Samba has many features that are not supported in other CIFS and SMB
+implementations, all of which are commercial. It approaches some
+problems from a different angle.
+
Some of its features include:
+
+
extremely dynamic runtime configuration
+
host as well as username/password security
+
scriptable SMB client
+
automatic home directory exporting
+
automatic printer exporting
+
intelligent dead connection timeouts
+
guest connections
+
+
+
Look at the
+manual pages included with the package for a full list of
+features. The components of the suite are (in summary):
+
+
+
+
smbd
the SMB server. This handles actual connections from clients,
+doing all the interfacing with the
+authentication database for file, permission and username work.
+
+
nmbd
the NetBIOS name server, which helps clients locate servers,
+maintaining the
+authentication database doing the browsing work and managing
+domains as this capability is being built into Samba.
+
+
smbclient
the scriptable commandline SMB client program.
+Useful for automated work, printer filters and testing purposes. It is
+more CIFS-compliant than most commercial implementations. Note that this
+is not a filesystem. The Samba team does not supply a network filesystem
+driver, although the smbfs filesystem for Linux is derived from
+smbclient code.
+
+
smbrun
a little 'glue' program to help the server run
+external programs.
+
+
testprns
a program to test server access to printers
+
+
testparms
a program to test the Samba configuration file
+for correctness
+
+
smb.conf
the Samba configuration file
+
+
examples
many examples have been put together for the different
+operating systems that Samba supports.
+
+
Documentation!
DON'T neglect to read it - you will save a great
+deal of time!
+
+
+
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-Server-FAQ-2.html b/docs/faq/Samba-Server-FAQ-2.html
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+
+
+ Samba Server FAQ: How do I get the CIFS, SMB and NetBIOS protocols?
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
CIFS and SMB are implemented by the main Samba fileserving daemon, smbd.
+.....
+
nmbd speaks a limited amount of CIFS (...) but is mostly concerned with
+NetBIOS. NetBIOS is ....
+
RFC1001, RFC1002 ...
+
So, provided you have got Samba correctly installed and running you have
+all three of these protocols. Some operating systems already come with
+stacks for all or some of these, such as SCO Unix, OS/2 and ... In this
+case you must ...
At the last count, Samba runs on about 40 operating systems! This
+section looks at general questions about running Samba on the different
+platforms. Issues specific to particular operating systems are dealt
+with in elsewhere in this document.
+
Many of the ports have been done by people outside the Samba team keen
+to get the advantages of Samba. The Samba team is currently trying to
+bring as many of these ports as possible into the main source tree and
+integrate the documentation. Samba is an integration tool, and so it has
+been made as easy as possible to port. The platforms most widely used
+and thus best tested are Linux and SunOS.
+
This migration has not been completed yet. This means that some
+documentation is on web sites ...
+
There are two main families of Samba ports, Unix and other. The Unix
+ports cover anything that remotely resembles Unix and includes some
+extremely old products as well as best-sellers, tiny PCs to massive
+multiprocessor machines supporting hundreds of thousands of users. Samba
+has been run on more than 30 Unix and Unix-like operating systems.
+
+
Running Samba on a Unix or Unix-like system
+
+
+
+
+
+../UNIX-SMB.txt describes some of the issues that confront a
+SMB implementation on unix, and how Samba copes with them. They may help
+people who are looking at unix<->PC interoperability.
+
There is great variation between Unix implementations, especially those
+not adhering to the Common Unix Specification agreed to in 1996. Things
+that can be quite tricky are .....
+
There are also some considerable advantages conferred on Samba running
+under Unix compared to, say, Windows NT or LAN Server. Unix has ...
+
At time of writing, the Makefile claimed support for:
+
+
A/UX 3.0
+
AIX
+
Altos Series 386/1000
+
Amiga
+
Apollo Domain/OS sr10.3
+
BSDI
+
B.O.S. (Bull Operating System)
+
Cray, Unicos 8.0
+
Convex
+
DGUX.
+
DNIX.
+
FreeBSD
+
HP-UX
+
Intergraph.
+
Linux with/without shadow passwords and quota
+
LYNX 2.3.0
+
MachTen (a unix like system for Macintoshes)
+
Motorola 88xxx/9xx range of machines
+
NetBSD
+
NEXTSTEP Release 2.X, 3.0 and greater (including OPENSTEP for Mach).
+
OS/2 using EMX 0.9b
+
OSF1
+
QNX 4.22
+
RiscIX.
+
RISCOs 5.0B
+
SEQUENT.
+
SCO (including: 3.2v2, European dist., OpenServer 5)
+
SGI.
+
SMP_DC.OSx v1.1-94c079 on Pyramid S series
+
SONY NEWS, NEWS-OS (4.2.x and 6.1.x)
+
SUNOS 4
+
SUNOS 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 (Solaris 2.2, 2.3, and '2.4 and later')
+
Sunsoft ISC SVR3V4
+
SVR4
+
System V with some berkely extensions (Motorola 88k R32V3.2).
+
ULTRIX.
+
UNIXWARE
+
UXP/DS
+
+
+
+
+
Running Samba on systems unlike Unix
+
+
+
+
+
More recently Samba has been ported to a number of operating systems
+which can provide a BSD Unix-like implementation of TCP/IP sockets.
+These include OS/2, Netware, VMS, StratOS, Amiga and MVS. BeOS,
+Windows NT and several others are being worked on but not yet available
+for use.
Files, printers, CD ROMs and other local devices. Network devices,
+including networked filesystems and remote printer queues. Other devices
+such as ....
+
1.4) Configuring SHARES
+1.4.1) Homes service
+1.4.2) Public services
+1.4.3) Application serving
+1.4.4) Team sharing a Samba resource
+
1.5) Printer configuration
+1.5.1) Berkeley LPR/LPD systems
+1.5.2) ATT SysV lp systems
+1.5.3) Using a private printcap file
+1.5.4) Use of the smbprint utility
+1.5.5) Printing from Windows to Unix
+1.5.6) Printing from Unix to Windows
Samba compiled with libdes - enabling encrypted passwords
+
+
+
Laws in different countries affecting Samba
+
+
+
+
+
+
Relationship between encryption and Domain Authentication
+
+
+
+
+
2.5 Files and record locking 3.1.1) Old DOS clients 3.1.2) Opportunistic locking and the consequences 3.1.3) Files caching under Windows for Workgroups, Win95 and NT Some of the foregoing links into Client-FAQ
+
+
+See
+BROWSING.txt
+for more information on browsing. Browsing.txt can also be found
+in the docs directory of the Samba source.
+
If your GUI client does not permit you to select non-browsable
+servers, you may need to do so on the command line. For example, under
+Lan Manager you might connect to the above service as disk drive M:
+thusly:
+
+
+ net use M: \\mary\fred
+
+
+
+The details of how to do this and the specific syntax varies from
+client to client - check your client's documentation.
+
+
+
+
+
+If you check what files are not showing up, you will note that they
+are files which contain upper case letters or which are otherwise not
+DOS-compatible (ie, they are not legal DOS filenames for some reason).
+
The Samba server can be configured either to ignore such files
+completely, or to present them to the client in "mangled" form. If you
+are not seeing the files at all, the Samba server has most likely been
+configured to ignore them. Consult the man page smb.conf(5) for
+details of how to change this - the parameter you need to set is
+"mangled names = yes".
+
+
+This indicates one of three things: You supplied an incorrect server
+name, the underlying TCP/IP layer is not working correctly, or the
+name you specified cannot be resolved.
+
After carefully checking that the name you typed is the name you
+should have typed, try doing things like pinging a host or telnetting
+to somewhere on your network to see if TCP/IP is functioning OK. If it
+is, the problem is most likely name resolution.
+
If your client has a facility to do so, hardcode a mapping between the
+hosts IP and the name you want to use. For example, with Man Manager
+or Windows for Workgroups you would put a suitable entry in the file
+LMHOSTS. If this works, the problem is in the communication between
+your client and the netbios name server. If it does not work, then
+there is something fundamental wrong with your naming and the solution
+is beyond the scope of this document.
+
If you do not have any server on your subnet supplying netbios name
+resolution, hardcoded mappings are your only option. If you DO have a
+netbios name server running (such as the Samba suite's nmbd program),
+the problem probably lies in the way it is set up. Refer to Section
+Two of this FAQ for more ideas.
+
By the way, remember to REMOVE the hardcoded mapping before further
+tests :-)
+
+
+This message indicates that your client CAN locate the specified
+server, which is a good start, but that it cannot find a service of
+the name you gave.
+
The first step is to check the exact name of the service you are
+trying to connect to (consult your system administrator). Assuming it
+exists and you specified it correctly (read your client's doco on how
+to specify a service name correctly), read on:
+
+
+
Many clients cannot accept or use service names longer than eight characters.
+
Many clients cannot accept or use service names containing spaces.
+
Some servers (not Samba though) are case sensitive with service names.
+
+
+Nothing is wrong - Samba does not implement the primary domain name
+controller stuff for several reasons, including the fact that the
+whole concept of a primary domain controller and "logging in to a
+network" doesn't fit well with clients possibly running on multiuser
+machines (such as users of smbclient under Unix). Having said that,
+several developers are working hard on building it in to the next
+major version of Samba. If you can contribute, send a message to
+samba-bugs@anu.edu.au !
+
Seeing this message should not affect your ability to mount redirected
+disks and printers, which is really what all this is about.
+
For many clients (including Windows for Workgroups and Lan Manager),
+setting the domain to STANDALONE at least gets rid of the message.
Make sure that the specified print command for the service you are
+connecting to is correct and that it has a fully-qualified path (eg.,
+use "/usr/bin/lpr" rather than just "lpr", if you happen to be using
+Unix).
+
Make sure that the spool directory specified for the service is
+writable by the user connected to the service.
+
Make sure that the user specified in the service is permitted to use
+the printer.
+
Check the debug log produced by smbd. Search for the printer name and
+see if the log turns up any clues. Note that error messages to do with
+a service ipc$ are meaningless - they relate to the way the client
+attempts to retrieve status information when using the LANMAN1
+protocol.
+
If using WfWg then you need to set the default protocol to TCP/IP, not
+Netbeui. This is a WfWg bug.
+
If using the Lanman1 protocol (the default) then try switching to
+coreplus. Also not that print status error messages don't mean
+printing won't work. The print status is received by a different
+mechanism.
+
+
+There are numerous possible reasons for this, but one MAJOR
+possibility is that your software uses locking. Make sure you are
+using Samba 1.6.11 or later. It may also be possible to work around
+the problem by setting "locking=no" in the Samba configuration file
+for the service the software is installed on. This should be regarded
+as a strictly temporary solution.
+
In earlier Samba versions there were some difficulties with the very
+latest Microsoft products, particularly Excel 5 and Word for Windows
+6. These should have all been solved. If not then please let Andrew
+Tridgell know via email at
+samba-bugs@anu.edu.au.
+
+
+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.
The user "nobody" often has problems with printing, even if it worked
+with an earlier version of Samba. Try creating another guest user other
+than "nobody".
