samba - Apr 2004 - secret.tdb copied from server to server

Hello there,

We have Samba 3.0.2a installed on two solaris 8 servers in a failover cluster 
(using Veritas Cluster Server). We're using it for windows and unix print 
servers.

Right now, we have one server with one netbios name advertised (printserver1) 
and the other with a netbios name of printserver2. Both have been joined to our 
windows NT 4.0 domain.

We have an interface that fails back and forth between the two boxes and we 
have the DNS name for this interfaces IP set to printserver1. Everthing is 
working now, but I'm wondering about making a change.

Can I (or should I :) , copy the secret.tdb file from printserver1 to 
printserver2 as well as change the netbiosname being advertised on printserver2 
to printserver1.

Just don't know if this would cause problems or not.

-Tim

Tim <timrussell@rocketmail.com> writes:
>
> Right now, we have one server with one netbios name advertised
> (printserver1) and the other with a netbios name of
> printserver2. Both have been joined to our windows NT 4.0 domain.
> 
> We have an interface that fails back and forth between the two boxes and we
> have the DNS name for this interfaces IP set to printserver1. Everthing is 
> working now, but I'm wondering about making a change.
> 
> Can I (or should I :) , copy the secret.tdb file from printserver1
> to printserver2 as well as change the netbiosname being advertised
> on printserver2 to printserver1.
I've tested this in a similar environment, and my experience is this:

- If you use different netbios names, you must use 2 different secret.tdb
  files (or re-join the server to the domain after each fail-over)

- If you use the same netbios name, you can (must?) use the same
  secret.tdb file on both physical nodes.

- Remember to use "bind interfaces only = yes" when you bind to a
  virtual interface.

I'm not sure if you may experience some kind of "timeout" if you
use
different secret.tdb, and the service doesn't fail over for a long time.

I don't think there has to be a relationship between the DNS name of the
virtual interface and the netbios name.

Andreas