&author.jelmer;
&author.jht;
&author.jerry;
&author.jeremy;
&person.gd;LDAP updatesOlivier (lem)LemaireIDEALXolem@IDEALX.orgMay 24, 2003Account Information Databasesaccount backendspassword backendsscalabilityADS
Samba-3 implements a new capability to work concurrently with multiple account backends.
The possible new combinations of password backends allows Samba-3 a degree of flexibility
and scalability that previously could be achieved only with MS Windows Active Directory (ADS).
This chapter describes the new functionality and how to get the most out of it.
passdb backendsmbpasswdtdbsamldapsamLDAPsingle repository
The three passdb backends that are fully maintained (actively supported) by the Samba Team are:
smbpasswd (being obsoleted), tdbsam (a tdb-based binary file format),
and ldapsam (LDAP directory). Of these, only the ldapsam backend
stores both POSIX (UNIX) and Samba user and group account information in a single repository. The
smbpasswd and tdbsam backends store only Samba user accounts.
In a strict sense, there are three supported account storage and access systems. One of these is considered
obsolete (smbpasswd). It is recommended to use the tdbsam method for all simple systems. Use
ldapsam for larger and more complex networks.
passdb backendaccount storage mechanismsaccount storage systemuser and trust accountsmachine trust accountscomputer accountsinterdomain trust accounts
In a strict and literal sense, the passdb backends are account storage mechanisms (or methods) alone. The choice
of terminology can be misleading, however we are stuck with this choice of wording. This chapter documents the
nature of the account storage system with a focus on user and trust accounts. Trust accounts have two forms,
machine trust accounts (computer accounts) and interdomain trust accounts. These are all treated as user-like
entities.
Features and Benefits
Samba-3 provides for complete backward compatibility with Samba-2.2.x functionality
as follows:
SAM backendsmbpasswdSAM backendldapsam_compatencrypted passwordsBackward Compatibility Account Storage SystemsPlaintextplaintextplaintext authentication/etc/passwd/etc/shadowPAM
This isn't really a backend at all, but is listed here for simplicity. Samba can be configured to pass
plaintext authentication requests to the traditional UNIX/Linux /etc/passwd and
/etc/shadow-style subsystems. On systems that have Pluggable Authentication Modules
(PAM) support, all PAM modules are supported. The behavior is just as it was with Samba-2.2.x, and the
protocol limitations imposed by MS Windows clients apply likewise. Please refer to Technical Information, for more information regarding the limitations of plaintext
password usage.
smbpasswdsmbpasswdLanMan passwordsNT-encrypted passwordsSAM
This option allows continued use of the smbpasswd
file that maintains a plain ASCII (text) layout that includes the MS Windows
LanMan and NT-encrypted passwords as well as a field that stores some
account information. This form of password backend does not store any of
the MS Windows NT/200x SAM (Security Account Manager) information required to
provide the extended controls that are needed for more comprehensive
interoperation with MS Windows NT4/200x servers.
This backend should be used only for backward compatibility with older
versions of Samba. It may be deprecated in future releases.
ldapsam_compat (Samba-2.2 LDAP Compatibility)ldapsam_compatSamba-2.2.x LDAP schemaOpenLDAP backend
There is a password backend option that allows continued operation with
an existing OpenLDAP backend that uses the Samba-2.2.x LDAP schema extension.
This option is provided primarily as a migration tool, although there is
no reason to force migration at this time. This tool will eventually
be deprecated.
New Account Storage Systems
Samba-3 introduces a number of new password backend capabilities.
SAM backendtdbsamSAM backendldapsamSAM backendmysqlsamSAM backendxmlsamtdbsamrich database backendPDCBDC
This backend provides a rich database backend for local servers. This
backend is not suitable for multiple domain controllers (i.e., PDC + one
or more BDC) installations.
extended SAMTDBbinary format TDBtrivial databasesystem access controlsMS Windows NT4/200x
The tdbsam password backend stores the old
smbpasswd information plus the extended MS Windows NT/200x
SAM information into a binary format TDB (trivial database) file.
The inclusion of the extended information makes it possible for Samba-3
to implement the same account and system access controls that are possible
with MS Windows NT4/200x-based systems.
simple operationOpenLDAPADS
The inclusion of the tdbsam capability is a direct
response to user requests to allow simple site operation without the overhead
of the complexities of running OpenLDAP. It is recommended to use this only
for sites that have fewer than 250 users. For larger sites or implementations,
the use of OpenLDAP or of Active Directory integration is strongly recommended.
ldapsamrich directory backenddistributed account
This provides a rich directory backend for distributed account installation.