+
+
Log message "you appear to have a trapdoor uid system"
+
+
+
+
+This can have several causes. It might be because you are using a uid
+or gid of 65535 or -1. This is a VERY bad idea, and is a big security
+hole. Check carefully in your /etc/passwd file and make sure that no
+user has uid 65535 or -1. Especially check the "nobody" user, as many
+broken systems are shipped with nobody setup with a uid of 65535.
+
It might also mean that your OS has a trapdoor uid/gid system :-)
+
This means that once a process changes effective uid from root to
+another user it can't go back to root. Unfortunately Samba relies on
+being able to change effective uid from root to non-root and back
+again to implement its security policy. If your OS has a trapdoor uid
+system this won't work, and several things in Samba may break. Less
+things will break if you use user or server level security instead of
+the default share level security, but you may still strike
+problems.
+
The problems don't give rise to any security holes, so don't panic,
+but it does mean some of Samba's capabilities will be unavailable.
+In particular you will not be able to connect to the Samba server as
+two different uids at once. This may happen if you try to print as a
+"guest" while accessing a share as a normal user. It may also affect
+your ability to list the available shares as this is normally done as
+the guest user.
+
Complain to your OS vendor and ask them to fix their system.
+
Note: the reason why 65535 is a VERY bad choice of uid and gid is that
+it casts to -1 as a uid, and the setreuid() system call ignores (with
+no error) uid changes to -1. This means any daemon attempting to run
+as uid 65535 will actually run as root. This is not good!
Send an email to rask-samba-request@kampsax.dtu.dk with the word subscribe
+in the message. The list server will use the address in the Reply-To: or
+From: header field, in that order.
+
Unsubscribing.
+
Send an email to rask-samba-request@kampsax.dtu.dk with the word
+unsubscribe in the message. The list server will use the address in the
+Reply-To: or From: header field, in that order. If you are unsure which
+address you are subscribed with, look at the headers. You should see a
+"From " (no colon) or Return-Path: header looking something like
+
rask-samba-owner-myname=my.domain@kampsax.dtu.dk
+
where myname=my.domain gives you the address myname@my.domain. This also
+means that I will always be able to find out which address is causing
+bounces, for example.
+List archive.
Dan Shearer & Paul Blackman, ictinus@lake.canberra.edu.au
v 0.1, 23 Aug '97
+ This is the Server Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
+document for Samba, the free and very popular SMB and CIFS server
+product. A general
+meta FAQ
+exists and also a companion
+Client FAQ, together with more detailed HOWTO documents on
+topics to do with Samba software. This is current to Samba version
+1.9.17. Please send any corrections to the author.
+
+
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-Server-FAQ.sgml b/docs/faq/Samba-Server-FAQ.sgml
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+
+
+
+
+
+
+ Samba Server FAQ
+
+Dan Shearer & Paul Blackman, ictinus@lake.canberra.edu.au
+
+v 0.1, 23 Aug '97
+
+ This is the Server Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
+document for Samba, the free and very popular SMB and CIFS server
+product. A general
+exists and also a companion , together with more detailed HOWTO documents on
+topics to do with Samba software. This is current to Samba version
+1.9.17. Please send any corrections to the author.
+
+
+
+
+
+What is Samba?
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-1.html b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-1.html
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+
+
+ Samba meta FAQ: Quick Reference Guides to Samba Documentation
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
We are endeavouring to provide links here to every major class of
+information about Samba or things related to Samba. We cannot list every
+document, but we are aiming for all documents to be at most two
+referrals from those listed here. This needs constant maintaining, so
+please send the author your feedback.
You know you should read the documentation but can't wait to start? What
+you need to do then is follow the instructions in the following
+documents in the order given. This should be enough to get a fairly
+simple site going quickly. If you have any problems, refer back to this
+meta-FAQ and follow the links to find more reading material.
+
+
+
+
+
+
Getting Samba:
The fastest way to get Samba
+going is and install it is to have an operating system for which the
+Samba team has put together an installation package. To see if your OS
+is included have a look at the directory
+/pub/samba/Binary_Packages/"OS_Vendor" on your nearest
+mirror site. If it is included follow the
+installation instructions in the README file there and then do some
+basic testing. If you are not so fortunate, follow the normal
+download instructions and then continue with
+building and installing Samba.
+
+
+
+
Building and Installing Samba:
At the moment
+there are two kinds of Samba server installs besides the prepackaged
+binaries mentioned in the previous step. You need to decide if you have a
+Unix or close relative or
+other supported operating system.
+
+
+
+
Basic Testing:
Try to connect using the
+supplied smbclient command-line program. You need to know the IP
+hostname of your server. A service name must be defined in smb.conf, as
+given in the examples (under many operating systems if there is a
+homes service you can just use a valid username.) Then type
+smbclient \\hostname\servicename
+Under most Unixes you will need to put the parameters within quotation
+marks. If this works, try connecting from one of the SMB clients you
+were planning to use with Samba.
+
+
+
+
Debug sequence:
If you think you have completed the
+previous step and things aren't working properly work through
+the diagnosis recipe.
+
+
+
+
Exporting files to SMB clients:
You should read the manual pages
+for smb.conf, but here is a
+quick answer guide.
+
+
+
+
Controlling user access:
the quickest and dirtiest way of sharing
+resources is to use
+share level security. If you want to spend more time and have a proper username
+and password database you must read the paragraph on
+domain mode security. If you want
+encryption (eg you are using Windows NT clients) follow the
+SMB encryption instructions.
+
+
+
+
Browsing:
if you are happy to type in "\\samba-server\sharename"
+at the client end then do not read any further. Otherwise you need to
+understand the
+browsing terminology
+and read
+Samba-Server-FAQ.html#NameBrowsing.
If you have got everything working to this point, you can expect Samba
+to be stable and secure: these are its greatest strengths. However Samba
+has a great deal to offer and to go further you must do some more
+reading. Speed and security optimisations, printer accounting, network
+logons, roving profiles, browsing across multiple subnets and so on are
+all covered either in this document or in those it refers to.
Meta-FAQ. This is the mother of all documents, and is the one you
+are reading now. The latest version is always at
+http://samba.anu.edu.au/[.....] but there is probably a much
+nearer
+mirror site which you should use
+instead.
+
+
+Samba-Server-FAQ.html is the best starting point for
+information about server-side issues. Includes configuration tips and
+pointers for Samba on particular operating systems (with 40 to choose
+from...)
+
+
+Samba-Client-FAQ.html is the best starting point for
+information about client-side issues, includes a list of all clients
+that are known to work with Samba.
+
+
+manual pages contains
+descriptions of and links to all the Samba manual pages, in Unix man and
+postscript format.
+
+
+samba-txt-index.html has descriptions of and links to
+a large number of text files have been contributed to samba covering
+many topics. These are gradually being absorbed into the FAQs and HOWTOs
+but in the meantime you might find helpful answers here.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-2.html b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-2.html
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+
+
+ Samba meta FAQ: General Information
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
Samba is a suite of programs which work together to allow clients to
+access to a server's filespace and printers via the SMB (Server Message
+Block) and CIFS (Common Internet Filesystem) protocols. Initially
+written for Unix, Samba now also runs on Netware, OS/2, VMS, StratOS and
+Amigas. Ports to BeOS and other operating systems are underway. Samba
+gives the capability for these operating systems to behave much like a
+LAN Server, Windows NT Server or Pathworks machine, only with added
+functionality and flexibility designed to make life easier for
+administrators.
+
This means that using Samba you can share a server's disks and printers
+to many sorts of network clients, including Lan Manager, Windows for
+Workgroups, Windows NT, Linux, OS/2, and AIX. There is also a generic
+client program supplied as part of the Samba suite which gives a user on
+the server an ftp-like interface to access filespace and printers on any
+other SMB/CIFS servers.
+
SMB has been implemented over many protocols, including XNS, NBT, IPX,
+NetBEUI and TCP/IP. Samba only uses TCP/IP. This is not likely to change
+although there have been some requests for NetBEUI support.
+
Many users report that compared to other SMB implementations Samba is
+more stable, faster, and compatible with more clients. Administrators of
+some large installations say that Samba is the only SMB server available
+which will scale to many tens of thousands of users without crashing.
+The easy way to test these claims is to download it and try it for
+yourself!
+
The suite is supplied with full source code under the
+GNU Public License. The GPL means that you can
+use Samba for whatever purpose you wish (including changing the source
+or selling it for money) but under all circumstances the source code
+must be made freely available. A copy of the GPL must always be included
+in any copy of the package.
+
The primary creator of the Samba suite is Andrew Tridgell. Later
+versions incorporate much effort by many net.helpers. The man pages
+and this FAQ were originally written by Karl Auer.
The Samba suite is available via anonymous ftp from samba.anu.edu.au and
+many
+mirror sites. You will get much
+faster performance if you use a mirror site. The latest and greatest
+versions of the suite are in the directory:
+
/pub/samba/
+
Development (read "alpha") versions, which are NOT necessarily stable
+and which do NOT necessarily have accurate documentation, are available
+in the directory:
+
/pub/samba/alpha
+
Note that binaries are NOT included in any of the above. Samba is
+distributed ONLY in source form, though binaries may be available from
+other sites. Most Linux distributions, for example, do contain Samba
+binaries for that platform. The VMS, OS/2, Netware and Amiga and other
+ports typically have binaries made available.
+
A special case is vendor-provided binary packages. Samba binaries and
+default configuration files are put into packages for a specific
+operating system. RedHat Linux and Sun Solaris (Sparc and x86) is
+already included, and others such as OS/2 may follow. All packages are
+in the directory:
It is not recommended that you run a version of Samba with the word
+"alpha" in its name unless you know what you are doing and are willing
+to do some debugging. Many, many people just get the latest
+recommended stable release version and are happy. If you are brave, by
+all means take the plunge and help with the testing and development -
+but don't install it on your departmental server. Samba is typically
+very stable and safe, and this is mostly due to the policy of many
+public releases.
+
How the scheme works:
+
+
+
When major changes are made the version number is increased. For
+example, the transition from 1.9.16 to 1.9.17. However, this version
+number will not appear immediately and people should continue to use
+1.9.15 for production systems (see next point.)
+
+
Just after major changes are made the software is considered
+unstable, and a series of alpha releases are distributed, for example
+1.9.16alpha1. These are for testing by those who know what they are
+doing. The "alpha" in the filename will hopefully scare off those who
+are just looking for the latest version to install.
+
+
When Andrew thinks that the alphas have stabilised to the point
+where he would recommend new users install it, he renames it to the
+same version number without the alpha, for example 1.9.17.
+
+
Inevitably bugs are found in the "stable" releases and minor patch
+levels are released which give us the pXX series, for example 1.9.17p2.
+
The above system means that whenever someone looks at the samba ftp
+site they will be able to grab the highest numbered release without an
+alpha in the name and be sure of getting the current recommended
+version.
Obviously you should substitute YOUR first name for "Firstname" and
+YOUR last name for "Lastname"! Try not to send any signature, it
+sometimes confuses the list processor.
+
The samba list is a digest list - every eight hours or so it sends a
+single message containing all the messages that have been received by
+the list since the last time and sends a copy of this message to all
+subscribers. There are thousands of people on this list.
