samba - Nov 2006 - what OS do you use for Samba?

I'm trying to decide on a linux distro to use for our enterprise Samba
server.  I like that there is a deb repo for Debian from samba.org, but
I'm more comfortable with CentOS (Redhat).  I just want to be sure I
have a well supported Samba server and I need at least the 3.0.20
version so I can use the "inherit owner" property.  I also want
automatic updates for bugfixes and security (not to concerned about new
features though).  Any insight?

James Dinkel

I think this comes down to what works best for you. There isn't a magic 
bullet or truly "best" distro out there. If you are unsure and/or want
something that is easy to configure and has support if you want or need 
it, I would suggest checking out Ubuntu server. I've had great luck with 
it and out of the box it only installs what you need. In other words, it 
doesn't come with a GUI by default, but with apt-get, you could get one 
up and running in very short order if you wanted one post-install.

I haven't tried the latest 6.10 (Edgy) release for server yet. Version 
6.06 (Dapper) works great and comes with Samba 3.0.22 by default.

James A. Dinkel wrote:
> I'm trying to decide on a linux distro to use for our enterprise Samba
> server.  I like that there is a deb repo for Debian from samba.org, but
> I'm more comfortable with CentOS (Redhat).  I just want to be sure I
> have a well supported Samba server and I need at least the 3.0.20
> version so I can use the "inherit owner" property.  I also want
> automatic updates for bugfixes and security (not to concerned about new
> features though).  Any insight?
>
> James Dinkel
>
>
>

James A. Dinkel wrote:
> I'm trying to decide on a linux distro to use for our enterprise Samba
> server.  I like that there is a deb repo for Debian from samba.org, but
> I'm more comfortable with CentOS (Redhat).  I just want to be sure I
> have a well supported Samba server and I need at least the 3.0.20
> version so I can use the "inherit owner" property.  I also want
> automatic updates for bugfixes and security (not to concerned about new
> features though).  Any insight?
>
> James Dinkel
>
>
>   
http://www.FreeBSD.org/ <-- check it out, been running Samba+LDAP
directory services with unified logon for Windows, Unix, and
Intranet/Groupware for several years now, easy to upgrade, and
rock-solid stability (server uptimes > 370 days).

--
Nathan Vidican
nvidican@wmptl.com

From: Martin Sundmacher
> Hi, we are using Debian since 2 years for Samba with about 200 users. 
> Yes, it is possible to do automatic Updates with Debian. We are 
> currently running Samba 3.0.23c in two Domains without any problems. 
> Version 3.0.23c is currently in 'testing' of Debian. So security
updates 
> will start with the next stable release of Debian.
Are you using it with Active Directory for authentication?  Do you
update to the latest Samba from another place, or have you just been
using what is in the "stable" repo?

From: Aaron Kincer [mailto:kincera@gmail.com] 
> I think this comes down to what works best for you. There isn't a
magic 
> bullet or truly "best" distro out there. If you are unsure and/or
want
> something that is easy to configure and has support if you want or
need 
> it, I would suggest checking out Ubuntu server. I've had great luck
with 
> it and out of the box it only installs what you need. In other words,
it 
> doesn't come with a GUI by default, but with apt-get, you could get
one 
> up and running in very short order if you wanted one post-install.
>
> I haven't tried the latest 6.10 (Edgy) release for server yet. Version
> 6.06 (Dapper) works great and comes with Samba 3.0.22 by default.
Yeah, I thought about going with Ubuntu 6.06 (I'd stick with that for
the LTS), but it's so new.  I would feel better going with something
with a longer, proven track record.  However, it is nice being able to
install and set up Ubuntu for free but then have Canonical there in case
I have an issue I just can't figure out on my own.


From: Nathan Vidican
> http://www.FreeBSD.org/ <-- check it out, been running Samba+LDAP 
> directory services with unified logon for Windows, Unix, and 
> Intranet/Groupware for several years now, easy to upgrade, and 
> rock-solid stability (server uptimes > 370 days).
By Samba+LDAP do you mean you are using Samba as a PDC?  I take it you
don't use Active Directory then?

James A. Dinkel wrote:
> I'm trying to decide on a linux distro to use for our enterprise Samba
> server.  I like that there is a deb repo for Debian from samba.org, but
> I'm more comfortable with CentOS (Redhat).  I just want to be sure I
> have a well supported Samba server and I need at least the 3.0.20
> version so I can use the "inherit owner" property.  I also want
> automatic updates for bugfixes and security (not to concerned about new
> features though).  Any insight?
>
> James Dinkel
>
>
>   
http://www.FreeBSD.org/ <-- check it out, been running Samba+LDAP 
directory services with unified logon for Windows, Unix, and 
Intranet/Groupware for several years now, easy to upgrade, and 
rock-solid stability (server uptimes > 370 days).

--
Nathan Vidican
nvidican@wmptl.com

On 11/21/06, James A. Dinkel <jdinkel@bucoks.com>
wrote:
> I'm trying to decide on a linux distro to use for our enterprise Samba
<snip>

I've used CentOS, and it was a pretty painless process. Everything
worked well out of the box.

