1 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
2 <!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//Samba-Team//DTD DocBook V4.2-Based Variant V1.0//EN" "http://www.samba.org/samba/DTD/samba-doc">
3 <chapter id="samba-bdc">
8 <author>&person.gd;<contrib>LDAP updates</contrib></author>
11 <title>Backup Domain Control</title>
14 Before you continue reading this section, please make sure that you are comfortable
15 with configuring a Samba domain controller as described in <link linkend="samba-pdc">Domain Control</link>.
19 <title>Features and Benefits</title>
22 This is one of the most difficult chapters to summarize. It does not matter what we say here, for someone will
23 still draw conclusions and/or approach the Samba Team with expectations that are either not yet capable of
24 being delivered or that can be achieved far more effectively using a totally different approach. In the event
25 that you should have a persistent concern that is not addressed in this book, please email <ulink
26 url="mailto:jht@samba.org">John H. Terpstra</ulink> clearly setting out your requirements and/or question, and
27 we will do our best to provide a solution.
31 <indexterm><primary>SAM backend</primary><secondary>LDAP</secondary></indexterm>
32 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
33 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
34 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary><secondary>slave</secondary></indexterm>
35 <indexterm><primary>scalability</primary></indexterm>
36 Samba-3 can act as a Backup Domain Controller (BDC) to another Samba Primary Domain Controller (PDC). A
37 Samba-3 PDC can operate with an LDAP account backend. The LDAP backend can be either a common master LDAP
38 server or a slave server. The use of a slave LDAP server has the benefit that when the master is down, clients
39 may still be able to log onto the network. This effectively gives Samba a high degree of scalability and is
40 an effective solution for large organizations. If you use an LDAP slave server for a PDC, you will need to
41 ensure the master's continued availability &smbmdash; if the slave finds its master down at the wrong time,
42 you will have stability and operational problems.
46 <indexterm><primary>two-way</primary><secondary>propagation</secondary></indexterm>
47 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary><secondary>SAM</secondary></indexterm>
48 <indexterm><primary>non-LDAP</primary><secondary>backend</secondary></indexterm>
49 <indexterm><primary>propagate</primary></indexterm>
50 While it is possible to run a Samba-3 BDC with a non-LDAP backend, that backend must allow some form of
51 "two-way" propagation of changes from the BDC to the master. At this time only LDAP delivers the capability
52 to propagate identity database changes from the BDC to the PDC. The BDC can use a slave LDAP server, while it
53 is preferable for the PDC to use as its primary an LDAP master server.
57 <indexterm><primary>non-LDAP</primary><secondary>backend</secondary></indexterm>
58 <indexterm><primary>SAM backend</primary><secondary>non-LDAP</secondary></indexterm>
59 <indexterm><primary>domain</primary><secondary>member</secondary><tertiary>server</tertiary></indexterm>
60 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
61 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
62 <indexterm><primary>trust account password</primary></indexterm>
63 <indexterm><primary>domain trust</primary></indexterm>
64 The use of a non-LDAP backend SAM database is particularly problematic because domain member
65 servers and workstations periodically change the Machine Trust Account password. The new
66 password is then stored only locally. This means that in the absence of a centrally stored
67 accounts database (such as that provided with an LDAP-based solution) if Samba-3 is running
68 as a BDC, the BDC instance of the domain member trust account password will not reach the
69 PDC (master) copy of the SAM. If the PDC SAM is then replicated to BDCs, this results in
70 overwriting the SAM that contains the updated (changed) trust account password with resulting
71 breakage of the domain trust.
75 <indexterm><primary>net</primary><secondary>rpc</secondary></indexterm>
76 <indexterm><primary>SAM backend</primary><secondary>ldapsam</secondary></indexterm>
77 <indexterm><primary>SAM backend</primary><secondary>tdbsam</secondary></indexterm>
78 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary><secondary>SAM</secondary></indexterm>
79 Considering the number of comments and questions raised concerning how to configure a BDC,
80 let's consider each possible option and look at the pros and cons for each possible solution.
81 <link linkend="pdc-bdc-table">The Domain Backend Account Distribution Options table below</link> lists
82 possible design configurations for a PDC/BDC infrastructure.
