %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\netmon
to %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\netmon on the workstation and set permissions
as you deem appropriate for your site. You will need administrative rights
on the NT box to run Netmon.

37.1.4.2 Installing Network Monitor on Windows 9x/Me

To install Netmon on Windows 9x/Me, install the Network Monitor Agent

from the Windows 9x/Me CD (\admin\nettools\netmon). There is a
readme file included with the Netmon driver files on the CD if you need
information on how to do this. Copy the files from a working Netmon in-
stallation.

37.2 Useful URLs

.
• See how Scott Merrill simulates a BDC behavior at http://www.skippy.net/linux/smb-
howto.html3 .
• FTP site for older SMB specs, ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/drg/CIFS/4

37.3 Getting Mailing List Help

There are a number of Samba-related mailing lists. Go to <http://samba.

org>, click on your nearest mirror, and then click on Support. Next, click
on Samba-related mailing lists.
For questions relating to Samba TNG, go to <http://www.samba-tng.
org/>. It has been requested that you do not post questions about Samba-
TNG to the mainstream Samba lists.
If you do post a message to one of the lists, please observe the following
guidelines:
3
<http://www.skippy.net/linux/smb-howto.html>
4
<ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/drg/CIFS/>
Section 37.3. Getting Mailing List Help 703

• Always remember that the developers are volunteers; they are not
paid and they never guarantee to produce a particular feature at a
particular time. Any timelines are “best guess,” and nothing more.

• Always mention what version of Samba you are using and what oper-
ating system it’s running under. You should list the relevant sections
of your smb.conf file, at least the options in [global] that affect PDC
support.

• In addition to the version, if you obtained Samba via CVS, mention

the date when you last checked it out.

• Try to make your questions clear and brief. Lots of long, convoluted
questions get deleted before they are completely read! Do not post
HTML-encoded messages. Most people on mailing lists simply delete
them.

• If you run one of those nifty “I’m on holiday” things when you are
away, make sure its configured to not answer mailing list traffic. Au-
toresponses to mailing lists really irritate the thousands of people who
end up having to deal with such bad netiquet bahavior.

• Don’t cross post. Work out which is the best list to post to and
see what happens. Do not post to both samba-ntdom and samba-
technical. Many people active on the lists subscribe to more than one
list and get annoyed to see the same message two or more times. Often
someone who thinks a message would be better dealt with on another
list will forward it on for you.

• You might include partial log files written at a debug level set to as
much as 20. Please do not send the entire log but just enough to give
the context of the error messages.

• If you have a complete Netmon trace (from the opening of the pipe to
the error), you can send the *.CAP file as well.

• Please think carefully before attaching a document to an email. Con-

sider pasting the relevant parts into the body of the message. The
Samba mailing lists go to a huge number of people. Do they all need
a copy of your smb.conf in their attach directory?
704 Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems Chapter 37

37.4 How to Get Off the Mailing Lists

To have your name removed from a Samba mailing list, go to the same place
where you went to subscribe to it, go to http://lists.samba.org5 , click on
your nearest mirror, click on Support, and then click on Samba-related
mailing lists.
Please do not post messages to the list asking to be removed. You will only
be referred to the above address (unless that process failed in some way).

5
<http://lists.samba.org/>
Chapter 38

REPORTING BUGS

38.1 Introduction

Please report bugs using Samba’s Bugzilla1 facilities and take the time to
read this file before you submit a bug report. Also, check to see if it has
changed between releases, as we may be changing the bug reporting mech-
anism at some point.
Please do as much as you can yourself to help track down the bug. Samba
is maintained by a dedicated group of people who volunteer their time,
skills, and efforts. We receive far more mail than we can possibly answer,
so you have a much higher chance of a response and a fix if you send us a
“developer-friendly” bug report that lets us fix it fast.
If you post the bug to the comp.protocols.smb newsgroup or the mailing
list, do not assume that we will read it. If you suspect that your problem is
not a bug but a configuration problem, it is better to send it to the Samba
mailing list, as there are thousands of other users on that list who may be
able to help you.
You may also like to look though the recent mailing list archives, which are
conveniently accessible on the Samba Web pages at <http://samba.org/
samba/>.

38.2 General Information

Before submitting a bug report, check your config for silly errors. Look in
your log files for obvious messages that tell you’ve misconfigured something.
1
<https://bugzilla.samba.org/>

705
706 Reporting Bugs Chapter 38

Run testparm to check your config file for correct syntax.

Have you looked through Chapter 36, “The Samba Checklist”? This is
extremely important.

If you include part of a log file with your bug report, then be sure to annotate
it with exactly what you were doing on the client at the time and exactly
what the results were.

38.3 Debug Levels

If the bug has anything to do with Samba behaving incorrectly as a server

(like refusing to open a file), then the log files will probably be quite useful.
Depending on the problem, a log level of between 3 and 10 showing the
problem may be appropriate. A higher level gives more detail but may use
too much disk space.

To set the debug level, use the log level in your smb.conf. You may also find
it useful to set the log level higher for just one machine and keep separate
logs for each machine. To do this, add the following lines to your main smb.
conf file:

l o g l e v e l = 10
l o g f i l e = / u s r / l o c a l /samba/ l i b / l o g .%m
i n c l u d e = / u s r / l o c a l /samba/ l i b /smb . c o n f .%m

and create a file /usr/local/samba/lib/smb.conf.machine where ma-

chine is the name of the client you wish to debug. In that file put any
smb.conf commands you want; for example, log level may be useful. This
also allows you to experiment with different security systems, protocol levels,
and so on, on just one machine.

The smb.conf entry log level is synonymous with the parameter debuglevel
that has been used in older versions of Samba and is being retained for
backward compatibility of smb.conf files.

As the log level value is increased, you will record a significantly greater
level of debugging information. For most debugging operations, you may
not need a setting higher than 3. Nearly all bugs can be tracked at a setting
of 10, but be prepared for a large volume of log data.
Section 38.4. Internal Errors 707

38.3.1 Debugging-Specific Operations

Samba-3.x permits debugging (logging) of specific functional components

without unnecessarily cluttering the log files with detailed logs for all oper-
ations. An example configuration to achieve this is shown in:

l o g l e v e l = 0 tdb : 3 passdb : 5 auth : 4 v f s : 2
max l o g s i z e = 0
l o g f i l e = / var / l o g /samba/%U.%m. l o g

This will cause the level of detail to be expanded to the debug class (log
level) passed to each functional area per the value shown above. The first
value passed to the log level of 0 means turn off all unnecessary debugging
except the debug classes set for the functional areas as specified. The table
shown in Table 38.1 may be used to attain very precise analysis of each SMB
operation Samba is conducting.

Table 38.1. Debuggable Functions

Function Name Function Name
all passdb
tdb sam
printdrivers auth
lanman winbind
smb vfs
rpc parse idmap
rpc srv quota
rpc cli acls

38.4 Internal Errors

If you get the message “INTERNAL ERROR” in your log files, it means
that Samba got an unexpected signal while running. It is probably a seg-
mentation fault and almost certainly means a bug in Samba (unless you
have faulty hardware or system software).
If the message came from smbd, it will probably be accompanied by a mes-
sage that details the last SMB message received by smbd. This information
is often useful in tracking down the problem, so please include it in your bug
report.
708 Reporting Bugs Chapter 38

You should also detail how to reproduce the problem, if possible. Please
make this reasonably detailed.

You may also find that a core file appeared in a corefiles subdirectory
of the directory where you keep your Samba log files. This file is the most
useful tool for tracking down the bug. To use it, you do this:

$ gdb smbd core

adding appropriate paths to smbd and core so gdb can find them. If you do
not have gdb, try dbx. Then within the debugger, use the command where
to give a stack trace of where the problem occurred. Include this in your
report.

If you know any assembly language, do a disass of the routine where the
problem occurred (if it’s in a library routine, then disassemble the routine
that called it) and try to work out exactly where the problem is by looking
at the surrounding code. Even if you do not know assembly, including this
information in the bug report can be useful.

38.5 Attaching to a Running Process

Unfortunately, some UNIXes (in particular some recent Linux kernels) refuse
to dump a core file if the task has changed UID (which smbd does often).
To debug with this sort of system, you could try to attach to the running
process using gdb smbd PID, where you get PID from smbstatus. Then use
c to continue and try to cause the core dump using the client. The debugger
should catch the fault and tell you where it occurred.

Sometimes it is necessary to build Samba binary files that have debugging

symbols so as to make it possible to capture enough information from a
crashed operation to permit the Samba Team to fix the problem.

Compile with -g to ensure you have symbols in place. Add the following
line to the smb.conf file global section:

panic action = "/bin/sleep 90000"

Section 38.6. Patches 709

to catch any panics. If smbd seems to be frozen, look for any sleep processes.
If it is not, and appears to be spinning, find the PID of the spinning process
and type:

gdb /usr/local/samba/sbin/smbd

then “attach ‘pid’” (of the spinning process), then type “bt” to get a back-
trace to see where the smbd is in the call path.

38.6 Patches

The best sort of bug report is one that includes a fix! If you send us patches,
please use diff -u format if your version of diff supports it; otherwise, use
diff -c4. Make sure you do the diff against a clean version of the source
and let me know exactly what version you used.
Part VI

Reference Section
Chapter 39

HOW TO COMPILE SAMBA

You can obtain the Samba source file from the Samba Web site1 . To obtain
a development version, you can download Samba from Subversion or using
rsync.

39.1 Access Samba Source Code via Subversion

39.1.1 Introduction

Samba is developed in an open environment. Developers use a Subversion

to “checkin” (also known as “commit”) new source code. Samba’s various
Subversion branches can be accessed via anonymous Subversion using the
instructions detailed in this chapter.

This chapter is a modified version of the instructions found at the Samba2

Web site.

39.1.2 Subversion Access to samba.org

The machine samba.org runs a publicly accessible Subversion repository for

access to the source code of several packages, including Samba, rsync, distcc,
ccache, and jitterbug. There are two main ways of accessing the Subversion
server on this host.
1
<http://samba.org/>
2
<http://samba.org/samba/subversion.html>

711
712 How to Compile Samba Chapter 39

39.1.2.1 Access via SVNweb

You can access the source code via your favorite WWW browser. This allows
you to access the contents of individual files in the repository and also to
look at the revision history and commit logs of individual files. You can also
ask for a diff listing between any two versions on the repository.

Use the URL <http://svnweb.samba.org/>.

39.1.2.2 Access via Subversion

You can also access the source code via a normal Subversion client. This
gives you much more control over what you can do with the repository and
allows you to check out whole source trees and keep them up to date via
normal Subversion commands. This is the preferred method of access if you
are a developer and not just a casual browser.

In order to be able to download the Samba sources off Subversion, you need a
Subversion client. Your distribution might include one, or you can download
the sources from <http://subversion.tigris.org/>.

To gain access via anonymous Subversion, use the following steps. Retriev-
ing Samba using Subversion

1. Install a recent copy of Subversion. All you really need is a copy of

the Subversion client binary.

2. Run the command svn co svn://svnanon.samba.org/samba/trunk

samba. This will create a directory called samba containing the lat-
est Samba source code (usually the branch that is going to be the
next major release). This currently corresponds to the 3.1 develop-
ment tree. Subversion branches other then trunk can be obtained
by adding branches/BRANCH NAME to the URL you check out. A
list of branch names can be found on the “Development” page of the
Samba Web site. A common request is to obtain the latest 3.0 release
code. This could be done by using the following command: svn co
svn://svnanon.samba.org/samba/branches/SAMBA 3 0 samba 3.

3. Whenever you want to merge in the latest code changes, use the fol-
lowing command from within the Samba directory: svn update
Section 39.2. Accessing the Samba Sources via rsync and ftp 713

39.2 Accessing the Samba Sources via rsync and ftp

pserver.samba.org also exports unpacked copies of most parts of the Sub-

version tree at the Samba pserver3 location and also via anonymous rsync
at the Samba rsync4 server location. I recommend using rsync rather than
ftp. See the rsync home page5 for more info on rsync.

The disadvantage of the unpacked trees is that they do not support auto-
matic merging of local changes as Subversion does. rsync access is most
convenient for an initial install.

39.3 Verifying Samba’s PGP Signature

It is strongly recommended that you verify the PGP signature for any source
file before installing it. Even if you’re not downloading from a mirror site,
verifying PGP signatures should be a standard reflex. Many people today
use the GNU GPG tool set in place of PGP. GPG can substitute for PGP.

With that said, go ahead and download the following files:

$ wget http://us1.samba.org/samba/ftp/samba-3.0.20.tar.asc
$ wget http://us1.samba.org/samba/ftp/samba-pubkey.asc

The first file is the PGP signature for the Samba source file; the other is the
Samba public PGP key itself. Import the public PGP key with:

$ gpg --import samba-pubkey.asc

and verify the Samba source code integrity with:

$ gzip -d samba-3.0.20.tar.gz
$ gpg --verify samba-3.0.20.tar.asc

3
<ftp://pserver.samba.org/pub/unpacked>
4
<rsync://pserver.samba.org/ftp/unpacked/>
5
<http://rsync.samba.org/>
714 How to Compile Samba Chapter 39

If you receive a message like, “Good signature from Samba Distribution

Verification Key...,” then all is well. The warnings about trust relationships
can be ignored. An example of what you would not want to see would be:

gpg: BAD signature from Samba Distribution Verification Key

39.4 Building the Binaries

After the source tarball has been unpacked, the next step involves configu-
ration to match Samba to your operating system platform. If your source
directory does not contain the configure script, it is necessary to build it
before you can continue. Building of the configure script requires the correct
version of the autoconf tool kit. Where the necessary version of autoconf is
present, the configure script can be generated by executing the following:

root# cd samba-3.0.20
root# ./autogen.sh

To build the binaries, run the program ./configure in the source directory.
This should automatically configure Samba for your operating system. If you
have unusual needs, then you may wish to first run:

root# ./configure --help

This will help you to see what special options can be enabled. Now execute
./configure with any arguments it might need:

root# ./configure [... arguments ...]

Execute the following create the binaries:

root# make
Section 39.4. Building the Binaries 715

Once it is successfully compiled, you can execute the command shown here
to install the binaries and manual pages:

root# make install

Some people prefer to install binary files and man pages separately. If this
is your wish, the binary files can be installed by executing:

root# make installbin

The man pages can be installed using this command:

root# make installman

Note that if you are upgrading from a previous version of Samba the old
versions of the binaries will be renamed with an “.old” extension. You can
go back to the previous version by executing:

root# make revert

As you can see from this, building and installing Samba does not need to
result in disaster!

39.4.1 Compiling Samba with Active Directory Support

In order to compile Samba with ADS support, you need to have installed
on your system:

• The MIT or Heimdal Kerberos development libraries (either install

from the sources or use a package).

• The OpenLDAP development libraries.

If your Kerberos libraries are in a nonstandard location, then remember to

add the configure option --with-krb5=DIR .
716 How to Compile Samba Chapter 39

After you run configure, make sure that the include/config.h it generates
contain lines like this:

#define HAVE_KRB5 1
#define HAVE_LDAP 1

If it does not, configure did not find your KRB5 libraries or your LDAP
libraries. Look in config.log to figure out why and fix it.

39.4.1.1 Installing the Required Packages for Debian

On Debian, you need to install the following packages:

• libkrb5-dev
• krb5-user

39.4.1.2 Installing the Required Packages for Red Hat Linux

On Red Hat Linux, this means you should have at least:

• krb5-workstation (for kinit)
• krb5-libs (for linking with)
• krb5-devel (because you are compiling from source)
in addition to the standard development environment.
If these files are not installed on your system, you should check the instal-
lation CDs to find which has them and install the files using your tool of
choice. If in doubt about what tool to use, refer to the Red Hat Linux
documentation.