On 11/21/06, Aaron Kincer <kincera@gmail.com>
wrote:
> I haven't tried the latest 6.10 (Edgy) release for server yet. Version
> 6.06 (Dapper) works great and comes with Samba 3.0.22 by default.
I just finished setting up 3.0.22 on 6.10. Worked like a champ, aside
from a minor hardware incompatibility issue with my crappy Dell tower.

Dave

Charles Marcus wrote:
>> http://www.FreeBSD.org/ <-- check it out, been running Samba+LDAP
>> directory services with unified logon for Windows, Unix, and
>> Intranet/Groupware for several years now, easy to upgrade, and
>> rock-solid stability (server uptimes > 370 days).
>
> Hi Nathan,
>
> Ben giving serious thought to giving FreeBSD a try for Samba - is 
> there a good HowTo for getting Samba+LDAP working on FreeBSD that you 
> know of?
>
> Thanks,
>
Personally, I always prefer to compile my own apps using the ports 
collection, so to install Samba+LDAP via the ports collection for FreeBSD:

freebsd# cd /usr/ports/net/openldap23-server
freebsd# make && make install

...

freebsd# cd /usr/ports/net/samba3/
freebsd# make && make install

...

freebsd# vi /usr/local/etc/openldap/slapd.conf
freebsd# echo 'slapd_enable="YES"' >> /etc/rc.conf
freebsd# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/slapd.sh start

freebsd# vi /usr/local/etc/smb.conf
freebsd# echo 'samba_enable="YES"' >> /etc/rc.conf
freebsd# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/samba.sh start


That's it! (in a nutshell; assuming you follow the docs and modify 
according to your requirements)

Optionally, if you wish to make the FreeBSD users (local/unix users) 
also authenticate and obtain session information from LDAP, (which 
you'll probably want to do), then:

freebsd# cd /usr/ports/security/pam_ldap
freebsd# make && make install
...
 - make sure local ldap connections work (check/edit 
/usr/local/etc/ldap.conf as required, do 'ldapsearch -x')
...
freebsd# cd /etc/pam.d
freebsd# vi system
 - add two lines that looks like this towards the top of the file:
       auth          sufficient      pam_ldap.so
       account    sufficient       pam_ldap.so
 - alternatively, edit other places you want to  (ie: ftpd)
 - editing pam.d/* files will take effect almost immediately
freebsd# cd /usr/ports/net/nss_ldap
freebsd# make && make install
freebsd# vi /etc/nsswitch.conf
 - change the line for passwd, and groups like so:
      passwd: files ldap
      group: files ldap

That should be it; mind you there are some blanks to be filled in... but 
that's the basic process. You'll have all users, passwords, groups, and 
account information binding to ldap from both samba and FreeBSD this 
way. I'd also reccomend going to /usr/ports/net/lam and installing 'LDAP
Account Manager' - simple to use php/web-based app for managing the LDAP 
directory (used to create/modify accounts, groups, passwords in the 
database - also has a nifty pdf/reporting utility).

Anyhow, that's a quick start... try it on your own, and post a more 
specific question should you run into anything. It really is fairly 
painless though ;)

--
Nathan Vidican
nvidican@wmptl.com

James A. Dinkel ha scritto:
> I'm trying to decide on a linux distro to use for our enterprise Samba
> server.  I like that there is a deb repo for Debian from samba.org, but
> I'm more comfortable with CentOS (Redhat).  I just want to be sure I
> have a well supported Samba server and I need at least the 3.0.20
> version so I can use the "inherit owner" property.  I also want
> automatic updates for bugfixes and security (not to concerned about new
> features though).  Any insight?
> 
> James Dinkel
> 
> 
We are using Gentoo Linux on a custom made P-IV-based raid1 scsi box.

Currently, gentoo offers 3.0.22-r3

Gentoo portage is technically very different from rpm, but once you get 
used to it, it's just as simple (IMHO even simpler wrt package 
dependencies).

It basically comes down to:

emerge --sync		# to get the latest version
emerge samba		# dowload, compile and install
rc-update add samba default	# start samba at boot

Configuration is just standard smb.conf editing (or webmin, if installed).

Just my 2 (euro)cents.