85 <table frame="all" id="pdc-bdc-table"><title>Domain Backend Account Distribution Options</title>
87 <colspec align="center" colwidth="1*"/>
88 <colspec align="center" colwidth="1*"/>
89 <colspec align="left" colwidth="3*"/>
92 <row><entry>PDC Backend</entry><entry>BDC Backend</entry><entry>Notes/Discussion</entry></row>
96 <entry><para>Master LDAP Server</para></entry>
97 <entry><para>Slave LDAP Server</para></entry>
98 <entry><para>The optimal solution that provides high integrity. The SAM will be
99 replicated to a common master LDAP server.</para></entry>
102 <entry><para>Single Central LDAP Server</para></entry>
103 <entry><para>Single Central LDAP Server</para></entry>
105 A workable solution without failover ability. This is a usable solution, but not optimal.
109 <entry><para>tdbsam</para></entry>
110 <entry><para>tdbsam + <command>net rpc vampire</command></para></entry>
112 Does not work with Samba-3.0; Samba does not implement the
113 server-side protocols required.
117 <entry><para>tdbsam</para></entry>
118 <entry><para>tdbsam + <command>rsync</command></para></entry>
120 Do not use this configuration.
121 Does not work because the TDB files are live and data may not
122 have been flushed to disk. Furthermore, this will cause
123 domain trust breakdown.
127 <entry><para>smbpasswd file</para></entry>
128 <entry><para>smbpasswd file</para></entry>
130 Do not use this configuration.
131 Not an elegant solution due to the delays in synchronization
133 from the issue of domain trust breakdown.
143 <title>Essential Background Information</title>
146 <indexterm><primary>domain controller</primary></indexterm>
147 <indexterm><primary>logon requests</primary></indexterm>
148 <indexterm><primary>LanMan</primary></indexterm>
149 <indexterm><primary>Netlogon</primary></indexterm>
150 A domain controller is a machine that is able to answer logon requests from network
151 workstations. Microsoft LanManager and IBM LanServer were two early products that
152 provided this capability. The technology has become known as the LanMan Netlogon service.
156 <indexterm><primary>network</primary><secondary>logon</secondary><tertiary>service</tertiary></indexterm>
157 <indexterm><primary>Windows NT3.10</primary></indexterm>
158 When MS Windows NT3.10 was first released, it supported a new style of Domain Control
159 and with it a new form of the network logon service that has extended functionality.
160 This service became known as the NT NetLogon Service. The nature of this service has
161 changed with the evolution of MS Windows NT and today provides a complex array of
162 services that are implemented over an intricate spectrum of technologies.
166 <title>MS Windows NT4-style Domain Control</title>
169 <indexterm><primary>domain controller</primary></indexterm>
170 <indexterm><primary>authentication server</primary></indexterm>
171 <indexterm><primary>username</primary></indexterm>
172 <indexterm><primary>password</primary></indexterm>
173 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
174 <indexterm><primary>Security Account Manager</primary><see>SAM</see></indexterm>
175 <indexterm><primary>domain control database</primary><see>SAM</see></indexterm>
176 Whenever a user logs into a Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional workstation,
177 the workstation connects to a domain controller (authentication server) to validate that
178 the username and password the user entered are valid. If the information entered
179 does not match account information that has been stored in the domain
180 control database (the SAM, or Security Account Manager database), a set of error
181 codes is returned to the workstation that has made the authentication request.
185 <indexterm><primary>account information</primary></indexterm>
186 <indexterm><primary>machine accounts database</primary></indexterm>
187 <indexterm><primary>profile</primary></indexterm>
188 <indexterm><primary>network access profile</primary></indexterm>
189 <indexterm><primary>desktop profile</primary></indexterm>
190 When the username/password pair has been validated, the domain controller
191 (authentication server) will respond with full enumeration of the account information
192 that has been stored regarding that user in the user and machine accounts database
193 for that domain. This information contains a complete network access profile for
194 the user but excludes any information that is particular to the user's desktop profile,
195 or for that matter it excludes all desktop profiles for groups that the user may
196 belong to. It does include password time limits, password uniqueness controls,
197 network access time limits, account validity information, machine names from which the
198 user may access the network, and much more. All this information was stored in the SAM
199 in all versions of MS Windows NT (3.10, 3.50, 3.51, 4.0).
203 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary><secondary>SAM</secondary></indexterm>
204 <indexterm><primary>%SystemRoot%\System32\config</primary></indexterm>
205 <indexterm><primary>C:\WinNT\System32\config</primary></indexterm>
206 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
207 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
208 The account information (user and machine) on domain controllers is stored in two files,
209 one containing the security information and the other the SAM. These are stored in files
210 by the same name in the <filename>%SystemRoot%\System32\config</filename> directory.
211 This normally translates to the path <filename>C:\WinNT\System32\config</filename>. These
212 are the files that are involved in replication of the SAM database where BDCs are present
217 There are two situations in which it is desirable to install BDCs:
222 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
223 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
224 On the local network that the PDC is on, if there are many
225 workstations and/or where the PDC is generally very busy. In this case the BDCs
226 will pick up network logon requests and help to add robustness to network services.