LDAPOpenLDAPSamba schemaschema fileexamples/LDAP
Samba-3 has a new and extended LDAP implementation that requires configuration
of OpenLDAP with a new format Samba schema. The new format schema file is
included in the examples/LDAP directory of the Samba distribution.
expands control abilitiesprofilehome directoriesaccount access controlsgreater scalability
The new LDAP implementation significantly expands the control abilities that
were possible with prior versions of Samba. It is now possible to specify
per-user profile settings, home directories, account access controls, and
much more. Corporate sites will see that the Samba Team has listened to their
requests both for capability and greater scalability.
mysqlsam (MySQL-based backend)MySQL-based SAMdatabase backendmysqlsam
It is expected that the MySQL-based SAM will be very popular in some corners.
This database backend will be of considerable interest to sites that want to
leverage existing MySQL technology.
pgsqlsam (PostGreSQL-based backend)PostgreSQL databasemysqlsam
Makes use of a PostgreSQL database to store account information. This backend is largely undocumented at
the moment, though its configuration is very similar to that of the mysqlsam backend.
xmlsam (XML-based datafile)pdbeditXML formatpdb2pdb
Allows the account and password data to be stored in an XML format
data file. This backend cannot be used for normal operation, it can only
be used in conjunction with pdbedit's pdb2pdb
functionality. The Document Type Definition (DTD) file that is used
might be subject to changes in the future. (See the XML reference for a definition
of XML terms.)
account migrationdatabase backendsbackend format
The xmlsam option can be useful for account migration between database
backends or backups. Use of this tool allows the data to be edited before migration
into another backend format.
Technical Informationplaintext passwordsencrypted passwords
Old Windows clients send plaintext passwords over the wire. Samba can check these
passwords by encrypting them and comparing them to the hash stored in the UNIX user database.
encrypted passwordsLanManplaintext passwordsregistry
Newer Windows clients send encrypted passwords (LanMan and NT hashes) instead of plaintext passwords over
the wire. The newest clients will send only encrypted passwords and refuse to send plaintext passwords unless
their registry is tweaked.
UNIX-style encrypted passwordsconverted
Many people ask why Samba cannot simply use the UNIX password database. Windows requires
passwords that are encrypted in its own format. The UNIX passwords can't be converted to
UNIX-style encrypted passwords. Because of that, you can't use the standard UNIX user
database, and you have to store the LanMan and NT hashes somewhere else.
differently encrypted passwordsprofileworkstationstdbsam
In addition to differently encrypted passwords, Windows also stores certain data for each
user that is not stored in a UNIX user database: for example, workstations the user may logon from,
the location where the user's profile is stored, and so on. Samba retrieves and stores this
information using a . Commonly available backends are LDAP,
tdbsam, plain text file, and MySQL. For more information, see the man page for &smb.conf; regarding the
parameter.
SIDUIDSID
The resolution of SIDs to UIDs is fundamental to correct operation of Samba. In both cases shown, if winbindd
is not running or cannot be contacted, then only local SID/UID resolution is possible. See resolution of SIDs to UIDs and resolution of UIDs
to SIDs diagrams.
Important Notes About SecuritySMB password encryptionclear-text passwordshashed password equivalentLDAPMYSQLsecret
The UNIX and SMB password encryption techniques seem similar on the surface. This
similarity is, however, only skin deep. The UNIX scheme typically sends clear-text
passwords over the network when logging in. This is bad. The SMB encryption scheme
never sends the clear-text password over the network, but it does store the 16-byte
hashed values on disk. This is also bad. Why? Because the 16 byte hashed values
are a password equivalent. You cannot derive the user's password from them, but
they could potentially be used in a modified client to gain access to a server.
This would require considerable technical knowledge on behalf of the attacker but
is perfectly possible. You should therefore treat the data stored in whatever passdb
backend you use (smbpasswd file, LDAP, MYSQL) as though it contained the clear-text
passwords of all your users. Its contents must be kept secret, and the file should
be protected accordingly.
password schemeplaintext passwordscompatible
Ideally, we would like a password scheme that involves neither plaintext passwords
on the network nor plaintext passwords on disk. Unfortunately, this is not available because Samba is stuck with
having to be compatible with other SMB systems (Windows NT, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 9x/Me).
encrypted passwordsplaintext passwords
Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 changed the default setting so plaintext passwords
are disabled from being sent over the wire. This mandates either the use of encrypted
password support or editing the Windows NT registry to re-enable plaintext passwords.
domain securitydomain environment
The following versions of Microsoft Windows do not support full domain security protocols,
although they may log onto a domain environment:
MS DOS Network client 3.0 with the basic network redirector installed.Windows 95 with the network redirector update installed.Windows 98 [Second Edition].Windows Me.Windows XP Homedomain memberdomain logons
MS Windows XP Home does not have facilities to become a domain member, and it cannot participate in domain logons.
