Home directories using UNIX/SMB

[Gerald W. Carter]

> > That is one of the fundamental features of Samba, the "homes"
> > directories.  It checks the password files and mounts the file
> > space mapped to the user name who logs in.  It will even work
> > with NIS maps and automounters with NFS file space (I do that).
> > All this is not to say that it will work the first time, though.
> > May take some fiddling as you understand the capabilities.  It's
> > all in the documentation.
> 
> If I am using the password server as an NT box then there
> is no local NIS/passwd/smbpasswd file and so if I connect
> via an NT box how does samba know where the home directory
> is? Or do I have to maintain a local passwd file as well?
> 

You will have to specify \\sambaserver\homes in the NT user profile as
the home directory.  I think I understand you that the user's home in
located on the samba server, correct?  You can specify your [homes]
share like this...

[homes]
        comment = Unix Home Directories
        browseable = yes
        path = /export/home/%u
        read only = no
        public = no
        create mode = 0700
        directory mode = 0700

The trick is that you specify an absolute path for the directory share. 
I do this in several of our labs where the home disk space is local and
separate from the user's unix home directory ( as listed in /etc/passwd
).

Hope this helps,
j-
________________________________________________________________________
                          Gerald ( Jerry ) Carter	
Engineering Network Services                           Auburn University 
jerry at eng.auburn.edu             http://www.eng.auburn.edu/users/cartegw

       "...a hundred billion castaways looking for a home."
                                  - Sting "Message in a Bottle" ( 1979 )
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