230 <indexterm><primary>network</primary><secondary>wide-area</secondary></indexterm>
231 At each remote site, to reduce wide-area network traffic and to add stability to
232 remote network operations. The design of the network, and the strategic placement of
233 BDCs, together with an implementation that localizes as much of network to client
234 interchange as possible, will help to minimize wide-area network bandwidth needs
240 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
241 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
242 <indexterm><primary>user account database</primary></indexterm>
243 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
244 <indexterm><primary>trigger</primary></indexterm>
245 The interoperation of a PDC and its BDCs in a true Windows NT4 environment is worth
246 mentioning here. The PDC contains the master copy of the SAM. In the event that an
247 administrator makes a change to the user account database while physically present
248 on the local network that has the PDC, the change will likely be made directly to
249 the PDC instance of the master copy of the SAM. In the event that this update may
250 be performed in a branch office, the change will likely be stored in a delta file
251 on the local BDC. The BDC will then send a trigger to the PDC to commence the process
252 of SAM synchronization. The PDC will then request the delta from the BDC and apply
253 it to the master SAM. The PDC will then contact all the BDCs in the domain and
254 trigger them to obtain the update and then apply that to their own copy of the SAM.
258 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary><secondary>replication</secondary></indexterm>
259 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary><secondary>delta file</secondary></indexterm>
260 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
261 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
262 Samba-3 cannot participate in true SAM replication and is therefore not able to
263 employ precisely the same protocols used by MS Windows NT4. A Samba-3 BDC will
264 not create SAM update delta files. It will not interoperate with a PDC (NT4 or Samba)
265 to synchronize the SAM from delta files that are held by BDCs.
269 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
270 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
271 Samba-3 cannot function as a BDC to an MS Windows NT4 PDC, and Samba-3 cannot
272 function correctly as a PDC to an MS Windows NT4 BDC. Both Samba-3 and MS Windows
273 NT4 can function as a BDC to its own type of PDC.
277 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
278 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
279 <indexterm><primary>domain security</primary></indexterm>
280 The BDC is said to hold a <emphasis>read-only</emphasis> of the SAM from which
281 it is able to process network logon requests and authenticate users. The BDC can
282 continue to provide this service, particularly while, for example, the wide-area
283 network link to the PDC is down. A BDC plays a very important role in both the
284 maintenance of domain security as well as in network integrity.
288 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
289 <indexterm><primary>promoted</primary></indexterm>
290 <indexterm><primary>demoted</primary></indexterm>
291 <indexterm><primary>reconfiguration</primary></indexterm>
292 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
293 be promoted to a PDC. If this happens while the original NT4 PDC is online, it is automatically demoted to an
294 NT4 BDC. This is an important aspect of domain controller management. The tool that is used to effect a
295 promotion or a demotion is the Server Manager for Domains. It should be noted that Samba-3 BDCs cannot be
296 promoted in this manner because reconfiguration of Samba requires changes to the &smb.conf; file. It is easy
297 enough to manuall change the &smb.conf; file and then restart relevant Samba network services.
301 <title>Example PDC Configuration</title>
304 <indexterm><primary>domain logon</primary></indexterm>
305 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
306 Beginning with Version 2.2, Samba officially supports domain logons for all current Windows clients, including
307 Windows NT4, 2003, and XP Professional. For Samba to be enabled as a PDC, some parameters in the
308 <smbconfsection name="[global]"/> section of the &smb.conf; have to be set. Refer to <link
309 linkend="minimalPDC">the Minimal smb.conf for a PDC in Use with a BDC &smbmdash; LDAP Server on PDC
310 section</link> for an example of the minimum required settings.
313 <example id="minimalPDC">
314 <title>Minimal smb.conf for a PDC in Use with a BDC &smbmdash; LDAP Server on PDC</title>
316 <smbconfoption name="workgroup">&example.workgroup;</smbconfoption>
317 <smbconfoption name="passdb backend">ldapsam://localhost:389</smbconfoption>
318 <smbconfoption name="domain master">yes</smbconfoption>
319 <smbconfoption name="domain logons">yes</smbconfoption>
320 <smbconfoption name="ldap suffix">dc=quenya,dc=org</smbconfoption>
321 <smbconfoption name="ldap user suffix">ou=Users</smbconfoption>
322 <smbconfoption name="ldap group suffix">ou=Groups</smbconfoption>
323 <smbconfoption name="ldap machine suffix">ou=Computers</smbconfoption>
324 <smbconfoption name="ldap idmap suffix">ou=Idmap</smbconfoption>
325 <smbconfoption name="ldap admin dn">cn=sambadmin,dc=quenya,dc=org</smbconfoption>
330 <indexterm><primary>profile path</primary></indexterm>
331 <indexterm><primary>home drive</primary></indexterm>
332 Several other things like a <smbconfsection name="[homes]"/> and a <smbconfsection name="[netlogon]"/> share
333 also need to be set along with settings for the profile path, the user's home drive, and so on. This is not
334 covered in this chapter; for more information please refer to <link linkend="samba-pdc">Domain Control</link>.