The following versions of MS Windows fully support domain security protocols.
Windows NT 3.5x.Windows NT 4.0.Windows 2000 Professional.Windows 200x Server/Advanced Server.Windows XP Professional.SMB/CIFSauthenticationchallenge/response mechanisclear-textencryptednegotiate
All current releases of Microsoft SMB/CIFS clients support authentication via the
SMB challenge/response mechanism described here. Enabling clear-text authentication
does not disable the ability of the client to participate in encrypted authentication.
Instead, it allows the client to negotiate either plaintext or encrypted password
handling.
cached encrypted passwordplaintext passwordsregistry changeauto-reconnectencrypted passwords
MS Windows clients will cache the encrypted password alone. Where plaintext passwords
are re-enabled through the appropriate registry change, the plaintext password is never
cached. This means that in the event that a network connections should become disconnected
(broken), only the cached (encrypted) password will be sent to the resource server to
effect an auto-reconnect. If the resource server does not support encrypted passwords, the
auto-reconnect will fail. Use of encrypted passwords is strongly advised.
Advantages of Encrypted Passwordspassed across the networknetwork snifferSMB server
Plaintext passwords are not passed across the network. Someone using a network sniffer
cannot just record passwords going to the SMB server.
not stored anywherememorydisk
Plaintext passwords are not stored anywhere in memory or on disk.
encrypted passwordsuser-level securitypassword promptSMB encryption
Windows NT does not like talking to a server that does not support encrypted passwords. It will refuse to
browse the server if the server is also in user-level security mode. It will insist on prompting the user for
the password on each connection, which is very annoying. The only thing you can do to stop this is to use SMB
encryption.
encrypted passwordautomatic reconnects
Encrypted password support allows automatic share (resource) reconnects.
PDCBDC
Encrypted passwords are essential for PDC/BDC operation.
Advantages of Non-Encrypted Passwordscached in memory
Plaintext passwords are not kept on disk and are not cached in memory.
LoginFTP
Plaintext passwords use the same password file as other UNIX services, such as Login and FTP.
TelnetFTP
Use of other services (such as Telnet and FTP) that send plaintext passwords over
the network makes sending them for SMB not such a big deal.
Mapping User Identifiers between MS Windows and UNIXUIDSIDmapping
Every operation in UNIX/Linux requires a user identifier (UID), just as in
MS Windows NT4/200x this requires a security identifier (SID). Samba provides
two means for mapping an MS Windows user to a UNIX/Linux UID.
Samba SAMSAMUIDaccount information databaselocal user account
First, all Samba SAM database accounts require a UNIX/Linux UID that the account will map to. As users are
added to the account information database, Samba will call the
interface to add the account to the Samba host OS. In essence all accounts in the local SAM require a local
user account.
idmap uididmap gidUIDSAMforeign domainnon-member Windows clientSID
The second way to map Windows SID to UNIX UID is via the idmap uid and
idmap gid parameters in &smb.conf;. Please refer to the man page for information about
these parameters. These parameters are essential when mapping users from a remote (non-member Windows client
or a member of a foreign domain) SAM server.
Mapping Common UIDs/GIDs on Distributed MachinesUIDGIDBDCdomain member serversNFSrsync
Samba-3 has a special facility that makes it possible to maintain identical UIDs and GIDs
on all servers in a distributed network. A distributed network is one where there exists
a PDC, one or more BDCs, and/or one or more domain member servers. Why is this important?
This is important if files are being shared over more than one protocol (e.g., NFS) and where
users are copying files across UNIX/Linux systems using tools such as rsync.
LDAP-basedidmap backendUIDGIDLDAPSAM backendLDAP idmap Backendidmap backend
The special facility is enabled using a parameter called idmap backend.
The default setting for this parameter is an empty string. Technically it is possible to use
an LDAP-based idmap backend for UIDs and GIDs, but it makes most sense when this is done for
network configurations that also use LDAP for the SAM backend.
Example Configuration with the LDAP idmap Backend
shows that configuration.
SAM backendldapsamExample Configuration with the LDAP idmap Backendldap:ldap://ldap-server.quenya.org:636Alternatively, this could be specified as:ldap:ldaps://ldap-server.quenya.orgLDAP backendsPADL Software
A network administrator who wants to make significant use of LDAP backends will sooner or later be
exposed to the excellent work done by PADL Software. PADL have
produced and released to open source an array of tools that might be of interest. These tools include:
nss_ldapNSSAIXLinuxLDAPSolarisUIDGIDnss_ldap: An LDAP name service switch (NSS) module to provide native
name service support for AIX, Linux, Solaris, and other operating systems. This tool
can be used for centralized storage and retrieval of UIDs and GIDs.
pam_ldapPAMLDAPaccess authenticationpam_ldap: A PAM module that provides LDAP integration for UNIX/Linux
system access authentication.
idmap_adIDMAP backendRFC 2307PADLidmap_ad: An IDMAP backend that supports the Microsoft Services for
UNIX RFC 2307 schema available from the PADL Web
site.
