WinPopup [Was: Re: max connections error message]

[David Lee]

In reply to: Mike Kerns

> From: Mike Kerns [mailto:mike.kerns at boeing.com]
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 12:27 PM
> To: samba at lists.samba.org
> Subject: max connections error message
> 
> We're using the max connections option to limit users to one open
> session through a VB app front end.  max connections is set to 1.  When
> users try to start another session of the app, they get the error
> message
> 
>      "No more connections can be made to this remote
>        computer at this time because there are already
>        as many connections as the computer can accept"
> 
> This is good that they get a warning, but I'd like to change it to a
> more personalised message with the name of the app &etc.  Do I have to
> modify the source & recompile or is there another way to change this
> message.

to which Andrew Bartlett <abartlet at pcug.org.au> replied:

> Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2001 12:26:39 +1000
> From: Andrew Bartlett <abartlet at pcug.org.au>
> To: "MCCALL,DON (HP-USA,ex1)" <don_mccall at hp.com>
> Cc: "'Mike Kerns'" <mike.kerns at boeing.com>, samba at lists.samba.org
> Subject: Re: max connections error message
> 
> The only other (ugly hack) method of doing this is to make samba send a
> WinPopup message to the client.  This would however require extensive
> source code modifications...

Not that extensive, actually.  In fact, minimal...

... and already done in my version of 2.2.1a as a "proof of concept".  It
was straightforward with only minimal coding impact to hook it into the
existing code.  So the reasoning "extensive code mods ... so we can't
easily do it" would seem irrelevant.

Why?  Some time ago our site identified a very useful application which
needs WinPopup code within "smbd", namely, to allow the UNIX sys.admin. to
configure smbd so that commands such as write(1), wall(1), shutdown(1) 
would display at Samba-connected PCs.  (Andrew Bartlett and I had an
interesting off-list discussion about this a few months ago, with
differing opinions!) 

The only hook in 2.2 code is in "process.c"  (This has undergone revision
in 2.2 CVS (as I know from anther issue), so I have put this project into
"dormant" mode just for the moment.)) 

Another use for smbd WinPopup: when a user encounters a quota-related
issue (e.g. going over the soft limit), a site's sys.admin might well wish
a config. option for the user sent a warning pop-up.  (Implementation
detail: I note that quota-handling is on the "TODO" list to be transferred
to "vfs"  operation, so my quota/popup suggestion should probably wait
until after that.)

Yet another: to inform the user of imminent "password aging" events. 
(Thinking here of UNIX-based authentication, our experience, but probably
more widely applicable.) 


So if WinPopups were available, there are a variety of most useful things
for several sites to be able to implement.  The WinPopup code is already
sketched;  the "intrusion" into the existing code is small. 

Can we consider doing it, please?  The Samba Team is welcome to take my
prototype code as a basis.   I'd be delighted to discuss it in more
detail, but it might be more appropriate on "samba-technical".


-- 

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