-- 
Marcello Romani
Responsabile IT
Ottotecnica s.r.l.
http://www.ottotecnica.com

On Tuesday 21 November 2006 13:49, James A. Dinkel
wrote:
> I like that there is a deb repo for Debian from samba.org, but
> I'm more comfortable with CentOS (Redhat). ?I just want to be sure I
> have a well supported Samba server and I need at least the 3.0.20
> version so I can use the "inherit owner" property. ?I also want
> automatic updates for bugfixes and security (not to concerned about new
> features though). ?Any insight?
I use Gentoo Linux for the flexibility.
Which OS is probably less important than the level that you learn to work with 
it. When you are very comfortable with an OS a level of freedom exists beyond 
what the packagers may provide.
Notice that many times there's a big difference in what a distro labels 
as "stable" and what the app developers labels as "stable".
A new Samba is
released with this phrase: "This is the latest stable release of Samba.
This
is the version that production Samba servers should be running for all 
current bug-fixes." Distros that don't update key packages until the
next
release may put some functionality in jeopardy. Since Samba is, at times, 
chasing Microsoft updates (which tend to break things) it's fairly
imperitive
to remain current if it's a critical package for you; such as when it is the
PDC for your entire network.
The most critical packages for my customers are Samba and Cups, and since the 
client systems all run Windows I find it important to keep up to date with 
these packages in order to provide them with the fewest problems and the most 
features, creating a seamless environment where everything just works and 
they're not presented with problems that call attention to the fact that 
their server is not running Windows.
Since I'm comfortable with the Gentoo packaging system I'm not tied
down, in
most cases, to the release timing from the Gentoo devs; I can create my own 
ebuild and install the latest release (plus patches when necessary) when it 
becomes available. The nice thing here is that I get both customization and 
use of the distros packaging system, as opposed to compiling and installing 
outside of the packaging system which I've found in the past to be generally
less than desirable. As an example, due to the temporary hiatus of the 
Gentoo's Samba dev the "official" ebuild is a bit out of date, but
that
doesn't prevent me from running the latest release. Plus the ebuild is
really
available to all as it's posted on a bug report.
If I decided to change to a binary distro at this point I would most surely 
learn how to build packages for it in order to not be tied down to the 
distros package release timetable.
If you just want easy pre-built binary installs than pick a distro that 
releases your needed critical packages on a timely basis, or one in which the 
application devs release binaries for. For Samba I think Redhat/Fedora is 
probably the choice as the Samba team seems to always make those available 
close to the same time as source. Although the Debian and Ubuntu Samba 
releases are currently timely it hasn't always been that way.

Chris

At this point, I've decided to go with Ubuntu Server 6.06.  I had tried
out Debian, but the packages are so old and I wasn't sure about messing
with the backports repository.

The partition containing the file share is on a SAN, so if for some
reason I don't like Ubuntu, I can just set up a Debian server (probably
after Etch comes out) and attach the SAN lun to the new server.

Thanks for all your input.  I just wanted to be sure I didn't put
something in place that turned out to have some funky distro-specifi
weirdness that caused problems.  It sounds, though, like at least a few
people are using Ubuntu without any hassles.

James Dinkel
Network Engineer
Butler County of Kansas

Oh I wish I would have known that.  I've already got the Ubuntu server
set up and moved one department over to it.  I'm planning on upgrading
to Etch when it comes out anyway, so I think I'll stick to that plan and
use this repo at that point.

James Dinkel

-----Original Message-----
From: James Zuelow [mailto:James_Zuelow@ci.juneau.ak.us] 

Oh, I've been busy and don't usually get into the OS discussions.

But you don't have to use backports for Samba on Debian Sarge.  I'm not
sure why anyone would even do that, since the Samba team maintain their
own Sarge apt repository.  If you still have a Sarge box to test, add
this to your /etc/apt/sources.list

deb http://us5.samba.org/samba/ftp/Binary_Packages/Debian sarge samba

And you'll track the latest stable release.

I have a production Debian Sarge server that does just this.  

Just don't do it with Etch, since in a few days time you'll get the same
package from Debian that you got from Samba, except that the Debian
packages have a few files moved from samba to samba-common.  That
confuses apt.  So with Etch I'd recommend staying plain vanilla Debian
in sources.list until it goes stable and the version number freezes.
Then you can move to using the Samba team repository.

Ubuntu is cool too, especially the LTS version -- you probably won't go
wrong either way.

James Zuelow....................CBJ MIS (907)586-0236
Network Specialist...Registered Linux User No. 186591

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Chris Smith
> Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 12:06 PM
> 
> Ubuntu (Edgy Eft) seems to be stuck at 3.0.22. Which is one of the
reasons
> I
> elected not to move to Ubuntu servers - when I first examined the
> possibility
> they were stuck on 3.0.14 for the longest time. Also CUPS, the other
major
> component I need for supporting Windows clients, on Ubuntu is stuck at
> 1.2.4,
> whereas I run 1.2.7 on Gentoo.
> 
> Do the Sarge releases from the Samba team work properly with this (or
any)
> version of Ubuntu?
> 
> Chris
Ubuntu, and Debian, will always be "stuck" at the version included at
the time of release.  This is by design, so "breakage" is not
introduced, but it does still get security and bug fixes.  Just FYI.

I'm having a problem with "nested groups" (you may have noticed on
this
mailing list) and I'm also wondering if updating to the latest Samba and
Winbind would take care of my issue.

Backporting from a newer distro such as Feisty for Ubuntu, or Etch for
Debian, would be one way to manually get the newer packages.  I believe
there is a tool to make backporting easy on Ubuntu, I'm not sure I would
trust this approach though.