39.4.1.3 SuSE Linux Package Requirements

SuSE Linux installs Heimdal packages that may be required to allow you
to build binary packages. You should verify that the development libraries
have been installed on your system.
SuSE Linux Samba RPMs support Kerberos. Please refer to the documen-
tation for your SuSE Linux system for information regarding SuSE Linux
Section 39.5. Starting the smbd nmbd and winbindd 717

specific configuration. Additionally, SuSE is very active in the maintenance

of Samba packages that provide the maximum capabilities that are available.
You should consider using SuSE-provided packages where they are available.

39.5 Starting the smbd nmbd and winbindd

You must choose to start smbd, winbindd and nmbd either as daemons or
from inetd. Don’t try to do both! Either you can put them in inetd.conf
and have them started on demand by inetd or xinetd, or you can start them
as daemons either from the command-line or in /etc/rc.local. See the
man pages for details on the command line options. Take particular care
to read the bit about what user you need to have to start Samba. In many
cases, you must be root.
The main advantage of starting smbd and nmbd using the recommended
daemon method is that they will respond slightly more quickly to an initial
connection request.

39.5.1 Starting from inetd.conf

Note

The following will be different if you use NIS, NIS+, or

LDAP to distribute services maps.

Look at your /etc/services. What is defined at port 139/tcp? If nothing

is defined, then add a line like this:
netbios-ssn 139/tcp
Similarly for 137/udp, you should have an entry like:
netbios-ns 137/udp
Next, edit your /etc/inetd.conf and add two lines like this:

netbios-ssn stream tcp nowait root /usr/local/samba/bin/smbd smbd

718 How to Compile Samba Chapter 39

netbios-ns dgram udp wait root /usr/local/samba/bin/nmbd nmbd

The exact syntax of /etc/inetd.conf varies between UNIXes. Look at the

other entries in inetd.conf for a guide.

Some distributions use xinetd instead of inetd. Consult the xinetd manual
for configuration information.

Note

Some UNIXes already have entries like netbios ns (note

the underscore) in /etc/services. You must edit /
etc/services or /etc/inetd.conf to make them con-
sistent.

Note

On many systems you may need to use the interfaces op-

tion in smb.conf to specify the IP address and netmask
of your interfaces. Run ifconfig as root if you do not
know what the broadcast is for your net. nmbd tries to
determine it at runtime, but fails on some UNIXes.

Warning

Many UNIXes only accept around five parameters on the

command line in inetd.conf. This means you shouldn’t
use spaces between the options and arguments, or you
should use a script and start the script from inetd.

Restart inetd, perhaps just send it a HUP, like this:

Section 39.5. Starting the smbd nmbd and winbindd 719

root# killall -HUP inetd

39.5.2 Alternative: Starting smbd as a Daemon

To start the server as a daemon, you should create a script something like
this one, perhaps calling it startsmb.

#!/bin/sh
/usr/local/samba/bin/smbd -D
/usr/local/samba/bin/winbindd
/usr/local/samba/bin/nmbd -D

Make it executable with chmod +x startsmb.

You can then run startsmb by hand or execute it from /etc/rc.local.

To kill it, send a kill signal to the processes nmbd and smbd.

Note

If you use the SVR4-style init system, you may like to look
at the examples/svr4-startup script to make Samba
fit into that system.

39.5.2.1 Starting Samba for Red Hat Linux

Red Hat Linux has not always included all Samba components in the stan-
dard installation. So versions of Red Hat Linux do not install the winbind
utility, even though it is present on the installation CDROM media. Check
to see if the winbindd is present on the system:

root# ls /usr/sbin/winbindd
720 How to Compile Samba Chapter 39

/usr/sbin/winbindd

This means that the appropriate RPM package was installed. The following
response means that it is not installed:

/bin/ls: /usr/sbin/winbind: No such file or directory

In this case it should be installed if you intend to use winbindd. Search

the CDROM installation media for the samba-winbind RPM and install it
following Red Hat guidelines.
The process for starting Samba will now be outlined. Be sure to config-
ure Sambas’ smb.conf file before starting Samba. When configured, start
Samba by executing:

root# service smb start

root# service winbind start

These steps will start nmbd, smbd and winbindd.

To ensure that these services will be automatically restarted when the system
is rebooted execute:

root# chkconfig smb on

root# chkconfig winbind on

Samba will be started automatically at every system reboot.

39.5.2.2 Starting Samba for Novell SUSE Linux

Novell SUSE Linux products automatically install all essential Samba com-
ponents in a default installation. Configure your smb.conf file, then execute
the following to start Samba:

root# rcnmb start

root# rcsmb start
Section 39.5. Starting the smbd nmbd and winbindd 721

root# rcwinbind start

Now execute these commands so that Samba will be started automatically

following a system reboot:

root# chkconfig nmb on

root# chkconfig smb on
root# chkconfig winbind on

The Samba services will now be started automatically following a system

reboot.
Chapter 40

PORTABILITY

Samba works on a wide range of platforms, but the interface all the platforms
provide is not always compatible. This chapter contains platform-specific
information about compiling and using Samba.

40.1 HPUX

Hewlett-Packard’s implementation of supplementary groups is nonstandard

(for historical reasons). There are two group files, /etc/group and /etc/
logingroup; the system maps UIDs to numbers using the former, but init-
groups() reads the latter. Most system admins who know the ropes symlink
/etc/group to /etc/logingroup (hard-link does not work for reasons too
obtuse to go into here). initgroups() will complain if one of the groups you’re
in, in /etc/logingroup, has what it considers to be an invalid ID, which
means outside the range [0..UID MAX], where UID MAX is 60000 currently
on HP-UX. This precludes -2 and 65534, the usual nobody GIDs.

If you encounter this problem, make sure the programs that are failing to
initgroups() are run as users, not in any groups with GIDs outside the
allowed range.

This is documented in the HP manual pages under setgroups(2) and passwd(4).

On HP-UX you must use gcc or the HP ANSI compiler. The free compiler
that comes with HP-UX is not ANSI compliant and cannot compile Samba.

722
Section 40.2. SCO UNIX 723

40.2 SCO UNIX

If you run an old version of SCO UNIX, you may need to get important
TCP/IP patches for Samba to work correctly. Without the patch, you may
encounter corrupt data transfers using Samba.
The patch you need is UOD385 Connection Drivers SLS. It is available from
SCO ftp.sco.com1 , directory SLS, files uod385a.Z and uod385a.ltr.Z).
The information provided here refers to an old version of SCO UNIX. If
you require binaries for more recent SCO UNIX products, please contact
SCO to obtain packages that are ready to install. You should also verify
with SCO that your platform is up to date for the binary packages you
will install. This is important if you wish to avoid data corruption problems
with your installation. To build Samba for SCO UNIX products may require
significant patching of Samba source code. It is much easier to obtain binary
packages directly from SCO.

40.3 DNIX

DNIX has a problem with seteuid() and setegid(). These routines are needed
for Samba to work correctly, but they were left out of the DNIX C library
for some reason.
For this reason Samba by default defines the macro NO EID in the DNIX
section of includes.h. This works around the problem in a limited way, but
it is far from ideal, and some things still will not work right.
To fix the problem properly, you need to assemble the following two functions
and then either add them to your C library or link them into Samba. Put
the following in the file setegid.s:

.globl _setegid
_setegid:
moveq #47,d0
movl #100,a0
moveq #1,d1
movl 4(sp),a1
trap #9
1
<ftp://ftp.sco.com/>
724 Portability Chapter 40

bccs 1$
jmp cerror
1$:
clrl d0
rts

Put this in the file seteuid.s:

.globl _seteuid
_seteuid:
moveq #47,d0
movl #100,a0
moveq #0,d1
movl 4(sp),a1
trap #9
bccs 1$
jmp cerror
1$:
clrl d0
rts

After creating the files, you then assemble them using

$ as seteuid.s
$ as setegid.s

which should produce the files seteuid.o and setegid.o.

Next you need to add these to the LIBSM line in the DNIX section of the
Samba Makefile. Your LIBSM line will look something like this:

LIBSM = setegid.o seteuid.o -ln

You should then remove the line:

#define NO_EID
Section 40.4. Red Hat Linux 725

from the DNIX section of includes.h.

40.4 Red Hat Linux

By default during installation, some versions of Red Hat Linux add an entry
to /etc/hosts as follows:

127.0.0.1 loopback "hostname"."domainname"

This causes Samba to loop back onto the loopback interface. The result
is that Samba fails to communicate correctly with the world and therefore
may fail to correctly negotiate who is the master browse list holder and who
is the master browser.
Corrective action: Delete the entry after the word ”loopback” in the line
starting 127.0.0.1.

40.5 AIX: Sequential Read Ahead

Disabling sequential read ahead using vmtune -r 0 improves Samba perfor-

mance significantly.

40.6 Solaris

40.6.1 Locking Improvements

Some people have been experiencing problems with F SETLKW64/fcntl

when running Samba on Solaris. The built-in file-locking mechanism was
not scalable. Performance would degrade to the point where processes would
get into loops of trying to lock a file. It would try a lock, then fail, then try
again. The lock attempt was failing before the grant was occurring. The
visible manifestation of this was a handful of processes stealing all of the
CPU, and when they were trussed, they would be stuck in F SETLKW64
loops.
726 Portability Chapter 40

Sun released patches for Solaris 2.6, 8, and 9. The patch for Solaris 7 has
not been released yet.
The patch revision for 2.6 is 105181-34, for 8 is 108528-19, and for 9 is
112233-04.
After the installation of these patches, it is recommended to reconfigure and
rebuild Samba.
Thanks to Joe Meslovich for reporting this.

40.6.2 Winbind on Solaris 9

Nsswitch on Solaris 9 refuses to use the Winbind NSS module. This behavior
is fixed by Sun in patch 112960-142 .

2
<http://sunsolve.sun.com/search/advsearch.do?collection=PATCH&type=
collections&max=50&language=en&queryKey5=112960;rev=14&toDocument=yes>
Chapter 41

SAMBA AND OTHER CIFS

CLIENTS

This chapter contains client-specific information.

41.1 Macintosh Clients

Yes. Thursby1 has a CIFS client/server called DAVE2 . They test it against
Windows 95, Windows NT/200x/XP, and Samba for compatibility issues.
At the time of this writing, DAVE was at version 4.1. Please refer to
Thursby’s Web site for more information regarding this product.

Alternatives include two free implementations of AppleTalk for several kinds

of UNIX machines and several more commercial ones. These products allow
you to run file services and print services natively to Macintosh users, with no
additional support required on the Macintosh. The two free implementations
are Netatalk3 and CAP4 . What Samba offers MS Windows users, these pack-
ages offer to Macs. For more info on these packages, Samba, and Linux (and
other UNIX-based systems), see http://www.eats.com/linux mac win.html.5

Newer versions of the Macintosh (Mac OS X) include Samba.

1
<http://www.thursby.com/>
2
<http://www.thursby.com/products/dave.html>
3
<http://www.umich.edu/~rsug/netatalk/>
4
<http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/appletalk/atalk.html>
5
<http://www.eats.com/linux_mac_win.html>

727
728 Samba and Other CIFS Clients Chapter 41

41.2 OS2 Client

41.2.1 Configuring OS/2 Warp Connect or OS/2 Warp 4

Basically, you need three components:

• The File and Print Client (IBM peer)
• TCP/IP (Internet support)
• The “NetBIOS over TCP/IP” driver (TCPBEUI)
Installing the first two together with the base operating system on a blank
system is explained in the Warp manual. If Warp has already been installed,
but you now want to install the networking support, use the “Selective Install
for Networking” object in the “System Setup” folder.
Adding the “NetBIOS over TCP/IP” driver is not described in the manual
and just barely in the online documentation. Start MPTS.EXE, click on
OK, click on Configure LAPS, and click on IBM OS/2 NETBIOS OVER
TCP/IP in Protocols. This line is then moved to Current Configuration.
Select that line, click on Change number, and increase it from 0 to 1. Save
this configuration.
If the Samba server is not on your local subnet, you can optionally add IP
names and addresses of these servers to the Names List or specify a WINS
server (NetBIOS Nameserver in IBM and RFC terminology). For Warp
Connect, you may need to download an update for IBM Peer to bring it
on the same level as Warp 4. See the Web page (John, which page do you
mean???????).

41.2.2 Configuring Other Versions of OS/2

This sections deals with configuring OS/2 Warp 3 (not Connect), OS/2 1.2,
1.3 or 2.x.
You can use the free Microsoft LAN Manager 2.2c Client for OS/2 that
is available from ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/BusSys/Clients/LANMAN.OS2/6 .
In a nutshell, edit the file \OS2VER in the root directory of the OS/2 boot
partition and add the lines:
6
<ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/BusSys/Clients/LANMAN.OS2/>
Section 41.3. Windows for Workgroups 729

20=setup.exe
20=netwksta.sys
20=netvdd.sys

before you install the client. Also, do not use the included NE2000 driver be-
cause it is buggy. Try the NE2000 or NS2000 driver from ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/os2/network/ndis/7
instead.

41.2.3 Printer Driver Download for OS/2 Clients

Create a share called [PRINTDRV] that is world-readable. Copy your OS/2

driver files there. The .EA files must still be separate, so you will need to
use the original install files and not copy an installed driver from an OS/2
system.
Install the NT driver first for that printer. Then, add to your smb.conf a
parameter, os2 driver map. Next, in the file specified by filename, map the
name of the NT driver name to the OS/2 driver name as follows:
nt driver name = os2 driver name.device name, e.g.,
HP LaserJet 5L = LASERJET.HP LaserJet 5L
You can have multiple drivers mapped in this file.
If you only specify the OS/2 driver name, and not the device name, the first
attempt to download the driver will actually download the files, but the
OS/2 client will tell you the driver is not available. On the second attempt,
it will work. This is fixed simply by adding the device name to the mapping,
after which it will work on the first attempt.

41.3 Windows for Workgroups

41.3.1 Latest TCP/IP Stack from Microsoft

Use the latest TCP/IP stack from Microsoft if you use Windows for Work-
groups. The early TCP/IP stacks had lots of bugs.
7
<ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/os2/network/ndis/>
730 Samba and Other CIFS Clients Chapter 41

Microsoft has released an incremental upgrade to its TCP/IP 32-bit VxD

drivers. The latest release can be found at ftp.microsoft.com, located in
/Softlib/MSLFILES/TCP32B.EXE. There is an update.txt file there that
describes the problems that were fixed. New files include WINSOCK.DLL,
TELNET.EXE, WSOCK.386, VNBT.386, WSTCP.386, TRACERT.EXE, NETSTAT.
EXE, and NBTSTAT.EXE.
More information about this patch is available in Knowledge Base article
998918 .

41.3.2 Delete .pwl Files After Password Change

Windows for Workgroups does a lousy job with passwords. When you change
passwords on either the UNIX box or the PC, the safest thing to do is delete
the .pwl files in the Windows directory. The PC will complain about not
finding the files, but will soon get over it, allowing you to enter the new
password.
If you do not do this, you may find that Windows for Workgroups remembers
and uses the old password, even if you told it a new one.
Often Windows for Workgroups will totally ignore a password you give it in
a dialog box.

