[Samba] Should samba be split between client & server

[Jason Baker]

> Samba is basically  used in 2 different ways:
It can also be used as a PDC without ADS involved at all, using Windows 
XP clients. Highly recommended. IMHO I think SAMBA is more or less 
designed as a replacement for a windows server. That is the beauty of 
SAMBA, you can keep you Windows clients, and rid yourself of the high 
overhead costs of running a Windows ADS. I think much of the difficulty 
I am seeing on this board comes when someone tries to run SAMBA as a 
client or domain member to a Windows ADS machine.
Configuring SAMBA as a PDC (especially with LDAP and Roaming Profiles) 
is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is very challenging, but 
you will be well rewarded. There is ample documentation out there to 
help you make it work.
I am just wondering what issues we will all face with the coming of 
Windows Vista. Once I start purchasing client machines with Vista 
pre-installed, how will this impact making that new machine a member of 
a SAMBA controlled domain?

*Jason Baker
*/IT Coordinator/


*Glastender Inc.*
5400 North Michigan Road
Saginaw, Michigan 48604 USA
800.748.0423
Phone: 989.752.4275 ext. 228
Fax: 989.752.4444
www.glastender.com <http://www.glastender.com>



Andrew Watkins wrote:
>
> The more I use samba and the more I read the e-mail coming into this 
> list, I believe that a new look should be taken into how samba his 
> configured, since more and more people are having problems with setup 
> up of samba.
>
> Samba is basically  used in 2 different ways:
>
> "client") In a Windows ADS environment where you want to access 
> facilities on UNIX servers:
>     printers: - print to Unix printers.
>     File-system: - access to Unix files plus ACL.
>
> "server") In a Windows environment where you don't have (or don't 
> want) a windows ADS
>     Samba Domain Server - Samba replaces the Microsoft ADS
>
>
> I know you will say that it does all these things, but people are 
> having many problems setting it up (i.e. in a "client" mode you need 
> an ldap server if you want ACL to work) OR is it simply down to 
> documentation OR user error!
>
> Andrew
> PS.
> I have been using samba for years and I would not be able to live with 
> out!
>