[jcifs] SMB URL

[Christopher R. Hertel]

On Sat, Jul 06, 2002 at 08:03:16PM -0400, Michael B. Allen wrote:
> On Sat, 6 Jul 2002 15:47:15 -0500
> "Christopher R. Hertel" <crh at ubiqx.mn.org> wrote:
> 
> > I need to get a new SMB URL draft into the IETF.  The current is set to 
> > expire.
> > 
> > Some quick thoughts:
> > 
> > - I went over the list of parameters that can be set using the ?<query> 
> >   syntax and removed a few (per Mike's suggestion, IIRC).  The current 
> >   list is:
> > 
> >       nbt_param     = ( ( "NBNS=" | "WINS=" ) host )
> >                       | ( "NBDD=" host )
> >                       | ( "SCOPE=" hostname )
> >                       | ( "CALLED=" netbiosname )
> >                       | ( "CALLING=" netbiosname )
> >                       | ( ( "WORKGROUP=" | "NTDOMAIN=" ) nbtname )
> >                       | ( "RESOLVE=" nbt_resorder )
> 
> I  would  rather you introduce only the obviously useful parameters so that
> we  can  incorporate  that  functionality  into  clients and then gradually
> determine what other parameters would be useful. It would be much better to
> add  additional  parameters  later  rather  than  have to remove some after
> realizing  they  weren't  appropriate. For example it's not clear that NBDD
> would  be useful or even applicable

I agree about NBDD.  No one implements it, and NBT browsing works better
without it.

> whereas parameters to specify the local
> interface  to  bind to or an lmhosts file to use are examples of parameters
> that  might  be  necessary  for  the client to function properly.

How so?  That sound's like really dangerous ground.  Also, recall that a 
URL is supposed to be something that someone else can give you.  Eg. you 
should be able to click on an SMB link on the jCIFS page and get a file, 
just as you would with an FTP URL.

If we set up a "public" (read "nailed down, unchangeable, static") WINS 
server we could even supply the NBNS parameter.  Just about everything in 
the list is highly portable.  The exception *might* be the WORKGROUP 
option, but even that...  I am working on that one...

> Also, the
> RESOLVE parameter  suggests  that  clients  must  provide  resolve  order
> functionality  which  is more sophisticated than I think most clients would
> be willing to support. I'd say only NBNS/WINS and SCOPE would be the minmum
> introductory  set although CALLED *might* be useful for clients that do not
> have  sophisticated  resource resoultion.

jCIFS and smbclient allow specification of resolve order, and so do 
several other tools I've seen.  You would need to be able, at minimum, to 
specify B, P, M, or H mode.  All clients do that (as far as I know).  
The other option is simply a way to include DNS into the ordering.

As for CALLED and CALLING, I doubt that people will use them much, but 
they might.  Adding CALLED is important because, for example, I might be 
connecting to a W/95 box across the country.  I have the DNS name but not 
the CALLED name, and W/95 doesn't support *SMBSERVER.  What do I do?

> The WORKGROUP/NTDOMAIN parameters
> are  redundant (and thus confusing) because you can specify the ntdomain in
> the  authentiocation  credentials  and  the  workgroup  in  the  overloaded
> authority component. 

Different purpose.  We talked previously about the fact that you can 
authenticate in one domain but access services in another.  Not a big 
deal, since the server name is independent of the authentication domain.

Anyway, the purpose of the ?WORKGROUP= parameter is to designate the 
default workgroup (or NTDOMAIN) for browsing.

> > - In the current draft, you can specify:
> > 
> >     smb://<NetBIOS_NAME>.<ScopeID>
> > 
> >   I'm thinking that it would be better to disallow the specification of 
> >   the scope in the server field.  Instead, you would have to write the
> >   above as:
> > 
> >     smb://<NetBIOS_NAME>?SCOPE=<ScopeID>
> 
> DEFINATELY.  Supporting  both  DNS  and NetBIOS is tough enough. Add Active
> Directory  and  a  legacy  scopeid  and they just won't implement it (hint,
> hint). 

Hmmm.... you like that idea.  Okay.  ;)

> > - This is the controversial one...
> >   In the current draft, you can type:
> > 
> >     smb://<name>
> > 
> >   and if <name> resolves to a workgroup name you will get the browselist 
> >   for that workgroup (assuming it's available somewhere).  I am thinking 
> >   that we could change that to:
> > 
> >     smb://?WORKGROUP=<name>
> > 
> >   to get the browselist for that workgroup.
> 
> Why?  I  don't  understand. Where did you get this from? Doesn't USENET use
> something  like  news:GROUP.  If you're going to change it I would do that.
> But  I  think  it's been established that the current scheme works and that
> there are no fundamental issues with it so ... 

That was one of the suggestions from the RFC2396 authors.  Could do...  I 
figured that, since we already had the ?<keyword>= syntax going why not 
put it there?

Still, I do like that...  It may also work for the LDAP query to get the 
AD server list.  Thinking...

Can *anyone* show me how to do an LDAP query to get the server list from 
Active Directory?!?!

I have to get the new draft in by Monday.  I will do so, but it is a 
draft.  Change is likely.

Chris -)-----

-- 
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