[Samba] samba-tool user add - weird resulting

[Rowland Penny]

On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 17:44:08 +0200
Franta Hanzlik via samba <samba at lists.samba.org> wrote:

> Dne 2024.08.15 17:01, Rowland Penny via samba napsal:
> > On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 16:33:57 +0200
> > Franta Hanzlik via samba <samba at lists.samba.org> wrote:
> > 
> >> Dne 2024.08.14 12:06, Rowland Penny via samba napsal:
> >> > On Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:05:23 +0200
> >> > Franta Hanzlik via samba <samba at lists.samba.org> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Rowland, thank you for response.
> >> >> But I still think there's nothing stopping Samba from being
> >> >> better than Windows at this, and introducing some switches like
> >> >>   --displayname
> >> >>   --commonname
> >> >>   --name
> >> >>   --exclude-initials-in-dn
> >> >> or something similar.
> >> >>
> >> >> After all, what are the various attributes displayName/cn/name
> >> >> for, if they cannot be entered when creating a user.
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> > OK, the 'commonname' or 'cn' is also part of the users 'dn' or
> >> > RDN and the 'name' must also be the same as the 'cn'. You can use
> >> > whatever you like for the 'username' when creating a user, but
> >> > whatever is used will also populate the 'cn', 'name',
> >> > 'sAMAccountName' and 'distinguishedName' attributes.
> >> >
> >> > You can also use the '--use-username-as-cn' to force the use of
> >> > the username for the 'cn' (and hence the other attributes).
> >> >
> >> > There is nothing stopping you writing your own script around
> >> > 'samba-tool user add' to first create the user (using samba-tool)
> >> > and then modify it to your purposes, though I struggle to
> >> > understand why you would want to.
> >> >
> >> > Rowland
> > 
> > First, what email client are you using ? When I try reply to your
> > posts, whatever you posted isn't in the reply, I have to copy into
> > place.
> 
> I normally use Claws Mail, but yesterday and today I am writing from
> RoundCube webmail. I've checked its message creation settings, but it
> seems OK. And when I send an email to myself, it seems to be fine too,
> and writing a reply also…

Hmm strange, I use claws mail, but this email seems to be rendering
correctly, must be one of those glitches.

> 
> >> The problem is the initials.
> >> If I understand their meaning and role correctly, initials are the
> >> first letters of the full user's name (first, middle, last
> >> name,..) - and what is important, they are/should be a separate
> >> element, not part of other forms of the name.
> >> 
> >> Just like is the 'United States' and is its abbreviation 'US', but
> >> the term 'United US States' is nonsense.
> >> Or, for example, my name is 'Franta Hanzlik', I have the initials
> >> 'FH', but the expression 'Franta FH Hanzlik' is nonsense.
> >> 
> >> And this is how entering initials using 'samba-tool user add' /
> >> 'samba-tool user rename' behaves badly: when I enter them in user
> >> add, they are stuffed into DN, displayName, name,
> >> distinguishedName, commonName - although I don't want them there
> >> and IMO they have nothing there do.
> > 
> >> And if I don't specify the initials in user add, then DN, cn,
> >> displayName, name, distinguishedName are as I want them (but the
> >> initials attribute is missing, of course).
> >> And when I add it then, using 'user rename', those initials are
> >> stuffed into and change DN, cn, displayName, name,
> >> distinguishedName.
> >> 
> >> This is wrong and no wrapper around 'samba-tool user {add,rename}'
> >> it won't do!
> > 
> > This must be a cultural thing, because the initial attribute to me
> > would contain the users initials for their middle name. Take my full
> > name 'Rowland Edward Penny', I would expect the initials attribute
> > to contain 'E.', which would make sense 'Rowland E. Penny'.
> > 
> > Also when I said write a script, I meant a script that would create
> > the user using samba-tool (without setting the users initials) and
> > then use ldbmodify to add the initials attribute.
> > 
> > Rowland
> 
> Ah, that's how it is.
> So I won't use initials, I can't use this behavior.
> But anyway - the fact that adding initials changes the DN and 
> distinguishedName
> is bad in my opinion - or at least it should be optional.

As I said, Samba emulates a Microsoft AD DC and that is how a Microsoft
AD DC works.
 
> Meanwhile, using the subsequent samba-tool user rename, I set the 
> displayName,
> and the rest will occur using ldbmodify (if I can overcome natural
> laziness ;)

I would just create the user without the initials, then you can use
anything to add the initials attribute, this should not affect any
other user attribute.

Rowland