41.3.3 Configuring Windows for Workgroups Password Handling

There is a program call admincfg.exe on the last disk (disk 8) of the WFW
3.11 disk set. To install it, type EXPAND A:\ADMINCFG.EX C:\WINDOWS\ADMINCFG.
EXE. Then add an icon for it via the Program Manager New menu. This
program allows you to control how WFW handles passwords, Disable Pass-
word Caching and so on, for use with security = user.

41.3.4 Password Case Sensitivity

Windows for Workgroups uppercases the password before sending it to the

server. UNIX passwords can be case-sensitive though. Check the smb.conf
information on password level to specify what characters Samba should try
to uppercase when checking.
8
<http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q99891/>
Section 41.4. Windows 95/98 731

41.3.5 Use TCP/IP as Default Protocol

To support print queue reporting, you may find that you have to use TCP/IP
as the default protocol under Windows for Workgroups. For some reason, if
you leave NetBEUI as the default, it may break the print queue reporting
on some systems. It is presumably a Windows for Workgroups bug.

41.3.6 Speed Improvement

Note that some people have found that setting DefaultRcvWindow in the
[MSTCP] section of the SYSTEM.INI file under Windows for Workgroups to
3072 gives a big improvement.

My own experience with DefaultRcvWindow is that I get a much better

performance with a large value (16384 or larger). Other people have reported
that anything over 3072 slows things down enormously. One person even
reported a speed drop of a factor of 30 when he went from 3072 to 8192.

41.4 Windows 95/98

When using Windows 95 OEM SR2, the following updates are recommended
where Samba is being used. Please note that the above change (John, specify
the change???????) will affect you once these updates have been installed.

There are more updates than the ones mentioned here. Refer to the Mi-
crosoft Web site for all currently available updates to your specific version
of Windows 95.
Kernel Update: KRNLUPD.EXE
Ping Fix: PINGUPD.EXE
RPC Update: RPCRTUPD.EXE
TCP/IP Update: VIPUPD.EXE
Redirector Update: VRDRUPD.EXE

Also, if using MS Outlook, it is desirable to install the OLEUPD.EXE fix.

This fix may stop your machine from hanging for an extended period when
exiting Outlook, and you may notice a significant speedup when accessing
network neighborhood services.
732 Samba and Other CIFS Clients Chapter 41

41.4.1 Speed Improvement

Configure the Windows 95 TCP/IP registry settings to give better perfor-

mance. I use a program called MTUSPEED.exe that I got off the Internet.
There are various other utilities of this type freely available.

41.5 Windows 2000 Service Pack 2

There are several annoyances with Windows 2000 SP2, one of which only
appears when using a Samba server to host user profiles to Windows 2000
SP2 clients in a Windows domain. This assumes that Samba is a member
of the domain, but the problem will most likely occur if it is not.

In order to serve profiles successfully to Windows 2000 SP2 clients (when not
operating as a PDC), Samba must have nt acl support = no added to the file
share that houses the roaming profiles. If this is not done, then the Windows
2000 SP2 client will complain about not being able to access the profile
(Access Denied) and create multiple copies of it on disk (DOMAIN.user.001,
DOMAIN.user.002, and so on). See the smb.conf man page for more details
on this option. Also note that the nt acl support parameter was formally a
global parameter in releases prior to Samba 2.2.2.

Example 41.5.1 provides a minimal profile share.

Example 41.5.1. Minimal Profile Share

[ profile ]
path = / e x p o r t / p r o f i l e
c r e a t e mask = 0600
d i r e c t o r y mask = 0700
nt a c l s u p p o r t = no
r e a d o n l y = no

The reason for this bug is that the Windows 200x SP2 client copies the
security descriptor for the profile that contains the Samba server’s SID, and
not the domain SID. The client compares the SID for SAMBA\user and
realizes it is different from the one assigned to DOMAIN\user; hence, access
denied message.
Section 41.6. Windows NT 3.1 733

When the nt acl support parameter is disabled, Samba will send the Win-
dows 200x client a response to the QuerySecurityDescriptor trans2 call,
which causes the client to set a default ACL for the profile. This default
ACL includes:
DOMAIN\user “Full Control”>

Note

This bug does not occur when using Winbind to create

accounts on the Samba host for Domain users.

41.6 Windows NT 3.1

If you have problems communicating across routers with Windows NT 3.1

workstations, read this Microsoft Knowledge Base article:9 .

9
<http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;Q103765>
Chapter 42

SAMBA PERFORMANCE
TUNING

42.1 Comparisons

The Samba server uses TCP to talk to the client, so if you are trying to see
if it performs well, you should really compare it to programs that use the
same protocol. The most readily available programs for file transfer that
use TCP are ftp or another TCP-based SMB server.
If you want to test against something like an NT or Windows for Workgroups
server, then you will have to disable all but TCP on either the client or
server. Otherwise, you may well be using a totally different protocol (such
as NetBEUI) and comparisons may not be valid.
Generally, you should find that Samba performs similarly to ftp at raw
transfer speed. It should perform quite a bit faster than NFS, although this
depends on your system.
Several people have done comparisons between Samba and Novell, NFS, or
Windows NT. In some cases Samba performed the best, in others the worst.
I suspect the biggest factor is not Samba versus some other system, but the
hardware and drivers used on the various systems. Given similar hardware,
Samba should certainly be competitive in speed with other systems.

42.2 Socket Options

There are a number of socket options that can greatly affect the performance
of a TCP-based server like Samba.

734
Section 42.3. Read Size 735

The socket options that Samba uses are settable both on the command line
with the -O option and in the smb.conf file.

The socket options section of the smb.conf manual page describes how to
set these and gives recommendations.

Getting the socket options correct can make a big difference to your perfor-
mance, but getting them wrong can degrade it by just as much. The correct
settings are very dependent on your local network.

The socket option TCP NODELAY is the one that seems to make the
biggest single difference for most networks. Many people report that adding
socket options = TCP NODELAY doubles the read performance of a Samba
drive. The best explanation I have seen for this is that the Microsoft TCP/IP
stack is slow in sending TCP ACKs.

There have been reports that setting socket options = SO RCVBUF=8192

in smb.conf can seriously degrade Samba performance on the loopback adap-
tor (IP Address 127.0.0.1). It is strongly recommended that before speci-
fying any settings for socket options, the effect first be quantitatively
measured on the server being configured.

42.3 Read Size

The option read size affects the overlap of disk reads/writes with network
reads/writes. If the amount of data being transferred in several of the SMB
commands (currently SMBwrite, SMBwriteX, and SMBreadbraw) is larger
than this value, then the server begins writing the data before it has received
the whole packet from the network, or in the case of SMBreadbraw, it begins
writing to the network before all the data has been read from disk.

This overlapping works best when the speeds of disk and network access are
similar, having little effect when the speed of one is much greater than the
other.

The default value is 16384, but little experimentation has been done as yet
to determine the optimal value, and it is likely that the best value will vary
greatly between systems anyway. A value over 65536 is pointless and will
cause you to allocate memory unnecessarily.
736 Samba Performance Tuning Chapter 42

42.4 Max Xmit

At startup the client and server negotiate a maximum transmit size, which
limits the size of nearly all SMB commands. You can set the maximum size
that Samba will negotiate using the max xmit option in smb.conf. Note
that this is the maximum size of SMB requests that Samba will accept,
but not the maximum size that the client will accept. The client maximum
receive size is sent to Samba by the client, and Samba honors this limit.
It defaults to 65536 bytes (the maximum), but it is possible that some clients
may perform better with a smaller transmit unit. Trying values of less than
2048 is likely to cause severe problems. In most cases the default is the best
option.

42.5 Log Level

If you set the log level (also known as debug level ) higher than 2, then you
may suffer a large drop in performance. This is because the server flushes
the log file after each operation, which can be quite expensive.

42.6 Read Raw

The read raw operation is designed to be an optimized, low-latency file read

operation. A server may choose to not support it, however, and Samba
makes support for read raw optional, with it being enabled by default.
In some cases clients do not handle read raw very well and actually get lower
performance using it than they get using the conventional read operations,
so you might like to try read raw = no and see what happens on your
network. It might lower, raise, or not affect your performance. Only testing
can really tell.

42.7 Write Raw

The write raw operation is designed to be an optimized, low-latency file

write operation. A server may choose to not support it, however, and Samba
makes support for write raw optional, with it being enabled by default.
Section 42.8. Slow Logins 737

Some machines may find write raw slower than normal write, in which case
you may wish to change this option.

42.8 Slow Logins

Slow logins are almost always due to the password checking time. Using the
lowest practical password level will improve things.

42.9 Client Tuning

Often a speed problem can be traced to the client. The client (for example
Windows for Workgroups) can often be tuned for better TCP performance.
Check the sections on the various clients in Chapter 41, “Samba and Other
CIFS Clients”.

42.10 Samba Performance Problem Due to Changing Linux

Kernel

A user wrote the following to the mailing list:

I am running Gentoo on my server and Samba 2.2.8a. Recently I changed

kernel version from linux-2.4.19-gentoo-r10 to linux-2.4.20-wolk4.
0s. And now I have a performance issue with Samba. Many of you will
probably say, “Move to vanilla sources!” Well, I tried that and it didn’t
work. I have a 100MB LAN and two computers (Linux and Windows 2000).
The Linux server shares directories with DivX files, the client (Windows
2000) plays them via LAN. Before, when I was running the 2.4.19 kernel,
everything was fine, but now movies freeze and stop. I tried moving files
between the server and Windows, and it is terribly slow. (John, should this
be set off as an extract???????)

The answer he was given is:

Grab the mii-tool and check the duplex settings on the NIC. My guess is
that it is a link layer issue, not an application layer problem. Also run
ifconfig and verify that the framing error, collisions, and so on, look normal
for ethernet. (John, should this be set off as an extract???????)
738 Samba Performance Tuning Chapter 42

42.11 Corrupt tdb Files

Our Samba PDC server has been hosting three TB of data to our 500+ users
[Windows NT/XP] for the last three years using Samba without a problem.
Today all shares went very slow. Also, the main smbd kept spawning new
processes, so we had 1600+ running SMDB’s (normally we average 250). It
crashed the SUN E3500 cluster twice. After a lot of searching, I decided to
rm /var/locks/*.tdb. Happy again.
Question: Is there any method of keeping the *.tdb files in top condition,
or how can I detect early corruption?
Answer: Yes, run tdbbackup each time after stopping nmbd and before
starting nmbd.
Question: What I also would like to mention is that the service latency
seems a lot lower than before the locks cleanup. Any ideas on keeping it top
notch?
Answer: Yes. Same answer as for previous question!

42.12 Samba Performance is Very Slow

A site reported experiencing very baffling symptoms with MYOB Premier

opening and accessing its data files. Some operations on the file would take
between 40 and 45 seconds.
It turned out that the printer monitor program running on the Windows
clients was causing the problems. From the logs, we saw activity coming
through with pauses of about 1 second.
Stopping the monitor software resulted in the networks access at normal
(quick) speed. Restarting the program caused the speed to slow down again.
The printer was a Canon LBP-810 and the relevant task was something like
CAPON (not sure on spelling). The monitor software displayed a ”printing
now” dialog on the client during printing.
We discovered this by starting with a clean install of Windows and trying
the application at every step of the installation of other software process (we
had to do this many times).
Moral of the story: Check everything (other software included)! [xi:include]
[/xi:include]
Appendix A

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC

LICENSE

A.1 Preamble

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to
share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is in-
tended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software - to
make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public Li-
cense applies to most of the Free Software Foundation’s software and to any
other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software
Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License
instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price.
Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the
freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if
you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you
can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that
you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to
deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions
translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the
software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or
for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must
make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must
show them these terms so they know their rights.

739
740 GNU General Public License Appendix A

We protect your rights with two steps:

1. copyright the software, and
2. offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy, dis-
tribute and/or modify the software.
Also, for each author’s protection and ours, we want to make certain that
everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the
software is modified by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients
to know that what they have is not the original, so that any problems
introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors’ reputations.
Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We
wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individ-
ually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To
prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for
everyone’s free use or not licensed at all.
The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification
follow.

A.2 TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRI-

BUTION AND MODIFICATION

A.2.1 Section 0

This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice
placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms
of this General Public License. The ”Program”, below, refers to any such
program or work, and a “work based on the Program” means either the
Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work
containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifi-
cations and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation
is included without limitation in the term “modification”.) Each licensee is
addressed as “you”.
Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered
by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program
is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its
contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having
Section A.2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND
MODIFICATION 741

been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on

what the Program does.

A.2.2 Section 1

You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program’s source code
as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appro-
priately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer
of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the
absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a
copy of this License along with the Program.

You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you
may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.

A.2.3 Section 2

You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it,
thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such
modifications or work under the terms of Section A.2.2 above, provided that
you also meet all of these conditions:

1. You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating
that you changed the files and the date of any change.

2. You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole
or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof,
to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the
terms of this License.

3. If the modified program normally reads commands interactively when

run, you must cause it, when started running for such interactive use
in the most ordinary way, to print or display an announcement in-
cluding an appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there is no
warranty (or else, saying that you provide a warranty) and that users
may redistribute the program under these conditions, and telling the
user how to view a copy of this License.
742 GNU General Public License Appendix A

Exception:

If the Program itself is interactive but does not

normally print such an announcement, your work
based on the Program is not required to print an
announcement.)

These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable

sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be rea-
sonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this
License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute
them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part
of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the
whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other
licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part re-
gardless of who wrote it.
Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights
to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right
to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on the
Program.
In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program
with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of
a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the
scope of this License.

A.2.4 Section 3

You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under
Section A.2.3 in object code or executable form under the terms of Sec-
tion A.2.2 and Section A.2.3 above provided that you also do one of the
following:
1. Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source
code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2
above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
2. Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to
give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically
Section A.2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND
MODIFICATION 743

performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of

the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of
Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software
interchange; or,
3. Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to
distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only
for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program
in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with
Subsection b above.)
The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making
modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source code means
all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface
definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of
the executable. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed
need not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or
binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of
the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component
itself accompanies the executable.
If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to
copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the
source code from the same place counts as distribution of the source code,
even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source along with
the object code.

A.2.5 Section 4

You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except
as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy,
modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is void, and will automatically
terminate your rights under this License. However, parties who have received
copies, or rights, from you under this License will not have their licenses
terminated so long as such parties remain in full compliance.

A.2.6 Section 5

You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it.
However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or distribute the
744 GNU General Public License Appendix A

Program or its derivative works. These actions are prohibited by law if

you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the
Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate your accep-
tance of this License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying,
distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it.

A.2.7 Section 6

Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Pro-
gram), the recipient automatically receives a license from the original licen-
sor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to these terms and
conditions. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients’
exercise of the rights granted herein. You are not responsible for enforcing
compliance by third parties to this License.

A.2.8 Section 7

If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement

or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed
on you (whether by court order, agreement or otherwise) that contradict
the conditions of this License, they do not excuse you from the conditions
of this License. If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your
obligations under this License and any other pertinent obligations, then as
a consequence you may not distribute the Program at all. For example, if a
patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program
by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the
only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain
entirely from distribution of the Program.
If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under any
particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to apply and
the section as a whole is intended to apply in other circumstances.
It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any patents
or other property right claims or to contest validity of any such claims; this
section has the sole purpose of protecting the integrity of the free software
distribution system, which is implemented by public license practices. Many
people have made generous contributions to the wide range of software dis-
tributed through that system in reliance on consistent application of that
system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is willing to
Section A.2. TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND
MODIFICATION 745

distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot impose
that choice.

