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diff --git a/docs/faq/sambafaq-1.html b/docs/faq/sambafaq-1.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..8bee1a37da --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/faq/sambafaq-1.html @@ -0,0 +1,288 @@ +<HTML> +<HEAD> +<TITLE> Samba FAQ: General Information</TITLE> +</HEAD> +<BODY> +Previous +<A HREF="sambafaq-2.html">Next</A> +<A HREF="sambafaq.html#toc1">Table of Contents</A> +<HR> +<H2><A NAME="s1">1. General Information</A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="general_info"></A> +</P> +<P>All about Samba - what it is, how to get it, related sources of +information, how to understand the version numbering scheme, pizza +details</P> + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.1">1.1 What is Samba? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="introduction"></A> +</P> +<P>Samba is a suite of programs which work together to allow clients to +access to a server's filespace and printers via the SMB (Server +Message Block) protocol. Initially written for Unix, Samba now also +runs on Netware, OS/2 and VMS.</P> +<P>In practice, this means that you can redirect disks and printers to +Unix disks and printers from Lan Manager clients, Windows for +Workgroups 3.11 clients, Windows NT clients, Linux clients and OS/2 +clients. There is also a generic Unix client program supplied as part +of the suite which allows Unix users to use an ftp-like interface to +access filespace and printers on any other SMB servers. This gives the +capability for these operating systems to behave much like a LAN +Server or Windows NT Server machine, only with added functionality and +flexibility designed to make life easier for administrators.</P> +<P>The components of the suite are (in summary):</P> +<P> +<UL> +<LI> smbd, the SMB server. This handles actual connections from +clients, doing all the file, permission and username work +</LI> +<LI>nmbd, the Netbios name server, which helps clients locate +servers, doing the browsing work and managing domains as this +capability is being built into Samba +</LI> +<LI>smbclient, the Unix-hosted client program +</LI> +<LI>smbrun, a little 'glue' program to help the server run external +programs +</LI> +<LI>testprns, a program to test server access to printers +</LI> +<LI>testparms, a program to test the Samba configuration file for +correctness +</LI> +<LI>smb.conf, the Samba configuration file +</LI> +<LI> smbprint, a sample script to allow a Unix host to use smbclient +to print to an SMB server +</LI> +<LI> documentation! DON'T neglect to read it - you will save a great +deal of time! +</LI> +</UL> +</P> +<P>The suite is supplied with full source (of course!) and is GPLed.</P> +<P>The primary creator of the Samba suite is Andrew Tridgell. Later +versions incorporate much effort by many net.helpers. The man pages +and this FAQ were originally written by Karl Auer.</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.2">1.2 What is the current version of Samba? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="current_version"></A> +</P> +<P>At time of writing, the current version was 1.9.16. If you want to be +sure check the bottom of the change-log file. +<A HREF="ftp://samba.anu.edu.au/pub/samba/alpha/change-log">ftp://samba.anu.edu.au/pub/samba/alpha/change-log</A></P> +<P>For more information see +<A HREF="#version_nums">What do the version numbers mean?</A></P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.3">1.3 Where can I get it? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="where"></A> +</P> +<P>The Samba suite is available via anonymous ftp from +samba.anu.edu.au. The latest and greatest versions of the suite are in +the directory:</P> +<P>/pub/samba/</P> +<P>Development (read "alpha") versions, which are NOT necessarily stable +and which do NOT necessarily have accurate documentation, are +available in the directory:</P> +<P>/pub/samba/alpha</P> +<P>Note that binaries are NOT included in any of the above. Samba is +distributed ONLY in source form, though binaries may be available from +other sites. Recent versions of some Linux distributions, for example, +do contain Samba binaries for that platform.</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.4">1.4 What do the version numbers mean? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="version_nums"></A> +</P> +<P>It is not recommended that you run a version of Samba with the word +"alpha" in its name unless you know what you are doing and are willing +to do some debugging. Many, many people just get the latest +recommended stable release version and are happy. If you are brave, by +all means take the plunge and help with the testing and development - +but don't install it on your departmental server. Samba is typically +very stable and safe, and this is mostly due to the policy of many +public releases.</P> +<P>How the scheme works:</P> +<P>1) when major changes are made the version number is increased. For +example, the transition from 1.9.15 to 1.9.16. However, this version +number will not appear immediately and people should continue to use +1.9.15 for production systems (see next point.)</P> +<P>2) just after major changes are made the software is considered +unstable, and a series of alpha releases are distributed, for example +1.9.16alpha1. These are for testing by those who know what they are +doing. The "alpha" in the filename will hopefully scare off those who +are just looking for the latest version to install.</P> +<P>3) when Andrew thinks that the alphas have stabilised to the point +where he would recommend new users install it, he renames it to the +same version number without the alpha, for example 1.9.16.</P> +<P>4) inevitably bugs are found in the "stable" releases and minor patch +levels are released which give us the pXX series, for example +1.9.16p2.</P> +<P>So the progression goes:</P> +<P>1.9.15p7 (production) +1.9.15p8 (production) +1.9.16alpha1 (test sites only) +: +1.9.16alpha20 (test sites only) +1.9.16 (production) +1.9.16p1 (production)</P> +<P>The above system means that whenever someone looks at the samba ftp +site they will be able to grab the highest numbered release without an +alpha in the name and be sure of getting the current recommended +version.