docs/htmldocs/msdfs_setup.html

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   4 >Hosting a Microsoft Distributed File System tree on Samba</TITLE
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  15 ><DIV
  16 CLASS="ARTICLE"
  17 ><DIV
  18 CLASS="TITLEPAGE"
  19 ><H1
  20 CLASS="TITLE"
  21 ><A
  22 NAME="MSDFS"
  23 >Hosting a Microsoft Distributed File System tree on Samba</A
  24 ></H1
  25 ><HR></DIV
  26 ><DIV
  27 CLASS="SECT1"
  28 ><H1
  29 CLASS="SECT1"
  30 ><A
  31 NAME="AEN3"
  32 >Instructions</A
  33 ></H1
  34 ><P
  35 >The Distributed File System (or Dfs) provides a means of
  36         separating the logical view of files and directories that users
  37         see from the actual physical locations of these resources on the
  38         network. It allows for higher availability, smoother storage expansion,
  39         load balancing etc. For more information about Dfs, refer to  <A
  40 HREF="http://www.microsoft.com/NTServer/nts/downloads/winfeatures/NTSDistrFile/AdminGuide.asp"
  41 TARGET="_top"
  42 >       Microsoft documentation</A
  43 >. </P
  44 ><P
  45 >This document explains how to host a Dfs tree on a Unix
  46         machine (for Dfs-aware clients to browse) using Samba.</P
  47 ><P
  48 >To enable SMB-based DFS for Samba, configure it with the
  49         <TT
  50 CLASS="PARAMETER"
  51 ><I
  52 >--with-msdfs</I
  53 ></TT
  54 > option. Once built, a
  55         Samba server can be made a Dfs server by setting the global
  56         boolean <A
  57 HREF="smb.conf.5.html#HOSTMSDFS"
  58 TARGET="_top"
  59 ><TT
  60 CLASS="PARAMETER"
  61 ><I
  62 >       host msdfs</I
  63 ></TT
  64 ></A
  65 > parameter in the <TT
  66 CLASS="FILENAME"
  67 >smb.conf
  68         </TT
  69 > file. You designate a share as a Dfs root using the share
  70         level boolean <A
  71 HREF="smb.conf.5.html#MSDFSROOT"
  72 TARGET="_top"
  73 ><TT
  74 CLASS="PARAMETER"
  75 ><I
  76 >       msdfs root</I
  77 ></TT
  78 ></A
  79 > parameter. A Dfs root directory on
  80         Samba hosts Dfs links in the form of symbolic links that point
  81         to other servers. For example, a symbolic link
  82         <TT
  83 CLASS="FILENAME"
  84 >junction-&gt;msdfs:storage1\share1</TT
  85 > in
  86         the share directory acts as the Dfs junction. When Dfs-aware
  87         clients attempt to access the junction link, they are redirected
  88         to the storage location (in this case, \\storage1\share1).</P
  89 ><P
  90 >Dfs trees on Samba work with all Dfs-aware clients ranging
  91         from Windows 95 to 2000.</P
  92 ><P
  93 >Here's an example of setting up a Dfs tree on a Samba
  94         server.</P
  95 ><P
  96 ><PRE
  97 CLASS="PROGRAMLISTING"
  98 ># The smb.conf file:
  99 [global]
 100         netbios name = SAMBA
 101         host msdfs   = yes
 102
 103 [dfs]
 104         path = /export/dfsroot
 105         msdfs root = yes
 106         </PRE
 107 ></P
 108 ><P
 109 >In the /export/dfsroot directory we set up our dfs links to
 110         other servers on the network.</P
 111 ><P
 112 ><TT
 113 CLASS="PROMPT"
 114 >root# </TT
 115 ><TT
 116 CLASS="USERINPUT"
 117 ><B
 118 >cd /export/dfsroot</B
 119 ></TT
 120 ></P
 121 ><P
 122 ><TT
 123 CLASS="PROMPT"
 124 >root# </TT
 125 ><TT
 126 CLASS="USERINPUT"
 127 ><B
 128 >chown root /export/dfsroot</B
 129 ></TT
 130 ></P
 131 ><P
 132 ><TT
 133 CLASS="PROMPT"
 134 >root# </TT
 135 ><TT
 136 CLASS="USERINPUT"
 137 ><B
 138 >chmod 755 /export/dfsroot</B
 139 ></TT
 140 ></P
 141 ><P
 142 ><TT
 143 CLASS="PROMPT"
 144 >root# </TT
 145 ><TT
 146 CLASS="USERINPUT"
 147 ><B
 148 >ln -s msdfs:storageA\\shareA linka</B
 149 ></TT
 150 ></P
 151 ><P
 152 ><TT
 153 CLASS="PROMPT"
 154 >root# </TT
 155 ><TT
 156 CLASS="USERINPUT"
 157 ><B
 158 >ln -s msdfs:serverB\\share,serverC\\share linkb</B
 159 ></TT
 160 ></P
 161 ><P
 162 >You should set up the permissions and ownership of
 163         the directory acting as the Dfs root such that only designated
 164         users can create, delete or modify the msdfs links. Also note
 165         that symlink names should be all lowercase. This limitation exists
 166         to have Samba avoid trying all the case combinations to get at
 167         the link name. Finally set up the symbolic links to point to the
 168         network shares you want, and start Samba.</P
 169 ><P
 170 >Users on Dfs-aware clients can now browse the Dfs tree
 171         on the Samba server at \\samba\dfs. Accessing
 172         links linka or linkb (which appear as directories to the client)
 173         takes users directly to the appropriate shares on the network.</P
 174 ><DIV
 175 CLASS="SECT2"
 176 ><HR><H2
 177 CLASS="SECT2"
 178 ><A
 179 NAME="AEN38"
 180 >Notes</A
 181 ></H2
 182 ><P
 183 ></P
 184 ><UL
 185 ><LI
 186 ><P
 187 >Windows clients need to be rebooted
 188                         if a previously mounted non-dfs share is made a dfs
 189                         root or vice versa. A better way is to introduce a
 190                         new share and make it the dfs root.</P
 191 ></LI
 192 ><LI
 193 ><P
 194 >Currently there's a restriction that msdfs
 195                         symlink names should all be lowercase.</P
 196 ></LI
 197 ><LI
 198 ><P
 199 >For security purposes, the directory
 200                         acting as the root of the Dfs tree should have ownership
 201                         and permissions set so that only designated users can
 202                         modify the symbolic links in the directory.</P
 203 ></LI
 204 ></UL
 205 ></DIV
 206 ></DIV
 207 ></DIV
 208 ></BODY
 209 ></HTML
 210 >