User data, become_root etc

[Michael Stockman]

Hello,

After the become_root discussion a while back, I've been reading up on
databases. I'm thinking that it might be a good idea to include some
simple but more general database facility in samba (sdbd, Samba
DataBase Daemon), to store user data in.

The advantages of this would be:
* facilitate future expansion
* reduce risks of simultaneous use
* possibly simplify the main applications (smbd/nmbd) through lifting
data
  managing tasks into an own application that has great potential to
  become very reliable.
* possibly reduce security risks in smbd (move them to sdbd).
* if we make the database connectable via ip, multiple samba servers
could
  act on the same user db, without requiring third party products
  (LDAP/NIS etc, for the more amitious these will still be available).
  There are also many many other gains with this approach and future
  functionality in samba.
* if we design in replication in this from the beginning, both wins
  and sam replication (samba style) would be a snap

Disadvantages:
* Access times may increase(?). This ought to be neglictible if the
  smbd/nmbd and sdbd are running on the same server. Some caching in
the
  database access routines might make this neglectible in other cases
too.
* A new application will be created with many new problems during it's
  evolution. These are probably only transient.
* sdbd will need to be secure too (yet another security hasard),
  especially if we choose to allow access from network interfaces.

>From my point of view the advantages are elephantous :-) compared to
the disadvantages, and I will give it a shot, unless someone send me a
letter saying that this is NOT a good idea. Don't expect anything too
soon as I can only work on this weekends due to particularily
unfavourable working conditions this autumn.

Best regards
  Michael Stockman
  pgmtekn-micke at algonet.se