+
If you stop being interested in Samba, please send another email to
+listproc@samba.anu.edu.au. Make sure the subject line is blank, and
+include the following two lines in the body of the message:
+
+
+
+unsubscribe samba
+unsubscribe samba-announce
+
+
+
+
The From: line in your message MUST be the same
+address you used when you subscribed.
DO NOT post messages on mailing lists or in newsgroups until you have
+carried out the first three steps given here!
+
+
+
See if there are any likely looking entries in this FAQ!
+If you have just installed Samba, have you run through the checklist in
+DIAGNOSIS.txt? It can save you a lot of time and effort.
+DIAGNOSIS.txt can also be found in the docs directory of the Samba
+distribution.
+
+
Read the man pages for smbd, nmbd and smb.conf, looking for
+topics that relate to what you are trying to do.
+
+
If there is no obvious solution to hand, try to get a look at
+the log files for smbd and/or nmbd for the period during which you
+were having problems. You may need to reconfigure the servers to
+provide more extensive debugging information - usually level 2 or
+level 3 provide ample debugging info. Inspect these logs closely,
+looking particularly for the string "Error:".
+
+
If you need urgent help and are willing to pay for it see
+Paid Support.
+
+
+
+
If you still haven't got anywhere, ask the mailing list or newsgroup. In
+general nobody minds answering questions provided you have followed the
+preceding steps. It might be a good idea to scan the archives of the
+mailing list, which are available through the Samba web site described
+in the previous section. When you post be sure to include a good
+description of your environment and your problem.
+
If you successfully solve a problem, please mail the FAQ maintainer a
+succinct description of the symptom, the problem and the solution, so
+that an explanation can be incorporated into the next version.
If you make changes to the source code, please submit these patches
+so that everyone else gets the benefit of your work. This is one of
+the most important aspects to the maintainence of Samba. Send all
+patches to
+samba-bugs@samba.anu.edu.au. Do not send patches to Andrew Tridgell or any
+other individual, they may be lost if you do.
+
Patch format
+------------
+
If you are sending a patch to fix a problem then please don't just use
+standard diff format. As an example, samba-bugs received this patch from
+someone:
+
382a
+#endif
+..
+381a
+#if !defined(NEWS61)
+
How are we supposed to work out what this does and where it goes? These
+sort of patches only work if we both have identical files in the first
+place. The Samba sources are constantly changing at the hands of multiple
+developers, so it doesn't work.
+
Please use either context diffs or (even better) unified diffs. You
+get these using "diff -c4" or "diff -u". If you don't have a diff that
+can generate these then please send manualy commented patches to I
+know what is being changed and where. Most patches are applied by hand so
+the info must be clear.
+
This is a basic guideline that will assist us with assessing your problem
+more efficiently :
+
Machine Arch:
+Machine OS:
+OS Version:
+Kernel:
+
Compiler:
+Libc Version:
+
Samba Version:
+
Network Layout (description):
+
What else is on machine (services, etc):
+
Some extras :
+
+
+
what you did and what happened
+
+
relevant parts of a debugging output file with debuglevel higher.
+If you can't find the relevant parts, please ask before mailing
+huge files.
+
+
anything else you think is useful to trace down the bug
+
If you have spotted something very serious and believe that it is
+important to contact the developers quickly send a message to
+samba-urgent@samba.anu.edu.au. This will be processed more quickly than
+mail to samba-bugs. Please think carefully before using this address. An
+example of its use might be to report a security hole.
+
Examples of things not to send to samba-urgent include problems
+getting Samba to work at all and bugs that cannot potentially cause damage.
Samba has a large network of consultants who provide Samba support on a
+commercial basis. The list is included in the package in
+../Support.txt, and the latest version will always be on the main
+samba ftp site. Any company in the world can request that the samba team
+include their details in Support.txt so we can give no guarantee of
+their services.
+
+
+Those who have registered in the Samba survey as "Pizza Factory" will
+already know this, but the rest may need some help. Andrew doesn't ask
+for payment, but he does appreciate it when people give him
+pizza. This calls for a little organisation when the pizza donor is
+twenty thousand kilometres away, but it has been done.
+
+
+
Ring up your local branch of an international pizza chain
+and see if they honour their vouchers internationally. Pizza Hut do,
+which is how the entire Canberra Linux Users Group got to eat pizza
+one night, courtesy of someone in the US.
+
+
Ring up a local pizza shop in Canberra and quote a credit
+card number for a certain amount, and tell them that Andrew will be
+collecting it (don't forget to tell him.) One kind soul from Germany
+did this.
+
+
Purchase a pizza voucher from your local pizza shop that has
+no international affiliations and send it to Andrew. It is completely
+useless but he can hang it on the wall next to the one he already has
+from Germany :-)
+
+
Air freight him a pizza with your favourite regional
+flavours. It will probably get stuck in customs or torn apart by
+hungry sniffer dogs but it will have been a noble gesture.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-3.html b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-3.html
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+
+
+ Samba meta FAQ: About the CIFS and SMB Protocols
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
SMB is a filesharing protocol that has had several maintainers and
+contributors over the years including Xerox, 3Com and most recently
+Microsoft. Names for this protocol include LAN Manager and Microsoft
+Networking. Parts of the specification has been made public at several
+versions including in an X/Open document, as listed at
+ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/developr/drg/CIFS/. No specification
+releases were made between 1992 and 1996, and during that period
+Microsoft became the SMB implementor with the largest market share.
+Microsoft developed the specification further for its products but for
+various reasons connected with developer's workload rather than market
+strategy did not make the changes public. This culminated with the
+"Windows NT 0.12" version released with NT 3.5 in 1995 which had significant
+improvements and bugs. Because Microsoft client systems are so popular,
+it is fair to say that what Microsoft with Windows affects all suppliers
+of SMB server products.
+
From 1994 Andrew Tridgell began doing some serious work on his
+Smbserver (now Samba) product and with some helpers started to
+implement more and more of these protocols. Samba began to take
+a significant share of the SMB server market.
The initial pressure for Microsoft to document their current SMB
+implementation came from the Samba team, who kept coming across things
+on the wire that Microsoft either didn't know about or hadn't documented
+anywhere (even in the sourcecode to Windows NT.) Then Sun Microsystems
+came out with their WebNFS initiative, designed to replace FTP for file
+transfers on the Internet. There are many drawbacks to WebNFS (including
+its scope - it aims to replace HTTP as well!) but the concept was
+attractive. FTP is not very clever, and why should it be harder to get
+files from across the world than across the room?
+
Some hasty revisions were made and an Internet Draft for the Common
+Internet Filesystem (CIFS) was released. Note that CIFS is not an
+Internet standard and is a very long way from becoming one, BUT the
+protocol specification is in the public domain and ongoing discussions
+concerning the spec take place on a public mailing list according to the
+rules of the Internet Engineering Task Force. For more information and
+pointers see
+http://samba.anu.edu.au/cifs/
+ CIFS defines a standard remote file system access protocol for use
+ over the Internet, enabling groups of users to work together and
+ share documents across the Internet or within their corporate
+ intranets. CIFS is an open, cross-platform technology based on the
+ native file-sharing protocols built into Microsoft® Windows® and
+ other popular PC operating systems, and supported on dozens of
+ other platforms, including UNIX®. With CIFS, millions of computer
+ users can open and share remote files on the Internet without having
+ to install new software or change the way they work."
+
+
+
If you consider CIFS as a backwardsly-compatible refinement of SMB that
+will work reasonably efficiently over the Internet you won't be too far
+wrong.
+
The net effect is that Microsoft is now documenting large parts of their
+Windows NT fileserver protocols. The security concepts embodied in
+Windows NT are part of the specification, which is why Samba
+documentation often talks in terms of Windows NT. However there is no
+reason why a site shouldn't conduct all its file and printer sharing
+with CIFS and yet have no Microsoft products at all.
The term "Browsing" causes a lot of confusion. It is the part of the
+SMB/CIFS protocol which allows for resource discovery. For example, in
+the Windows NT Explorer it is possible to see a "Network Neighbourhood"
+of computers in the same SMB workgroup. Clicking on the name of one of
+these machines brings up a list of file and printer resources for
+connecting to. In this way you can cruise the network, seeing what
+things are available. How this scales to the Internet is a subject for
+debate. Look at the CIFS list archives to see what the experts think.
+
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-4.html b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ-4.html
new file mode 100644
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+
+
+ Samba meta FAQ: Designing A SMB and CIFS Network
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
The big issues for installing any network of LAN or WAN file and print
+servers are
+
+
+
How and where usernames, passwords and other security information
+is stored
+
+
What method can be used for locating the resources that users have
+permission to use
+
+
What protocols the clients can converse with
+
+
+
+
If you buy Netware, Windows NT or just about any other LAN fileserver
+product you are expected to lock yourself into the product's preferred
+answers to these questions. This tendancy is restrictive and often very
+expensive for a site where there is only one kind of client or server,
+and for sites with a mixture of operating systems it often makes it
+impossible to share resources between some sets of users.
+
The Samba philosophy is to make things as easy as possible for
+administators, which means allowing as many combinations of clients,
+servers, operating systems and protocols as possible.
From the point of view of networking implementation, Domains and
+Workgroups are exactly the same, except for the client logon
+sequence. Some kind of distributed authentication database is associated
+with a domain (there are quite a few choices) and this adds so much
+flexibility that many people think of a domain as a completely different
+entity to a workgroup. From Samba's point of view a client connecting to
+a service presents an authentication token, and it if it is valid they
+have access. Samba does not care what mechanism was used to generate
+that token in the first place.
+
The SMB client logging on to a domain has an expectation that every other
+server in the domain should accept the same authentication information.
+However the network browsing functionality of domains and workgroups is
+identical and is explained in
+../BROWSING.txt.
+
There are some implementation differences: Windows 95 can be a member of
+both a workgroup and a domain, but Windows NT cannot. Windows 95 also
+has the concept of an "alternative workgroup". Samba can only be a
+member of a single workgroup or domain, although this is due to change
+with a future version when nmbd will be split into two daemons, one for
+WINS and the other for browsing (
+../NetBIOS.txt explains
+what WINS is.)
+
+
Defining the Terms
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Workgroup
means a collection of machines that maintain a common
+browsing database containing information about their shared resources.
+They do not necessarily have any security information in common (if they
+do, it gets called a Domain.) The browsing database is dynamic, modified
+as servers come and go on the network and as resources are added or
+deleted. The term "browsing" refers to a user accessing the database via
+whatever interface the client provides, eg the OS/2 Workplace Shell or
+Windows 95 Explorer. SMB servers agree between themselves as to which
+ones will maintain the browsing database. Workgroups can be anywhere on
+a connected TCP/IP network, including on different subnets or even on
+the Interet. This is a very tricky part of SMB to implement.
+
+
Master Browsers
are machines which holds the master browsing
+database for a workgroup or domain. There are two kinds of Master Browser:
+
+
+
Domain Master Browser, which holds the master browsing
+information for an entire domain, which may well cross multiple TCP/IP
+subnets.
