[Samba] Basic samba/swat setup prob

[Eric Hines]

At 12/18/05 10:58, dave s wrote:
>On Sunday 18 December 2005 16:47, Eric Hines wrote:
> > At 12/18/05 09:49, Mathew D. Watson wrote:
> > >dave wrote:
> > >>I am running kubuntu, samba 3.0.14a, my smb.conf file is ...
> > >>[global]
> > >>     workgroup = METRAN
> > >>     encrypt passwords = yes
> > >>[test]
> > >>     comment = For testing only, please
> > >>     path = /etc/samba/tmp
> > >>     read only = no
> > >>     guest ok = yes
> > >>I have a /etc/samba/tmp directory,
> > >>I am user dave on the system so I ...
> > >>smbpasswd -a dave
> > >>I gave it a password of 'testing', it complained that a file did not
> > >>exist then created it for me ... all looked AOK
> > >>I pointed my browser to http://localhost:901, an authentication dialogue
> > >>popped up, I entered 'dave', 'testing' hopeing for the swat screen but
> > >>all I get is authentication failed, retry.
> > >
> > >This is a guess, but try adding
> > >
> > >security = user
> > >
> > >to the [global] section.
> > >
> > >You might also try, as I did, using the /etc/samba/smb.conf file that came
> > >with the samba package. Then run swat, and use it to make your changes.
> > >
> > >Mat
> >
> > There are a couple of other things you might want to try: since you've
> > gotten to the authentication dialog, it appears you have a proper swat
> > config file (you might, though, compare yours to the one that's on pg 53 of
> > Ts, et al.'s _Using Samba_ (O'Reilly pub), just to be sure.  The biggie,
> > though, is that, unless you explicitly set up swat to do otherwise, you
> > need to log in as root to get it to run (don't forget to assign the same
> > password for smbpasswd as you have for your root access for your kubuntu
> > machine...).
>
>Thank you SO MUCH :) I have been wrestling with this problem for 2-3 
>weeks. It
>was complicated because kubuntu does not have a root password by default.
>Having setup a root password then smbpasswd -a and all is well :)

!?  I'm minded of Hamlet's injunction, "Get thee to a nunnery, 
go."  (Although "nunnery" was a rude slang term when Shakespeare was 
writing.)  Generate a root user, promptly.  Which you have done.  I 
strongly urge you to go through the hassle of logging in as root (or su to 
root) whenever you want to make a system change of any sort.  It's too easy 
to make system changes as an ordinary user that screw up the system, 
sometimes catastrophically.  If you force yourself to do these as root 
only, you won't be proofed against those catastrophic errors, but you will 
be encouraged to make your changes only after prior thought, so the 
likelihood of those errors is minimized.


>One question, why does the smbpasswd have to be the same as the root 
>password,
>apart from it therefore being easy to remember ?

A more expert *NIX user can chime in here, but I suspect it has to do with 
you only getting one user called root, with those privileges.  One password 
for both passwd and smbpasswd prevents password conflicts.


>Cheers
>
>Dave

Eric Hines

There is no nonsense so errant that it cannot be made the creed of the vast 
majority by adequate governmental action.
         --Bertrand Russell