1 <samba:parameter name="password server"
4 advanced="1" wizard="1" developer="1"
6 xmlns:samba="http://www.samba.org/samba/DTD/samba-doc">
8 <para>By specifying the name of a domain controller with this option,
9 and using <command moreinfo="none">security = [ads|domain]</command>
10 it is possible to get Samba
11 to do all its username/password validation using a specific remote server.</para>
13 <para>Ideally, this option
14 <emphasis>should not</emphasis> be used, as the default '*' indicates to Samba
15 to determine the best DC to contact dynamically, just as all other hosts in an
16 AD domain do. This allows the domain to be maintained (addition
17 and removal of domain controllers) without modification to
18 the smb.conf file. The cryptographic protection on the authenticated RPC calls
19 used to verify passwords ensures that this default is safe.</para>
21 <para><emphasis>It is strongly recommended that you use the
22 default of '*'</emphasis>, however if in your particular
23 environment you have reason to specify a particular DC list, then
24 the list of machines in this option must be a list of names or IP
25 addresses of Domain controllers for the Domain. If you use the
26 default of '*', or list several hosts in the <parameter
27 moreinfo="none">password server</parameter> option then <command
28 moreinfo="none">smbd </command> will try each in turn till it
29 finds one that responds. This is useful in case your primary
30 server goes down.</para>
32 <para>If the list of servers contains both names/IP's and the '*'
33 character, the list is treated as a list of preferred
34 domain controllers, but an auto lookup of all remaining DC's
35 will be added to the list as well. Samba will not attempt to optimize
36 this list by locating the closest DC.</para>
38 <para>If parameter is a name, it is looked up using the
39 parameter <smbconfoption name="name resolve order"/> and so may resolved
40 by any method and order described in that parameter.</para>
44 <related>security</related>
45 <value type="default">*</value>
46 <value type="example">NT-PDC, NT-BDC1, NT-BDC2, *</value>
47 <value type="example">windc.mydomain.com:389 192.168.1.101 *</value>