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Implementing Samba - A 2-Day Course

Synopsis

SAMBA provides file and printer sharing on UNIX, Linux and Solaris servers for Microsoft Windows PCs. This two-day course provides an opportunity to learn in-depth how to obtain, install and configure this free software. Full practical sessions with a variety of Windows machines available for testing purposes. This course uses version 3 of SAMBA, but is also suitable for version 2 and differences are pointed out.

Suitable For

  • Network administrators who are responsible for integrating Microsoft networking with Unix and Linux platforms.

Prerequisites

  • Attendees must have sound basic UNIX/Solaris/Linux experience including some systems administration and IP network configuration. Knowledge of Windows server configuration would be an advantage, but not essential

Delivery

The course is about 40% practicals, and 60% lectures. The course is run using both Solaris and Linux servers. Each students will have exclusive use of a Samba server to configure and test, and access to a number of Microsoft PC systems for testing Samba access, including XP Pro, NT and W2K3 server. Attendees are welcome to bring along their own laptop PC for use during exercises. Each attendee will be provided with their own set of comprehensive notes of 230 pages approximately.

Course Contents:

Introduction

  • Samba background and overview
  • File and Printer sharing background
  • Typical server roles for SAMBA, and limitations, including standalone, NT domain and Active Directory domain roles
  • NT domain and Active Directory domain roles
  • Authentication mechanisms

Configuring and Installing SAMBA from source

  • Obtaining the latest source, configuration options, configuring and compiling the source, installing the binaries and support files
  • Integrating into the Linux and Solaris environments
  • Using options for LDAP and Active Directory when configuring
  • SAMBA Documentation including available books

Configuring SAMBA

  • Configuring Solaris and Linux to run Samba
  • The smb.conf file, using testparm to validate the file
  • Example smb.conf with basic global options, plus disk and printer shares
  • Local user authentication; smbpasswd; using encrypted passwords
  • Creating and modifying boot-up scripts
  • Starting, stopping and restarting the server daemons
  • Testing the server with smbclient
  • Debugging SAMBA startup

SAMBA configuration via your Web Browser

  • What is swat?
  • How to enable access to swat
  • Using swat to examine and change SAMBA configuration directives
  • Obtaining access to documentation via swat
  • Other options for GUI configuration, including webmin

SAMBA server - the view from Windows

  • Using SAMBA server resources from the PC, using 9x/Me, XP, NT and W2K clients
  • Sharing Workgroup resources from the PC, and accessing them from Linux, and with smbclient

Configuration File Format & Syntax

  • Variables, includes, config file, [globals] section, Server Configuration, NetBIOS Names
  • How smb.conf is a dynamic file, changing for each client

Typical Server Roles for Samba

  • Standalone server;
  • Read-only simple server;
  • Domain member server (user authentication from domain server) with setup guide and example smb.conf files

Disk shares and globals in detail

  • Basic Options, encrypted passwords, restricting user and network access, Netbios names
  • Virtual Samba Servers
  • Browsing, browsing mechanics and elections, domain master browser,local browse master etc.
  • Browsing Issues

UNIX/Windows File systems issues

  • Naming, permissions
  • Links, hidden files, veto files, etc.
  • Forcing attributes such as UID

Domain User Authentication and winbind

  • Domain Logons, logon scripts, profiles, policies, trust accounts, password backends including tdbsam, MySQL, LDAP
  • Active Directory

NT4 PDC to Samba PDC Conversion

  • Step-by-step guide

Print Services

  • Sharing printers, CUPS, BSD, SYSV, Printing Options, printer drivers

WINS and Name Services

  • nmbd and its function
  • How Samba resolves hosts
  • Using DNS and LDAP, plus DHCP issues

Logging

  • Logging Options
  • controlling logs

SAMBA Utilities

  • smbtar, findsmb, nmblookup, smbstatus, net, etc.

Performance Tuning

  • Sizing Servers, High Availability

Troubleshooting

  • Guides and tools for resolving problems

Miscellaneous

  • VFS Modules smb.conf Variable Reference & Summary