[linux-cifs-client] Question about CIFS versus smbclient.

[Stef Bon]

(I've tried to post this message on the cifs-protocol list, but now I know
it's not the best place for this. Sorry about that)

Hello,


One of the things is the creation of a autofs managed networkmountpoint.
This construction creates a mountpoint in the homedirectory of a user
("Global
Network" it is called here), where an automountpoint is. The automounter
maps
a script here, which output is a multi mount map. The automounter makes a
browseable tree with it, representing the "network" environment.


/home/sbon/Global\ Network     /etc/autofs/session/auto.network.sbon -browse


The script auto.network.sbon generates a multi mount map, when the key is
the
name of the network. For example:
-----
root [ /etc/autofs/session ]# ./auto.network.sbon "Windows Network"
-fstype=cifs,credentials=/home/sbon/.autofssession/smb/mount.cred \
/BONONLINE/LFS20060812/bononline -rw,ip=192.168.0.2 ://LFS20060812/bononline

\
/BONONLINE/LFS20060812/ftp -rw,ip=192.168.0.2 ://LFS20060812/ftp \
/BONONLINE/LFS20060812/sbon -rw,ip=192.168.0.2 ://LFS20060812/sbon \
/BONONLINE/LFS20060812/video -rw,ip=192.168.0.2 ://LFS20060812/video \
/CWWERKGROEP/ROUTER/cwdocumenten -rw,ip=192.168.0.1 ://ROUTER/cwdocumenten \
/CWWERKGROEP/ROUTER/public -rw,ip=192.168.0.1 ://ROUTER/public \
/CWWERKGROEP/ROUTER/sbon -rw,ip=192.168.0.1 ://ROUTER/sbon


(in my network there is one workgroup (cwwerkgroep) with one server
(router), and one domain (bononline) with one server (lfs20060812). the
script reads this data from locally maintained cache build with utilities
nbtscan and smbclient)


So when accessing the "Windows Network", the automounter gives the user a
browseable tree, and when accessing a share, it's mounted automatically,
with
cifs.


(not only windows network is supported, but also FTP and SSH, with the help
of
Fuse modules sshfs and curlftpfs)


More information about this:


http://linux.bononline.nl/linux/automountsmbshares/automountsmbshares-
page01a.php


Now, I've asked the Dutch magazine "Linux Magazine" wheather I can write an
article about this, and they do agree!!  Houra! But it should not be to
technical (no howto!), and only give an overview of the advantages of this
construction compared to the methodes used in the desktops like KDE (with
kio_smb) and Gnome (with Gnome VFS and the smb module). These methodes are
based upon the smbclient library.


Now, when starting the article, I find it difficult to summarize the pros of

this construction (and in particular the use of CIFS versus the library
libsmbclient.so). I know that a Samba server (with unix extensions enabled)
or
a Windows server (also with unix extensions) does provide information about
user and owner, and the mode.
Smbclient does not do anything with it, where CIFS does report those
transparantly.


Futher, connections based upon smbclient, are not really mounts. Intuitive I

can say that that is a big disadvantage, compared to connections based upon
CIFS, but I cannot really make it concrete. I've read a about POSIX
compatablilty, but I'm afraid I do not really understand the benfits.


Can you help me here?


The benefits are obvious when used with a Linux Samba server. In combination

with NSS nameservices like Winbind and/or OpenLDAP to make use of the same
accounts as the server does, it works very good.


What benefits are there when used in a pure Windows environment? If the
Windows server does not support the Unix extensions, CIFS is not able to
report the UID/GID and the mode. This behaviour is much like the smbclient
way
of doing.


Hope you can help me,


looking forward to your reaction,


Stef Bon
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