Chapter 5. Features

Chapter 5. Features
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How can I use samba as a fax server?

Tools for printing faxes
Making the fax-server
Installing the client drivers
Example smb.conf

Samba doesn't work well together with DHCP!

How can I assign NetBIOS names to clients with DHCP?

How do I convert between unix and dos text formats?

Does samba have wins replication support?

How can I use samba as a fax server?

Contributor: Gerhard Zuber

Requirements: -

UNIX box (Linux preferred) with SAMBA and a faxmodem

ghostscript package

mgetty+sendfax package

pbm package (portable bitmap tools)

First, install and configure the required packages. Be sure to read the mgetty+sendfax -manual carefully.

Tools for printing faxes

Your incomed faxes are in: -/var/spool/fax/incoming. Print it with:

-for i in *
-do
-g3cat $i | g3tolj | lpr -P hp
-done
-

-g3cat is in the tools-section, g3tolj is in the contrib-section -for printing to HP lasers. -

-If you want to produce files for displaying and printing with Windows, use -some tools from the pbm-package like the following command: g3cat $i | g3topbm - | ppmtopcx - >$i.pcx -and view it with your favourite Windows tool (maybe paintbrush) -

Making the fax-server

fetch the file mgetty+sendfax/frontends/winword/faxfilter and place it in /usr/local/etc/mgetty+sendfax/(replace /usr/local/ with whatever place you installed mgetty+sendfax)

prepare your faxspool file as mentioned in this file -edit fax/faxspool.in and reinstall or change the final -/usr/local/bin/faxspool too. -

-if [ "$user" = "root" -o "$user" = "fax" -o \
-     "$user" = "lp" -o "$user" = "daemon" -o "$user" = "bin" ]
-

find the first line and change it to the second.

-make sure you have pbmtext (from the pbm-package). This is -needed for creating the small header line on each page. -

Prepare your faxheader /usr/local/etc/mgetty+sendfax/faxheader

-Edit your /etc/printcap file: -

-# FAX 
-lp3|fax:\
-        :lp=/dev/null:\
-        :sd=/usr/spool/lp3:\
-        :if=/usr/local/etc/mgetty+sendfax/faxfilter:sh:sf:mx#0:\
-        :lf=/usr/spool/lp3/fax-log:
-

Now, edit your smb.conf so you have a smb based printer named "fax"

Installing the client drivers

-Now you have a printer called "fax" which can be used via -TCP/IP-printing (lpd-system) or via SAMBA (windows printing). -

-On every system you are able to produce postscript-files you -are ready to fax. -

-On Windows 3.1 95 and NT: -

-Install a printer wich produces postscript output, - e.g. apple laserwriter -

Connect the "fax" to your printer.

-Now write your first fax. Use your favourite wordprocessor, -write, winword, notepad or whatever you want, and start -with the headerpage. -

-Usually each fax has a header page. It carries your name, -your address, your phone/fax-number. -

-It carries also the recipient, his address and his *** fax -number ***. Now here is the trick: -

-Use the text: -

-Fax-Nr: 123456789
-

-as the recipients fax-number. Make sure this text does not -occur in regular text ! Make sure this text is not broken -by formatting information, e.g. format it as a single entity. -(Windows Write and Win95 Wordpad are functional, maybe newer - versions of Winword are breaking formatting information). -

-The trick is that postscript output is human readable and -the faxfilter program scans the text for this pattern and -uses the found number as the fax-destination-number. -

-Now print your fax through the fax-printer and it will be -queued for later transmission. Use faxrunq for sending the -queue out. -

Example smb.conf

-[global]
- printcap name = /etc/printcap
- print command = /usr/bin/lpr -r -P %p %s
- lpq command = /usr/bin/lpq -P %p
- lprm command = /usr/bin/lprm -P %p %j
-
-[fax]
-    comment = FAX (mgetty+sendfax)
-    path = /tmp
-    printable = yes
-    public = yes
-    writable = no
-    create mode = 0700
-    browseable = yes
-    guest ok = no
-

Samba doesn't work well together with DHCP!