335 Refer to <link linkend="samba-pdc">the Domain Control chapter</link> for specific recommendations for PDC
336 configuration. Alternately, fully documented working example network configurations using OpenLDAP and Samba
337 as available in the <ulink url="http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample">book</ulink> <quote>Samba-3
338 by Example</quote> that may be obtained from local and on-line book stores.
345 <title>LDAP Configuration Notes</title>
348 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary><secondary>master</secondary></indexterm>
349 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary><secondary>slave</secondary></indexterm>
350 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
351 When configuring a master and a slave LDAP server, it is advisable to use the master LDAP server
352 for the PDC and slave LDAP servers for the BDCs. It is not essential to use slave LDAP servers; however,
353 many administrators will want to do so in order to provide redundant services. Of course, one or more BDCs
354 may use any slave LDAP server. Then again, it is entirely possible to use a single LDAP server for the
359 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary><secondary>master</secondary></indexterm>
360 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary><secondary>server</secondary></indexterm>
361 <indexterm><primary>CN</primary></indexterm>
362 <indexterm><primary>DN</primary></indexterm>
363 <indexterm><primary>RFC2830</primary></indexterm>
364 When configuring a master LDAP server that will have slave LDAP servers, do not forget to configure this in
365 the <filename>/etc/openldap/slapd.conf</filename> file. It must be noted that the DN of a server certificate
366 must use the CN attribute to name the server, and the CN must carry the servers' fully qualified domain name.
367 Additional alias names and wildcards may be present in the subjectAltName certificate extension. More details
368 on server certificate names are in RFC2830.
372 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary></indexterm>
373 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
374 <indexterm><primary>OpenLDAP</primary></indexterm>
375 <indexterm><primary>transport layer security</primary><see>TLS</see></indexterm>
376 <indexterm><primary>/etc/ssl/certs/slapd.pem</primary></indexterm>
377 <indexterm><primary>slapd.pem</primary></indexterm>
378 <indexterm><primary>Red Hat Linux</primary></indexterm>
379 It does not really fit within the scope of this document, but a working LDAP installation is basic to
380 LDAP-enabled Samba operation. When using an OpenLDAP server with Transport Layer Security (TLS), the machine
381 name in <filename>/etc/ssl/certs/slapd.pem</filename> must be the same as in
382 <filename>/etc/openldap/sldap.conf</filename>. The Red Hat Linux startup script creates the
383 <filename>slapd.pem</filename> file with hostname <quote>localhost.localdomain.</quote> It is impossible to
384 access this LDAP server from a slave LDAP server (i.e., a Samba BDC) unless the certificate is re-created with
389 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
390 <indexterm><primary>OpenLDAP</primary></indexterm>
391 <indexterm><primary>machine account</primary></indexterm>
392 <indexterm><primary>credentials</primary></indexterm>
393 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary></indexterm>
394 <indexterm><primary>duplicate</primary></indexterm>
395 Do not install a Samba PDC so that is uses an LDAP slave server. Joining client machines to the domain
396 will fail in this configuration because the change to the machine account in the LDAP tree must take place on
397 the master LDAP server. This is not replicated rapidly enough to the slave server that the PDC queries. It
398 therefore gives an error message on the client machine about not being able to set up account credentials. The
399 machine account is created on the LDAP server, but the password fields will be empty. Unfortunately, some
400 sites are unable to avoid such configurations, and these sites should review the <smbconfoption name="ldap
401 replication sleep"/> parameter, intended to slow down Samba sufficiently for the replication to catch up.
402 This is a kludge, and one that the administrator must manually duplicate in any scripts (such as the
403 <smbconfoption name="add machine script"/>) that they use.