+
+
Local Master Browser, which holds the master browsing database
+for a particular subnet and communicates with the Domain Master Browser
+to get information on other subnets.
+
+
+
+
Subnets are differentiated because browsing is based on broadcasts, and
+broadcasts do not pass through routers. Subnets are not routed: while it
+is possible to have more than one subnet on a single network segment
+this is regarded as very bad practice.
+
Master Browsers (both Domain and Local) are elected dynamically
+according to an algorithm which is supposed to take into account the
+machine's ability to sustain the browsing load. Samba can be configured
+to always act as a master browser, ie it always wins elections under all
+circumstances, even against systems such as a Windows NT Primary Domain
+Controller which themselves expect to win.
+
There are also Backup Browsers which are promoted to Master Browsers in
+the event of a Master Browser disappearing from the network.
+
Alternative terms include confusing variations such as "Browse Master",
+and "Master Browser" which we are trying to eliminate from the Samba
+documentation.
+
+
Domain Controller
is a term which comes from the Microsoft and IBM
+etc implementation of the LAN Manager protocols. It is tied to
+authentication. There are other ways of doing domain authentication, but
+the Windows NT method has a large market share. The general issues are
+discussed in
+../DOMAIN.txt and a Windows NT-specific
+discussion is in
+../DOMAIN_CONTROL.txt.
+
+
+
+
+
Sharelevel (Workgroup) Security Services
+
+
+
+
+
With the Samba setting "security = SHARE", all shared resources
+information about what password is associated with them but only hints
+as to what usernames might be valid (the hint can be 'all users', in
+which case any username will work. This is usually a bad idea, but
+reflects both the initial implementations of SMB in the mid-80s and
+its reincarnation with Windows for Workgroups in 1992. The idea behind
+workgroup security was that small independant groups of people could
+share information on an ad-hoc basis without there being an
+authentication infrastructure present or requiring them to do more than
+fill in a dialogue box.
+
+
Authentication Domain Mode Services
+
+
+
+
+
With the Samba settings "security = USER" or "security = SERVER"
+accesses to all resources are checked for username/password pair matches
+in a more rigorous manner. To the client, this has the effect of
+emulating a Microsoft Domain. The client is not concerned whether or not
+Samba looks up a Windows NT SAM or does it in some other way.
In the simple case authentication information is stored on a single
+server and the user types a password on connecting for the first time.
+However client operating systems often require a password before they
+can be used at all, and in addition users usually want access to more
+than one server. Asking users to remember many different passwords in
+different contexts just does not work. Some kind of distributed
+authentication database is needed. It must cope with password changes
+and provide for assigning groups of users the same level of access
+permissions. This is why Samba installations often choose to implement a
+Domain model straight away.
+
Authentication decisions are some of the biggest in designing a network.
+Are you going to use a scheme native to the client operating system,
+native to the server operating system, or newly installed on both? A
+list of options relevant to Samba (ie that make sense in the context of
+the SMB protocol) follows. Any experiences with other setups would be
+appreciated. refer to server FAQ for "passwd chat" passwd program
+password server etc etc...
+
+
NIS
+
+
+
For Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups and most other clients Samba can
+be a domain controller and share the password database via NIS
+transparently. Windows NT is different.
+Free NIS NT client
Dan Shearer & Paul Blackman, ictinus@lake.canberra.edu.au
v 0.1, 23 Aug '97
+ This is the meta-Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document
+for Samba, the free and very popular SMB and CIFS server product. It
+contains overview information for the Samba suite of programs, a
+quick-start guide, and pointers to all other Samba documentation. Other
+FAQs exist for specific client and server issues, and HOWTO documents
+for more extended topics to do with Samba software. Current to version
+Samba 1.9.17. Please send any corrections to the author.
+
+
+
+
+Previous
+Next
+Table of Contents
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ.sgml b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ.sgml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2b54c6fa0f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ.sgml
@@ -0,0 +1,769 @@
+
+
+
+
+
+ Samba meta FAQ
+
+Dan Shearer & Paul Blackman, ictinus@lake.canberra.edu.au
+
+v 0.1, 23 Aug '97
+
+ This is the meta-Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document
+for Samba, the free and very popular SMB and CIFS server product. It
+contains overview information for the Samba suite of programs, a
+quick-start guide, and pointers to all other Samba documentation. Other
+FAQs exist for specific client and server issues, and HOWTO documents
+for more extended topics to do with Samba software. Current to version
+Samba 1.9.17. Please send any corrections to the author.
+
+
+
+
+ Quick Reference Guides to Samba Documentation
+
+We are endeavouring to provide links here to every major class of
+information about Samba or things related to Samba. We cannot list every
+document, but we are aiming for all documents to be at most two
+referrals from those listed here. This needs constant maintaining, so
+please send the author your feedback.
+
+ Samba for the Impatient
+
+You know you should read the documentation but can't wait to start? What
+you need to do then is follow the instructions in the following
+documents in the order given. This should be enough to get a fairly
+simple site going quickly. If you have any problems, refer back to this
+meta-FAQ and follow the links to find more reading material.
+
+
+
+. If it is included follow the
+installation instructions in the README file there and then do some . If you are not so fortunate, follow the normal and then continue with .
+
+ or .
+
+
+ smbclient \\hostname\servicename
+
+Under most Unixes you will need to put the parameters within quotation
+marks. If this works, try connecting from one of the SMB clients you
+were planning to use with Samba.
+
+
+
+
+
+ If you want to spend more time and have a proper username
+and password database you must read the paragraph on If you want
+encryption (eg you are using Windows NT clients) follow the
+
+
+and read .
+
+
+
+
+
+If you have got everything working to this point, you can expect Samba
+to be stable and secure: these are its greatest strengths. However Samba
+has a great deal to offer and to go further you must do some more
+reading. Speed and security optimisations, printer accounting, network
+logons, roving profiles, browsing across multiple subnets and so on are
+all covered either in this document or in those it refers to.
+
+ All Samba Documentation
+
+
+
+ Meta-FAQ. This is the mother of all documents, and is the one you
+are reading now. The latest version is always at but there is probably a much
+nearer which you should use
+instead.
+
+ is the best starting point for
+information about server-side issues. Includes configuration tips and
+pointers for Samba on particular operating systems (with 40 to choose
+from...)
+
+ is the best starting point for
+information about client-side issues, includes a list of all clients
+that are known to work with Samba.
+
+ contains
+descriptions of and links to all the Samba manual pages, in Unix man and
+postscript format.
+
+ has descriptions of and links to
+a large number of text files have been contributed to samba covering
+many topics. These are gradually being absorbed into the FAQs and HOWTOs
+but in the meantime you might find helpful answers here.
+
+
+
+
+
+ General Information
+
+All about Samba - what it is, how to get it, related sources of
+information, how to understand the numbering scheme, pizza
+details.
+
+ What is Samba?
+
+Samba is a suite of programs which work together to allow clients to
+access to a server's filespace and printers via the SMB (Server Message
+Block) and CIFS (Common Internet Filesystem) protocols. Initially
+written for Unix, Samba now also runs on Netware, OS/2, VMS, StratOS and
+Amigas. Ports to BeOS and other operating systems are underway. Samba
+gives the capability for these operating systems to behave much like a
+LAN Server, Windows NT Server or Pathworks machine, only with added
+functionality and flexibility designed to make life easier for
+administrators.
+
+This means that using Samba you can share a server's disks and printers
+to many sorts of network clients, including Lan Manager, Windows for
+Workgroups, Windows NT, Linux, OS/2, and AIX. There is also a generic
+client program supplied as part of the Samba suite which gives a user on
+the server an ftp-like interface to access filespace and printers on any
+other SMB/CIFS servers.
+
+SMB has been implemented over many protocols, including XNS, NBT, IPX,
+NetBEUI and TCP/IP. Samba only uses TCP/IP. This is not likely to change
+although there have been some requests for NetBEUI support.
+
+Many users report that compared to other SMB implementations Samba is
+more stable, faster, and compatible with more clients. Administrators of
+some large installations say that Samba is the only SMB server available
+which will scale to many tens of thousands of users without crashing.
+The easy way to test these claims is to download it and try it for
+yourself!
+
+The suite is supplied with full source code under the . The GPL means that you can
+use Samba for whatever purpose you wish (including changing the source
+or selling it for money) but under all circumstances the source code
+must be made freely available. A copy of the GPL must always be included
+in any copy of the package.
+
+The primary creator of the Samba suite is Andrew Tridgell. Later
+versions incorporate much effort by many net.helpers. The man pages
+and this FAQ were originally written by Karl Auer.
+
+ What is the current version of Samba?
+
+At time of writing, the current version was 1.9.17. If you want to be
+sure check the bottom of the change-log file.
+
+For more information see
+
+ Where can I get it?
+
+The Samba suite is available via anonymous ftp from samba.anu.edu.au and
+many sites. You will get much
+faster performance if you use a mirror site. The latest and greatest
+versions of the suite are in the directory:
+
+/pub/samba/
+
+Development (read "alpha") versions, which are NOT necessarily stable
+and which do NOT necessarily have accurate documentation, are available
+in the directory:
+
+/pub/samba/alpha
+
+Note that binaries are NOT included in any of the above. Samba is
+distributed ONLY in source form, though binaries may be available from
+other sites. Most Linux distributions, for example, do contain Samba
+binaries for that platform. The VMS, OS/2, Netware and Amiga and other
+ports typically have binaries made available.
+
+A special case is vendor-provided binary packages. Samba binaries and
+default configuration files are put into packages for a specific
+operating system. RedHat Linux and Sun Solaris (Sparc and x86) is
+already included, and others such as OS/2 may follow. All packages are
+in the directory:
+
+/pub/samba/Binary_Packages/"OS_Vendor"
+
+What do the version numbers mean?
+
+It is not recommended that you run a version of Samba with the word
+"alpha" in its name unless you know what you are doing and are willing
+to do some debugging. Many, many people just get the latest
+recommended stable release version and are happy. If you are brave, by
+all means take the plunge and help with the testing and development -
+but don't install it on your departmental server. Samba is typically
+very stable and safe, and this is mostly due to the policy of many
+public releases.
+
+How the scheme works:
+
+
+
+When major changes are made the version number is increased. For
+example, the transition from 1.9.16 to 1.9.17. However, this version
+number will not appear immediately and people should continue to use
+1.9.15 for production systems (see next point.)
+
+Just after major changes are made the software is considered
+unstable, and a series of alpha releases are distributed, for example
+1.9.16alpha1. These are for testing by those who know what they are
+doing. The "alpha" in the filename will hopefully scare off those who
+are just looking for the latest version to install.
+
+When Andrew thinks that the alphas have stabilised to the point
+where he would recommend new users install it, he renames it to the
+same version number without the alpha, for example 1.9.17.
+
+Inevitably bugs are found in the "stable" releases and minor patch
+levels are released which give us the pXX series, for example 1.9.17p2.
+
+
+
+So the progression goes:
+
+
+ 1.9.16p10 (production)
+ 1.9.16p11 (production)
+ 1.9.17alpha1 (test sites only)
+ :
+ 1.9.17alpha20 (test sites only)
+ 1.9.17 (production)
+ 1.9.17p1 (production)
+
+
+The above system means that whenever someone looks at the samba ftp
+site they will be able to grab the highest numbered release without an
+alpha in the name and be sure of getting the current recommended
+version.
