a new samba password api has been written: http://samba.anu.edu.au/listproc/samba-technical/0521.html currently under development is an LDAP back-end password database. Robert Frank has written a NetInfo database as well, which requires integration with this new api: there is also someone else who particularly wanted such an api for their own local, non-standard database system (please contact me through samba-technical, whoever you are!) the new api supports the full set of NT SAM fields: logon hours, kickoff time, home directory, profile location, nt and lm password hashes, nt user and group rids, and also has extra fields for the unix uid and gid. the existing smbpasswd scheme is still supported. this file was originally solely to provide smb passwords. plans to add a separate file to sit alongside smbpasswd (sampasswd?) are under discussion, which will contain those extra fields (that it is not appropriate to tack on to the end of smbpasswd entries). for the benefit of the pam development list (why am i sending this to you?) i mention this just in case someone wants to extend pam_smbpass, pam_smb or pam_ntdom to read data such as "full name", "home directory" using the new samba password api instead of directly (and only) reading the private/smbpasswd file or anything like that. luke (samba team)