Comments Regarding LDAPLDAPdirectoriesarchitectureFIMSSO
There is much excitement and interest in LDAP directories in the information technology world
today. The LDAP architecture was designed to be highly scalable. It was also designed for
use across a huge number of potential areas of application encompassing a wide range of operating
systems and platforms. LDAP technologies are at the heart of the current generations of Federated
Identity Management (FIM) solutions that can underlie a corporate Single Sign-On (SSO) environment.
LDAPeDirectoryADSauthentication
LDAP implementations have been built across a wide variety of platforms. It lies at the core of Microsoft
Windows Active Directory services (ADS), Novell's eDirectory, as well as many others. Implementation of the
directory services LDAP involves interaction with legacy as well as new generation applications, all of which
depend on some form of authentication services.
LDAP directoryauthenticationaccess controlsintermediate toolsmiddle-warecentral environmentinfrastructurelogin shellsmailmessaging systemsquota controlsprinting systemsDNS serversDHCP servers
UNIX services can utilize LDAP directory information for authentication and access controls
through intermediate tools and utilities. The total environment that consists of the LDAP directory
and the middle-ware tools and utilities makes it possible for all user access to the UNIX platform
to be managed from a central environment and yet distributed to wherever the point of need may
be physically located. Applications that benefit from this infrastructure include: UNIX login
shells, mail and messaging systems, quota controls, printing systems, DNS servers, DHCP servers,
and also Samba.
LDAPpassdb backendscalableSAM backendLDAP directorymanagement costs
Many sites are installing LDAP for the first time in order to provide a scalable passdb backend
for Samba. Others are faced with the need to adapt an existing LDAP directory to new uses such
as for the Samba SAM backend. Whatever your particular need and attraction to Samba may be,
decisions made in respect of the design of the LDAP directory structure and its implementation
are of a durable nature for the site. These have far-reaching implications that affect long-term
information systems management costs.
LDAP deploymentDirectory Information TreeDIT
Do not rush into an LDAP deployment. Take the time to understand how the design of the Directory
Information Tree (DIT) may impact current and future site needs, as well as the ability to meet
them. The way that Samba SAM information should be stored within the DIT varies from site to site
and with each implementation new experience is gained. It is well understood by LDAP veterans that
first implementations create awakening, second implementations of LDAP create fear, and
third-generation deployments bring peace and tranquility.
Caution Regarding LDAP and SambaPOSIX identitynetworking environmentuser accountsgroup accountsmachine trust accountsinterdomain trust accountsintermediate information
Samba requires UNIX POSIX identity information as well as a place to store information that is
specific to Samba and the Windows networking environment. The most used information that must
be dealt with includes: user accounts, group accounts, machine trust accounts, interdomain
trust accounts, and intermediate information specific to Samba internals.
deployment guidelinesHOWTO documentsLDAP
The example deployment guidelines in this book, as well as other books and HOWTO documents
available from the internet may not fit with established directory designs and implementations.
The existing DIT may not be able to accommodate the simple information layout proposed in common
sources. Additionally, you may find that the common scripts and tools that are used to provision
the LDAP directory for use with Samba may not suit your needs.
existing LDAP DIT
It is not uncommon, for sites that have existing LDAP DITs to find necessity to generate a
set of site-specific scripts and utilities to make it possible to deploy Samba within the
scope of site operations. The way that user and group accounts are distributed throughout
the DIT may make this a challenging matter. The solution will, of course, be rewarding, but
the journey to it may be challenging. Take time to understand site needs and do not rush
into deployment.
scriptstools
Above all, do not blindly use scripts and tools that are not suitable for your site. Check
and validate all scripts before you execute them to make sure that the existing infrastructure
will not be damaged by inadvertent use of an inappropriate tool.
LDAP Directories and Windows Computer Accountsturnkey solutionLDAP.frustrating experience
Samba doesn't provide a turnkey solution to LDAP. It is best to deal with the design and
configuration of an LDAP directory prior to integration with Samba. A working knowledge
of LDAP makes Samba integration easy, and the lack of a working knowledge of LDAP can make
it a frustrating experience.
computer accountsmachine accountsLDAP
Computer (machine) accounts can be placed wherever you like in an LDAP directory subject
to some constraints that are described in this chapter.
POSIXsambaSamAccountcomputer accountsmachine accountsWindows NT4/200Xuser accounttrust accounts
The POSIX and sambaSamAccount components of computer (machine) accounts are both used by Samba.