+
+ Where can I go for further information?
+
+There are a number of places to look for more information on Samba,
+including:
+
+
+
+Two mailing lists devoted to discussion of Samba-related matters.
+See below for subscription information.
+
+The newsgroup comp.protocols.smb, which has a great deal of
+discussion about Samba.
+
+The WWW site 'SAMBA Web Pages' at includes:
+
+
+ Links to man pages and documentation, including this FAQ
+ A comprehensive survey of Samba users
+ A searchable hypertext archive of the Samba mailing list
+ Links to Samba source code, binaries, and mirrors of both
+ This FAQ and the rest in its family
+
+
+
+
+How do I subscribe to the Samba Mailing Lists?
+
+Send email to . Make sure the subject line is blank,
+and include the following two lines in the body of the message:
+
+
+subscribe samba Firstname Lastname
+subscribe samba-announce Firstname Lastname
+
+
+Obviously you should substitute YOUR first name for "Firstname" and
+YOUR last name for "Lastname"! Try not to send any signature, it
+sometimes confuses the list processor.
+
+The samba list is a digest list - every eight hours or so it sends a
+single message containing all the messages that have been received by
+the list since the last time and sends a copy of this message to all
+subscribers. There are thousands of people on this list.
+
+If you stop being interested in Samba, please send another email to
+. Make sure the subject line is blank, and
+include the following two lines in the body of the message:
+
+
+unsubscribe samba
+unsubscribe samba-announce
+
+
+The From: line in your message MUST be the same
+address you used when you subscribed.
+
+ Something's gone wrong - what should I do?
+
+[#] *** IMPORTANT! *** [#]
+
+
+DO NOT post messages on mailing lists or in newsgroups until you have
+carried out the first three steps given here!
+
+ See if there are any likely looking entries in this FAQ!
+If you have just installed Samba, have you run through the checklist in
+? It can save you a lot of time and effort.
+DIAGNOSIS.txt can also be found in the docs directory of the Samba
+distribution.
+
+ Read the man pages for smbd, nmbd and smb.conf, looking for
+topics that relate to what you are trying to do.
+
+ If there is no obvious solution to hand, try to get a look at
+the log files for smbd and/or nmbd for the period during which you
+were having problems. You may need to reconfigure the servers to
+provide more extensive debugging information - usually level 2 or
+level 3 provide ample debugging info. Inspect these logs closely,
+looking particularly for the string "Error:".
+
+ If you need urgent help and are willing to pay for it see
+.
+
+
+
+If you still haven't got anywhere, ask the mailing list or newsgroup. In
+general nobody minds answering questions provided you have followed the
+preceding steps. It might be a good idea to scan the archives of the
+mailing list, which are available through the Samba web site described
+in the previous section. When you post be sure to include a good
+description of your environment and your problem.
+
+If you successfully solve a problem, please mail the FAQ maintainer a
+succinct description of the symptom, the problem and the solution, so
+that an explanation can be incorporated into the next version.
+
+ How do I submit patches or bug reports?
+
+If you make changes to the source code, please submit these patches
+so that everyone else gets the benefit of your work. This is one of
+the most important aspects to the maintainence of Samba. Send all
+patches to . Do not send patches to Andrew Tridgell or any
+other individual, they may be lost if you do.
+
+Patch format
+------------
+
+If you are sending a patch to fix a problem then please don't just use
+standard diff format. As an example, samba-bugs received this patch from
+someone:
+
+382a
+#endif
+..
+381a
+#if !defined(NEWS61)
+
+How are we supposed to work out what this does and where it goes? These
+sort of patches only work if we both have identical files in the first
+place. The Samba sources are constantly changing at the hands of multiple
+developers, so it doesn't work.
+
+Please use either context diffs or (even better) unified diffs. You
+get these using "diff -c4" or "diff -u". If you don't have a diff that
+can generate these then please send manualy commented patches to I
+know what is being changed and where. Most patches are applied by hand so
+the info must be clear.
+
+This is a basic guideline that will assist us with assessing your problem
+more efficiently :
+
+Machine Arch:
+Machine OS:
+OS Version:
+Kernel:
+
+Compiler:
+Libc Version:
+
+Samba Version:
+
+Network Layout (description):
+
+What else is on machine (services, etc):
+
+Some extras :
+
+
+
+ what you did and what happened
+
+ relevant parts of a debugging output file with debuglevel higher.
+ If you can't find the relevant parts, please ask before mailing
+ huge files.
+
+ anything else you think is useful to trace down the bug
+
+
+
+ What if I have an URGENT message for the developers?
+
+If you have spotted something very serious and believe that it is
+important to contact the developers quickly send a message to
+samba-urgent@samba.anu.edu.au. This will be processed more quickly than
+mail to samba-bugs. Please think carefully before using this address. An
+example of its use might be to report a security hole.
+
+Examples of things not to send to samba-urgent include problems
+getting Samba to work at all and bugs that cannot potentially cause damage.
+
+ What if I need paid-for support?
+
+Samba has a large network of consultants who provide Samba support on a
+commercial basis. The list is included in the package in , and the latest version will always be on the main
+samba ftp site. Any company in the world can request that the samba team
+include their details in Support.txt so we can give no guarantee of
+their services.
+
+ Pizza supply details
+Those who have registered in the Samba survey as "Pizza Factory" will
+already know this, but the rest may need some help. Andrew doesn't ask
+for payment, but he does appreciate it when people give him
+pizza. This calls for a little organisation when the pizza donor is
+twenty thousand kilometres away, but it has been done.
+
+
+ Ring up your local branch of an international pizza chain
+and see if they honour their vouchers internationally. Pizza Hut do,
+which is how the entire Canberra Linux Users Group got to eat pizza
+one night, courtesy of someone in the US.
+
+Ring up a local pizza shop in Canberra and quote a credit
+card number for a certain amount, and tell them that Andrew will be
+collecting it (don't forget to tell him.) One kind soul from Germany
+did this.
+
+Purchase a pizza voucher from your local pizza shop that has
+no international affiliations and send it to Andrew. It is completely
+useless but he can hang it on the wall next to the one he already has
+from Germany :-)
+
+Air freight him a pizza with your favourite regional
+flavours. It will probably get stuck in customs or torn apart by
+hungry sniffer dogs but it will have been a noble gesture.
+
+
+
+About the CIFS and SMB Protocols
+
+ What is the Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol?
+SMB is a filesharing protocol that has had several maintainers and
+contributors over the years including Xerox, 3Com and most recently
+Microsoft. Names for this protocol include LAN Manager and Microsoft
+Networking. Parts of the specification has been made public at several
+versions including in an X/Open document, as listed at
+. No specification
+releases were made between 1992 and 1996, and during that period
+Microsoft became the SMB implementor with the largest market share.
+Microsoft developed the specification further for its products but for
+various reasons connected with developer's workload rather than market
+strategy did not make the changes public. This culminated with the
+"Windows NT 0.12" version released with NT 3.5 in 1995 which had significant
+improvements and bugs. Because Microsoft client systems are so popular,
+it is fair to say that what Microsoft with Windows affects all suppliers
+of SMB server products.
+
+From 1994 Andrew Tridgell began doing some serious work on his
+Smbserver (now Samba) product and with some helpers started to
+implement more and more of these protocols. Samba began to take
+a significant share of the SMB server market.
+
+ What is the Common Internet Filesystem (CIFS)?
+The initial pressure for Microsoft to document their current SMB
+implementation came from the Samba team, who kept coming across things
+on the wire that Microsoft either didn't know about or hadn't documented
+anywhere (even in the sourcecode to Windows NT.) Then Sun Microsystems
+came out with their WebNFS initiative, designed to replace FTP for file
+transfers on the Internet. There are many drawbacks to WebNFS (including
+its scope - it aims to replace HTTP as well!) but the concept was
+attractive. FTP is not very clever, and why should it be harder to get
+files from across the world than across the room?
+
+Some hasty revisions were made and an Internet Draft for the Common
+Internet Filesystem (CIFS) was released. Note that CIFS is not an
+Internet standard and is a very long way from becoming one, BUT the
+protocol specification is in the public domain and ongoing discussions
+concerning the spec take place on a public mailing list according to the
+rules of the Internet Engineering Task Force. For more information and
+pointers see
+
+The following is taken from
+
+
+ CIFS defines a standard remote file system access protocol for use
+ over the Internet, enabling groups of users to work together and
+ share documents across the Internet or within their corporate
+ intranets. CIFS is an open, cross-platform technology based on the
+ native file-sharing protocols built into Microsoft® Windows® and
+ other popular PC operating systems, and supported on dozens of
+ other platforms, including UNIX®. With CIFS, millions of computer
+ users can open and share remote files on the Internet without having
+ to install new software or change the way they work."
+
+
+If you consider CIFS as a backwardsly-compatible refinement of SMB that
+will work reasonably efficiently over the Internet you won't be too far
+wrong.
+
+The net effect is that Microsoft is now documenting large parts of their
+Windows NT fileserver protocols. The security concepts embodied in
+Windows NT are part of the specification, which is why Samba
+documentation often talks in terms of Windows NT. However there is no
+reason why a site shouldn't conduct all its file and printer sharing
+with CIFS and yet have no Microsoft products at all.
+
+ What is Browsing?
+The term "Browsing" causes a lot of confusion. It is the part of the
+SMB/CIFS protocol which allows for resource discovery. For example, in
+the Windows NT Explorer it is possible to see a "Network Neighbourhood"
+of computers in the same SMB workgroup. Clicking on the name of one of
+these machines brings up a list of file and printer resources for
+connecting to. In this way you can cruise the network, seeing what
+things are available. How this scales to the Internet is a subject for
+debate. Look at the CIFS list archives to see what the experts think.
+
+Designing A SMB and CIFS Network
+
+The big issues for installing any network of LAN or WAN file and print
+servers are
+
+
+
+How and where usernames, passwords and other security information
+is stored
+
+What method can be used for locating the resources that users have
+permission to use
+
+What protocols the clients can converse with
+
+
+
+If you buy Netware, Windows NT or just about any other LAN fileserver
+product you are expected to lock yourself into the product's preferred
+answers to these questions. This tendancy is restrictive and often very
+expensive for a site where there is only one kind of client or server,
+and for sites with a mixture of operating systems it often makes it
+impossible to share resources between some sets of users.
+
+The Samba philosophy is to make things as easy as possible for
+administators, which means allowing as many combinations of clients,
+servers, operating systems and protocols as possible.
+
+Workgroups, Domains, Authentication and Browsing
+
+From the point of view of networking implementation, Domains and
+Workgroups are exactly the same, except for the client logon
+sequence. Some kind of distributed authentication database is associated
+with a domain (there are quite a few choices) and this adds so much
+flexibility that many people think of a domain as a completely different
+entity to a workgroup. From Samba's point of view a client connecting to
+a service presents an authentication token, and it if it is valid they
+have access. Samba does not care what mechanism was used to generate
+that token in the first place.
