[Samba] Samba Deleted My Linux Home Directory ?

[simo]

On Tue, 2006-02-07 at 09:35 +0100, Xavier Vilà wrote:
> Hi:
> I have Samba3.0.14a-Debian installed on a Debian (unstable) system
> After setting smb.conf to act as a domain logon I connected to the Samba
> server from a Windows XP client using my personal login and password. 
> Samba was set to export HOMES as a share with this configuration:
> 
> [homes]
>         comment = User Homes
>         path = /home/%u
>         read only = No
>         create mask = 0754
>         browseable = No
> 
> Well, the thing is that it connected without any problem (apparently !) and
> my home directory on the server (/home/foo) appeared on windows as a
> network drive.
> 
> The problem is that on the Linux sever the contents of my /home/foo
> directory were replaced by a "standard" windows hierarchy, that is, My
> Documents, My Music, Program Files, etc.
> 
> I have also tried with a newly created user (for a quick test) and *almost* 
> the same thing happened. In this case, though, all the files/folders in the 
> Linux  home directory were deleted but nothing was created
> 
> Is that possible ?????
> What might have happened ?

That you have set your home directory as the profile directory.
It is well known that the profile directory on the server is replaced by
the client with the local profile on logout when the roaming profiles
are activated (it's not samba it's how profiles work on windows
networks).

So basically you made a gross error in your configuration, profiles
should never be stored in the home even in a subdirectory of your home,
to avoid confusion and possible loss of data by users that do not
understand how profiles work.

Simo.

-- 
Simo Sorce
Samba Team
email: idra at samba.org
http://samba.org/~idra