Suggestions & stuff

[Mike Brodbelt]

Jean Francois Micouleau wrote:
> 
> Yesterday evening I added the rpc call: create_user to the HEAD branch..
> Once I'm done with set_user_info and set_user_info2, we should be able to
> add/nodify accounts from the user manager.
> 
> > I fully appreciate the technical difficulties, and don't have answers to
> > many of them yet, but I still feel the functionality is important. For
> > Server Manager, I'd be happy with a set up where machine accounts were
> > placed in a Samba specific file (tdb?), and then that file could be
> > changed by the RPC mechanism, obviating the need for this service to
> > muck with /etc/passwd, which I admit to a sense of unease about.
> 
> user and server manager have a lot in common. As soon as we have user
> manager working, server manager will be trivial.

Great news. 
 
> > I used to run NT clients on a Novell server, Each account could have
> > valid logon times specfied on the server, and you'd be kicked off the
> > system automatically when you reached the end of your approved hours. NT
> > has all the same options, though I've not actually used them.
> 
> A bit of background explanation is necessary. Let me explain, we are
> reluctant to add user management in samba that is not supported by the
> underlying unix system. I would love to support the kick-out/password
> change/... features of NT but only if the unix you use can support them
> too. It's more a philosophical than a technical issue.

The philosophy seems eminently sensible to me. I don't regard kickout as
that important really. If an organisation wants to kick everyone out,
they can always just cron a Samba shutdown at night, and startup in the
morning. The NT password change is more irritating. From a technical
perspective, I can see the arguments, but as an admin, I'd love to have
the darn thing work...

Mike.