[Samba] Win XP Client password change nightmare.

[John H Terpstra - Samba Team]

Arturo Limon wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have setup a Samba server with CentOS 5.2 and Samba 3.0.28-1.el5_2.1 (the
> CentOS included versión).
> 
> I have configured Samba as a PDC following "Samba-3 by example" chapter 3,
> "Secure Office Networking". No DNS or DHCP active, as far as for now this is
> just a test environment.
> 
> Most of it works fine, but trying to change user passwords for a MS-Windows
> test computer (USRMGR.EXE from SRVTOOLS), has proved to be a nightmare. I
> always get an Access Denied (Aceso denegado) error message. Connection from
> MS-Windows computer is done as "Administrator" (root).
> 
> I have googled for hours, and the problem does not seem to be new, but no
> advice has helped appart from NOT syncing Samba and Linux passwords, which I
> do not want to do.
> 
> My smb.conf is as follows:
> 
> [global]
>         workgroup = MICASA
>         netbios name = TESTSERVER
>         interfaces = eth0, lo
>         bind interfaces only = Yes
>         passdb backend = tdbsam
> 
>         unix password sync = Yes
>         pam password change = Yes
>         passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
>         passwd chat = "New UNIX password:*" %n\n "Retype new UNIX
> password:*" %n\n "passwd: all authentication to
> 
>         username map = /etc/samba/smbusers
>         ;syslog = 0
>         log file = /var/log/samba/%m
>         max log size = 150
>         smb ports = 139
>         name resolve order = wins bcast hosts
>         time server = Yes
>         printcap name = CUPS
>         show add printer wizard = No
> 
>         add user script = /usr/sbin/useradd -m '%u'
>         delete user script = /usr/sbin/userdel -r '%u'
>         add group script = /usr/sbin/groupadd '%g'
>         delete group script = /usr/sbin/groupdel '%g'
>         add user to group script = /usr/sbin/usermod -G '%g' '%u'
>         add machine script = /usr/sbin/useradd -s /bin/false -d /tmp '%u'
>         shutdown script = /var/lib/samba/scripts/shutdown.sh
>         abort shutdown script = /sbin/shutdown -c
> 
>         logon script = scripts\logon.bat
>         logon path = \\%L\profiles\%U
>         logon drive = X:
>         logon home = \\%L\%U
>         domain logons = Yes
>         .............
>         (I do not think rest of smb.conf may be of efect in the problem)
> 
> /etc/pam.d/samba is as follows (just like CentOS install leaves it):
> 
> #%PAM-1.0
> auth       required     pam_nologin.so
> auth       include      system-auth
> account    include      system-auth
> session    include      system-auth
> password   include      system-auth
> 
> /etc/pam.d/system-auth is as follows (also like CentOS install leaves it):
> 
> #%PAM-1.0
> # This file is auto-generated.
> # User changes will be destroyed the next time authconfig is run.
> auth        required      pam_env.so
> auth        sufficient    pam_unix.so nullok try_first_pass
> auth        requisite     pam_succeed_if.so uid >= 500 quiet
> auth        required      pam_deny.so
> 
> account     required      pam_unix.so
> account     sufficient    pam_succeed_if.so uid < 500 quiet
> account     required      pam_permit.so
> 
> password    requisite     pam_cracklib.so try_first_pass retry=3
> password    sufficient    pam_unix.so md5 shadow nullok try_first_pass
> use_authtok
> password    required      pam_deny.so
> 
> session     optional      pam_keyinit.so revoke
> session     required      pam_limits.so
> session     [success=1 default=ignore] pam_succeed_if.so service in crond
> quiet use_uid
> session     required      pam_unix.so
> 
> When trying to change password, messages are ....
> 
>>From /var/log/samba/pc-prueba (pc-prueba is the name of the MS-Windows test
> computer):
> 
> [2009/03/26 00:17:17, 1] smbd/service.c:make_connection_snum(1033)
>   pc-prueba (192.168.1.100) connect to service root initially as user root
> (uid=0, gid=0) (pid 17133)
> [2009/03/26 00:17:55, 0] auth/pampass.c:smb_pam_chauthtok(691)
>   PAM: UNKNOWN PAM ERROR (19) for User: arturo
> [2009/03/26 00:17:55, 0] auth/pampass.c:smb_pam_passchange(847)
>   smb_pam_passchange: PAM: Password Change Failed for user arturo!
> 
> No error messages in smbd.log or nmbd.log.
> 
> I have tried with "password chat debug = Yes" and found no clue of what the
> problem could be. Commenting out "pam password change = Yes" or changing it
> to "No" have not helped. Only switching to "No" the "Unix password sync".
> 
> I can't believe it does not work, I think something must be wrong somewhere,
> or in what I am doing. I have spent several hours trying and it is quite
> frustrating. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Regards.
> 
> Arturo.

Arturo,

I wrote Samba3-ByExample - I assure you that the examples did work - and
should work with 3.0.28 as well as all current 3.2.x and 3.3.x releases.

Please contact me off-line.  I will help you to get this working, then
you can update everyone on-line with the solution.  Please email me direct.

Cheers,
John T.