Hi, I need to set up a small server for a group of ~10 employees (all using Windows 2000/XP, used to use a windows 2000/exchange setup). I have a linux server already running CentOS 4, so I'd like to do all I can with this. I thought about using Samba for file/print sharing and OpenXchange (commercial version) to have a nice collaborative/mail/calendar/etc server. Of course, it would probably be the dhcp and internal DNS server. I started reading the Samba doc, but it is rather long. I planned on using this server as a PDC so that it is not too different from using their former windows 2000 server. I'll be managing this server, which is currently a staging server for web development (php/mysql/cvs). Anyone has a opinion on this, or better ideas? My backups will be based on utilities and mondorescue, kept on a internal (cold-swap drawer) hard-drive that I would take every week (2-drawers rotation). Any recommendations welcome, will provide more details if needed. TIA, -- Ugo -> Please don't send a copy of your reply by e-mail. I read the list. -> Please avoid top-posting, long signatures and HTML, and cut the irrelevant parts in your replies.
Ugo Bellavance wrote:> Hi, > > I need to set up a small server for a group of ~10 employees (all > using Windows 2000/XP, used to use a windows 2000/exchange setup). I > have a linux server already running CentOS 4, so I'd like to do all I > can with this. I thought about using Samba for file/print sharing and > OpenXchange (commercial version) to have a nice > collaborative/mail/calendar/etc server. Of course, it would probably be > the dhcp and internal DNS server. > > I started reading the Samba doc, but it is rather long. I planned > on using this server as a PDC so that it is not too different from using > their former windows 2000 server. I'll be managing this server, which > is currently a staging server for web development (php/mysql/cvs). > > Anyone has a opinion on this, or better ideas? My backups will be based > on utilities and mondorescue, kept on a internal (cold-swap drawer) > hard-drive that I would take every week (2-drawers rotation). > > Any recommendations welcome, will provide more details if needed. > > TIA,Open Filer? I haven't used it but it's based on CentOS: www.openfiler.com --Ajay
Ugo Bellavance <ugob at camo-route.com> wrote:> I started reading the Samba doc, but it is rather long.Of course. ;-> Samba has settings to emulate just about every detail of any release of Server Message Block (SMB) from old LAN Manager to Windows Server 2003. Microsoft's "canned," server-wide settings in their server versions are usually an issue for various clients. Hence why most enterprises with SMB experts prefer Samba over stock SMB in Windows Server.> I planned on using this server as a PDC so that it is not > too different from using their former windows 2000 server.<anal> FYI, the term Primary Domain Controller (PDC) is deprecated because it refers to the legacy CIFS NT 4.0 term. We typically call modern CIFS/SMB, including ActiveDirectory Services (ADS) integration, as a Domain Controller (DC). Although I noted that the more legacy Samba docs still call it a PDC. </anal> Note that newer DC services aren't just Samba. Samba just provides the Windows client Remote Procedure Call (RPC) services to the Windows clients when they access it as a file server. Samba can authenticate and authorize against other services. If you start reading a lot of Windows 2000 / ADS / Samba schtuff, you're going to see people talking about MS Kerberos and native Windows DC integration. That _only_ applies when you are integrating Samba servers with _native_ ADS DC servers (as you've heard me say before, "making UNIX ADS' bitch"). In your case, you're not using a native Windows ADS DC, so Samba is the authority. How you wish to maintain authentication and directory services is up to you. The Samba 3.0 By Example book gives you a lot of "cookbook methods" to setting up LDAP Schema for Windows clients. You can choose to do such if you wish. In general, there is a _massive_ "learning curve" associated with this, because you have to understand how Windows clients really work at the authentication, directory and file services level -- as well as how UNIX does.> I'll be managing this server, which is currently a staging > server for web development (php/mysql/cvs).Oh. Do you really need SMB then? Should they be doing CVS or Subversion/WebDAV-DeltaV check-ins instead?> Anyone has a opinion on this, or better ideas?Well, if you don't have native Windows ADS servers, then it's actually pretty easy to do. Samba can and will emulate a lot of different RPC services for the Windows clients. Tweaking those settings will be all you'll need to do. How you handle the directory services is up to you -- you can even just use local UNIX accounts (although I don't recommend that for future growth and more servers). Years ago I would have just used NIS (with Kerberos if I needed authentication security), but since NsDS 7.1, now FDS 7.1, became available earlier in the year, I've been recommending it (with or without Kerberos, your choice). Especially with the multi-master replication. The nice thing about building a network with NsDS is that if your organization should force native Windows ADS on you, you can still keep your authentication and control segmented, while synchronizing with ADS accounts.> My backups will be based on utilities and mondorescue,Be careful with Mondo Rescue. Hugo's a good guy, but his stuff tends to not work on all systems -- just a fact that systems differ and he can't test for everything.> kept on a internal (cold-swap drawer) hard-drive that I > would take every week (2-drawers rotation).As long as you are keeping the disks active regularly, then that's okay. Although longer-term storage (3+ months) really should go to a media like DVD-R, or tape if you can afford it.> Any recommendations welcome, will provide more details if > needed.The scope -- number of servers, types of users, why you need SMB and/or NFS (if you have UNIX desktops) access, CVS or Subversion details, etc... -- Bryan J. Smith | Sent from Yahoo Mail mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org | (please excuse any http://thebs413.blogspot.com/ | missing headers)