Thus, machine accounts are treated inside Samba in the same way that Windows NT4/200X treats
them. A user account and a machine account are indistinquishable from each other, except that
the machine account ends in a $ character, as do trust accounts.
usergroupmachinetrustUID
The need for Windows user, group, machine, trust, and other accounts to be tied to a valid UNIX
UID is a design decision that was made a long way back in the history of Samba development. It
is unlikely that this decision will be reversed or changed during the remaining life of the
Samba-3.x series.
UIDSIDNSS
The resolution of a UID from the Windows SID is achieved within Samba through a mechanism that
must refer back to the host operating system on which Samba is running. The NSS is the preferred
mechanism that shields applications (like Samba) from the need to know everything about every
host OS it runs on.
UIDpasswdshadowgroupNSSwinbinddLDAP
Samba asks the host OS to provide a UID via the passwd, shadow,
and group facilities in the NSS control (configuration) file. The best tool
for achieving this is left up to the UNIX administrator to determine. It is not imposed by
Samba. Samba provides winbindd with its support libraries as one method. It is
possible to do this via LDAP, and for that Samba provides the appropriate hooks so that
all account entities can be located in an LDAP directory.
PADLnss_ldapUIDLDAPdocumentation
For many the weapon of choice is to use the PADL nss_ldap utility. This utility must
be configured so that computer accounts can be resolved to a POSIX/UNIX account UID. That
is fundamentally an LDAP design question. The information provided on the Samba list and
in the documentation is directed at providing working examples only. The design
of an LDAP directory is a complex subject that is beyond the scope of this documentation.
Account Management Toolspdbeditmachine accountsmanagement tools
Samba provides two tools for management of user and machine accounts:
smbpasswd and pdbedit.
pdbeditpassword agingfailed logins
The pdbedit can be used to manage account policies in addition to
Samba user account information. The policy management capability is used to administer
domain default settings for password aging and management controls to handle failed login
attempts.
smbpasswdstorage mechanismSambaSAMAccountnet
Some people are confused when reference is made to smbpasswd because the
name refers to a storage mechanism for SambaSAMAccount information, but it is also the name
of a utility tool. That tool is destined to eventually be replaced by new functionality that
is being added to the net toolset (see the Net Command.
The smbpasswd Toolsmbpasswdpasswdyppasswdpassdb backendstorage methods
The smbpasswd utility is similar to the passwd
and yppasswd programs. It maintains the two 32 byte password
fields in the passdb backend. This utility operates independently of the actual
account and password storage methods used (as specified by the passdb
backend in the &smb.conf; file.
smbpasswdclient-server modesmbpasswd works in a client-server mode where it contacts the
local smbd to change the user's password on its behalf. This has enormous benefits.
smbpasswdchange passwordssmbpasswd has the capability to change passwords on Windows NT
servers (this only works when the request is sent to the NT PDC if changing an NT
domain user's password).
user managementuser accountAdding/Deletingsmbpasswd can be used to:
add user or machine accounts.delete user or machine accounts.enable user or machine accounts.disable user or machine accounts.set to NULL user passwords.manage interdomain trust accounts.
To run smbpasswd as a normal user, just type:
&prompt;smbpasswdOld SMB password: secret
For secret, type the old value here or press return if
there is no old password.
New SMB Password: new secretRepeat New SMB Password: new secret
If the old value does not match the current value stored for that user, or the two
new values do not match each other, then the password will not be changed.
SMB password
When invoked by an ordinary user, the command will allow only the user to change his or her own
SMB password.
smbpasswdSMB password
When run by root, smbpasswd may take an optional argument specifying
the username whose SMB password you wish to change. When run as root, smbpasswd
does not prompt for or check the old password value, thus allowing root to set passwords
for users who have forgotten their passwords.
smbpasswdpasswdyppasswdchange capabilitiessmbpasswd is designed to work in the way familiar to UNIX
users who use the passwd or yppasswd commands.
While designed for administrative use, this tool provides essential user-level
password change capabilities.
smbpasswd
For more details on using smbpasswd, refer to the man page (the
definitive reference).
The pdbedit ToolpdbeditUser Managementaccount policyUser AccountsAdding/Deletingpdbedit is a tool that can be used only by root. It is used to
manage the passdb backend, as well as domain-wide account policy settings. pdbedit
can be used to:
add, remove, or modify user accounts.list user accounts.migrate user accounts.migrate group accounts.manage account policies.manage domain access policy settings.Sarbanes-Oxley
Under the terms of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, American businessies and organizations are mandated to
implement a series of internal controls and procedures to communicate, store,
and protect financial data. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act has far reaching implications in respect of:
Who has access to information systems that store financial data.How personal and finacial information is treated among employees and business
partners.How security vulnerabilities are managed.Security and patch level maintenance for all information systems.How information systems changes are documented and tracked.How information access controls are implemented and managed.Auditability of all information systems in respect of change and security.Disciplinary procedures and controls to ensure privacy.accountabilitycompliance
In short, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is an instrument that enforces accountability in respect of
business related information systems so as to ensure the compliance of all information systems that
are used to store personal information and particularly for financial records processing. Similar
accountabilities are being demanded around the world.
