[Samba] Best way to upgrade domain from control by 2.2.5 PDC to control by 3.0.20b PDC

[John H Terpstra]

On Friday 25 November 2005 20:06, Craig White wrote:
> On Fri, 2005-11-25 at 21:33 -0500, Kevin wrote:
> > Thanks for your reply, Craig.
> >
> > Craig White wrote:
> > >>My first question for the list is: which one of these methods is likely
> > >>to be least problematic and least time-consuming?
> > >
> > > ----
> > > least problematic and least time consuming would probably involve
> > > making sure that all of the user profiles are set to local, setting up
> > > new samba 3/ldap and re-joining the computers to the new domain and
> > > then migrating the user profiles back to roaming on the new domain if
> > > desired.
> > > ----
> >
> > Really!?  I would've thought that to be the most problematic and most
> > time-consuming.
>
> ----
> you asked for an opinion and you got mine...10 users, 10
> machines...easier/better/safer/quicker to do new setup and have machines
> join new domain. Myself, I would probably migrate it rather than
> creating a new setup. One of the things that weighed in on my opinion in
> your case was remembering my first setups of samba 3.0.0 and discovering
> that samba 3.0.x in barely resembles samba 2.2.x...it is an entirely
> different beast.
> ----
>
> > The general description you've given here is helpful, but... would I be
> > looking a gift horse in the mouth by asking for a more detailed
> > description?
> >
> > Or is there such a description in the docs somewhere that I've missed?
> > After reading my Using Samba book from O'Reilly and browsing the
> > Official HowTo, I don't find one.
> >
> > I do see this:
> >
> > Disabling Roaming Profile Support
> >
> > ...
> >
> > In smb.conf
> >
> >     Affect the following settings and ALL clients will be forced to use
> > a local profile: logon home = and logon path =
> >
> >     The arguments to these parameters must be left blank. It is
> > necessary to include the = sign to specifically assign the empty value.
> >
> > The text formatting may be making that statement a little confusing to
> > me.  Should I read that as:
> >
> > smb.conf
> > =============
> > logon home =
> > logon path =
> > =============
> >
> > Just want to make sure.
>
> ----
> yes
> ----
>
> > If I do this and take the old PDC offline, users will still be able to
> > login?
>
> ----
> if the PDC is offline, users won't be able to login unless the system
> provides cached credentials.
> ----
>
> >   I thought the user profiles were just the files to make up the
> > user desktop; not the authentication credentials.  Perhaps I'm mistaken
> > on that point.
>
> ----
> that is pretty much an accurate description
> ----
>
> > And won't rejoining the computers to the new domain end up renaming all
> > of the users' local directory structures (under the "Documents and
> > Settings" folder on the local windows client) and thereby making the
> > users' locally stored data inaccessible to them?  I seem to recall this
> > happening when I've rejoined computer clients to a new domain in the
> > past.
>
> ----
> I already answered this in the previous email - you need to review the
> samba 'How-To' on migrating user profiles.

It seems that my message is not getting through!

If you want deployment information - read the book "Samba-3 by Example".
That book, part of the official Samba documenation, provides prescriptive 
guidance for Samba deployment, migration and update/upgrade tasks.

If you need a mechanics guide, read the book "The Official Samba-3 HOWTO and 
Reference Guide". This book provides barest essentials that demonstrate how 
particular features of Samba-3 can be used - it does NOT set out to provide 
detailed prescriptive guidance. This book does not set out to demonstrate in 
step-by-step fashion how one might migrate from Samba-2.x to Samba-3.x - it 
DOES describe changes in the Samba smb.conf parameters - but does not explain 
how to update/upgrade. For that you need to refer to chapter 8 of the book 
"Samba-3 by Example".

> ----
>
> > Setting up the new samba 3/ldap domain I'm sure I'll find well
> > documented, but it seems to me that in upgrading, I'll have a host of
> > issues to deal with that someone setting up a brand new samba 3/ldap
> > domain wouldn't have to worry about.

Please, show me what I've missed so it can be added to the documentation.

> > > ----
> > > samba 2.x.x doesn't support BDC
> > > ----
> >
> > I thought that 2.2.x introduced some BDC functionality.  No?
>
> ----
> No - apparently saying it once isn't enough though.

Samba-2.2.x CAN be used as a BDC, but it was not officially supported. It is 
officially supported in Samba-3.0.x.

- John T.