407 Possible PDC/BDC plus LDAP configurations include:
412 PDC+BDC -> One Central LDAP Server.
415 PDC -> LDAP master server, BDC -> LDAP slave server.
418 PDC -> LDAP master, with secondary slave LDAP server.
420 BDC -> LDAP master, with secondary slave LDAP server.
423 PDC -> LDAP master, with secondary slave LDAP server.
425 BDC -> LDAP slave server, with secondary master LDAP server.
430 In order to have a fallback configuration (secondary) LDAP server, you would specify
431 the secondary LDAP server in the &smb.conf; file as shown in <link linkend="mulitldapcfg">the Multiple LDAP
432 Servers in &smb.conf; example</link>.
435 <example id="mulitldapcfg">
436 <title>Multiple LDAP Servers in &smb.conf;</title>
438 <smbconfoption name="passdb backend">ldapsam:"ldap://master.quenya.org ldap://slave.quenya.org"</smbconfoption>
445 <title>Active Directory Domain Control</title>
448 <indexterm><primary>MS Windows 2000</primary></indexterm>
449 <indexterm><primary>Active Directory</primary></indexterm>
450 <indexterm><primary>directory</primary></indexterm>
451 <indexterm><primary>replicated</primary></indexterm>
452 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
453 <indexterm><primary>domain controller</primary></indexterm>
454 As of the release of MS Windows 2000 and Active Directory, this information is now stored
455 in a directory that can be replicated and for which partial or full administrative control
456 can be delegated. Samba-3 is not able to be a domain controller within an Active Directory
457 tree, and it cannot be an Active Directory server. This means that Samba-3 also cannot
458 act as a BDC to an Active Directory domain controller.
464 <title>What Qualifies a Domain Controller on the Network?</title>
467 <indexterm><primary>DMB</primary></indexterm>
468 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
469 <indexterm><primary>WINS</primary></indexterm>
470 <indexterm><primary>NetBIOS</primary></indexterm>
471 Every machine that is a domain controller for the domain MIDEARTH has to register the NetBIOS
472 group name MIDEARTH<1C> with the WINS server and/or by broadcast on the local network.
473 The PDC also registers the unique NetBIOS name MIDEARTH<1B> with the WINS server.
474 The name type <1B> name is normally reserved for the Domain Master Browser (DMB), a role
475 that has nothing to do with anything related to authentication, but the Microsoft domain
476 implementation requires the DMB to be on the same machine as the PDC.
480 <indexterm><primary>broadcast</primary></indexterm>
481 <indexterm><primary>name registration</primary></indexterm>
482 <indexterm><primary>SMB/CIFS</primary></indexterm>
483 Where a WINS server is not used, broadcast name registrations alone must suffice. Refer to
484 <link linkend="NetworkBrowsing">Network Browsing</link>,<link linkend="netdiscuss">Discussion</link>
485 for more information regarding TCP/IP network protocols and how SMB/CIFS names are handled.
491 <title>How Does a Workstation find its Domain Controller?</title>
494 <indexterm><primary>locate domain controller</primary></indexterm>
495 <indexterm><primary>NetBIOS</primary></indexterm>
496 There are two different mechanisms to locate a domain controller: one method is used when
497 NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled and the other when it has been disabled in the TCP/IP
498 network configuration.
502 <indexterm><primary>DNS</primary></indexterm>
503 <indexterm><primary>broadcast messaging</primary></indexterm>
504 Where NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled, all name resolution involves the use of DNS, broadcast
505 messaging over UDP, as well as Active Directory communication technologies. In this type of
506 environment all machines require appropriate DNS entries. More information may be found in
507 <link linkend="adsdnstech">DNS and Active Directory</link>.
511 <title>NetBIOS Over TCP/IP Enabled</title>
513 <indexterm><primary>Windows NT4/200x/XP</primary></indexterm>
514 <indexterm><primary>domain controller</primary></indexterm>
515 <indexterm><primary>logon requests</primary></indexterm>
516 <indexterm><primary>credentials validation</primary></indexterm>
517 An MS Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional workstation in the domain MIDEARTH that wants a
518 local user to be authenticated has to find the domain controller for MIDEARTH. It does this
519 by doing a NetBIOS name query for the group name MIDEARTH<1C>. It assumes that each
520 of the machines it gets back from the queries is a domain controller and can answer logon
521 requests. To not open security holes, both the workstation and the selected domain controller
522 authenticate each other. After that the workstation sends the user's credentials (name and
523 password) to the local domain controller for validation.
529 <title>NetBIOS Over TCP/IP Disabled</title>
532 <indexterm><primary>realm</primary></indexterm>
533 <indexterm><primary>logon authentication</primary></indexterm>
534 <indexterm><primary>DNS</primary></indexterm>
535 <indexterm><primary>_ldap._tcp.pdc._msdcs.quenya.org</primary></indexterm>
536 An MS Windows NT4/200x/XP Professional workstation in the realm <constant>quenya.org</constant>
537 that has a need to affect user logon authentication will locate the domain controller by
538 re-querying DNS servers for the <constant>_ldap._tcp.pdc._msdcs.quenya.org</constant> record.