This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a

consequence of the rest of this License.

A.2.9 Section 8

If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries

either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder
who places the Program under this License may add an explicit geographi-
cal distribution limitation excluding those countries, so that distribution is
permitted only in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this
License incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this License.

A.2.10 Section 9

The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of
the General Public License from time to time. Such new versions will be
similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address
new problems or concerns.

Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program spec-

ifies a version number of this License which applies to it and ”any later
version”, you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of
that version or of any later version published by the Free Software Founda-
tion. If the Program does not specify a version number of this License, you
may choose any version ever published by the Free Software Foundation.

A.2.11 Section 10

If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free programs
whose distribution conditions are different, write to the author to ask for
permission. For software which is copyrighted by the Free Software Founda-
tion, write to the Free Software Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions
for this. Our decision will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free
status of all derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing
and reuse of software generally.
746 GNU General Public License Appendix A

A.2.12 NO WARRANTY Section 11

BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE

IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMIT-
TED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED
IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PAR-
TIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM ”AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF
ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABIL-
ITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE
RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PRO-
GRAM IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFEC-
TIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING,
REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

A.2.13 Section 12

IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED

TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER
PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PRO-
GRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAM-
AGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CON-
SEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY
TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS
OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES
SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE
PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN
IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

A.3 How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs

If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest possible
use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it free software
which everyone can redistribute and change under these terms.
To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest to attach
them to the start of each source file to most effectively convey the exclusion
Section A.3. How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs 747

of warranty; and each file should have at least the ”copyright” line and a
pointer to where the full notice is found.
<one line to give the program’s name and a brief idea of what it does.>
Copyright (C) <year> <name of author>
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free
Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option)
any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITH-
OUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MER-
CHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51
Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.
If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this when it
starts in an interactive mode:
Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year name of author Gnomovision
comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type ‘show w’.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain
conditions; type ‘show c’ for details.
The hypothetical commands ‘show w’ and ‘show c’ should show the appro-
priate parts of the General Public License. Of course, the commands you
use may be called something other than ‘show w’ and ‘show c’; they could
even be mouse-clicks or menu items–whatever suits your program.
You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
school, if any, to sign a ”copyright disclaimer” for the program, if necessary.
Here is a sample; alter the names:
Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program ‘Gnomo-
vision’ (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.
<signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1989 Ty Coon, President of Vice
This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program
into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may
748 GNU General Public License Appendix A

consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the

library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General Public
License instead of this License.
GLOSSARY

Access Control List ( ACL )

A detailed list of permissions granted to users or groups with respect
to file and network resource access. See Chapter 15, “File, Directory,
and Share Access Controls”, for details.
Active Directory Service ( ADS )
A service unique to Microsoft Windows 200x servers that provides
a centrally managed directory for management of user identities and
computer objects, as well as the permissions each user or computer
may be granted to access distributed network resources. ADS uses
Kerberos-based authentication and LDAP over Kerberos for directory
access.
Common Internet File System ( CIFS )
The new name for SMB. Microsoft renamed the SMB protocol to CIFS
during the Internet hype in the nineties. At about the time that the
SMB protocol was renamed to CIFS, an additional dialect of the SMB
protocol was in development. The need for the deployment of the
NetBIOS layer was also removed, thus paving the way for use of the
SMB protocol natively over TCP/IP (known as NetBIOS-less SMB or
“naked” TCP transport).
Common UNIX Printing System ( CUPS )
A recent implementation of a high capability printing system for UNIX
developed by <http://www.easysw.com/>. The design objective of
CUPS was to provide a rich print processing system that has built-in
intelligence capable of correctly rendering (processing) a file that is
submitted for printing even if it was formatted for an entirely different
printer.
Domain Master Browser ( DMB )
The domain master browser maintains a list of all the servers that have
announced their services within a given workgroup or NT domain. See

749
750 GLOSSARY

Section 9.4.1 for details.

Domain Name Service ( DNS )
A protocol by which computer hostnames may be resolved to the
matching IP address/es. DNS is implemented by the Berkeley Inter-
net Name Daemon. There exists a recent version of DNS that allows
dynamic name registration by network clients or by a DHCP server.
This recent protocol is known as dynamic DNS (DDNS).
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ( DHCP )
A protocol that was based on the BOOTP protocol that may be used to
dynamically assign an IP address, from a reserved pool of addresses, to
a network client or device. Additionally, DHCP may assign all network
configuration settings and may be used to register a computer name
and its address with a dynamic DNS server.
Extended Meta-file Format ( EMF )
An intermediate file format used by Microsoft
Windows-based servers and clients. EMF files may be rendered into a
page description language by a print processor.
Graphical Device Interface ( GDI )
Device-independent format for printing used by Microsoft Windows.
It is quite similar to what PostScript is for UNIX. Printing jobs are
first generated in GDI and then converted to a device-specific format.
See Section 21.4.1 for details.
Group IDentifier ( GID )
The UNIX system group identifier; on older systems, a 32-bit unsigned
integer, and on newer systems an unsigned 64-bit integer. The GID is
used in UNIX-like operating systems for all group-level access control.
Internet Print Protocol ( IPP )
An IETF standard for network printing. CUPS implements IPP.
Key Distribution Center ( KDC )
The Kerberos authentication protocol makes use of security keys (also
called a ticket) by which access to network resources is controlled. The
issuing of Kerberos tickets is effected by a KDC.
GLOSSARY 751

NetBIOS Extended User Interface ( NetBEUI )

Very simple network protocol invented by IBM and Microsoft. It is
used to do NetBIOS over Ethernet with low overhead. NetBEUI is a
nonroutable protocol.
Network Basic Input/Output System ( NetBIOS )
NetBIOS is a simple application programming interface (API) invented
in the 1980s that allows programs to send data to certain network
names. NetBIOS is always run over another network protocol such as
IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, or Logical Link Control (LLC). NetBIOS run over
LLC is best known as NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface —
a complete misnomer!).
NetBT ( NBT )
Protocol for transporting NetBIOS frames over TCP/IP. Uses ports
137, 138, and 139. NetBT is a fully routable protocol.
Local Master Browser ( LMB )
The local master browser maintains a list of all servers that have an-
nounced themselves within a given workgroup or NT domain on a
particular broadcast-isolated subnet. See Section 9.4.1 for details.
Printer Command Language ( PCL )
A printer page description language that was developed by Hewlett-
Packard and is in common use today.
Portable Document Format ( PDF )
A highly compressed document format, based on PostScript, used as
a document distribution format that is supported by Web browsers
as well as many applications. Adobe also distributes an application
called “Acrobat,” which is a PDF reader.
Page Description Language ( PDL )
A language for describing the layout and contents of a printed page.
The best-known PDLs are Adobe PostScript and Hewlett-Packard
PCL (Printer Control Language), both of which are used to control
laser printers.
PostScript Printer Description ( PPD )
752 Subject index Appendix A

PPDs specify and control options supported by PostScript printers,

such as duplexing, stapling, and DPI. See also Section 21.4.4. PPD
files can be read by printing applications to enable correct PostScript
page layout for a particular PostScript printer.
Server Message Block ( SMB )
SMB was the original name of the protocol ‘spoken’ by Samba. It
was invented in the 1980s by IBM and adopted and extended further
by Microsoft. Microsoft renamed the protocol to CIFS during the
Internet hype in the 1990s.
User IDentifier ( UID )
The UNIX system user identifier; on older systems a 32-bit unsigned
integer, and on newer systems, an unsigned 64-bit integer. The UID is
used in UNIX-like operating systems for all user-level access control.
Universal Naming Convention ( UNC )
A syntax for specifying the location of network resources (such as file
shares). The UNC syntax was developed in the early days of MS DOS
3.x and is used internally by the SMB protocol.
SUBJECT INDEX

”Printers” folder, 471, 479, 489 /etc/samba/smbpasswd, 190

.AppleDouble, 527 /etc/samba/smbusers, 241
.ai, 437 /etc/shadow, 115, 176
.eps, 437 /etc/smbpasswd, 190
.pdf, 437 /etc/ssl/certs/slapd.pem, 85
.ps, 437 /export, 115
.recycle, 526 /tmp, 297
/bin/false, 47, 282 /usr/lib/samba/vfs, 523
/dev/null, 282 /usr/local/samba/lib/vfs, 523
/dev/shadowvol, 530 /usr/local/samba/private/secrets.tdb,
/etc/cups/, 437 104
/etc/cups/mime.convs, 425, 426, 438, /usr/local/samba/var, 303
450 /usr/local/samba/var/locks, 162
/etc/cups/mime.types, 425, 426, 449, /var/run/samba, 162
450 /var/spool/cups/, 510
/etc/fstab, 531 /var/spool/samba, 117, 510
/etc/group, 45, 215, 218, 222, 266, $, 97
370 %PDF, 437
/etc/host.conf, 623 %SystemRoot%\System32\config,
/etc/hosts, 109, 152, 623 83
/etc/init.d/samba, 104 kerberos.REALM.NAME, 106
/etc/krb5.conf, 106, 110, 272, 276 kerberos. udp, 111
/etc/ldap.conf, 278, 281 ldap. tcp, 111
/etc/mime.conv, 119 ldap. tcp.pdc. msdcs.quenya.org, 88
/etc/mime.types, 119 \\SERVER, 166
/etc/nsswitch.conf, 267, 270, 274, >Domain User Manager, 348
280, 624 250-user limit, 192
/etc/openldap/slapd.conf, 30 3.0.11, 289
/etc/openldap/sldap.conf, 200 4,500 user accounts, 192
/etc/passwd, 44, 45, 47, 75, 96, 97, 8.3 file names, 294
100, 113, 115, 117, 176,
190, 194, 220, 266, 351 4294967295, 346
/etc/printcap, 420
/etc/samba/scripts, 238 abbreviated keystrokes, 121
/etc/samba/secrets.tdb, 104 aborting shutdown, 286
/etc/samba/smb.conf, 2 accept connections, 341

753
754 Subject Index

Access, 285 ACLs on shares, 292

access authentication, 184 across network segments, 147
Access Control, 131 Active Directory, 86, 105, 228, 265,
access control, 56, 59, 115, 302 274, 346
Access Control Entries, see ACE active directory, 41, 57, 58, 66, 70
340 AD4UNIX, 268
Access Control List, 291 ADAM, 275
access controls, 95, 184, 231, 292, add client machines, 284
298 add domain users and groups to a
access denied, 343 local group, 290
access rights, 95, 227, 347 add drivers, 370
account, 4, 56, 100 add group script, 224, 230
backend, 56, 62 add machine script, 77, 86, 98, 99,
database, 45 113, 132, 285
backends, 41 add printer command, 406
account access controls, 177 Add Printer Wizard, 359, 369, 377
account attributes, 269 add printer wizard, 427
account backends, 175 add share script, 252
account containers, 196 add user script, 183
Account Controls, 573 add/delete/change share, 286
account controls, 96 adddriver, 389, 391, 394, 395, 481,
account database, 190 491
account information, 82, 96, 194, additional driver, 399
239 additional privileges, 286
account information database, 183 addmem, 218
account management, 269 AddPrinterDriver(), 481
account migration, 178, 189 admin users, 301, 316
account name, 266, 282, 351 administrative actions, 284
account policies, 66 administrative duties, 227
account security, 189 administrative privileges, 217
account storage mechanisms, 175 administrative responsibilities, 347
account storage system, 175 administrative rights, 286, 289
Account Unknown, 217 administrative rights and privileges,
ACL, 201, 217, 286, 340, 377 289
ACLs, 291, 379 Administrator, 215, 219
File System, 296 Administrator account, 109
POSIX, 291, 293 administrator account, 100
share, 292 administrator password, 111
Windows, 293 Administrator%password, 103
ACLs on share, 303 Adobe, 428, 463, 498
Subject Index 755

Adobe driver, 472 application/postscript, 437, 438, 440,

Adobe driver files, 468 472
Adobe PostScript, 471, 505 application/vnd.cups-postscript, 440
Adobe PostScript driver, 479 application/vnd.cups-raster, 451
Adobe PPD, 494 application/vnd.cups-raw, 426
Adobe specifications, 447 application/x-shell, 439
ADS, 48, 60, 61, 64, 94, 95, 101, apt-get, 529
103, see Active Directory ARCFOUR-HMAC-MD5, 111
105, 106, 108–110, 142, 148, architecture, 184
168, 175, 177, 184, 200, ASCII, 438
227, 266, 267, 269, 275, ASCII text, 440
282, 346–348, 353, 377 assign rights, 284
ADS DC, 106 assigned RID, 216
ADS domain, 266, 272 associations, 212
ADS domain members, 264 attribute, 195
ADS manager, 109 audit file access, 524
ADS schema, 269 audit module, 525
Advanced TCP/IP configuration, auth methods, 206, 662
122 authenticate, 95, 102
authenticate users, 102
AFPL, 433
authenticated, 106
AFPL Ghostscript, 442
authentication, 41, 45, 58, 62, 71,
AFS, 648
104, 181, 184, 190, 227
AIX, 183, 369
backend, 101
algorithmic mapping, 269
authentication agents, 60
alias group, 218
authentication architecture, 61
allow access, 340 authentication database, 347
allow trusted domains, 273 authentication regime, 101
already exists, 112 authentication reply, 105
Amanda, 644 authentication server, 82
anonymous, 117 authentication system, 59
print server, 17 authenticatior, 62
read-write server, 16 authoritative, 169
anonymous access, 167 authoritive, 151
API, 191 auto-reconnect, 181
application servers, 95 autogen.sh, 714
application/cups.vnd-postscript, 472 autogenerated printcap, 374
application/octet-stream, 426, 439, automatic account creation, 98
449 automatic mapping, 267
application/pdf, 437, 438 automatic reconnects, 182
756 Subject Index

automatic redundancy, 156 broadcast messaging, 87

autopoweruser.sh, 238 Broadcast node, 162
autotyping, 437 broadcast request, 72
AUXILIARY, 194 broadcast traffic, 167
auxiliary members, 218 broadcast-based, 146
available, 118 broadcast-based name resolution,
available port, 411 102
available printerd, 370 broadcasts, 155, 168
available rights, 284 browsable, 363
average print run, 428 browse across subnet, 167
browse list, 67, 144, 151, 159, 165,
b-node, 145 168
backend database, 62, 96, 113 browse list handling, 142
backend format, 178 browse list maintainers, 151
backends, 511 browse list management, 75, 144
BackupPC, 643 browse lists, 156, 167, 170, 171
bad hardware, 173 browse resources, 167
Bad networking hardware, 173 browse server resources, 167
banner pages, 472, 473 browse shares, 343
barriers, 339 browse.dat, 166
Batch Oplock, 323 browseable, 363, 371, 373, 380
BDC, 45, 47, 61, 62, 80, 81, 83–86, browser election, 153
88–92, 102, 105, 177, 182, browser elections, 155, 156
183, 191, 227, 265, 269 BrowseShortNames, 519
between domains, 350 browsing, 71, 143, 156, 165
bias, 155 browsing across subnets, 142, 168
binary format TDB, 177 browsing another subnet, 166
bind interfaces only, 157 browsing intrinsics, 152
BIND9, 148 browsing problems, 163, 172, 173
block device, 297 BSD, 75, 97, 359
block incoming packets, 342 BSD Printing, 362
BOBS, 644 BSD-style printing, 367
bogus, 50 built-in commands, 375
bridge, 291 bypasses privilege, 285
bridges networks, 152 byte ranges, 321
brlock.tdb, see also TDB 491 byte-range lock, 321
broadcast, 87, 145 byte-range locking, 321, 322
broadcast address, 167
broadcast isolated subnet, 155 C:\WinNT\System32\config, 83
broadcast messages, 147 cached
Subject Index 757