lawsregulationspdbeditaccess controlsmanage accounts
The need to be familiar with the Samba tools and facilities that permit information systems operation
in compliance with government laws and regulations is clear to all. The pdbedit is
currently the only Samba tool that provides the capacity to manage account and systems access controls
and policies. During the remaining life-cycle of the Samba-3 series it is possible the new tools may
be implemented to aid in this important area.
Domain global policy controls available in Windows NT4 compared with Samba
is shown in NT4 Domain v's Samba Policy Controls.
pdbeditpolicy settingsaccount securitysmbpasswd
The pdbedit tool is the only one that can manage the account
security and policy settings. It is capable of all operations that smbpasswd can
do as well as a superset of them.
pdbeditaccount migrationpassdb backend
One particularly important purpose of the pdbedit is to allow
the migration of account information from one passdb backend to another. See the
XML password backend section of this chapter.
User Account Managementpdbeditsmbpasswdsystem accountsuser accountdomain user manageradd user scriptinterface scripts
The pdbedit tool, like the smbpasswd tool, requires
that a POSIX user account already exists in the UNIX/Linux system accounts database (backend).
Neither tool will call out to the operating system to create a user account because this is
considered to be the responsibility of the system administrator. When the Windows NT4 domain
user manager is used to add an account, Samba will implement the add user script
(as well as the other interface scripts) to ensure that user, group and machine accounts are
correctly created and changed. The use of the pdbedit tool does not
make use of these interface scripts.
pdbeditPOSIX account
Before attempting to use the pdbedit tool to manage user and machine
accounts, make certain that a system (POSIX) account has already been created.
Listing User and Machine Accountstdbsampassword backend
The following is an example of the user account information that is stored in
a tdbsam password backend. This listing was produced by running:
&prompt;pdbedit -Lv met
UNIX username: met
NT username: met
Account Flags: [U ]
User SID: S-1-5-21-1449123459-1407424037-3116680435-2004
Primary Group SID: S-1-5-21-1449123459-1407424037-3116680435-1201
Full Name: Melissa E Terpstra
Home Directory: \\frodo\met\Win9Profile
HomeDir Drive: H:
Logon Script: scripts\logon.bat
Profile Path: \\frodo\Profiles\met
Domain: &example.workgroup;
Account desc:
Workstations: melbelle
Munged dial:
Logon time: 0
Logoff time: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Kickoff time: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Password last set: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 14:37:03 GMT
Password can change: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 14:37:03 GMT
Password must change: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
smbpasswd format
Accounts can also be listed in the older smbpasswd format:
&rootprompt;pdbedit -Lw
root:0:84B0D8E14D158FF8417EAF50CFAC29C3:
AF6DD3FD4E2EA8BDE1695A3F05EFBF52:[U ]:LCT-42681AB8:
jht:1000:6BBC4159020A52741486235A2333E4D2:
CC099521AD554A3C3CF2556274DBCFBC:[U ]:LCT-40D75B5B:
rcg:1002:E95D4331A6F23AF8AAD3B435B51404EE:
BB0F2C39B04CA6100F0E535DF8314B43:[U ]:LCT-40D7C5A3:
afw:1003:1AAFA7F9F6DC1DEAAAD3B435B51404EE:
CE92C2F9471594CDC4E7860CA6BC62DB:[T ]:LCT-40DA501F:
met:1004:A2848CB7E076B435AAD3B435B51404EE:
F25F5D3405085C555236B80B7B22C0D2:[U ]:LCT-4244FAB8:
aurora$:1005:060DE593EA638B8ACC4A19F14D2FF2BB:
060DE593EA638B8ACC4A19F14D2FF2BB:[W ]:LCT-4173E5CC:
temptation$:1006:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX:
A96703C014E404E33D4049F706C45EE9:[W ]:LCT-42BF0C57:
vaioboss$:1001:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX:
88A30A095160072784C88F811E89F98A:[W ]:LCT-41C3878D:
frodo$:1008:15891DC6B843ECA41249940C814E316B:
B68EADCCD18E17503D3DAD3E6B0B9A75:[W ]:LCT-42B7979F:
marvel$:1011:BF709959C3C94E0B3958B7B84A3BB6F3:
C610EFE9A385A3E8AA46ADFD576E6881:[W ]:LCT-40F07A4
Adding User Accountspdbeditadd a user accountstandalone serverdomainSambaSAMAccount
The pdbedit can be used to add a user account to a standalone server
or to a domain. In the example shown here the account for the user vlaan
has been created before attempting to add the SambaSAMAccount.
