samba - Jan 2021 - DFS question

Hi, 

I would like to use DFS (without replication) to make life easier to users, and
making server migration easier (just need to change the targets).

I have two Windows 2019 DC. 

I will have one Samba 4.9.5 fileserver as a domain member. 

I will use a DFS name space \\ad.mydomain.com\DFSShare configured on Windows DC
side, where the links to DFS shares will be.


Reading the samba wiki, it is said that on the member side i need the VFS object
dfs_samba4.

Two questions : 
- Do i need it if the samba server is just a target and doesn't hold the
name space ?
- Can't find information on this vfs object : what is it doing exactly ? 


[ https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Distributed_File_System_(DFS) |
https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Distributed_File_System_(DFS) ]

Configure Member server DFS in Samba 


Similar to above but required one additional setting in smb.conf the global
option so it would be
host msdfs = yes
 vfs object = dfs_samba4 

Cheers 
Eric

ERIC PEYREMORTE via samba <samba at lists.samba.org>
writes:
> Two questions : 
> - Do i need it if the samba server is just a target and doesn't hold
the name space ?
If the samba server is just a target and doesn't store links you don't
need to setup anything special for it.
> - Can't find information on this vfs object : what is it doing exactly
?
I believe that VFS module is make Samba reply to domain DFS queries
e.g.

If client requests //dom/root/link it will do:

1. connect to the domain dom, query //dom/root => //dfs.dom/root (domain DFS
query)
2. connect to the namespace dfs.dom, query //dom/root/link =>
//data.dom/share/ (standalone DFS query)
3. connect to data share //data.dom/share, the final location

Cheers,
-- 
Aur?lien Aptel / SUSE Labs Samba Team
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