password, 51 client-server mode, 187

cached encrypted password, 181 client-side caching, 323
cached in memory, 182 client-side data caching, 323, 326
cached local file, 322 clock skew, 108
caching, 322, 323 cmd, 173, 290
caching reads, 324 cmd shell, 290
caching writes, 324 CN, 85
called name, 341 collating, 156
cannot join domain, 132 color, 430
CAP LINUX IMMUTABLE, 298 COM1:, 411
capability to delete, 298 command-line, 226
case sensitive, 318, 581, 653 command-line utility, 284
case-insensitive, 43, 362 comment, 371, 372, 379
case-preserving, 43 commenting out setting, 365
central environment, 184 commercial Linux products, 291
centralized commit the settings, 125
authentication, 59 Common Internet Filesystem, see
centralized identity management, CIFS 42
59 Common UNIX Printing System,
cfdisk, 530 see CUPS 359
challenge/response mechanis, 181 compatible, 180
change capabilities, 188 compile, 2
change password, 111 compile-time options, 366
change passwords, 187 complexity, 115
changes password, 98 complicated, 168
character device, 297 Computer Account, 100
chattr, 298 computer account, 110
check for locks, 321 computer accounts, 175, 186, 283
check logs, 113 Computer Management, 302, 304
chmod, 118, 530 Computer Name, 128
chown, 118, 306 computer name, 131
chpass, 97 concurrent access, 322
CIFS, 111 Conectiva, 499
CIFS function calls, 283 config.cache, 110
classicalprinting, 459 CONFIG.POL, 73
clear-text, 52, 181, 200 Config.POL, 568
clear-text passwords, 179 configuration
client client instructions, 120 documentation, 5
Client for Microsoft Networks, 130 configuration syntax, 362
client use spnego, 113 configuration too complex, 119
758 Subject Index

configuration wizard, 128 CUPS, 359, 360, 367, 369, 370, 419,
configure, 714 420, 434
configuring a firewall, 342 Page Accounting, 504
confirm address, 341 quotas, 504
confirm the password, 352 CUPS API, 374
confirm the trust, 351 CUPS backends, 446
connection resources, 105 CUPS filtering, 435, 436
connections, 4 CUPS filtering chain, 444
connections.tdb, see also TDB 491 CUPS libarary API, 119
container, 109 CUPS PostScript, 471
Control Panel, 128 CUPS PostScript driver, 472
controls, 340 CUPS print filters, 119
convert CUPS raster, 436, 442
domain member server, 63 CUPS-PPD, 496
converted, 178 cups.hlp, 469
core files, 708 cupsaddsmb, 427, 464, 469, 473,
core graphic engine, 429 475, 477, 478, 483
corrupted file, 267 cupsd.conf, 374, 420, 448, 510
cupsomatic, 435, 436, 447, 451–
cosine.schema, 195
453, 494, 496
cracker, 341
custom scripts, 191
create, 295
customized print commands, 375
Create a Computer Account, 100
create a domain machine account, daemon, 3, 346, 719
101 data caching, 323
create domain member, 100 data corruption, 173, 325
create machine trust account, 104 data interchange, 291
create mask, 302, 309 data stream, 361
create partition, 530 database, 96
Create the Computer Account, 109 database backend, 177
create user accounts, 115 database backends, 178
create volume, 530 DatabaseFS, 532
credentials, 43, 59, 85, 108, 129, DDK, 463, 467
241, 283 DDNS, 148
credentials validation, 87 Debian, 529
critical aspects of configuration, 120 Debian Sarge, 529
cron, 89 debug, 708
cross-segment browsing, 146 debug level, 698, 736
cross-subnet browsing, 152, 161, 168 debuglevel, 706
csc policy, 318 dedicated print server, 359
Subject Index 759

default accounts, 67 DENY READ, 321

default aliases, 220 DENY WRITE, 321
default behavior, 264 deployment guidelines, 185
default case, 318 DES-CBC-CRC, 106
default devmode, 399 DES-CBC-MD5, 106, 110, 111
default DNS setup, 111 desirable solution, 289
default gateways, 122 desktop profile, 69, 82
default groups, 220 desktop profiles, 95, 250
default mappings, 231 deterents, 339
default print command, 374 devfsd package, 529
default print commands, 369 device mode, 397
default printer, 375 device-specific commands, 451
default printing, 419 DFS, 356, see MS-DFS, Distributed
default profile, 590, 600 File Systems 651
default users, 220 DFS junction, 356
defective hardware, 173 DFS links, 356
deferred open, 322 DFS root, 357
defined shares, 344 DFS server, 356
delegate administrative privileges, DFS tree, 356, 357
241 DFS-aware, 356
delegated, 219 DFS-aware clients, 357
delegation, 347 DHCP, 121, 122, 124, 126, 168,
delete, 295 621
delete a file, 298 DHCP servers, 184
delete printer command, 406 DHCP-enabled, 124
delete roaming profiles, 597 DHCP-enabled operation, 121
delete share script, 252 diagnostic, 279
deleted files, 526 diff, 709
delmem, 218 differently encrypted passwords, 178
demote, 62 direct internet access, 339
demoted, 84 directory, 86, 118, 269
denial of service, 341 directory access control, 217
deny, 342 directory access permissions, 291
deny access, 342 directory controls, 291
deny modes, 321 Directory Information Tree, see DIT
deny-none, 322 185
DENY ALL, 321 directory mask, 302
DENY DOS, 321 directory permissions, 291, 298
DENY FCB, 321 directory schema, 269
DENY NONE, 321 directory security mask, 309, 310
760 Subject Index

Directory Separators, 294 DNS servers, 184

directory server, 192 DNS zon, 106
disable LMB, 154 DNS/LDAP/ADS, 165
disable locking, 321 documentation, 187
disabling oplocks, 326 domain, 71
disk, 182 control, 42
disparate information systems, 59 role, 63
display charset, 634, 636, 683 controller, 41, 45, 54, 57
display PostScript, 430 convert, 63
displayName, 195 hierarchy, 62
distort, 430 controllers, 45
distributed, 56, 67 groups, 228
distributed account, 177 master
Distributed Computing Environment, browser, 67
see DCE 227 member, 42, 56
distributed directory, 101 server, 61, 81
distributed file system, see DFS member server, 57
356 security, 45
Distributed File Systems, 648 protocols, 56
distribution, 4, 104 trust account, 56
dithering algorithm, 447 domain access, 265
DMB, 67, 68, 74, 87, 151–156, 159, domain admin group, 212
163, 168–171 domain Administrator, 288
DMB for a workgroup, 165 Domain Admins, 215, 217, 219, 231,
DMC, 270 285
DMS, 46, 227, 270 Domain Admins group, 216
DN, 85 domain authentication, 227
DNS, 66, 87, 88, 106, 108, 121, domain control, 61, 75, 91, 94, 266
122, 124, 127, 142, 143, backup, 42
146–148, 151, 152, 168, 196, primary, 42
629 domain control database, see SAM
Active Directory, 148 82
Dynamic, 621 Domain Controller, 469
SRV records, 148 domain controller, 74, 81, 82, 86,
DNS Configuration, 174 87, 95, 283
DNS lookup, 107 domain controllers, 70, 102
DNS name resolution, 102 domain environment, 181
dns proxy, 144 domain global, 289
DNS server, 172 domain global group, 227, 289
DNS server settings, 122, 125 domain global groups, 217
Subject Index 761

domain global user, 289 domain user accounts, 228

domain global users, 217 Domain User Manager, 218, 220
domain group settings, 217 Domain Users, 218, 231
Domain Groups, 200 Domain Users group, 224
domain groups, 212, 220 domain-level, 104
Domain Guests, 231 domain-level security, 104
domain join, 272 domain-wide browse list, 156
domain joining, 128 DOMAIN<1B>, 74
domain logon, 69, 70, 84, 130 DOMAIN<1C>, 72, 74
domain logons, 67, 72, 165, 181 DOMAIN<1D>, 75
domain management tools, 98 dont descend, 318
domain master, 67, 70, 90, 144, dos charset, 634, 636, 641
155, 156, 165 dos filemode, 302
Domain Member, 268 dos filetime resolution, 318
joining, 46 dos filetimes, 318
domain member, 45, 65, 94, 95, draft, 447
100, 112, 128, 181, 215, Drive Identification, 294
227 driver, 363
Domain Member Client, see DMC driver CDROM, 385
270 driver download, 379
domain member client, 219 Driver File, 386
Domain Member Server, see DMS driver files, 385
270 Driver Path, 386
domain member server, 91, 101, duplex, 453
102, 148, 217, 266, 359 duplex printing, 454
domain member servers, 91, 183, duplicate, 85
217, 283 DVI, 438, 440
domain member workstations, 217 Dynamic DNS, see DDNS 148
domain members, 95, 155
domain membership, 65, 69, 94 e-Directory, 61, 101
domain name, 131 EAs, 296
domain radio button, 129 eDirectory, 184
domain security, 56, 84, 94, 101, editreg, 574
102, 104, 128, 181, 217, election, 74, 151, 154, 155
269, 347 election criteria, 151
domain security account, 96 election packet, 155
Domain Server Manager, 220 election process, 155
domain SID, 88, 250 EMF, 429, 457, 458
domain trust, 81, 348 enable privileges, 283
domain user, 131 enables clients to print, 362
762 Subject Index

enables NetBIOS over TCP/IP, 146 Everyone group, 377

encapsulating, 145 EVMS, 528
encoding, 111 examples, 4
encryped password, 68 examples/LDAP, 177
encrypt passwords, 102, 191, 612, execute, 297
655, 696, 697 existing LDAP DIT, 185
encrypted, 41, 51, 181 expands control abilities, 177
encrypted password, 182 explicit trust, 348
encrypted passwords, 51, 176, 178, explicitly set, 365
180–182, 205 exploitation, 341
encrypted session, 200 exposed, 342
encryption, 49 extd audit module, 525
encryption key, 100 Extended Attributes, 291
encryption types, 106, 111 extended attributes, 298
enforcing, 96 Extended BSD Printing, 367
enhanced browsing, 144 extended protocol, 163
Enhanced MetaFile, see EMF 429 extended SAM, 177
enterprise, 191
enumdrivers, 385, 481 failed join, 271, 275
EnumJobs(), 377 fails, 113
enumports command, 411 failure, 273
enumprinters, 481 fake oplocks, 318
environment variables, 376 fake permissions, 69
EPM, see ESP meta packager 466 fake perms, 526
Epson Stylus, 454 fdisk, 530
Epson Stylus inkjet, 500 Federated Identity Management, see
equivalence, 288 FIM 60
equivalent rights and privileges, 289 federated organizations, 60
error message, 273, 391 federated-identity, 60
errors that can afflict, 132 fickle, 142
ESC/P, 458 file access permissions, 291
ESP, 433 File Naming Conventions, 295
Ghostscript, 436, 437, 451 file ownership, 95
meta packager, 466 file serving, 359
Print Pro, 455, 468 File System, 293
ESP Ghostscript, 436 case sensitivity, 294
established, 351 feature comparison, 293
Ethernet adapters, 341 UNIX, 293
Event Viewer, 559 Windows, 293
Everyone - Full Control, 301 file system capabilities, 298
Subject Index 763

FILE:, 411 gateway address, 122

filemanager, 166 gdb, 708
filter, 438 GDI, 428, 429, 457, 458
Filter Oplock, 323 general security service application
FilterLimit, 448 programming interface, see
filters, 438 GSSAPI 60
FIM, 61, 184 generic PostScript, 437
firewall, 339, 341 generic raster, 442
firewall active, 342 generic raster format, 436
firewall setups, 342 genlogon.pl, 563
fixed IP address, 122, 124 getdriver, 385, 388
fixed IP addresses, 121 getdriverdir, 481
flush local locks, 322 getent, 230, 274
flush name cache, 172 getent group demo, 219
foomatic, 435, 436, 447, 452, 494, gethostbyname() function call, 164
496 getpwnam, 194, 266
Foomatic database, 500 GhostScript, see also PostScript 431,
Foomatic Printer, 447 432
Foomatic tutorial, 498 Ghostscript, 436, 451
foomatic-rip, 436, 447, 451, 494, ESP, see ESP GhostScript 433
497, 498 GID, 90, 97, 104, 111, 183, 213,
Foomatic/cupsomatic, 453 214, 227, 231, 264, 265,
force an election, 155 267–269
force create mode, 302, 309 GID numbers, 267
force directory mode, 302, 310 GID range, 346
force directory security mode, 302, GIF, 438
309 Gimp-Print, 443, 499
force election, 156 global print command, 375
force group, 300, 301 global right, 286
force security mode, 302, 309 global section, 368
force unknown acl user, 257 global-level, 361
force user, 300, 301, 316, 327 GNU Ghostscript, 436, 442
forced synchronization, 152 GNU/Linux, 523
foreign domain, 183, 219 GPG, 713
FreeBSD, 75 GPOs, 567, 570, 571, 573, 594
freezing, 530 grant rights, 284
frustrating experience, 186 graphical objects, 430
FTP, 182 graphically illustrated client con-
ftp, 713 figuration, 120
full rights, 217 grayscale, 447
764 Subject Index

greater scalability, 177 headers files, 110

greatest mistake, 119 Heimdal, 106–108, 272
group, 90, 186, 297 Heimdal kerberos, 272, 276
account, 67 hi-res photo, 447
mapping, 58 hide dot files, 318
group account, 219, 269 hide files, 318
group accounts, 131, 185, 213, 216, hide unreadable, 302
266 hide unwriteable files, 302
group management, 227, 228 high order ports, 342
group mapping, 212 high-availability, 324
group mappings, 213 higher availability, 356
group membership, 217 home directories, 177
group policies, 567 home directory, 97, 191
group policy, 69 home drive, 84
group policy objects, see GPOs 567 host msdfs, 356
group privileges, 215 host security, 339
group profiles, 590 host-based protection, 340
group SID, 250 hostname, 108
groupadd, 214, 222, 224 hosts allow, 340, 373
groupadd limitations, 222 hosts deny, 340, 373
groupdel, 214 house-keeping, 286
groupmap, 212 HOWTO documents, 185
groupmod, 214 HP JetDirect, 453
groups, 228 HP Photosmart, 500
domain, 216 HP-GL, 438
mapping, 212 HP-GL., 440
nested, 217 hpgltops, 439
groups of users, 241 HPIJS, 499
growing, 530 HPUX, 369
GSSAPI, 60 hybrid, 146
gtklp, 500 Hybrid node, 162
guest, 67, 116
guest account, 117, 118, 166, 167, IANA, 442
173, 371, 376 ID mapping, 91
guest ok, 301, 371–373, 380 ID range, 213
GUI, 419 IDEALX, 193
Identification, 131
h-node, 145, 146 identify, 273
harvesting password hashes, 201 identity, 265
hashed password equivalent, 179 identity information, 61
Subject Index 765