+
+The SMB client logging on to a domain has an expectation that every other
+server in the domain should accept the same authentication information.
+However the network browsing functionality of domains and workgroups is
+identical and is explained in .
+
+There are some implementation differences: Windows 95 can be a member of
+both a workgroup and a domain, but Windows NT cannot. Windows 95 also
+has the concept of an "alternative workgroup". Samba can only be a
+member of a single workgroup or domain, although this is due to change
+with a future version when nmbd will be split into two daemons, one for
+WINS and the other for browsing ( explains
+what WINS is.)
+
+ Defining the Terms
+
+
+
+
+
+ Domain Master Browser, which holds the master browsing
+information for an entire domain, which may well cross multiple TCP/IP
+subnets.
+
+ Local Master Browser, which holds the master browsing database
+for a particular subnet and communicates with the Domain Master Browser
+to get information on other subnets.
+
+
+
+Subnets are differentiated because browsing is based on broadcasts, and
+broadcasts do not pass through routers. Subnets are not routed: while it
+is possible to have more than one subnet on a single network segment
+this is regarded as very bad practice.
+
+Master Browsers (both Domain and Local) are elected dynamically
+according to an algorithm which is supposed to take into account the
+machine's ability to sustain the browsing load. Samba can be configured
+to always act as a master browser, ie it always wins elections under all
+circumstances, even against systems such as a Windows NT Primary Domain
+Controller which themselves expect to win.
+
+There are also Backup Browsers which are promoted to Master Browsers in
+the event of a Master Browser disappearing from the network.
+
+Alternative terms include confusing variations such as "Browse Master",
+and "Master Browser" which we are trying to eliminate from the Samba
+documentation.
+
+ and a Windows NT-specific
+discussion is in .
+
+
+
+Sharelevel (Workgroup) Security Services
+
+With the Samba setting "security = SHARE", all shared resources
+information about what password is associated with them but only hints
+as to what usernames might be valid (the hint can be 'all users', in
+which case any username will work. This is usually a bad idea, but
+reflects both the initial implementations of SMB in the mid-80s and
+its reincarnation with Windows for Workgroups in 1992. The idea behind
+workgroup security was that small independant groups of people could
+share information on an ad-hoc basis without there being an
+authentication infrastructure present or requiring them to do more than
+fill in a dialogue box.
+
+Authentication Domain Mode Services
+
+With the Samba settings "security = USER" or "security = SERVER"
+accesses to all resources are checked for username/password pair matches
+in a more rigorous manner. To the client, this has the effect of
+emulating a Microsoft Domain. The client is not concerned whether or not
+Samba looks up a Windows NT SAM or does it in some other way.
+
+Authentication Schemes
+
+In the simple case authentication information is stored on a single
+server and the user types a password on connecting for the first time.
+However client operating systems often require a password before they
+can be used at all, and in addition users usually want access to more
+than one server. Asking users to remember many different passwords in
+different contexts just does not work. Some kind of distributed
+authentication database is needed. It must cope with password changes
+and provide for assigning groups of users the same level of access
+permissions. This is why Samba installations often choose to implement a
+Domain model straight away.
+
+Authentication decisions are some of the biggest in designing a network.
+Are you going to use a scheme native to the client operating system,
+native to the server operating system, or newly installed on both? A
+list of options relevant to Samba (ie that make sense in the context of
+the SMB protocol) follows. Any experiences with other setups would be
+appreciated. [refer to server FAQ for "passwd chat" passwd program
+password server etc etc...]
+
+NIS
+
+For Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups and most other clients Samba can
+be a domain controller and share the password database via NIS
+transparently. Windows NT is different.
+
+
+Kerberos
+
+Kerberos for US users only:
+
+
+
+FTP
+
+Other NT w/s logon hack via NT
+
+Default Server Method
+
+Samba is an important tool for...
+
+It is possible to...
+
+File protocol gateways...
+
+"Setting up a Linux File Server" http://vetrec.mit.edu/people/narf/linux.html
+
+Two free implementations of Appletalk for Unix are Netatalk, , and CAP, . What Samba offers MS
+Windows users, these packages offer to Macs. For more info on these
+packages, Samba, and Linux (and other UNIX-based systems) see 3.5) Sniffing your nework
+
+
+Miscellaneous
+Is Samba Year 2000 compliant?
+The CIFS protocol that Samba implements
+negotiates times in various formats, all of which
+are able to cope with dates beyond 2000.
+
+
diff --git a/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ.txt b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..967dceac8de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/faq/Samba-meta-FAQ.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,719 @@
+ Samba meta FAQ
+ Dan Shearer & Paul Blackman, ictinus@lake.canberra.edu.au
+ v 0.1, 23 Aug '97
+
+ This is the meta-Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document for Samba,
+ the free and very popular SMB and CIFS server product. It contains
+ overview information for the Samba suite of programs, a quick-start
+ guide, and pointers to all other Samba documentation. Other FAQs exist
+ for specific client and server issues, and HOWTO documents for more
+ extended topics to do with Samba software. Current to version Samba
+ 1.9.17. Please send any corrections to the author.
+ ______________________________________________________________________
+
+ Table of Contents:
+
+ 1. Quick Reference Guides to Samba Documentation
+
+ 1.1. Samba for the Impatient
+
+ 1.2. All Samba Documentation
+
+ 2. General Information
+
+ 2.1. What is Samba?
+
+ 2.2. What is the current version of Samba?
+
+ 2.3. Where can I get it?
+
+ 2.4. What do the version numbers mean?
+
+ 2.5. Where can I go for further information?
+
+ 2.6. How do I subscribe to the Samba Mailing Lists?
+
+ 2.7. Something's gone wrong - what should I do?
+
+ 2.8. How do I submit patches or bug reports?
+
+ 2.9. What if I have an URGENT message for the developers?
+
+ 2.10. What if I need paid-for support?
+
+ 2.11. Pizza supply details
+
+ 3. About CIFS and SMB
+
+ 3.1. What is the Server Message Block (SMB) Protocol?
+
+ 3.2. What is the Common Internet Filesystem (CIFS)?
+
+ 3.3. What is Browsing?
+
+ 4. Designing A SMB and CIFS Network
+
+ 4.1. Workgroups, Browsing Domains and Authentication Domains
+
+ 4.1.1. Defining the Terms
+
+ 4.1.2. Sharelevel (Workgroup) Security Services
+
+ 4.1.3. Authentication Domain Mode Services
+
+ 4.2. Authentication Schemes
+
+ 4.2.1. Workgroup Mode Services
+
+ 4.2.2. Windows NT-Style Domain
+
+ 4.2.3. NIS
+
+ 4.2.4. Kerberos
+
+ 4.2.5. FTP
+
+ 4.2.6. Default Server Method
+
+ 4.2.7. Client-side Database Only
+
+ 4.3. Post-Authentication: Netlogon, Logon Scripts, Profiles
+
+ 5. Cross-Protocol File Sharing
+
+ 6. Miscellaneous
+
+ 6.1. Is Samba Year 2000 compliant?
+ ______________________________________________________________________
+
+ 11.. QQuuiicckk RReeffeerreennccee GGuuiiddeess ttoo SSaammbbaa DDooccuummeennttaattiioonn
+
+ We are endeavouring to provide links here to every major class of
+ information about Samba or things related to Samba. We cannot list
+ every document, but we are aiming for all documents to be at most two
+ referrals from those listed here. This needs constant maintaining, so
+ please send the author your feedback.
+
+ 11..11.. SSaammbbaa ffoorr tthhee IImmppaattiieenntt
+
+ You know you should read the documentation but can't wait to start?
+ What you need to do then is follow the instructions in the following
+ documents, in order. This should be enough to get a _s_i_m_p_l_e site going
+ quickly. If you have any problems at all, refer back to this section
+ and do some more reading.
+
+ 1. Getting Samba: ``Download Instructions''
+
+ 2. Installing Samba: making sure the binaries are in place and work.
+ At the moment there are two kinds of Samba server installs: Unix or
+ close relative and Others . Do not forget to
+
+ 3. Debug sequence: If you think you have completed the previous step
+ and things aren't working properly work through the diagnosis
+ recipe.
+
+ 4. Exporting files to SMB clients: You should read the manual pages
+ for smb.conf, but here is a quick answer guide.
+
+ 5. Controlling user access: the quickest and dirtiest way of sharing
+ resources is to use ``share level security.'' If you want to spend
+ more time and have a proper username and password database you must
+ read the paragraph on ``domain mode security.'' If you want
+ encryption (eg you are using Windows NT clients) follow the SMB
+ encryption instructions.
+ 6. Browsing: if you are happy to type in "\samba-serverrename" at the
+ client end then do not read any further. Otherwise you need to
+ understand the ``browsing terminoligy'' and read .
+
+ 7. Printing: See the printing quick answer guide.
+
+ If you have got everything working to this point, you can expect Samba
+ to be stable and secure: these are its greatest strengths. However
+ Samba has a great deal to offer and to go further you must do some
+ more reading. Speed and security optimisations, printer accounting,
+ network logons, roving profiles, browsing across multiple subnets and
+ so on are all covered either in this document or in those it refers
+ to.
+
+ 11..22.. AAllll SSaammbbaa DDooccuummeennttaattiioonn
+
+ +o Meta-FAQ. This is the mother of all documents, and is the one you
+ are reading now. The latest version is always at
+ but there is probably a much
+ nearer mirror site <../MIRRORS> which you should use instead.
+
+ +o is the best starting point for information
+ about server-side issues. Includes configuration tips and pointers
+ for Samba on particular operating systems (with 40 to choose
+ from...)
+
+ +o is the best starting point for information
+ about client-side issues, includes a list of all clients that work
+ with Samba.
+
+ +o contains descriptions of and links to all
+ the Samba manual pages, in Unix man and postscript format.
+
+ +o has descriptions of and links to a large
+ number of text files have been contributed to samba covering many
+ topics. These are gradually being absorbed into the FAQs and HOWTOS
+ but in the meantime you might find helpful answers here.
+
+ +o
+
+ 22.. GGeenneerraall IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn
+
+ All about Samba - what it is, how to get it, related sources of
+ information, how to understand the version numbering scheme, pizza
+ details
+
+ 22..11.. WWhhaatt iiss SSaammbbaa??
+
+ Samba is a suite of programs which work together to allow clients to
+ access to a server's filespace and printers via the SMB (Server
+ Message Block) and CIFS (Common Internet Filesystem) protocols.
+ Initially written for Unix, Samba now also runs on Netware, OS/2, VMS,
+ StratOS and Amigas. Ports to BeOS and other operating systems are
+ underway. Samba gives the capability for these operating systems to
+ behave much like a LAN Server, Windows NT Server or Pathworks machine,
+ only with added functionality and flexibility designed to make life
+ easier for administrators.
+ This means that using Samba you can share a server's disks and
+ printers to many sorts of network clients, including Lan Manager,
+ Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, Linux, OS/2, and AIX. There is
+ also a generic client program supplied as part of the Samba suite
+ which gives a user on the server an ftp-like interface to access
+ filespace and printers on any other SMB/CIFS servers.