</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.5">1.5 What platforms are supported? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="platforms"></A> +</P> +<P>Many different platforms have run Samba successfully. The platforms +most widely used and thus best tested are Linux and SunOS.</P> +<P>At time of writing, the Makefile claimed support for:</P> +<P>* SunOS +* Linux with shadow passwords +* Linux without shadow passwords +* SOLARIS +* SOLARIS 2.2 and above (aka SunOS 5) +* SVR4 +* ULTRIX +* OSF1 (alpha only) +* OSF1 with NIS and Fast Crypt (alpha only) +* OSF1 V2.0 Enhanced Security (alpha only) +* AIX +* BSDI +* NetBSD +* NetBSD 1.0 +* SEQUENT +* HP-UX +* SGI +* SGI IRIX 4.x.x +* SGI IRIX 5.x.x +* FreeBSD +* NeXT 3.2 and above +* NeXT OS 2.x +* NeXT OS 3.0 +* ISC SVR3V4 (POSIX mode) +* ISC SVR3V4 (iBCS2 mode) +* A/UX 3.0 +* SCO with shadow passwords. +* SCO with shadow passwords, without YP. +* SCO with TCB passwords +* SCO 3.2v2 (ODT 1.1) with TCP passwords +* intergraph +* DGUX +* Apollo Domain/OS sr10.3 (BSD4.3)</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.6">1.6 How can I find out more about Samba? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="more"></A> +</P> +<P>There are two mailing lists devoted to discussion of Samba-related +matters. There is also the newsgroup, comp.protocols.smb, which has a +great deal of discussion on Samba. There is also a WWW site 'SAMBA Web +Pages' at http://samba.canberra.edu.au/pub/samba/samba.html, under +which there is a comprehensive survey of Samba users. Another useful +resource is the hypertext archive of the Samba mailing list.</P> +<P>Send email to listproc@samba.anu.edu.au. Make sure the subject line is +blank, and include the following two lines in the body of the message:</P> +<P>subscribe samba Firstname Lastname +subscribe samba-announce Firstname Lastname</P> +<P>Obviously you should substitute YOUR first name for "Firstname" and +YOUR last name for "Lastname"! Try not to send any signature stuff, it +sometimes confuses the list processor.</P> +<P>The samba list is a digest list - every eight hours or so it +regurgitates a single message containing all the messages that have +been received by the list since the last time and sends a copy of this +message to all subscribers.</P> +<P>If you stop being interested in Samba, please send another email to +listproc@samba.anu.edu.au. Make sure the subject line is blank, and +include the following two lines in the body of the message:</P> +<P>unsubscribe samba +unsubscribe samba-announce</P> +<P>The From: line in your message MUST be the same address you used when +you subscribed.</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.7">1.7 Something's gone wrong - what should I do? </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="wrong"></A> +</P> +<P><F>#</F> *** IMPORTANT! *** <F>#</F> +DO NOT post messages on mailing lists or in newsgroups until you have +carried out the first three steps given here!</P> +<P>Firstly, see if there are any likely looking entries in this FAQ! If +you have just installed Samba, have you run through the checklist in +DIAGNOSIS.txt? It can save you a lot of time and effort.</P> +<P>Secondly, read the man pages for smbd, nmbd and smb.conf, looking for +topics that relate to what you are trying to do.</P> +<P>Thirdly, if there is no obvious solution to hand, try to get a look at +the log files for smbd and/or nmbd for the period during which you +were having problems. You may need to reconfigure the servers to +provide more extensive debugging information - usually level 2 or +level 3 provide ample debugging info. Inspect these logs closely, +looking particularly for the string "Error:".</P> +<P>Fourthly, if you still haven't got anywhere, ask the mailing list or +newsgroup. In general nobody minds answering questions provided you +have followed the preceding steps. It might be a good idea to scan the +archives of the mailing list, which are available through the Samba +web site described in the previous +section.</P> +<P>If you successfully solve a problem, please mail the FAQ maintainer a +succinct description of the symptom, the problem and the solution, so +I can incorporate it in the next version.</P> +<P>If you make changes to the source code, _please_ submit these patches +so that everyone else gets the benefit of your work. This is one of +the most important aspects to the maintainence of Samba. Send all +patches to samba-bugs@samba.anu.edu.au, not Andrew Tridgell or any +other individual and not the samba team mailing list.</P> + + +<H2><A NAME="ss1.8">1.8 Pizza supply details </A></H2> + +<P> +<A NAME="pizza"></A> +</P> +<P>Those who have registered in the Samba survey as "Pizza Factory" will +already know this, but the rest may need some help. Andrew doesn't ask +for payment, but he does appreciate it when people give him +pizza. This calls for a little organisation when the pizza donor is +twenty thousand kilometres away, but it has been done.</P> +<P>Method 1: Ring up your local branch of an international pizza chain +and see if they honour their vouchers internationally. Pizza Hut do, +which is how the entire Canberra Linux Users Group got to eat pizza +one night, courtesy of someone in the US</P> +<P>Method 2: Ring up a local pizza shop in Canberra and quote a credit +card number for a certain amount, and tell them that Andrew will be +collecting it (don't forget to tell him.) One kind soul from Germany +did this.</P> +<P>Method 3: Purchase a pizza voucher from your local pizza shop that has +no international affiliations and send it to Andrew. It is completely +useless but he can hang it on the wall next to the one he already has +from Germany :-)</P> +<P>Method 4: Air freight him a pizza with your favourite regional +flavours. It will probably get stuck in customs or torn apart by +hungry sniffer dogs but it will have been a noble gesture.</P> + + +<HR> +Previous +<A HREF="sambafaq-2.html">Next</A> +<A HREF="sambafaq.html#toc1">Table of Contents</A> +</BODY> +</HTML> |