Linux kernel 2.6 smbfs bugs

[Christopher R. Hertel]

On Tue, Jan 13, 2004 at 04:21:54PM -0500, Michael B Allen wrote:
> > Not optimal.  The right way to do the NBT layer is in the kernel, I'm
> > 'fraid.
> 
> Mmmm, I think this is right on the money. An NBT module in the kernel would give
> Steve name service, Samba and WINE can share ports, and the NetBIOS code
> introduced into libraries and programs is very minimal. I love it.

Yep.  That's exactly right.

I imagine two user-land interfaces.
- The first would be a socket interface, which would make it possible to
  access the underlying TCP/UDP stuff so that you could write an NBNS
  implementation or fiddle with the NBT configuration (ioctls?).

- The second would be a NetBIOS-API-like interface that would make it easy 
  to write applications that talk to other NetBIOS applications/services 
  on the virtual NetBIOS LAN.  This API would need some sort of security 
  controls so that the system administrator could decide who was allowed 
  to register services.

It should be possible to architect a system like this so that Samba could 
run on top of it without too much fiddling.  For example, if Samba were to 
use the NBT layer for port 137 instead of using UDP directly then the NBT 
layer could simply note and monitor the messages going through as a way of 
maintaining the local name table.  Other NetBIOS applications would then 
add their own names via the pseudo-NetBIOS API.

That does, however, seem like a lot of work for the system to do.  Sort of 
like jumping backwards through the flaming hoop just so you can jump 
forwards again.  Would be nicer to just skip the hoops entirely.  That may 
be possible with Samba4.  Not sure.

Oh... and this model also allows for things like a NetBEUI implementation.
The same NetBIOS-like API would just ride on top of a different transport.

Chris -)-----


-- 
"Implementing CIFS - the Common Internet FileSystem" ISBN: 013047116X
Samba Team -- http://www.samba.org/     -)-----   Christopher R. Hertel
jCIFS Team -- http://jcifs.samba.org/   -)-----   ubiqx development, uninq.
ubiqx Team -- http://www.ubiqx.org/     -)-----   crh at ubiqx.mn.org
OnLineBook -- http://ubiqx.org/cifs/    -)-----   crh at ubiqx.org