+
+ Many users report that compared to other SMB implementations Samba is
+ more stable, faster, and compatible with more clients. Administrators
+ of some large installations say that Samba is the only SMB server
+ available which will scale to many tens of thousands of users without
+ crashing. The easy way to test these claims is to download it and try
+ it for yourself!
+
+ The suite is supplied with full source code under the GNU Public
+ License <../COPYING>. The GPL means that you can use Samba for
+ whatever purpose you wish (including changing the source or selling it
+ for money) but under all circumstances the source code must be made
+ freely available. A copy of the GPL must always be included in any
+ copy of the package.
+
+ The primary creator of the Samba suite is Andrew Tridgell. Later
+ versions incorporate much effort by many net.helpers. The man pages
+ and this FAQ were originally written by Karl Auer.
+
+ 22..22.. WWhhaatt iiss tthhee ccuurrrreenntt vveerrssiioonn ooff SSaammbbaa??
+
+ At time of writing, the current version was 1.9.17. If you want to be
+ sure check the bottom of the change-log file.
+
+
+ For more information see ``What do the version numbers mean?''
+
+ 22..33.. WWhheerree ccaann II ggeett iitt??
+
+ The Samba suite is available via anonymous ftp from samba.anu.edu.au
+ and many mirror <../MIRRORS> sites. You will get much faster
+ performance if you use a mirror site. The latest and greatest versions
+ of the suite are in the directory:
+
+ /pub/samba/
+
+ Development (read "alpha") versions, which are NOT necessarily stable
+ and which do NOT necessarily have accurate documentation, are
+ available in the directory:
+
+ /pub/samba/alpha
+
+ Note that binaries are NOT included in any of the above. Samba is
+ distributed ONLY in source form, though binaries may be available from
+ other sites. Most Linux distributions, for example, do contain Samba
+ binaries for that platform. The VMS, OS/2, Netware and Amiga and other
+ ports typically have binaries made available.
+
+ 22..44.. WWhhaatt ddoo tthhee vveerrssiioonn nnuummbbeerrss mmeeaann??
+
+ It is not recommended that you run a version of Samba with the word
+ "alpha" in its name unless you know what you are doing and are willing
+ to do some debugging. Many, many people just get the latest
+ recommended stable release version and are happy. If you are brave, by
+ all means take the plunge and help with the testing and development -
+ but don't install it on your departmental server. Samba is typically
+ very stable and safe, and this is mostly due to the policy of many
+ public releases.
+
+ How the scheme works:
+
+ 1. When major changes are made the version number is increased. For
+ example, the transition from 1.9.16 to 1.9.17. However, this
+ version number will not appear immediately and people should
+ continue to use 1.9.15 for production systems (see next point.)
+
+ 2. Just after major changes are made the software is considered
+ unstable, and a series of alpha releases are distributed, for
+ example 1.9.16alpha1. These are for testing by those who know what
+ they are doing. The "alpha" in the filename will hopefully scare
+ off those who are just looking for the latest version to install.
+
+ 3. When Andrew thinks that the alphas have stabilised to the point
+ where he would recommend new users install it, he renames it to the
+ same version number without the alpha, for example 1.9.17.
+
+ 4. Inevitably bugs are found in the "stable" releases and minor patch
+ levels are released which give us the pXX series, for example
+ 1.9.17p2.
+
+ So the progression goes:
+
+ 1.9.16p10 (production)
+ 1.9.16p11 (production)
+ 1.9.17alpha1 (test sites only)
+ :
+ 1.9.17alpha20 (test sites only)
+ 1.9.17 (production)
+ 1.9.17p1 (production)
+
+ The above system means that whenever someone looks at the samba ftp
+ site they will be able to grab the highest numbered release without an
+ alpha in the name and be sure of getting the current recommended
+ version.
+
+ 22..55.. WWhheerree ccaann II ggoo ffoorr ffuurrtthheerr iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn??
+
+ There are a number of places to look for more information on Samba,
+ including:
+
+ +o Two mailing lists devoted to discussion of Samba-related matters.
+ See below for subscription information.
+
+ +o The newsgroup comp.protocols.smb, which has a great deal of
+ discussion about Samba.
+
+ +o The WWW site 'SAMBA Web Pages' at
+ includes:
+
+ +o Links to man pages and documentation, including this FAQ
+
+ +o A comprehensive survey of Samba users
+
+ +o A searchable hypertext archive of the Samba mailing list
+
+ +o Links to Samba source code, binaries, and mirrors of both
+
+ +o This FAQ and the rest in its family
+
+ 22..66.. HHooww ddoo II ssuubbssccrriibbee ttoo tthhee SSaammbbaa MMaaiilliinngg LLiissttss??
+
+ Send email to listproc@samba.anu.edu.au. Make sure the subject line is
+ blank, and include the following two lines in the body of the message:
+
+ subscribe samba Firstname Lastname
+ subscribe samba-announce Firstname Lastname
+
+ Obviously you should substitute YOUR first name for "Firstname" and
+ YOUR last name for "Lastname"! Try not to send any signature, it
+ sometimes confuses the list processor.
+
+ The samba list is a digest list - every eight hours or so it sends a
+ single message containing all the messages that have been received by
+ the list since the last time and sends a copy of this message to all
+ subscribers. There are thousands of people on this list.
+
+ If you stop being interested in Samba, please send another email to
+ listproc@samba.anu.edu.au. Make sure the subject line is blank, and
+ include the following two lines in the body of the message:
+
+ unsubscribe samba
+ unsubscribe samba-announce
+
+ The FFrroomm:: line in your message _M_U_S_T be the same address you used when
+ you subscribed.
+
+ 22..77.. SSoommeetthhiinngg''ss ggoonnee wwrroonngg -- wwhhaatt sshhoouulldd II ddoo??
+
+ ## ****** IIMMPPOORRTTAANNTT!! ****** ##
+
+ DO NOT post messages on mailing lists or in newsgroups until you have
+ carried out the first three steps given here!
+
+ 1. See if there are any likely looking entries in this FAQ! If you
+ have just installed Samba, have you run through the checklist in
+ DIAGNOSIS.txt ? It
+ can save you a lot of time and effort. DIAGNOSIS.txt can also be
+ found in the docs directory of the Samba distribution.
+
+ 2. Read the man pages for smbd, nmbd and smb.conf, looking for topics
+ that relate to what you are trying to do.
+
+ 3. If there is no obvious solution to hand, try to get a look at the
+ log files for smbd and/or nmbd for the period during which you were
+ having problems. You may need to reconfigure the servers to provide
+ more extensive debugging information - usually level 2 or level 3
+ provide ample debugging info. Inspect these logs closely, looking
+ particularly for the string "Error:".
+
+ 4. If you need urgent help and are willing to pay for it see ``Paid
+ Support''.
+
+ If you still haven't got anywhere, ask the mailing list or newsgroup.
+ In general nobody minds answering questions provided you have followed
+ the preceding steps. It might be a good idea to scan the archives of
+ the mailing list, which are available through the Samba web site
+ described in the previous section. When you post be sure to include a
+ good description of your environment and your problem.
+
+ If you successfully solve a problem, please mail the FAQ maintainer a
+ succinct description of the symptom, the problem and the solution, so
+ that an explanation can be incorporated into the next version.
+
+ 22..88.. HHooww ddoo II ssuubbmmiitt ppaattcchheess oorr bbuugg rreeppoorrttss??
+
+ If you make changes to the source code, _p_l_e_a_s_e submit these patches so
+ that everyone else gets the benefit of your work. This is one of the
+ most important aspects to the maintainence of Samba. Send all patches
+ to samba-bugs@samba.anu.edu.au. Do not send patches to Andrew Tridgell
+ or any other individual, they may be lost if you do.
+
+ Patch format ------------
+
+ If you are sending a patch to fix a problem then please don't just use
+ standard diff format. As an example, samba-bugs received this patch
+ from someone:
+
+ 382a #endif 381a #if !defined(NEWS61)
+
+ How are we supposed to work out what this does and where it goes?
+ These sort of patches only work if we both have identical files in the
+ first place. The Samba sources are constantly changing at the hands of
+ multiple developers, so it doesn't work.
+
+ Please use either context diffs or (even better) unified diffs. You
+ get these using "diff -c4" or "diff -u". If you don't have a diff that
+ can generate these then please send manualy commented patches to I
+ know what is being changed and where. Most patches are applied by hand
+ so the info must be clear.
+
+ This is a basic guideline that will assist us with assessing your
+ problem more efficiently :
+
+ Machine Arch: Machine OS: OS Version: Kernel:
+
+ Compiler: Libc Version:
+
+ Samba Version:
+
+ Network Layout (description):
+
+ What else is on machine (services, etc):
+
+ Some extras :
+
+ +o what you did and what happened
+
+ +o relevant parts of a debugging output file with debuglevel higher.
+ If you can't find the relevant parts, please ask before mailing
+ huge files.
+
+ +o anything else you think is useful to trace down the bug
+
+ 22..99.. WWhhaatt iiff II hhaavvee aann UURRGGEENNTT mmeessssaaggee ffoorr tthhee ddeevveellooppeerrss??
+
+ If you have spotted something very serious and believe that it is
+ important to contact the developers quickly send a message to samba-
+ urgent@samba.anu.edu.au. This will be processed more quickly than mail
+ to samba-bugs. Please think carefully before using this address. An
+ example of its use might be to report a security hole.
+
+ Examples of things _n_o_t to send to samba-urgent include problems
+ getting Samba to work at all and bugs that cannot potentially cause
+ damage.
+
+ 22..1100.. WWhhaatt iiff II nneeeedd ppaaiidd--ffoorr ssuuppppoorrtt??
+
+ Samba has a large network of consultants who provide Samba support on
+ a commercial basis. The list is included in the package in
+ Support.txt, and the latest version will always be on the main samba
+ ftp site. Any company in the world can request that the samba team
+ include their details in Support.txt so we can give no guarantee of
+ their services.
+
+ 22..1111.. PPiizzzzaa ssuuppppllyy ddeettaaiillss
+
+ Those who have registered in the Samba survey as "Pizza Factory" will
+ already know this, but the rest may need some help. Andrew doesn't ask
+ for payment, but he does appreciate it when people give him pizza.
+ This calls for a little organisation when the pizza donor is twenty
+ thousand kilometres away, but it has been done.
+
+ 1. Ring up your local branch of an international pizza chain and see
+ if they honour their vouchers internationally. Pizza Hut do, which
+ is how the entire Canberra Linux Users Group got to eat pizza one
+ night, courtesy of someone in the US.
+
+ 2. Ring up a local pizza shop in Canberra and quote a credit card
+ number for a certain amount, and tell them that Andrew will be
+ collecting it (don't forget to tell him.) One kind soul from
+ Germany did this.
+
+ 3. Purchase a pizza voucher from your local pizza shop that has no
+ international affiliations and send it to Andrew. It is completely
+ useless but he can hang it on the wall next to the one he already
+ has from Germany :-)
+
+ 4. Air freight him a pizza with your favourite regional flavours. It
+ will probably get stuck in customs or torn apart by hungry sniffer
+ dogs but it will have been a noble gesture.
