[Samba] Suse Linux OpenExchange Server (Samba 2.2.5) and XP

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> Now, everything seems to be going down the pan, and it looks like the 
> problem is that XP has dropped support for 'old style' controls and 
> only supports Access Control Lists - so tit seems to log in a user, 
> but then the permissions are all screwed as it can't get the info it 
> wants from the server. Reading the howtos suggests that Samba 3* 
> supports stuff that XP is looking for, but the guy who we've taken on 
> to do the XP stuff isn't convinced - suggesting that even with 'group 
> apping (is that the right bit ?) XP will still fail.

Rubbish,  we have a Samba 3.0.3 PDC with LDAP SAM and XP with all the
latest patches works fine except for the password change issue which is
fixed in 3.0.4 (and only started occurring a couple of patches ago).

> All I want is for users to have to authenticate against the central 
> database (LDAP), and for the various group memberships to be honoured 
> when accessing files off the server.

Work great.

> Has anyone else dealt with this sort of thing ? 

Every day, we've had a Samba PDC with LDAP backed since 2.2.1a

> Does XP work reliably with Samba 3 as PDC ?

Yes.

> I'm also told that if we have roaming profiles, then the XP machines 
> will store loads of c**p on the server and keep moving it back and 
> forth as each user logs in/out - is this the case ?

Yes, if your net-admin is a 'nit, and doesn't define any policies.  Even
with a "real" PDC you get this behaviour.

>  Is there any way 
> of dealing with it (eg having the machine pull the files down as 
> needed) ?

Yes, "ntconfig.pol"

> PS - any help gratefully received, preferably before my manager 
> starts saying things to the effect of "this wouldn't have happened if 
> you'd stuck with MS".

Yes, it all will.  You'll face ALL the same issues you've mentioned.