&author.jht; May 9, 2005 The net command is one of the new features of Samba-3 and is an attempt to provide a useful tool into which the majority of remote management operations necessary for common tasks. The net tool is flexible by design and is intended for command line use as well as for scripted control application. Originally introduced with the intent to mimick the Microsoft Windows command that has the same name, the net command has morphed into a very powerful instrument that has become an essential part of the Samba network administrator's toolbox. The Samba Team have introduced tools, such as smbgroupedit, rpcclient from which really useful have been integrated into the net. The smbgroupedit command was absorbed entirely into the net, while only some features of the rpcclient command have been ported to it. Anyone who finds older references to these utilities and to the functionality they provided should look at the net command before searching elsewhere. A Samba-3 administrator can not afford to gloss over this chapter because to do so will almost certainly cause the infliction of self induced pain, agony and desperation. Be warned, this is an important chapter. The tasks that follow the installation of a Samba-3 server, whether Stand-Alone, Domain Member, of a Domain Controller (PDC or BDC) begins with the need to create administrative rights. Of course, the creation of user and group accounts is essential for both a Stand-Alone server as well as for a PDC. In the case of a BDC or a Domain Member server (DMS) Domain user and group accounts are obtained from the central domain authentication backend. Regardless of the type of server being installed, local UNIX groups must be mapped to the Windows networking domain global group accounts. Do you ask, why? Because Samba always limits its access to the resources of the host server by way of traditional UNIX UID/GID controls. This means that local groups must be mapped to domain global groups so that domain users who are members of the domain global groups can be given access rights based on UIDs and GIDs local to the server that is hosting Samba. Such mappings are implemented using the net command. UNIX systems that are hosting a Samba-3 server that is running as a member (PDC, BDC, or DMS) must have a machine security account in the domain authentication database (or directory). The creation of such security (or trust) accounts is also handled using the net command. The establishment of interdomain trusts is achieved using the net command also, as may a plethora of typical administrative duties such as: user management, group management, share and printer management, file and printer migration, security identifier management, and so on. The over-all picture should be clear now, the net command plays a central role on the Samba-3 stage. This role will continue to be developed. The inclusion of this chapter is evidence of its importance, one that has grown in complexity to the point that it is no longer considered prudent to cover its use fully in the on-line UNIX man pages. Stuff goes here - this is a work in progress. More stuff.