+
+ 33.. AAbboouutt CCIIFFSS aanndd SSMMBB
+
+ 33..11.. WWhhaatt iiss tthhee SSeerrvveerr MMeessssaaggee BBlloocckk ((SSMMBB)) PPrroottooccooll??
+
+ SMB is a filesharing protocol that has had several maintainers and
+ contributors over the years including Xerox, 3Com and most recently
+ Microsoft. Names for this protocol include LAN Manager and Microsoft
+ Networking. Parts of the specification has been made public at several
+ versions including in an X/Open document, as listed at
+ . No specification
+ releases were made between 1992 and 1996, and during that period
+ Microsoft became the SMB implementor with the largest market share.
+ Microsoft developed the specification further for its products but for
+ various reasons connected with developer's workload rather than market
+ strategy did not make the changes public. This culminated with the
+ "Windows NT 0.12" version released with NT 3.5 in 1995 which had
+ significant improvements and bugs. Because Microsoft client systems
+ are so popular, it is fair to say that what Microsoft with Windows
+ affects all suppliers of SMB server products.
+
+ From 1994 Andrew Tridgell began doing some serious work on his
+ Smbserver (now Samba) product and with some helpers started to
+ implement more and more of these protocols. Samba began to take a
+ significant share of the SMB server market.
+
+ 33..22.. WWhhaatt iiss tthhee CCoommmmoonn IInntteerrnneett FFiilleessyysstteemm ((CCIIFFSS))??
+
+ The initial pressure for Microsoft to document their current SMB
+ implementation came from the Samba team, who kept coming across things
+ on the wire that Microsoft either didn't know about or hadn't
+ documented anywhere (even in the sourcecode to Windows NT.) Then Sun
+ Microsystems came out with their WebNFS initiative, designed to
+ replace FTP for file transfers on the Internet. There are many
+ drawbacks to WebNFS (including its scope - it aims to replace HTTP as
+ well!) but the concept was attractive. FTP is not very clever, and why
+ should it be harder to get files from across the world than across the
+ room?
+
+ Some hasty revisions were made and an Internet Draft for the Common
+ Internet Filesystem (CIFS) was released. Note that CIFS is not an
+ Internet standard and is a very long way from becoming one, BUT the
+ protocol specification is in the public domain and ongoing discussions
+ concerning the spec take place on a public mailing list according to
+ the rules of the Internet Engineering Task Force. For more information
+ and pointers see
+
+ The following is taken from
+
+ CIFS defines a standard remote file system access protocol for use
+ over the Internet, enabling groups of users to work together and
+ share documents across the Internet or within their corporate
+ intranets. CIFS is an open, cross-platform technology based on the
+ native file-sharing protocols built into Microsoft Windows and
+ other popular PC operating systems, and supported on dozens of
+ other platforms, including UNIX. With CIFS, millions of computer
+ users can open and share remote files on the Internet without having
+ to install new software or change the way they work."
+
+ If you consider CIFS as a backwardsly-compatible refinement of SMB
+ that will work reasonably efficiently over the Internet you won't be
+ too far wrong.
+
+ The net effect is that Microsoft is now documenting large parts of
+ their Windows NT fileserver protocols. The security concepts embodied
+ in Windows NT are part of the specification, which is why Samba
+ documentation often talks in terms of Windows NT. However there is no
+ reason why a site shouldn't conduct all its file and printer sharing
+ with CIFS and yet have no Microsoft products at all.
+
+ 33..33.. WWhhaatt iiss BBrroowwssiinngg??
+
+ The term "Browsing" causes a lot of confusion. It is the part of the
+ SMB/CIFS protocol which allows for resource discovery. For example, in
+ the Windows NT Explorer it is possible to see a "Network
+ Neighbourhood" of computers in the same SMB workgroup. Clicking on the
+ name of one of these machines brings up a list of file and printer
+ resources for connecting to. In this way you can cruise the network,
+ seeing what things are available. How this scales to the Internet is a
+ subject for debate. Look at the CIFS list archives to see what the
+ experts think.
+
+ 44.. DDeessiiggnniinngg AA SSMMBB aanndd CCIIFFSS NNeettwwoorrkk
+
+ The big issues for installing any network of LAN or WAN file and print
+ servers are
+
+ +o How and where usernames, passwords and other security information
+ is stored
+
+ +o What method can be used for locating the resources that users have
+ permission to use
+
+ +o What protocols the clients can converse with
+
+ If you buy Netware, Windows NT or just about any other LAN fileserver
+ product you are expected to lock yourself into the product's preferred
+ answers to these questions. This tendancy is restrictive and often
+ very expensive for a site where there is only one kind of client or
+ server, and for sites with a mixture of operating systems it often
+ makes it impossible to share resources between some sets of users.
+
+ The Samba philosophy is to make things as easy as possible for
+ administators, which means allowing as many combinations of clients,
+ servers, operating systems and protocols as possible.
+
+ 44..11.. WWoorrkkggrroouuppss,, BBrroowwssiinngg DDoommaaiinnss aanndd AAuutthheennttiiccaattiioonn DDoommaaiinnss
+
+ The concepts of a Workgroup and a Domain are fundamental to SMB
+ networking. Although Microsoft integrates Workgroups and Domains
+ tightly with their authentication procedures there is no reason why
+ this has to be so in an SMB network. Groups of SMB machines can work
+ together just as well with Unix or OS/2 Samba servers as they can with
+ Windows NT servers, even though the password storage and access
+ methods are totally different.
+
+ 44..11..11.. DDeeffiinniinngg tthhee TTeerrmmss
+
+ A Workgroup (or Browsing Domain) is collection of machines that
+ maintain a common database contianing information about their shared
+ resources. They do not necessarily have any security information in
+ common. The database is dynamic, modified as servers come and go on
+ the network and as resources are added or deleted. The term "browsing"
+ refers to a user accessing the database via whatever interface the
+ client provides. SMB servers agree between themselves as to which ones
+ will maintain the browsing database. Workgroups can be anywhere on a
+ connected TCP/IP network, including on different subnets or anywhere
+ on the Interet. This is a very tricky part of SMB to implement.
+
+ Due to the convoluted history of SMB there is now conflicting
+ terminology describing Domains and Workgroups. "Domain" is used in the
+ browsing specifications to define that group of servers and clients
+ who share a common name and a common browsing database. The following
+ are used exclusively in the context of Workgroup browsing:
+
+ +o Domain Master Browser
+
+ +o Local Master Browser
+
+ Alternative terms include confusing variations such as "Browse
+ Master", and "Master Browser" which we are trying to eliminate from
+ the Samba documentation. We are moving to the use of "Browsing Domain"
+ wherever the word "Domain" occurs in a workgroup context. Ideally
+ "Workgroup" would also be replaced by Browsing Domain but it is very
+ widely used terminology.
+
+ Unfortunately the group of machines which use the the Microsoft method
+ of sharing authentication information (but not any of the many other
+ methods) is also called a Domain. As explained elsewhere Microsoft are
+ not making this protocol public and The following are used exclusively
+ in the context of Microsoft Authentication domains:
+
+ +o Primary Domain Controller
+
+ +o Backup Domain Controller
+
+ +o Domain Logon
+
+ These terms can be very confusing, and so in the Samba documentation
+ we are moving to the term "Authentication Domain" wherever Domain is
+ used in this sense. As a final touch of irony, all Authentication
+ Domains are also Browsing Domains.
+
+ 44..11..22.. SShhaarreelleevveell ((WWoorrkkggrroouupp)) SSeeccuurriittyy SSeerrvviicceess
+
+ With the Samba setting "security = SHARE", all shared resources
+ information about what password is associated with them but only hints
+ as to what usernames might be valid (the hint can be 'all users', in
+ which case any username will work. This is usually a bad idea, but
+ reflects both the initial implementations of SMB in the mid-80s and
+ its reincarnation with Windows for Workgroups in 1992. The idea behind
+ workgroup security was that small independant groups of people could
+ share information on an ad-hoc basis without there being an
+ authentication infrastructure present or requiring them to do more
+ than fill in a dialogue box.
+
+ 44..11..33.. AAuutthheennttiiccaattiioonn DDoommaaiinn MMooddee SSeerrvviicceess
+
+ With the Samba settings "security = USER" or "security = SERVER"
+ accesses to all resources are checked for username/password pair
+ matches in a more rigorous manner. This has the effect of emulating a
+ Microsoft Authentication Domain. Whether or not an Authentication
+ Domain is involved depends on how the network has been designed.
+
+ 44..22.. AAuutthheennttiiccaattiioonn SScchheemmeess
+
+ In the simple case authentication information is stored on a single
+ server and the user types a password on connecting for the first time.
+ However client operating systems often require a password before they
+ can be used at all, and in addition users usually want access to more
+ than one server. Asking users to remember many different passwords in
+ different contexts just does not work. Some kind of distributed
+ authentication database is needed. It must cope with password changes
+ and provide for assigning groups of users the same level of access
+ permissions.
+
+ Authentication decisions are some of the biggest in designing a
+ network. Are you going to use a scheme native to the client operating
+ system, native to the server operating system, or newly installed on
+ both? A list of options relevant to Samba (ie that make sense in the
+ context of the SMB protocol) follows. Any experiences with other
+ setups would be appreciated. refer to server FAQ for "passwd chat"
+ passwd program password server etc etc...
+
+ 44..22..11.. WWoorrkkggrroouupp MMooddee SSeerrvviicceess
+
+ etc etc
+
+ 44..22..22.. WWiinnddoowwss NNTT--SSttyyllee DDoommaaiinn
+
+ Samba compiled with libdes - enabling encrypted passwords security =
+ server
+
+ 44..22..33.. NNIISS
+
+ 44..22..44.. KKeerrbbeerrooss
+
+ 44..22..55.. FFTTPP
+
+ 44..22..66.. DDeeffaauulltt SSeerrvveerr MMeetthhoodd
+
+ 44..22..77.. CClliieenntt--ssiiddee DDaattaabbaassee OOnnllyy
+
+ 44..33.. PPoosstt--AAuutthheennttiiccaattiioonn:: NNeettllooggoonn,, LLooggoonn SSccrriippttss,, PPrrooffiilleess
+
+ 55.. CCrroossss--PPrroottooccooll FFiillee SShhaarriinngg
+
+ Samba is an important tool for...
+
+ It is possible to...
+
+ File protocol gateways...
+
+ "Setting up a Linux File Server"
+ http://vetrec.mit.edu/people/narf/linux.html
+
+ Two free implementations of Appletalk for Unix are Netatalk,
+ , and CAP,
+ . What Samba offers MS
+ Windows users, these packages offer to Macs. For more info on these
+ packages, Samba, and Linux (and other UNIX-based systems) see
+ 3.5) Sniffing your nework
+
+ 66.. MMiisscceellllaanneeoouuss
+
+ 66..11.. IIss SSaammbbaa YYeeaarr 22000000 ccoommpplliiaanntt??
+
+ The CIFS protocol that Samba implements negotiates times in various
+ formats, all of which are able to cope with dates beyond 2000.
+
--
2.11.4.GIT