[Samba] Problem with "include=smb.%U.conf"

[F. Latorre]

Hi,

We have a similar problem, a lot of users with a lot of shares.
We solve this with simlinks in home directory of each user. Each user 
has a tailored bunch of symlinks in his home directory, so we don't need 
many shares.
Each directory accesed via symlink has an owner and a group, and we 
setup the sticky bit and SGID bit in its permissions, so the users can 
read, write, an modify but not delete and rename files in that 
directory. Each user is member only of the needed groups.


AndyLiebman at aol.com wrote:

>Hi, 
>
>Does anybody know why Windows clients can see shares that are defined by the 
>"include=/etc/samba/smb.%U.conf" option in  but Mac OS X and Linux Samba 
>clients cannot see those shares? 
>
>In other words, I have a bunch of users. Each user has a set of his/her own 
>unique shares on my Linux server that are defined in files called: 
>
>/etc/samba/smb.User1.conf
>/etc/samba/smb.User2.conf
>/etc/samba/smb.User3.conf
>
>and so on. 
>
>In Windows, User 1 will see the shares listed in /etc/samba/smb.User1.conf. 
>User 2 will not see those shares (unless they are listed in User 2's directory 
>file as well, which in my case never happens). 
>
>In Mac OS X (10.3.4, 10.3.5, and 10.3.6) as well as in various Linux 
>distributions like Mandrake 10 and 10.1 and the latest Debian, if I log in as User 1, 
>I cannot see the shares that correspond to User 1. The only shares I can see 
>through the Mac Finder or through the Mac "Connect to Server" or through the 
>Linux Smb4k or LinNeighborhood are those defined in the general 
>"/etc/samba/smb.conf" file. 
>
>If there is no way around this situation, is there another way to define 
>shares so that only specific users will see them when they browse for shares that 
>are available? I have hundreds of shares each of which are restricted to 
>individual users. Linux ownership and permissions are set on the directories that 
>correspond to those shares such that User 2 can't enter User 1's directories. 
>But I don't want User 2 to even see User 1's directories. Which is why I use 
>the include=smb.%U.conf approach. It works great in Windows XP, but fails 
>completely when connecting from Macs. 
>
>Any solutions? 
>
>Regards, 
>Andy Liebman
>  
>