NetBIOS Names (Was: Re: Directory listing in libsmbclient.so)

[Welsh, Armand]

yes it is, in fact, if you do this on NT, it will warn that ms-dos clients
won't be able to access the server.  The use of a space, or more than 8
(maybe 11) characters, can render names unusuable in dos, and WFW, so if you
want to be compliant with out of date opperating systems, that just can't
handle the newer, longer names, then you want to block these conditions,
otherwise, every other OS should be able to handle this case just fine.

-> -----Original Message-----
-> From: Christopher R. Hertel [mailto:crh at nts.umn.edu]
-> Sent: Saturday, December 30, 2000 8:20 PM
-> To: Richard Sharpe
-> Cc: Samba Technical
-> Subject: Re: NetBIOS Names (Was: Re: Directory listing in
-> libsmbclient.so)
-> 
-> 
-> Thanks for this, Richard!
-> 
-> > <quote verbatim="not quite">
-> > NetBIOS names are always converted to uppercase when sent 
-> to other systems,
-> > and may consist of any character, except:
-> > 
-> >   - Any character less than a space (0x20)
-> >   - the characters " . / \ [ ] : | < > + = ; ,
-> > </quote>
-> > 
-> > While MS have bent the spec a bit (cf 
-> \001\002_MSBROWSE_\002\001), the
-> > above would seem to indicate that an '@' is a legit 
-> character in a NetBIOS
-> > name, while ':' or '[' or ']' are not.
-> 
-> I have been looking for a long time to find this 
-> information.  I will have
-> to see if I can get a copy of the IBM docs.  I hope there's 
-> one online.
-> RFC 1001 says:
-> 
-> 4.1.  PRESERVE NetBIOS SERVICES
-> 
->       In the absence of an "official" standard for NetBIOS 
-> services, the
->       version found in the IBM PC Network Technical 
-> Reference[2] is used. 
-> 
-> which indicates that the above is "standard".
-> 
-> 
-> 
-> One question...  It says:
-> 
-> >   - Any character less than a space (0x20)
-> 
-> Does that mean that a space is allowed *within* a NetBIOS 
-> name?  I know
-> spaces are specified for use as trailing padding, but is "HI 
-> THERE" a 
-> valid NetBIOS name?
-> 
-> Thanks again!
-> 
-> Chris -)-----
-> 
-> -- 
-> Christopher R. Hertel -)-----                   University 
-> of Minnesota
-> crh at nts.umn.edu              Networking and 
-> Telecommunications Services
-> 
->     Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them
->     with your hands...you choose them as your guides, and following
->     them you will reach your destiny.  --Carl Schultz
-> 
->