winbind enum {users|groups} ??

[Jay Ts]

Hi,

I was wondering about the winbind enum users and winbind enum groups
parameters. The descriptions in the winbindd(8) and smb.conf(5) manual
pages are a little skimpy.

Am I guessing correctly that:

a) The reason someone might want to turn them off is that on systems
   with a huge number of users (in the NT domain and on the local
   Unix system), the accesses to /etc/passwd and /etc/group can
   bog the system down, due to all the concurrent file opens on those
   two files?  (Especially since getting info on the domain users
   and groups involves network queries?)

b) When these parameters are turned off, that Samba/winbindd somehow
   modify the C library such that Samba _and_all_other_programs_ on
   the Unix system get blank data when the getpwent() function is called?

Also, what happens with winbindd and Samba when either of these is
turned off?  Does anything break? Or act differently?

BTW, I don't know if anyone else has reported this, but I noticed
some typos in the manpages:

1. In the winbindd(8) manpage, the default for winbind enum groups
   is listed as "no".  I assume this is an error.

2. The two parameters are both listed as "winbind enum" in their
   descriptions in the smb.conf(5) manpage.

3. Just above that in the winbind cache time description, under
   Default:, it is listed as winbind cache "type", rather than "time".

Jay Ts
jayts at iname.com