&rootprompt; pdbedit -a vlaan
new password: secretpw
retype new password: secretpw
Unix username: vlaan
NT username: vlaan
Account Flags: [U ]
User SID: S-1-5-21-726309263-4128913605-1168186429-3014
Primary Group SID: S-1-5-21-726309263-4128913605-1168186429-513
Full Name: Victor Laan
Home Directory: \\frodo\vlaan
HomeDir Drive: H:
Logon Script: scripts\logon.bat
Profile Path: \\frodo\profiles\vlaan
Domain: &example.workgroup;
Account desc: Guest User
Workstations:
Munged dial:
Logon time: 0
Logoff time: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Kickoff time: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Password last set: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 19:35:12 GMT
Password can change: Wed, 29 Jun 2005 19:35:12 GMT
Password must change: Mon, 18 Jan 2038 20:14:07 GMT
Last bad password : 0
Bad password count : 0
Logon hours : FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Deleting Accountsaccount deletedSambaSAMAccountpdbeditpassdb backend
An account can be deleted from the SambaSAMAccount database
&rootprompt; pdbedit -x vlaan
The account is removed without further screen output. The account is removed only from the
SambaSAMAccount (passdb backend) database, it is not removed from the UNIX account backend.
delete user scriptpdbedit
The use of the NT4 domain user manager to delete an account will trigger the delete user
script, but not the pdbedit tool.
Changing User Accountspdbedit
Refer to the pdbedit man page for a full synopsis of all operations
that are available with this tool.
pdbedit
An example of a simple change in the user account information is the change of the full name
information shown here:
&rootprompt; pdbedit -r --fullname="Victor Aluicious Laan" vlaan
...
Primary Group SID: S-1-5-21-726309263-4128913605-1168186429-513
Full Name: Victor Aluicious Laan
Home Directory: \\frodo\vlaan
...
grace timepassword expiredexpired password
Let us assume for a moment that a user's password has expired and the user is unable to
change the password at this time. It may be necessary to give the user additional grace time
so that it is possible to continue to work with the account and the original password. This
demonstrates how the password expiration settings may be updated
&rootprompt; pdbedit -Lv vlaan
...
Password last set: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 22:21:40 GMT
Password can change: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Password must change: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Last bad password : Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Bad password count : 2
...
bad logon attemptslock the account
The user has recorded 2 bad logon attempts and the next will lock the account, but the
password is also expired. Here is how this account can be reset:
&rootprompt; pdbedit -z vlaan
...
Password last set: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 22:21:40 GMT
Password can change: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Password must change: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Last bad password : 0
Bad password count : 0
...
The Password must change: parameter can be reset like this:
&rootprompt; pdbedit --pwd-must-change-time=1200000000 vlaan
...
Password last set: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 22:21:40 GMT
Password can change: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Password must change: Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:20:00 GMT
...
Another way to use this tools is to set the date like this:
&rootprompt; pdbedit --pwd-must-change-time="2010-01-01" \
--time-format="%Y-%m-%d" vlaan
...
Password last set: Sun, 09 Sep 2001 22:21:40 GMT
Password can change: Thu, 03 Jan 2002 15:08:35 GMT
Password must change: Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT
...
strptimetime format
Refer to the strptime man page for specific time format information.
pdbeditSambaSAMAccount
Please refer to the pdbedit man page for further information relating to SambaSAMAccount
management.
Domain Account Policy Managmentdomain account access policiesaccess policies
To view the domain account access policies that may be configured execute:
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P ?
No account policy by that name
Account policy names are :
min password length
password history
user must logon to change password
maximum password age
minimum password age
lockout duration
reset count minutes
bad lockout attempt
disconnect time
refuse machine password change
Commands will be executed to establish controls for our domain as follows:
min password length = 8 characters.password history = last 4 passwords.maximum password age = 90 days.minimum password age = 7 days.bad lockout attempt = 8 bad logon attempts.lockout duration = forever, account must be manually reenabled.
The following command execution will achieve these settings:
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P "min password length" -C 8
account policy value for min password length was 5
account policy value for min password length is now 8
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P "password history" -C 4
account policy value for password history was 0
account policy value for password history is now 4
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P "maximum password age" -C 90
account policy value for maximum password age was 4294967295
account policy value for maximum password age is now 90
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P "minimum password age" -C 7
account policy value for minimum password age was 0
account policy value for minimum password age is now 7
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P "bad lockout attempt" -C 8
account policy value for bad lockout attempt was 0
account policy value for bad lockout attempt is now 8
&rootprompt; pdbedit -P "lockout duration" -C -1
account policy value for lockout duration was 30
account policy value for lockout duration is now 4294967295
To set the maximum (infinite) lockout time use the value of -1.