-We wish to help those folks who wish to use the ISC DHCP Server and provide -sample configuration settings. Most operating systems today come ship with -the ISC DHCP Server. ISC DHCP is available from: -ftp://ftp.isc.org/isc/dhcp -

-Incorrect configuration of MS Windows clients (Windows9X, Windows ME, Windows -NT/2000) will lead to problems with browsing and with general network -operation. Windows 9X/ME users often report problems where the TCP/IP and related -network settings will inadvertantly become reset at machine start-up resulting -in loss of configuration settings. This results in increased maintenance -overheads as well as serious user frustration. -

-In recent times users on one mailing list incorrectly attributed the cause of -network operating problems to incorrect configuration of Samba. -

-One user insisted that the only way to provent Windows95 from periodically -performing a full system reset and hardware detection process on start-up was -to install the NetBEUI protocol in addition to TCP/IP. This assertion is not -correct. -

-In the first place, there is NO need for NetBEUI. All Microsoft Windows clients -natively run NetBIOS over TCP/IP, and that is the only protocol that is -recognised by Samba. Installation of NetBEUI and/or NetBIOS over IPX will -cause problems with browse list operation on most networks. Even Windows NT -networks experience these problems when incorrectly configured Windows95 -systems share the same name space. It is important that only those protocols -that are strictly needed for site specific reasons should EVER be installed. -

-Secondly, and totally against common opinion, DHCP is NOT an evil design but is -an extension of the BOOTP protocol that has been in use in Unix environments -for many years without any of the melt-down problems that some sensationalists -would have us believe can be experienced with DHCP. In fact, DHCP in covered by -rfc1541 and is a very safe method of keeping an MS Windows desktop environment -under control and for ensuring stable network operation. -

-Please note that MS Windows systems as of MS Windows NT 3.1 and MS Windows 95 -store all network configuration settings a registry. There are a few reports -from MS Windows network administrators that warrant mention here. It would appear -that when one sets certain MS TCP/IP protocol settings (either directly or via -DHCP) that these do get written to the registry. Even though a subsequent -change of setting may occur the old value may persist in the registry. This -has been known to create serious networking problems. -

-An example of this occurs when a manual TCP/IP environment is configured to -include a NetBIOS Scope. In this event, when the administrator then changes the -configuration of the MS TCP/IP protocol stack, without first deleting the -current settings, by simply checking the box to configure the MS TCP/IP stack -via DHCP then the NetBIOS Scope that is still persistent in the registry WILL be -applied to the resulting DHCP offered settings UNLESS the DHCP server also sets -a NetBIOS Scope. It may therefore be prudent to forcibly apply a NULL NetBIOS -Scope from your DHCP server. The can be done in the dhcpd.conf file with the -parameter: -option netbios-scope ""; -

-While it is true that the Microsoft DHCP server that comes with Windows NT -Server provides only a sub-set of rfc1533 functionality this is hardly an issue -in those sites that already have a large investment and commitment to Unix -systems and technologies. The current state of the art of the DHCP Server -specification in covered in rfc2132. -

How can I assign NetBIOS names to clients with DHCP?

-SMB network clients need to be configured so that all standard TCP/IP name to -address resolution works correctly. Once this has been achieved the SMB -environment provides additional tools and services that act as helper agents in -the translation of SMB (NetBIOS) names to their appropriate IP Addresses. One -such helper agent is the NetBIOS Name Server (NBNS) or as Microsoft called it -in their Windows NT Server implementation WINS (Windows Internet Name Server). -

-A client needs to be configured so that it has a unique Machine (Computer) -Name. -

-This can be done, but needs a few NT registry hacks and you need to be able to -speak UNICODE, which is of course no problem for a True Wizzard(tm) :) -Instructions on how to do this (including a small util for less capable -Wizzards) can be found at -

http://www.unixtools.org/~nneul/sw/nt/dhcp-netbios-hostname.html

How do I convert between unix and dos text formats?

-Jim barry has written an -excellent drag-and-drop cr/lf converter for -windows. Just drag your file onto the icon and it converts the file. -

-The utilities unix2dos and dos2unix(in the mtools package) should do -the job under unix. -

Does samba have wins replication support?

-At the time of writing there is currently being worked on a wins replication implementation(wrepld). -

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