[Samba] DOMAIN level security with smbpasswd???

[Jeremy Nix]

I'm a bit confused on several points of the security infrastructure of
Samba.  First, and simplest, why (and is it necessary) do we need to
keep a smbpasswd file when the Linux/Unix passwd file could be suffice?
I like the idea of mapping particular users to a given UNIX account via
the username map option, but I see no reason in specifying a separate
password file for these same UNIX users.

Secondly, and more to the point, why (again, and is it necessary) do we
need this smbpasswd file if we are authenticating against a domain?

Ideally, I'd like to be able to authenticate against the NT domain, and
then map users to particular accounts.  Users who are not mapped to a
given account will be mapped to a generic guest account with security
tightened and access limited if even available.

_________________
Jeremy Nix
Senior Application Developer
Southwest Financial Ltd.
Jeremy.Nix at sfsltd.com
(513) 621-6699 ext 1158