identity management, 59, 101 trust

centralized, 59 account, 57
IDMAP, 213, 264, 265, 267, 273 trustrs, 41
IDMAP backend, 184 interdomain connection, 352
idmap backend, 90, 91, 183, 267, interdomain trust, 350, 353
268 interdomain trust accounts, 175,
idmap gid, 183, 213, 267, 268, 273, 185
557, 618 Interdomain Trusts, 346
IDMAP infrastructure, 264 Completing, 349
idmap uid, 183, 213, 267, 268, 273, creating, 348
557, 618 Facilities, 349
idmap ad, 184 interdomain trusts, 227, 347
idmap rid, 267, 273 interface, 121
IETF, 419 interface-based exclusion, 340
ifconfig, 718 interfaces, 157, 167, 341, 694, 718
ignore connection, 341 intermediate information, 185
imagetoraster, 443 intermediate tools, 184
immutible, 298 Internet, 340, 341
impersonate, 200 Internet Engineering Task Force,
implementing oplocks, 327 see IETF 419
Implicit Classes, 519 Internet Printing Protocol, see IPP
important announcements, 344 419
Imprints, 412 Internet Protocol TCP/IP, 126
imprints, 427 interoperability, 41, 57, 60, 264,
independent, 115 291
individual domain user, 217 invalid shell, 47
individual section, 368 invalid users, 300, 301
inetd, 693, 717 IP address automatically, 121, 124
inetorgperson.schema, 195 IP aliases, 122
inf file, 385 IPC$, 72, 166, 167, 342, 343
infrastructure, 184 ipconfig, 148
inheritance, 298 iPlanet, 101
inherits rights, 215 IPP, 475
initdb.ldif, 31 IPP client, 517
initGroups.sh, 29, 223, 671 IPX, 163
inktype, 447 IRIX, 523
insecure, 114, 340 ISC DHCP server, 121, 126
inspire simplicity, 115 isolated workgroup, 152
install drivers, 359, 377
interdomain join, 271
766 Subject Index

join client, 286 directories, 184

join domain, 76 master, 85
join the ADS domain, 103 server, 85
join the domain, 101, 104 slave, 80, 85
join the machine, 100 ldap admin dn, 88, 112
joined client, 96 LDAP administration password, 88
Joined domain, 103 LDAP administrative password, 111
joining the domain, 103 LDAP backend, 115, 269
JPEG, 438 LDAP backends, 183
LDAP database, 90, 196
KB 129202, 338 LDAP deployment, 185
KB 224992, 338 LDAP directory, 184, 185, 192
KB 296264, 338 LDAP idmap Backend, 183
KB 811492, 338 ldap idmap suffix, 88, 111
KB 812937, 337 ldap passwd sync, 203
KDC, 105, 106, 108, 109 LDAP redirects, 268
KDEPrint, 419 ldap replication sleep, 86
Kerberos, 105, 108–111, 347 LDAP server, 268
/etc/krb5.conf, 106 ldap ssl, 200
kerberos, 57, 106, 272 ldap suffix, 88
Kerberos authentication, 111 LDAP-based, 183, 346
kinit, 106, 108–110 LDAP., 186
kprinter, 500 LDAPS, 200
KRB, 272 ldapsam, 67, 96, 175, 191–193, 220,
KRB5, 107 269
krb5.conf, 107 ldapsam compat, 176
LDAPv3, 200
LAN, 155 ldd, 420
LanMan, 58, 81, 96, 178, 376 LDIF, 198
LanMan logon service, 67 LDIF file, 196
LanMan passwords, 176 legacy systems, 59
LanManager, 43, 130 legal UNIX system account name,
LanManager-compatible, 159 113
large domain, 274 Level1 Oplock, 322
large organizations, 347 Level1 oplock, 323
latency, 326 Level2 Oplock, 323
LDAP, 56, 60–62, 85, 89, 92, 93, LGPL, 192
95, 101, 111, 175, 177, 179, libcups, 374, 420
183–187, 192–194, 198, 220, libcups.so, 420
264, 266–269, 346, 347, 377 libcups.so.2, 421
Subject Index 767

Liberty Alliance, 60 Local Area Connection Properties,

libnss winbind, 218 123
libnss wins.so, 624 local authentication, 115
libraries, 107 local authentication database, 115
libxml2, 205 local group, 289
limitations, 347 local groups, 217, 218, 266
linewidth, 430 Local Machine Trust Account, 92
Links local master, 144, 153, 155
hard, 295 Local Master Browser, 146, 154,
soft, 295 158
Linux, 183 local master browser, see LMB 151
Linux LVM, 530 local names, 146
Linux LVM partition, 530 local print driver, 379
LinuxKongress2002, 498 Local security policies, 516
local smbpasswd file, 115
Linuxprinting.org, 447, 493, 498
local spool area, 361
list of domain controllers, 102
local subnet, 155
listen for connections, 341
local system printing, 361
lm announce, 144
local UNIX groups, 227
lm interval, 144
local user, 265
LM/NT password hashes, 191, 200
local user account, 183
LMB, 67, see Local Master Browser
local users, 266
146, 151–156, 158, see Lo-
localhost, 341
cal Master Browser 158,
locally known UID, 231
159, 163, 165, 168, 169,
locate domain controller, 87
171
Lock caching, 322
LMHOSTS, 151, 627 lock password, 117
lmhosts, 159 locking, 320, 321
load balancing, 356 locking protocol, 320
load printers, 364, 365, 369 locking semantics, 320, 321
loaded modules, 523 locking.tdb, see also TDB 491
loading printer drivers, 372 lockout, 50
local log file, 525
groups, 228 log files
master monitoring, 690
browser, 67 log level, 113, 166, 273, 525, 706
local access permissions, 219 log.nmbd, 166
local accounts, 266 logging, 525
local administrative privileges, 217 logical directories, 356
Local Area Connection, 121 logical volume, 530
768 Subject Index

Logical Volume Manager, see LVM m-node, 145

528 MAC Addresses, 622
Login, 182 machine, 186
login name, 4 account, 45
login shells, 184 machine account, 56, 58, 62, 85,
LoginID, 266 191, 282
logon, 45 machine account password
logon authentication, 88 change protocol, 104
logon drive, 68, 584 machine accounts, 97, 186, 187, 282
logon home, 68, 201, 210, 579, 580, machine accounts database, 82
584, 587 machine authentication, 101
logon name, 241 machine SID, 250
logon path, 68, 208, 579, 580, 582– Machine Trust Account, 95–98, 100
584, 587 creation, 99
logon processing, 69 password, 97
logon requests, 81, 87, 92 UNIX account, 99
logon script, 68, 95, 208 machine trust account, 58, 64, 73,
logon server, 72 94, 100, 109, 112
create privilege, 100
lookups, 191
creation, 96
loopback interface, 341
password, 65, 95
lower-case, 43
Machine Trust Accounts, 92, 95
lp, 363, 519
creating, 96
lpadmin, 449, 456, 493, 504
machine trust accounts, 92, 98, 112,
LPD, 369
175, 185
lpinfo, 446 machine name, 97, 98
lppause command, 421, 459, 511 machine nickname, 97
lpq cache time, 370 macros, 375
lpq command, 370, 421, 511 mail, 184
lpresume command, 421, 511 make, 714
lprm command, 421, 511 man pages, 227
LPRNG, 369 man-in-the-middle, 282
lpstat, 491 manage drivers, 359
LPT1:, 411 manage groups, 241
Lustre, 648 manage printers, 241
lvcreate, 530 manage privileges, 283
LVM, 528, 530 manage share permissions, 303
LVM snapshots, 531 manage share-level ACL, 220
LVM volume, 530 manage shares, 241
lvm10 package, 529 manage users, 241
Subject Index 769

management bottleneck, 326 Microsoft driver, 463

management costs, 185 Microsoft management console, see
management overheads, 58 MMC 58
management procedures, 59 Microsoft Windows 9x/Me, 98
management tools, 187 middle-ware, 184
managing rights, 284 migrate, 40
mandatory profiles, 589 migrate accounts, 190
Mandrake, 499 MIME, 437–439, 450
Mandriva, 499 filters, 437
manual UNIX account creation, 96 raw, 19, 119, 426
manual WINS server entries, 122, MIME conversion rules, 436
125 MIME recognition, 436
manually configured, 127 MIME type, 426, 436, 440, 450
manually configured DNS settings, mime.types, 437
122 minimal
map, 100 configuration, 3
map to guest, 381, 406, 515, 516 minimal configuration, 3
mapped, 219, 227, 231 minimum security control, 114
mapping, 183, 231 misconfigurations, 5
mapping home directory, 344 misconfigured settings, 362
mapping printer driver, 395 misinformation, 94
mappings, 111 mission-critical, 324, 359
maps UNIX users and groups, 111 MIT, 106, 107, 272
master browser, 155 MIT kerberos, 272, 276
master browsers, 168 mixed mode, 48, 353
MasterAnnouncement, 170 mkdir, 118, 530
max log size, 526 mkfs.xfs, 530
max print jobs, 370 MMC, 58, 213, 268, 269, 302, 304
max xmit, 736 moderately secure, 339
maximum value, 346 modprobe, 530
mechanism, 102 module, 530, 531
media type, 447 modules, 523, 524
member, 64, 285 more than one protocol, 163
member machine, 217 mount, 44, 531
memory, 182 MS Windows 2000, 86
messages.tdb, see also TDB 491 MS Windows NT4/200x, 177
messaging systems, 184 MS Windows SID, 265
Meta node, 162 MS WINS, 143
meta-directory, 59 MS-DFS, 651
meta-service, 3 MS-RPC, 376, 377
770 Subject Index

MS-WINS replication, 146 nested groups, 217, 218

msdfs links, 357 net, 187, 212, 226–228, 290
msdfs root, 356 ads, 228
multiple backends, 190 join, 103, 109, 247, 272
multiple modules, 524 leave, 247
multiple network interfaces, 157 printer info, 261
multiple VFS, 524 printer publish, 261
multiple Windows workgroups or printer remove, 262
domains, 127 printer search, 262
multiple WINS servers, 146 status, 247
Multiuser databases, 326 testjoin, 245
mutually exclusive options, 145 getlocalsid, 251
My Network Places, 125, 167 groupmap, 29, 213, 215, 221,
MYSQL, 179 671
MySQL, 203 add, 231
MySQL-based SAM, 177 delete, 231
mysqlsam, 178 list, 221, 230
modify, 231
n security context, 151 localgroup, 290
name conflict, 372 rap, 228
name lookup, 62 session, 261
name lookups, 147, 151 rpc, 24, 46, 81, 228, 671
name registration, 87 getsid, 88, 251
name resolution, 144, 146, 152, 165, group, 218, 229
172 group add, 229
name resolution across routed net- group addmem, 234, 237, 238
works, 151 group delete, 232
name resolve order, 144, 164 group delmem, 235
name service switch, see NSS 44 group list, 229
name-to-address, 159 group members, 235
name type, 159, 164 group rename, 233
nameserv.h, 162 info, 262
native ACLs, 293 join, 47, 103, 246
native member, 63, 94 join bdc, 246
native mode, 48 join member, 246
nbtstat, 112, 627 list, 284
necessary rights, 285 printer migrate drivers, 260
negotiate, 181 printer migrate forms, 260
nested group, 217 printer migrate printers, 259
Nested Group Support, 290 printer migrate security, 260
Subject Index 771

printer migrate settings, 260 NetBIOS name, 74, 98, 103

right list accounts, 256 NetBIOS name cache, 112, 172
rights grant, 243, 285 NetBIOS name length, 159
rights list, 243 NetBIOS name resolution, 172
rights list accounts, 244 NetBIOS name type, 151
share add, 252 NetBIOS names, 164
share delete, 253 NetBIOS network interface, 163
share migrate, 255 NetBIOS networking, 142
share migrate all, 258 NetBIOS over TCP/IP, 142, 143,
share migrate files, 257 147, 165, 168
testjoin, 245 NetBIOS over TCP/IP disabled,
trustdom add, 248 174
trustdom establish, 249, 352 NetBIOS-less, 147
trustdom list, 248, 249 NetBIOSless SMB over TCP/IP,
trustdom revoke, 250 146
user add, 239 NETLOGON, 67, 69
user delete, 240, 247 Netlogon, 81
user info, 240
netlogon, 62
user password, 239
NetLogon service, 159
vampire, 254
netlogon share, 89
setlocalsid, 251
Netscape’s Directory Server, 193
time, 262
NetServerEnum2, 170
set, 263
NetUserGetInfo, 73
system, 263
NetWkstaUserLogon, 72
zone, 263
use, 110 network
net getlocalsid, 288 browsing, 57
net rpc user add, 286 logon, 67
net use, 407 service, 75, 81
net use lpt1:, 479 performance, 61
net view, 369 wide-area, 83
netatalk, 527 network access controls, 291
NetBIOS, 45, 57, 87, 90, 142, 143, network access profile, 82
145, 147, 148, 165, 620, network administrator, 291
625, 626 network administrator’s toolbox, 226
brooadcast, 66 network bandwidth, 156
name, 45 Network Basic Input/Output Sys-
NetBIOS broadcast, 103 tem, see NetBIOS 143
NetBIOS disabled, 143 Network Bridge, 121
NetBIOS flags, 162 Network Bridge Configuration, 121
772 Subject Index

network browsing problems, 156, non-member Windows client, 183

173 non-PostScript, 435, 451
network client, 120, 264 non-PostScript printers, 440, 500
network clients, 124 nonhierarchical, 347
network configuration problems, 121 nontransitive, 348
network difficulty, 120 normal color, 447
Network ID, 128 normal user, 241
network interface, 341 not domain member, 115
network logon, 72, 95, 130, 131 not domain members, 114
network logon services, 73 not part of domain, 161
network membership, 120 not stored anywhere, 182
Network Neighborhood, 143, 167, not transitive, 353
170, 171, 369, 393 Novell, 101
network neighborhood, 169 NSS, 115, 183, 186, 192, 194, 200,
network segment, 146, 151 218, 264, 266, 274
Network settings, 168 nss ldap, 90, 183, 187, 264, 268,
network sniffer, 182 280, 281
network traffic, 266 nsswitch.conf, 44
networking environment, 185 nt acl support, 302, 306–308, 732,
networking systems, 132 733
Networks Properties, 131 NT groups, 105, 220
new account, 351 NT migration scripts, 193
Nexus toolkit, 96 NT Server Manager, 303
Nexus.exe, 57, 98, 559 NT-controlled domain, 352
NFS, 111, 183, 648 NT-encrypted password, 96
NFS clients, 325 NT-encrypted passwords, 176
NIS, 45, 89, 194, 266 NT4, 265, 266
nmbd, 4, 5, 21, 26, 144–146, 166, NT4 Domain, 265
172, 271 NT4 domain, 266
nmblookup, 627 NT4 domain members, 264
No NetBIOS layer, 148 NT4 User Manager for Domains,
no network logon service, 115 284
no printcap file, 119 NT4-style, 353
nobody, 117 NT4-style domain, 346
nobody account, 376 NT4-style domains, 348
node-type, 145 NT STATUS UNSUCCESSFUL, 391
NoMachine.Com, 560 NTConfig.POL, 69, 95, 569, 572,
non-authoritative, 169, 170 574, 592
non-LDAP ntdrivers.tdb, 397, see also TDB
backend, 81 491
Subject Index 773