539 More information regarding this subject may be found in <link linkend="adsdnstech">DNS and Active Directory</link>.
547 <title>Backup Domain Controller Configuration</title>
550 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
551 The creation of a BDC requires some steps to prepare the Samba server before
552 &smbd; is executed for the first time. These steps are as follows:
557 <indexterm><primary>SID</primary></indexterm>
558 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
559 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
560 <indexterm><primary>private/secrets.tdb</primary></indexterm>
561 <indexterm><primary>private/MACHINE.SID</primary></indexterm>
562 <indexterm><primary>domain SID</primary></indexterm>
563 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
564 stored in the file <filename>private/MACHINE.SID</filename>. For all versions of Samba released since 2.2.5
565 the domain SID is stored in the file <filename>private/secrets.tdb</filename>. This file is unique to each
566 server and cannot be copied from a PDC to a BDC; the BDC will generate a new SID at startup. It will overwrite
567 the PDC domain SID with the newly created BDC SID. There is a procedure that will allow the BDC to acquire the
568 domain SID. This is described here.
572 <indexterm><primary>domain SID</primary></indexterm>
573 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
574 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
575 <indexterm><primary>secrets.tdb</primary></indexterm>
576 <indexterm><primary>net</primary><secondary>rpc</secondary><tertiary>getsid</tertiary></indexterm>
577 To retrieve the domain SID from the PDC or an existing BDC and store it in the
578 <filename>secrets.tdb</filename>, execute:
581 &rootprompt;<userinput>net rpc getsid</userinput>
586 <indexterm><primary>secrets.tdb</primary></indexterm>
587 <indexterm><primary>smbpasswd</primary></indexterm>
588 <indexterm><primary>LDAP administration password</primary></indexterm>
589 Specification of the <smbconfoption name="ldap admin dn"/> is obligatory.
590 This also requires the LDAP administration password to be set in the <filename>secrets.tdb</filename>
591 using the <command>smbpasswd -w <replaceable>mysecret</replaceable></command>.
595 The <smbconfoption name="ldap suffix"/> parameter and the <smbconfoption name="ldap idmap suffix"/>
596 parameter must be specified in the &smb.conf; file.
600 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary><secondary>SAM</secondary></indexterm>
601 <indexterm><primary>user database</primary></indexterm>
602 <indexterm><primary>synchronized</primary></indexterm>
603 <indexterm><primary>NIS</primary></indexterm>
604 The UNIX user database has to be synchronized from the PDC to the
605 BDC. This means that both the <filename>/etc/passwd</filename> and
606 <filename>/etc/group</filename> have to be replicated from the PDC
607 to the BDC. This can be done manually whenever changes are made.
608 Alternately, the PDC is set up as an NIS master server and the BDC as an NIS slave
609 server. To set up the BDC as a mere NIS client would not be enough,
610 as the BDC would not be able to access its user database in case of
611 a PDC failure. NIS is by no means the only method to synchronize
612 passwords. An LDAP solution would also work.
617 <indexterm><primary>password database</primary></indexterm>
618 <indexterm><primary>replicated</primary></indexterm>
619 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
620 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
621 <indexterm><primary>smbpasswd</primary></indexterm>
622 <indexterm><primary>rsync</primary></indexterm>
623 <indexterm><primary>ssh</primary></indexterm>
624 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary></indexterm>
625 The Samba password database must be replicated from the PDC to the BDC.
626 Although it is possible to synchronize the <filename>smbpasswd</filename>
627 file with <command>rsync</command> and <command>ssh</command>, this method
628 is broken and flawed, and is therefore not recommended. A better solution
629 is to set up slave LDAP servers for each BDC and a master LDAP server for the PDC.
630 The use of rsync is inherently flawed by the fact that the data will be replicated
631 at timed intervals. There is no guarantee that the BDC will be operating at all
632 times with correct and current machine and user account information. This means that
633 this method runs the risk of users being inconvenienced by discontinuity of access
634 to network services due to inconsistent security data. It must be born in mind that
635 Windows workstations update (change) the machine trust account password at regular
636 intervals &smbmdash; administrators are not normally aware that this is happening
637 or when it takes place.
641 <indexterm><primary>POSIX</primary></indexterm>
642 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary></indexterm>
643 <indexterm><primary>SambaSAMAccount</primary></indexterm>
644 <indexterm><primary>synchronize</primary></indexterm>
645 The use of LDAP for both the POSIX (UNIX user and group) accounts and for the
646 SambaSAMAccount data automatically ensures that all account change information
647 will be written to the shared directory. This eliminates the need for any special
648 action to synchronize account information because LDAP will meet that requirement.
