[linux-cifs-client] Re: [Fwd: [Samba] CAP_UNIX disabling]

[Steven French]

> If you can just get something in the smbmount man page, or samba docs

I don't think it is worth mentioning the enhanced mount syntax in the 
smbmount man pages, since that could be confusing as it does not apply to 
smbmount (cifs vfs does not need or use smbmount or smbumount or smbmnt).  
When we were designing cifs vfs, we decided to keep the mount code and the 
filesystem together in the kernel filesystem module (mostly) rather than 
separated as smbfs was (since that had caused version mismatch problems 
and a few other design problems with smbfs).  The cifs vfs mount code does 
not use smbmount, the mount code is mostly in kernel (the rest is in the 
small utility mount.cifs that is automatically invoked by mount).   I will 
update the mount.cifs man page and add it to the info that I am giving 
John T. for the Samba Howto Collection (official Samba Admin Guide).

Interestingly the selective CAP_UNIX disabling   came up more often as a 
question, not from those worried about uid/gid mapping issues (as you 
were), but those who want different symlink behavior. 

Symlinks have been a more difficult question. Jeremy and I need to work 
through this in the spec and the Samba code early next year but 
suggestions would be welcome. The CIFS Unix extensions have problems in 
lack of features/defintions for different symlink behavior - e.g. server 
vs. client namespace for symlinks, symlink security issues etc.  This is a 
big issue as some expect NFS behavior and seem expect Windows like 
reparse/junction behavior and some want symlinks to be invisible to the 
client.


Steve French
Senior Software Engineer
Linux Technology Center - IBM Austin
phone: 512-838-2294
email: sfrench at-sign us dot ibm dot com
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