ntforms.tdb, 397, see also TDB 491 organizational directory, 109

NTFS, 293 organizational unit, 109
ntlm auth, 61 os level, 67, 144, 154–156
NTLMv2, 343 os2 driver map, 729
ntprinters.tdb, 397, see also TDB other, 297
491 output duplexing, 440
NTUser.DAT, 574 outside threat, 340
null shell, 97 own home directory, 344
ownership, 306
obey pam restrictions, 612, 613
ObjectClass, 194 p-node, 145
ObjectClasses, 194, 195 pacakge, 4
office server, 19 packages, 2
OID, 194 PADL, 184, 187, 268, 278
Omni, 498 PADL Software, 183
on the fly, 100 page description languages, see PDL
on-the-fly, 269 428
one direction, 347 page log, 506
one domain, 265 pager program, 362
one-way trust, 349 PAM, 115, 176, 184, 190, 192
only one WINS server, 160 pam ldap, 184
only user, 301, 345 parameters, 364
OpenGFS, 648 passdb, 92
OpenLDAP, 60, 61, 85, 101, 177, passdb backend, 19, 67, 96, 175,
193–195 179, 185, 187, 189, 190,
OpenLDAP backend, 176 192, 204, 205, 220, 266,
oplock break, 322–324, 327 269, 288, 346, 613, 655,
oplock break wait time, 327, 331 662
oplock contention limit, 327 passdb backends, 191
oplock mechanism, 327 passed across the network, 182
oplock parameters, 327 passwd, 117, 186–188
oplocks, 322–324 password, 82, 351, 352
oplocks disabled, 326 plaintext, 73
oplocks management, 326 password assigned, 349
Opportunistic locking, 323 password backend, 116
opportunistic locking, 320, 322 password backends, 175
ordinary connection, 352 password database, 89, 351
Organization for the Advancement password encryption, 190
of Structured Information password expiration, 191
Standards, see OASIS 60 password history, 58
774 Subject Index

password level, 52, 695, 730, 737 perimeter firewall, 339

password prompt, 182 Permanent name, 162
password scheme, 180 Permissions, 303
password server, 49, 50, 75, 102, permissions, 344, 345, 530
106, 697 file/directory ACLs, 305
password uniqueness, 58 share, 300
patch, 709 share ACLs, 301
path, 371–373, 379–381, 460, 510, UNIX file and directory, 292
519, 695 permissions and controls, 292
path specified, 113 PGP, 713
PBM, 438 phasing out NetBIOS, 145
PCL, 428, 429, 456, 458, 461 Photo-CD, 438
pdb2pdb, 178 physical locations, 356
pdb ldap, 93 pipe device, 297
pdb xml, 205 PJL, 461, 472, 505
pdbedit, 28, 178, 187, 189, 190, PJL-header, 505
205, 289, 662, 671, 674, plague network users, 121
675 plain-text
PDC, 45, 47, 61, 62, 74, 80, 81, 83– passwords, 51
85, 87–90, 92, 95, 98, 102– plaintext, 176
105, 113, 152, 154, 177, plaintext authentication, 176
182, 191, 201, 215, 227, plaintext password, 73, 92
265, 266, 269, 351, 352, plaintext passwords, 178, 180, 181,
477 205
PDF, 421, 429, 434, 438, 440, 454 PLP, 369
pdf, 439 PNG, 433, 438
PDF distilling, 434 PNM, 438
PDF filter, 119 point ’n’ print, 425, 473, 490
pdftops, 438, 454 Point’n’Print, 359, 377, 378, 390
pdftosocket, 454 point’n’print, 427, 447, 478
PDL, 428, 431, 433 policy files, 95
PDM, 326 policy settings, 189
peer domain, 350 port 135, 157
Peer node, 162 Port 135/TCP, 342
per-share access control, 301 port 137, 157
performance advantage, 320 Port 137/UDP, 342
performance enhancement, 322 port 138, 157
performance improvement, 326 Port 138/UDP, 342
performance-based, 192 port 139, 157
performed as root, 285 Port 139/TCP, 342
Subject Index 775

port 445, 157 queue, 3

Port 445/TCP, 342 spooler, 3
ports, 363 print accounting, 359
POSIX, 89, 186, 200, 230 print command, 369, 373–376, 421,
POSIX account, 239 459, 511
POSIX ACLs, 296, 298 print commands, 376
POSIX identity, 185 print configuration, 361, 363
POSIX user accounts, 346 print environment, 362
posixAccount, 194, 195 print filtering, 361
posixGroup, 195, 200 print job, 375, 376
PostgreSQL database, 178 print jobs, 370
PostScript, 421, 428, see also Ghostscript print processing, 361
428, 429–431, 433, 434, 438, print queue, 377, 390, 395, 444
440, 451, 453, 458, 461, print quota, 428
463, 465 print server, 117, 359
RIP, 431 print service, 359
PostScript driver, 389 print spooling system, 419
PostScript interpreter, 431 print statistics, 428
PostScript Printer Description, see print subsystem, 360, 373
PPD 431 print test page, 397
PostScript printers, 513 printable, 371–373
potential master browsers, 155 Printcap, 420
potential printer, 379 printcap, 369–371, 375, 420, 423,
Power Users, 289 425, 511
powerful, 61 printcap name, 119, 370
PPD, 389, 431, 433, 435, 438, 449, PrintcapFormat, 420
451, 461–463, 479, 505, 513 printer admin, 286, 370, 373, 381,
CUPS, see CUPS-PPD 496 384, 396, 398, 400, 402,
PPD-aware, 431 405, 422, 483, 518
PPDs, 434, 447, 498 printer default permissions, 377
PPP, 341 printer driver, 378, 379, 421
precedence, 155 printer driver data, 397
preferred master, 67, 144, 153, 155, printer driver file, 379
156, 697 printer driver files, 390
prefilter, 443 printer drivers, 377, 378, 498
prefilters, 440 printer icon, 393
preserve case, 581 printer management, 227
primary group, 97 printer management system, 419
Primary WINS Server, 161 printer migration, 227
print, 363 printer objects, 377
776 Subject Index

Printer Pooling, 411 propagate, 81

printer queue, 377 Properties, 125, 130
printer share, 370 protect directories, 298
printer shares, 363, 369 protect files, 298
printer$ share, 378 protection against attackers, 343
Printers, 369 protocol stack settings, 124
printers, 114 provisioned, 59
printers admin, 286 pstops, 440, 454, 505
Printers and Faxes, 393 pstoraster, 441, 442, 451, 453, 505
printers available, 143 public, 372
printers section, 371 publish printers, 377
printing, 369, 374, 376, 420, 421, publishing printers, 365
423, 425, 511 punching, 440
printing behavior, 361 pvcreate, 530
printing calls, 377
printing support, 359, 360 QNX, 369
printing system, 360 queue control, 369
printing systems, 184 queue resume command, 421
printing-related settings, 363 queuepause command, 421
printing.tdb, 397, see also TDB 491 quota controls, 184
PrintPro, see ESP Print Pro 455
private groups, 216 random machine account password,
private network, 339 104
private networks, 341 range, 239
private/MACHINE.SID, 88 range of hosts, 340
private/secrets.tdb, 88 RAP, 228
privilege, 219, 286 raster, 440, 500
privilege management, 219, 241 raster driver, 436
privilege model, 283 raster drivers, 441, 442
privileged accounts, 284 raster image processor, see RIP 431
privileges, 59, 100, 219, 220, 283, raster images, 430
286, 347, 377 rasterization, 441, 453
privileges assigned, 284 rastertoalps, 443
problematic print, 361 rastertobj, 443
Process data management, 326 rastertoepson, 443, 455
profile, 69, 73, 82, 177, 178 rastertoescp, 443
profile path, 84 rastertohp, 443
profiles, 73 rastertopcl, 443
promote, 62, 63 rastertoprinter, 443
promoted, 84 rastertosomething, 453
Subject Index 777

rastertoturboprint, 443 reference documents, 115

raw mode, 449 refusing connection, 341
raw print, 478 register driver files, 391
raw printers, 420 register NetBIOS names, 151
raw printing, 19, 119, 424, 426 registered, 159, 393
raw SMB, 57 registers, 154
raw SMB over TCP/IP, 148 registry, 62, 178, 320
rawprinter, 449 registry change, 181
read, 297 rejoin, 250
read list, 301 relationship password, 351
read only, 318, 372, 381, 526 Relative Identifier, see RID 220
server, 13 relative identifier, see RID 56, 191,
read raw, 736 see RID 191
read size, 735 reliability, 56
Read-ahead, 322 remote announce, 145, 146, 151,
read-only, 114, 115 158, 166, 167
read-only access, 269 remote browse sync, 145, 146, 152,
read-only files, 114 158, 167
read-write access, 379 remote domain, 348, 349, 351
realm, 48, 88, 106, 108, 109, 273, remote management, 226
276 Remote Procedure Call, see RPC
rebooted, 129, 153 227
rebooting server, 286 remote segment, 159
reconfiguration, 84 rename, 295
record locking, 321 render, 424
recycle, 526 rendering, 453
recycle bin, 523 repeated intervals, 147
recycle directory, 526 replicate, 89, 191
recycle:exclude, 527 replicated, 41, 56, 86, 89
recycle:exclude dir, 527 replication, 57, 85
recycle:keeptree, 526 browse lists, 167
recycle:maxsize, 527 SAM, 64, 81, 83, 89, 92
recycle:noversions, 527 WINS, 146, 160, 161
recycle:repository, 526 replication protocols, 160
recycle:touch, 526 repository, 266
recycle:versions, 526 resizing, 530
Red Hat Linux, 85, 99, 216 resolution, 447
redirect, 90 resolution of NetBIOS names, 142
redirector, 322 resolve NetBIOS names, 156
redundancy, 146 resource-based exclusion, 340
778 Subject Index

response, 274 setdriver, 471, 473, 476, 480,

restrict DNS, 164 484, 488
revoke privileges, 285 rsync, 89, 92, 183, 191, 713
RFC 1179, 369 runas, 400
RFC 2307, 184 rundll32, 399, 403, 490, 565
RFC 2307., 194
rfc2307bis, 280 SAM, 57, 62, 82–84, 92, 95, 176,
RFC2830, 85 183, 541
rich database backend, 177 delta file, 83
rich directory backend, 177 replication, 64, 83
RID, 56, 98, 216, 220, 267, 269, SAM backend, 183, 185
273, 289 LDAP, 80
RID 500, 289 ldapsam, 81, 177, 183, 192
RID base, 269 ldapsam compat, 176
right to join domain, 286 mysqlsam, 177, 203
rights, 59, 71, 110, 283 non-LDAP, 81
rights and privilege, 241 smbpasswd, 176, 191
rights and privileges, 219, 289 tdbsam, 81, 177, 191
rights assigned, 283, 284 xmlsam, 177, 205
RIP, 451 Samba 1.9.17, 160
Roaming Profile, 526 Samba account, 97
roaming profiles, 66, 580 Samba backend database, 113
rogue machine, 172 Samba daemons, 104
rogue user, 95 Samba private directory, 109
root, 100, 129, 283 Samba SAM, 183
root account, 283, 289 Samba SAM account, 113
root preexec, 670 Samba schema, 177
root user, 285 Samba security, 339
rotate, 430 Samba-2.2.x LDAP schema, 176
RPC, 104 Samba-PDC-LDAP-HOWTO, 193
rpc.lockd, 321 samba-to-samba trusts, 346
rpcclient, 226, 385, 395, 491 samba-vscan, 533
adddriver, 473, 476, 480, 481, samba.schema, 194, 195
483, 487 sambaHomeDrive, 201
enumdrivers, 480, 487 sambaHomePath, 201
enumports, 480 sambaLogonScript, 201
enumprinters, 480, 484, 488, SambaNTPassword, 200
489, 491 sambaProfilePath, 201
getdriver, 482, 485, 488 SambaSAMAccount, 89, 187, 192
getprinter, 482, 485, 488, 491 sambaSAMAccount, 200
Subject Index 779

sambaSamAccount, 186, 194, 195, security = user, 102

200, 201 security account, 227
samdb interface, 191 Security Account Manager, see SAM
scalability, 56, 80, 175, 191, 347 62, see SAM 82
scalable, 185 Security Assertion Markup Language,
scalable backend, 347 see SAML 60
scale, 430 security context, 101
scanner module, 523 security contexts, 348
schannel, 78 security credentials, 269, 348
schema, 280 security domain, 348
schema file, 177 security domains, 347, 348
script, 113 security flaw, 344
scripted control, 226 security hole, 342
scripts, 165, 186 security identifier, see SID 56, 250
SCSI, 650 security level, 49
SeAddUsersPrivilege, 243, 284, 286 security levels, 42
SeAssignPrimaryTokenPrivilege, 287 security mask, 302, 309, 310
SeAuditPrivilege, 287 Security Mode, 42
SeBackupPrivilege, 243, 287 security mode, 40, 74
SeChangeNotifyPrivilege, 287 security modes, 42
Seclib, 306 security name-space, 264
SeCreateGlobalPrivilege, 287 security policies, 345
SeCreatePagefilePrivilege, 287 security structure, 347
SeCreatePermanentPrivilege, 287 security vulnerability, 344
SeCreateTokenPrivilege, 287 security-aware, 450
secret, 179 SeDebugPrivilege, 287
secrets.tdb, 88, 111, 198, see also SeDiskOperatorPrivilege, 243, 284,
TDB 491 286
section name, 2 SeEnableDelegationPrivilege, 287
secure, 114 SeImpersonatePrivilege, 287
secure access, 60 SeIncreaseBasePriorityPrivilege, 287
secure authentication, 283 SeIncreaseQuotaPrivilege, 287
secure communications, 200 SeLoadDriverPrivilege, 287
secured networks, 339 SeLockMemoryPrivilege, 287
security, 42, 45, 49, 52, 53, 64– SeMachineAccountPrivilege, 243, 284,
66, 75, 102, 104–106, 339, 286, 287
473, 513, 662, 697, 730 SeManageVolumePrivilege, 287
controllers, 45 separate shares, 369
modes, 41 SePrintOperatorPrivilege, 243, 284,
settings, 5 286
780 Subject Index

SeProfileSingleProcessPrivilege, 287 SFU 3.5, 269

SeRemoteShutdownPrivilege, 243, SGI-RGB, 438
284, 286, 287 SGID, 297
SeRestorePrivilege, 243, 287 shadow, 186
Server Manager, 96, 98, 559 shadow copies, 529
Server Manager for Domains, 99 shadow password file, 104
Server Message Block, see SMB 42 shadow utilities, 214
Server Type, 41 shadow copy, 528, 530, 531
Domain Controller, 27 shadow copy module, 528
Domain Member, 23, 91, 94 share, 3, 291, 368
Stand-alone, 13 share access, 301
server type, 227 share management, 227
domain member, 46 Share Permissions, 304
Server Types, 265 share permissions, 303
server-mode, 53
share settings, 292
service name, 4
share-level, 42, 44, 356
service-level, 361, 369
share-level ACLs, 220
SeSecurityPrivilege, 287
share-mode, 114
SeShutdownPrivilege, 287
share-mode security, 74
session services, 57
share-mode server, 114
session setup, 43, 49
share info.tdb, 303, see also TDB
sessionid.tdb, see also TDB 491
491
SessionSetupAndX, 266
SeSyncAgentPrivilege, 287 shared secret, 95
SeSystemEnvironmentPrivilege, 287 shares, 143
SeSystemProfilePrivilege, 287 Sharing, 303
SeSystemtimePrivilege, 287 shell scripts, 373
set a password, 117 shift, 430
set group id, see SGID 297 short preserve case, 318, 581
set printer properties, 370 Shortcuts, 295
set user id, see SUID 297 shortcuts, 121
SeTakeOwnershipPrivilege, 243, 284, show add printer wizard, 369, 406
286, 287 SID, 56, 77, 88, 90, 105, 111, 179,
SeTcbPrivilege, 287 183, 186, 212, 214, 250,
setdriver, 481, 483 264, 265, 267–269, 273, 283,
SetPrinter(), 481 288, 588, 589, 670
setting up directories, 297 SID management, 227
SeUndockPrivilege, 287 SID-to-GID, 213
severely impaired, 148 signing, 78
SFU, 281 simple configuration, 4
Subject Index 781