652 <indexterm><primary>netlogon share</primary></indexterm>
653 <indexterm><primary>replicate</primary></indexterm>
654 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
655 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
656 <indexterm><primary>cron</primary></indexterm>
657 <indexterm><primary>rsync</primary></indexterm>
658 The netlogon share has to be replicated from the PDC to the BDC. This can be done manually whenever login
659 scripts are changed, or it can be done automatically using a <command>cron</command> job that will replicate
660 the directory structure in this share using a tool like <command>rsync</command>. The use of
661 <command>rsync</command> for replication of the netlogon data is not critical to network security and is one
662 that can be manually managed given that the administrator will make all changes to the netlogon share as part
669 <title>Example Configuration</title>
672 Finally, the BDC has to be capable of being found by the workstations. This can be done by configuring the
673 Samba &smb.conf; file <smbconfsection name="[global]"/> section as shown in <link linkend="minim-bdc">Minimal
674 Setup for Being a BDC</link>.
677 <example id="minim-bdc">
678 <title>Minimal Setup for Being a BDC</title>
680 <smbconfoption name="workgroup">&example.workgroup;</smbconfoption>
681 <smbconfoption name="passdb backend">ldapsam:ldap://slave-ldap.quenya.org</smbconfoption>
682 <smbconfoption name="domain master">no</smbconfoption>
683 <smbconfoption name="domain logons">yes</smbconfoption>
684 <smbconfoption name="ldap suffix">dc=abmas,dc=biz</smbconfoption>
685 <smbconfoption name="ldap user suffix">ou=Users</smbconfoption>
686 <smbconfoption name="ldap group suffix">ou=Groups</smbconfoption>
687 <smbconfoption name="ldap machine suffix">ou=Computers</smbconfoption>
688 <smbconfoption name="ldap idmap suffix">ou=Idmap</smbconfoption>
689 <smbconfoption name="ldap admin dn">cn=sambadmin,dc=quenya,dc=org</smbconfoption>
690 <smbconfoption name="idmap backend">ldap:ldap://master-ldap.quenya.org</smbconfoption>
691 <smbconfoption name="idmap uid">10000-20000</smbconfoption>
692 <smbconfoption name="idmap gid">10000-20000</smbconfoption>
697 Fully documented working example network configurations using OpenLDAP and Samba
698 as available in the <ulink url="http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample">book</ulink> <quote>Samba-3
699 by Example</quote> that may be obtained from local and on-line book stores.
703 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
704 <indexterm><primary>NetBIOS</primary></indexterm>
705 <indexterm><primary>group</primary></indexterm>
706 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
707 This configuration causes the BDC to register only the name MIDEARTH<1C> with the WINS server. This is
708 not a problem, as the name MIDEARTH<1C> is a NetBIOS group name that is meant to be registered by more
709 than one machine. The parameter <smbconfoption name="domain master">no</smbconfoption> forces the BDC not to
710 register MIDEARTH<1B>, which is a unique NetBIOS name that is reserved for the PDC.
714 <indexterm><primary>idmap backend</primary></indexterm>
715 <indexterm><primary>winbindd</primary></indexterm>
716 <indexterm><primary>redirect</primary></indexterm>
717 <indexterm><primary>winbindd</primary></indexterm>
718 <indexterm><primary>LDAP database</primary></indexterm>
719 <indexterm><primary>UID</primary></indexterm>
720 <indexterm><primary>GID</primary></indexterm>
721 <indexterm><primary>SID</primary></indexterm>
722 <indexterm><primary>nss_ldap</primary></indexterm>
723 The <parameter>idmap backend</parameter> will redirect the <command>winbindd</command> utility to use the LDAP
724 database to store all mappings for Windows SIDs to UIDs and GIDs for UNIX accounts in a repository that is
725 shared. The BDC will however depend on local resolution of UIDs and GIDs via NSS and the
726 <command>nss_ldap</command> utility.
730 <indexterm><primary>Server Type</primary><secondary>Domain Member</secondary></indexterm>
731 <indexterm><primary>ID mapping</primary></indexterm>
732 <indexterm><primary>domain member server</primary></indexterm>
733 <indexterm><primary>idmap backend</primary></indexterm>
734 Samba-3 has introduced a new ID mapping facility. One of the features of this facility is that it
735 allows greater flexibility in how user and group IDs are handled in respect to NT domain user and group
736 SIDs. One of the new facilities provides for explicitly ensuring that UNIX/Linux UID and GID values
737 will be consistent on the PDC, all BDCs, and all domain member servers. The parameter that controls this
738 is called <parameter>idmap backend</parameter>. Please refer to the man page for &smb.conf; for more information
739 regarding its behavior.