Ugo Bellavance wrote:> Hi, > > I need to set up a small server for a group of ~10 employees (all > using Windows 2000/XP, used to use a windows 2000/exchange setup). I > have a linux server already running CentOS 4, so I'd like to do all I > can with this. I thought about using Samba for file/print sharing and > OpenXchange (commercial version) to have a nice > collaborative/mail/calendar/etc server. Of course, it would probably > be the dhcp and internal DNS server. > > I started reading the Samba doc, but it is rather long. I planned > on using this server as a PDC so that it is not too different from > using their former windows 2000 server. I'll be managing this server, > which is currently a staging server for web development (php/mysql/cvs). > > Anyone has a opinion on this, or better ideas? My backups will be > based on utilities and mondorescue, kept on a internal (cold-swap > drawer) hard-drive that I would take every week (2-drawers rotation). > > Any recommendations welcome, will provide more details if needed. > > TIA,There's a well-written tutorial at http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/eserver/tutorials/samba/ -- not necessarily for the latest version of Samba, but thorough nonetheless.
On Mon, 2005-12-05 at 18:10 -0500, Ugo Bellavance wrote:> Hi, > > I need to set up a small server for a group of ~10 employees (all using > Windows 2000/XP, used to use a windows 2000/exchange setup). I have a > linux server already running CentOS 4, so I'd like to do all I can with > this. I thought about using Samba for file/print sharing and > OpenXchange (commercial version) to have a nice > collaborative/mail/calendar/etc server. Of course, it would probably be > the dhcp and internal DNS server. > > I started reading the Samba doc, but it is rather long. I planned on > using this server as a PDC so that it is not too different from using > their former windows 2000 server. I'll be managing this server, which > is currently a staging server for web development (php/mysql/cvs). > > Anyone has a opinion on this, or better ideas? My backups will be based > on utilities and mondorescue, kept on a internal (cold-swap drawer) > hard-drive that I would take every week (2-drawers rotation). > > Any recommendations welcome, will provide more details if needed.As far as samba goes, I would recommend that you set up Samba and LDAP using idealx smbldap-tools. We have been using these for about 2 years in our company ... seems to work well. http://www.majen.net/smbldap/Samba-LDAP_smbldap-installer-1_2.html Lots of good info in the above link. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: signature.asc Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 189 bytes Desc: This is a digitally signed message part URL: <http://lists.centos.org/pipermail/centos/attachments/20051205/e8e896e5/attachment-0002.sig>
Black Hand
2005-Dec-16 15:54 UTC
Samba and Open XChange (was: [CentOS] SMB server with CentOS 4)
On Monday 05 December 2005 18:10, Ugo Bellavance wrote:> Hi, > > I need to set up a small server for a group of ~10 employees (all using > Windows 2000/XP, used to use a windows 2000/exchange setup). I have a > linux server already running CentOS 4, so I'd like to do all I can with > this. I thought about using Samba for file/print sharing and > OpenXchange (commercial version) to have a nice > collaborative/mail/calendar/etc server. Of course, it would probably be > the dhcp and internal DNS server.eh a good and constructive proyect!> I started reading the Samba doc, but it is rather long. I planned on > using this server as a PDC so that it is not too different from using > their former windows 2000 server. I'll be managing this server, which > is currently a staging server for web development (php/mysql/cvs).for a quick samba understanding i recomend to you to read Samba by Example. the pdf version come with the samba package in centos and you can read online html version in http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-Guide/ when samba works like PDC, for your workstation appear like a NT PDC server. You can view in samba by example that u need to integrate LDAP in the project. For a easy administration and creation of the domain i recomend to u the smbldap-tools package. (you can search this one in dag or the more general rpmforge repository) u plan to integrate the comercial OpenXchange server. In the news, actually u can buy a combo for OX comercial and RHEL4 for almost the same cost that OX alone. http://www.open-xchange.com/EN/shop/bundles.html now u plan tu use the server for samba and open xchange. i do this config for a intitution in my country (770 users). I advice to you that you will need to modify or the default ldap configuration for samba or open xchange, to make both ones work with the same configuration. Not difficult but not elegant. if u are planning commercial version OX, my recomendation is that u change the samba ldap configuration, and use the ldap version that will come with open xchange, don't use the ldap provided by centos if u put your system in a centos box. -- Black Hand Amiga Addicts Powered by Linux, KDE 3.5 and lots of GNU Force