Simple Object Access Protocol, see smbldap-tools, 193

SOAP 60 smbpasswd, 47, 67, 88, 89, 92, 96,
simple operation, 177 106, 111, 175, 176, 187–
simple print server, 117 192, 194, 198, 266, 351
simple printing, 362 smbpasswd plaintext database, 191
simplest SMBsessetupX, 72
configuration, 4 smbspool, 511, 512
simplicity, 114 smbstatus, 516
single DHCP server, 127 SMBtconX, 72
single repository, 175 smbusers, 341
Single Sign-On, 469 Snapshots, 529
single sign-on, see SSO 56, see SSO sniffer, 73
58, 94 socket options, 735
single-logon, 72 SOFTQ printing system, 369
slapadd, 198 Solaris, 183
slapd, 195 source code, 4
slapd.conf, 195, 201 space character, 224
slapd.pem, 85 special account, 282, 351
slappasswd, 198 special section, 379
slow browsing, 173 special sections, 368
smart printers, 420 specific restrictions, 301
SMB, 49, 113, 115, 143, 146, 165, Specify an IP address, 126
341, 377 spool, 363
SMB encryption, 182 directory, 3
SMB password, 188 spool files, 375
SMB password encryption, 179 spooled file, 361
SMB printers, 517 spooler., 3
SMB server, 182 spooling, 375, 424
SMB signing, 113 central, 424
SMB-based messaging, 145 peer-to-peer, 424
SMB/CIFS, 87, 113, 181 spooling path, 363
SMB/CIFS server, 190 spooling-only, 424
smbclient, 111, 388, 389, 693, 695 SPOOLSS, 376
smbd, 4, 5, 21, 26, 191, 194, 198, SQL backend, 203
266, 271, 286, 363, 365, SQUID, 61
525 SRV records, 106, 107, 148
smbgroupedit, 226 SrvMgr.exe, 98
smbgrpadd.sh, 222 srvmgr.exe, 99
smbHome, 201 SRVTOOLS.EXE, 98, 560
smbldap-groupadd, 230 SSH, 389
782 Subject Index

ssh, 89, 92, 191 synchronization, 62, 75, 159, 170

SSO, 58, 59, 94, 184 synchronize, 89, 108, 158, 169
stand-alone server, 265 synchronized, 89
standalone, 42, 64, 227, 266 syntax tolerates spelling errors, 362
standalone filter, 442 system access controls, 177
standalone server, 102, 114, 115, system administrator, 283
359 system groups, 231
standard confirmation, 348 system interface scripts, 283
stanza, 3 System Policy Editor, 568, 571
stapling, 440 system security, 219
StartDocPrinter, 377 SYSV, 369
starting samba
nmbd, 4, 21, 26 Take Ownership, 306
smbd, 4, 21, 26 take ownership, 286
winbindd, 4, 26, 535 tarball, 4
StartTLS, 200 TCP, 157
startup TCP port, 57
process, 4 TCP/IP, 121, 126, 143, 163
static WINS entries, 162 TCP/IP configuration, 122, 125
sticky bit, 297 TCP/IP configuration panel, 123
storage mechanism, 187 TCP/IP protocol configuration, 120
storage methods, 187 TCP/IP protocol settings, 121, 123
stphoto2.ppd, 454 TCP/IP protocol stack, 159
strict locking, 321 TCP/IP-only, 163
subnet mask, 122, 126 TDB, 177, 395, 491, 492
subnets, 146, 153 backing up, see tdbbackup 493
Subversion, 711 TDB database, 391
successful join, 110 TDB database files, 397
suffixes, 437 tdb files, 303
SUID, 297 tdbbackup, 493
Sun, 101 tdbdump, 303
SUN-Raster, 438 tdbsam, 67, 175, 178, 189, 191,
SVN 192, 220, 266
web, 712 tdbsam databases, 190
SVRTOOLS.EXE, 58 Telnet, 182
SWAT, 2 template homedir, 553
swat, 6 temporary location, 373
enable, 680 Testing Server Setup, 109
security, 682 testparm, 5, 117, 362–365, 367, 690
symbolic links, 357 text/plain, 439
Subject Index 783

texttops, 439 two-way trust, 348, 349

TIFF, 438
time difference, 108 UDP, 66, 145, 151, 156, 157, 167
time-to-live, see TTL 162 UDP unicast, 151
tool, 304 UID, 90, 96, 98, 104, 111, 179,
tools, 117, 186 183, 186, 187, 213, 227,
traditional printing, 375 231, 239, 264, 265, 267–
transformation, 438 269, 283
transitive, 348 uid, 195
transparent access, 95 UID numbers, 267
transport connection loss, 324 UID range, 346
transport layer security, see TLS unauthorized, 95
85 unauthorized access, 291
trigger, 65, 83 UNC notation, 386
trivial database, 177, see TDB 191 unexpected.tdb, see also TDB 491
troubleshoot, 364 unicast, 145
troubleshooting, 512 UNIX
trust, 56, 186 server, 41
account, 45 UNIX account, 96, 97, 99
trust account, 45, 353 unix charset, 634, 636, 640
interdomain, 57 UNIX Domain Socket, 297
machine, 58 UNIX file system access controls,
trust account password, 81 292
trust accounts, 186, 227 UNIX group, 231
trust established, 349 UNIX groups, 212
trust relationship, 348–350, 353 UNIX home directories, 344
trust relationships, 346–348 UNIX host system, 283
trusted, 169, 282 UNIX locking, 321
trusted domain, 219, 347, 349, 352 UNIX login ID, 96
trusted domain name, 351 UNIX printer, 369
trusted party, 351 UNIX printing, 360
trusting domain, 347, 349 UNIX system account, 113
trusting party, 351 UNIX system accounts, 283
trusts, 346, 347 UNIX user identifier, see UID 96
TTL, 162 UNIX users, 104
turn oplocks off, 327 UNIX-style encrypted passwords,
turnkey solution, 186 178
two-up, 453 UNIX-user database, 115
two-way UNIX/Linux group, 216
propagation, 81 UNIX/Linux user account, 239
784 Subject Index

unlink calls, 526 username map, 100, 239, 241

unlinked, 297 username-level, 52
unprivileged account names, 116 userPassword, 198
unsigned drivers, 516 users, 345
unsupported encryption, 110 UsrMgr.exe, 98
updates, 344
upload drivers, 359 valid username/password, 343
uploaded driver, 369 valid users, 300, 301, 695
uploaded drivers, 378 validate, 5
uploading, 378 validation, 58
upper-case, 43 vendor-provided drivers, 424
uppercase, 108, 113 verifiable, 169
uppercase character, 224 verify, 364
USB, 454 version control, 528
use client driver, 370, 425, 477 veto files, 318
user, 44, 186, 297, 696
VFS, 69, 524
user access management, 95
VFS module, 528
user account, 186, 191, 239
VFS modules, 523, 532
Adding/Deleting, 187
vfs objects, 523
user account database, 83
vgcreate, 530
User Accounts
vgdisplay, 530
Adding/Deleting, 189, 200
vipw, 75, 97
user accounts, 185, 266, 282
Virtual File System, see VFS 523
user and trust accounts, 175
virus scanner, 523
user attributes, 191
user database, 89, 190 Visual Studio, 463
user encoded, 250 volume group, 530
user logons, 282 vscan, 533
User Management, 189, 200
user management, 187, 227, 228 W32X86, 385, 386, 463, 469
User Manager, 351, 352, 559 W32X86/2, 435
user or group, 284 WAN, 155, 326
User Rights and Privileges, 288 WebClient, 173
user-level, 42, 43 Welcome, 129
User-level access control, 131 well known RID, 289
user-level security, 182 well-known RID, 220
user-mode security, 74 win election, 156
useradd, 97, 99 Win32 printing API, 377
username, 82, 301 WIN40, 386, 388, 469
username and password, 129 Winbind, 115
Subject Index 785

winbind, 104, 218, 266–268, 270, Windows NT4/200x/XP, 87, 220,

271, 346, 347 303
winbind separator, 548 Windows NT4/2kX/XPPro, 282
winbindd, 4, 5, 26, 90, 91, 186, Windows PPD, 495
213, 218, 239, 265, 266, Windows privilege model, 283
346, 535 Windows Registry, 95
Windows, 264 windows registry settings
Windows 2000, 106, 110, 142, 348 default profile locations, 593,
Windows 2000 Professional TCP/IP, 596
123 profile path, 582
Windows 2000 server, 353 roaming profiles, 580
Windows 2003, 108, 113 Windows Security Identifiers, see
Windows 200x/XP, 147, 360 SID 264
Windows 9x/Me, 130, 161, 163 Windows user, 282
Windows 9x/Me/XP Home, 95 Windows user accounts, 239
Windows client, 289 Windows workstation., 290
Windows client failover, 324 Windows XP Home, 181
Windows Explorer, 167, 386 Windows XP Home edition, 58, 70,
Windows group, 212, 216, 231, 282 130
Windows group account, 289 Windows XP Professional, 121, 360
Windows groups, 231 Windows XP Professional TCP/IP,
Windows Me TCP/IP, 126 123
Windows Millennium, 125 Windows XP TCP/IP, 121
Windows Millennium edition (Me) Windows95/98/ME, 393
TCP/IP, 125 WINS, 57, 62, 66, 87, 103, 116,
Windows network clients, 143 122, 124, 125, 127, 143,
Windows NT domain name, 131 145–147, 151, 154, 157, 159,
Windows NT PostScript driver, 513 160, 165, 167–169, 172, 630
Windows NT Server, 351 WINS Configuration, 174
Windows NT/2000/XP, 393 wins hook, 145
Windows NT/200x, 160, 161 WINS lookup, 103
Windows NT/200x/XP, 370 wins proxy, 144
Windows NT/200x/XP Professional, WINS replication, 161, 162
95, 128, 132 WINS Server, 145
Windows NT3.10, 81 WINS server, 151, 153, 156, 160,
Windows NT4, 303, 360 161, 166, 174
Windows NT4 domains, 349 wins server, 144, 160, 161
Windows NT4 Server, 350 WINS server address, 151
Windows NT4/200X, 186 WINS server settings, 127
Windows NT4/200x, 215 WINS servers, 159
786 Subject Index

WINS service, 160

WINS Support, 145
wins support, 145, 160, 161
wins.dat, 162
without Administrator account, 289
work-flow protocol, 59
workgroup, 50, 64, 71, 75, 102, 131,
152, 156, 166
membership, 64
workstations, 178
world-writable, 297
writable, 372, 373
write, 297
write access, 298
Write caching, 322
write changes, 269
write list, 301, 381
write permission, 109
write raw, 736, 737
writeable, 526
WYSIWYG, 429

X Window System, 429

XFS file system, 529
xfsprogs, 529
xinetd, see inetd 693, 718
XML format, 178
XML-based datasets, 500
xmlsam, 191
xpp, 500
Xprint, 429

yppasswd, 187, 188

zero-based broadcast, 157

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Samba3 Howto 1

Uploaded by

Samba3 Howto 1

Uploaded by

The Official Samba-3 HOWTO and

Jelmer R. Vernooij, John H. Terpstra, and Gerald (Jerry) Carter

27th June 2005

Chapter 1, “How to Install and Test SAMBA”

• Guenther Deschner <[email protected] > (LDAP updates)

Chapter 10, “Account Information Databases”

• John H. Terpstra <[email protected] >

• Shirish Kalele <[email protected] >

• Andrew Tridgell <[email protected] >

• TAKAHASHI Motonobu <[email protected] > (Japanese char-

• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >

• Jelmer R. Vernooij <[email protected] >

The following notation conventions are used throughout this book:

• TOSHARG is used as an abbreviation for the book, “The Official

LIST OF FIGURES xlv

LIST OF TABLES xlviii

PREFACE AND INTRODUCTION li

Part I General Installation liii

PREPARING SAMBA FOR CONFIGURATION 1

Chapter 1 HOW TO INSTALL AND TEST SAMBA 2

Chapter 2 FAST START: CURE FOR IMPATIENCE 11

Part II Server Configuration Basics 37

FIRST STEPS IN SERVER CONFIGURATION 39

Chapter 3 SERVER TYPES AND SECURITY MODES 40

Chapter 4 DOMAIN CONTROL 54

Chapter 5 BACKUP DOMAIN CONTROL 80

5.4.1 Machine Accounts Keep Expiring 92

Chapter 6 DOMAIN MEMBERSHIP 94

Chapter 7 STANDALONE SERVERS 114

7.3.2 Central Print Serving 117

Chapter 8 MS WINDOWS NETWORK CONFIGURATION

Part III Advanced Configuration 139

VALUABLE NUTS AND BOLTS INFORMATION 141

Chapter 9 NETWORK BROWSING 142

9.6 Helpful Hints 163

Chapter 10 ACCOUNT INFORMATION DATABASES 175

10.4.4.3 OpenLDAP Configuration 195

Chapter 11 GROUP MAPPING: MS WINDOWS AND UNIX212

Chapter 12 REMOTE AND LOCAL MANAGEMENT: THE

NET COMMAND 226

Chapter 13 IDENTITY MAPPING (IDMAP) 264

13.1.2 Domain Member Server or Domain Member Client 265

Chapter 14 USER RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES 282

Chapter 15 FILE, DIRECTORY, AND SHARE ACCESS CON-

15.4.1 Share Permissions Management 303

Chapter 16 FILE AND RECORD LOCKING 320

16.3.1 Example Configuration 329

Chapter 17 SECURING SAMBA 339

Chapter 18 INTERDOMAIN TRUST RELATIONSHIPS 346

18.6.1 Browsing of Trusted Domain Fails 353

Chapter 19 HOSTING A MICROSOFT DISTRIBUTED FILE

Chapter 20 CLASSICAL PRINTING SUPPORT 359

20.6.2.5 Running rpcclient with adddriver 391

Chapter 21 CUPS PRINTING SUPPORT 419

21.2.2 Simple smb.conf Settings for CUPS 421

21.5.19 Printing with Interface Scripts 456

21.11.2 Understanding the rpcclient man Page 481

21.19.1 Windows 9x/Me Client Can’t Install Driver 513

Chapter 22 STACKABLE VFS MODULES 523

22.3.3 fake perms 526

Chapter 23 WINBIND: USE OF DOMAIN ACCOUNTS 534

Chapter 24 ADVANCED NETWORK MANAGEMENT 559

24.1 Features and Benefits 559

Chapter 25 SYSTEM AND ACCOUNT POLICIES 567

Chapter 26 DESKTOP PROFILE MANAGEMENT 577

26.2.4 Sharing Profiles between Windows 9x/Me and NT4/200x/XP

Chapter 27 PAM-BASED DISTRIBUTED AUTHENTICATION601

Chapter 28 INTEGRATING MS WINDOWS NETWORKS WITH

Chapter 29 UNICODE/CHARSETS 633

Chapter 30 BACKUP TECHNIQUES 642

Chapter 31 HIGH AVAILABILITY 645

31.1 Features and Benefits 645

Chapter 32 HANDLING LARGE DIRECTORIES 652

Part IV Migration and Updating 653

Chapter 33 UPGRADING FROM SAMBA-2.X TO SAMBA-

Chapter 34 MIGRATION FROM NT4 PDC TO SAMBA-3