743 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
744 <indexterm><primary>winbindd</primary></indexterm>
745 <indexterm><primary>domain member servers</primary></indexterm>
746 The use of the <smbconfoption name="idmap backend">ldap:ldap://master.quenya.org</smbconfoption>
747 option on a BDC only makes sense where ldapsam is used on a PDC. The purpose of an LDAP-based idmap backend is
748 also to allow a domain member (without its own passdb backend) to use winbindd to resolve Windows network users
749 and groups to common UID/GIDs. In other words, this option is generally intended for use on BDCs and on domain
757 <title>Common Errors</title>
760 <indexterm><primary>domain control</primary></indexterm>
761 Domain control was a new area for Samba, but there are now many examples that we may refer to.
762 Updated information will be published as they become available and may be found in later Samba releases or
763 from the Samba Web <ulink url="http://samba.org">site</ulink>; refer in particular to the
764 <filename>WHATSNEW.txt</filename> in the Samba release tarball. The book, <quote>Samba-3 by Example</quote>
765 documents well tested and proven configuration examples. You can obtain a copy of this
766 <ulink url="http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/Samba3-ByExample.pdf">book</ulink> for the Samba web site.
770 <title>Machine Accounts Keep Expiring</title>
773 <indexterm><primary>Machine Trust Accounts</primary></indexterm>
774 <indexterm><primary>passdb</primary></indexterm>
775 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
776 <indexterm><primary>Local Machine Trust Account</primary></indexterm>
777 This problem will occur when the passdb (SAM) files are copied from a central
778 server but the local BDC is acting as a PDC. This results in the application of
779 Local Machine Trust Account password updates to the local SAM. Such updates
780 are not copied back to the central server. The newer machine account password is then
781 overwritten when the SAM is recopied from the PDC. The result is that the domain member machine
782 on startup will find that its passwords do not match the one now in the database, and
783 since the startup security check will now fail, this machine will not allow logon attempts
784 to proceed and the account expiry error will be reported.
788 The solution is to use a more robust passdb backend, such as the ldapsam backend, setting up
789 a slave LDAP server for each BDC and a master LDAP server for the PDC.
795 <title>Can Samba Be a Backup Domain Controller to an NT4 PDC?</title>
798 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary><secondary>SAM</secondary></indexterm>
799 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
800 No. The native NT4 SAM replication protocols have not yet been fully implemented.
804 <indexterm><primary>BDC</primary></indexterm>
805 <indexterm><primary>PDC</primary></indexterm>
806 <indexterm><primary>logon requests</primary></indexterm>
807 Can I get the benefits of a BDC with Samba? Yes, but only to a Samba PDC.The
808 main reason for implementing a BDC is availability. If the PDC is a Samba
809 machine, a second Samba machine can be set up to service logon requests whenever
816 <title>How Do I Replicate the smbpasswd File?</title>
819 <indexterm><primary>replication</primary><secondary>SAM</secondary></indexterm>
820 <indexterm><primary>smbpasswd</primary></indexterm>
821 <indexterm><primary>SAM</primary></indexterm>
822 Replication of the smbpasswd file is sensitive. It has to be done whenever changes
823 to the SAM are made. Every user's password change is done in the smbpasswd file and
824 has to be replicated to the BDC. So replicating the smbpasswd file very often is necessary.
828 <indexterm><primary>plaintext password</primary></indexterm>
829 <indexterm><primary>ssh</primary></indexterm>
830 <indexterm><primary>rsync</primary></indexterm>
831 As the smbpasswd file contains plaintext password equivalents, it must not be
832 sent unencrypted over the wire. The best way to set up smbpasswd replication from
833 the PDC to the BDC is to use the utility rsync. rsync can use ssh as a transport.
834 <command>ssh</command> itself can be set up to accept <emphasis>only</emphasis>
835 <command>rsync</command> transfer without requiring the user to type a password.
839 <indexterm><primary>machine trust accounts</primary></indexterm>
840 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary></indexterm>
841 As said a few times before, use of this method is broken and flawed. Machine trust
842 accounts will go out of sync, resulting in a broken domain. This method is
843 <emphasis>not</emphasis> recommended. Try using LDAP instead.
849 <title>Can I Do This All with LDAP?</title>
852 <indexterm><primary>pdb_ldap</primary></indexterm>
853 <indexterm><primary>LDAP</primary></indexterm>
854 The simple answer is yes. Samba's pdb_ldap code supports binding to a replica
855 LDAP server and will also follow referrals and rebind to the master if it ever
856 needs to make a modification to the database. (Normally BDCs are read-only, so
857 this will not occur often).