Account policies must be set individually on each PDC and BDC. At this time (Samba 3.0.11 to Samba 3.0.14a)
account policies are not replicated automatically. This may be fixed before Samba 3.0.20 ships or some
time there after.
Account Migrationpdbeditmigrate accountsauthentication
The pdbedit tool allows migration of authentication (account)
databases from one backend to another. For example, to migrate accounts from an
old smbpasswd database to a tdbsam
backend:
Set the tdbsam, smbpasswd.
pdbedit
Execute:
&rootprompt;pdbedit -i smbpasswd -e tdbsamsmbpasswd
Remove the smbpasswd from the passdb backend
configuration in &smb.conf;.
Password Backendsaccount databaseSMB/CIFS server
Samba offers the greatest flexibility in backend account database design of any SMB/CIFS server
technology available today. The flexibility is immediately obvious as one begins to explore this
capability.
multiple backendstdbsam databases
It is possible to specify not only multiple password backends, but even multiple
backends of the same type. For example, to use two different tdbsam databases:
tdbsam:/etc/samba/passdb.tdb tdbsam:/etc/samba/old-passdb.tdb
What is possible is not always sensible. Be careful to avoid complexity to the point that it
may be said that the solution is too clever by half!Plaintextuser database/etc/samba/smbpasswd/etc/smbpasswdpassword encryption/etc/passwdPAM
Older versions of Samba retrieved user information from the UNIX user database
and eventually some other fields from the file /etc/samba/smbpasswd
or /etc/smbpasswd. When password encryption is disabled, no
SMB-specific data is stored at all. Instead, all operations are conducted via the way
that the Samba host OS will access its /etc/passwd database.
On most Linux systems, for example, all user and group resolution is done via PAM.
smbpasswd: Encrypted Password DatabaseSAM backendsmbpasswduser accountLM/NT password hashessmbpasswd
Traditionally, when configuring yes
in Samba's &smb.conf; file, user account information such as username, LM/NT password hashes,
password change times, and account flags have been stored in the smbpasswd(5)
file. There are several disadvantages to this approach for sites with large numbers of users
(counted in the thousands).
lookups
The first problem is that all lookups must be performed sequentially. Given that
there are approximately two lookups per domain logon (one during intial logon validation
and one for a session connection setup, such as when mapping a network drive or printer), this
is a performance bottleneck for large sites. What is needed is an indexed approach
such as that used in databases.
smbpasswdreplicatersyncsshcustom scripts
The second problem is that administrators who desire to replicate an smbpasswd file
to more than one Samba server are left to use external tools such as
rsync(1) and ssh(1) and write custom,
in-house scripts.
smbpasswdhome directorypassword expirationrelative identifierrelative identifierRID
Finally, the amount of information that is stored in an smbpasswd entry leaves
no room for additional attributes such as a home directory, password expiration time,
or even a relative identifier (RID).
user attributessmbdAPIsamdb interface
As a result of these deficiencies, a more robust means of storing user attributes
used by smbd was developed. The API that defines access to user accounts
is commonly referred to as the samdb interface (previously, this was called the passdb
API and is still so named in the Samba source code trees).
passdb backendssmbpasswd plaintext databasetdbsamldapsamxmlsamenterprise
Samba provides an enhanced set of passdb backends that overcome the deficiencies
of the smbpasswd plaintext database. These are tdbsam, ldapsam, and xmlsam.
Of these, ldapsam will be of most interest to large corporate or enterprise sites.
tdbsamSAM backendtdbsamtrivial databaseTDBmachine account
Samba can store user and machine account data in a TDB (trivial database).
Using this backend does not require any additional configuration. This backend is
recommended for new installations that do not require LDAP.
tdbsamPDCBDCscalability
As a general guide, the Samba Team does not recommend using the tdbsam backend for sites
that have 250 or more users. Additionally, tdbsam is not capable of scaling for use
in sites that require PDB/BDC implementations that require replication of the account
database. Clearly, for reason of scalability, the use of ldapsam should be encouraged.
250-user limitperformance-basedtdbsam
The recommendation of a 250-user limit is purely based on the notion that this
would generally involve a site that has routed networks, possibly spread across
more than one physical location. The Samba Team has not at this time established
the performance-based scalability limits of the tdbsam architecture.
4,500 user accountspassdb backendtdbsamSambaSAMAccount
There are sites that have thousands of users and yet require only one server.
One site recently reported having 4,500 user accounts on one UNIX system and
reported excellent performance with the tdbsam passdb backend.
The limitation of where the tdbsam passdb backend can be used
is not one pertaining to a limitation in the TDB storage system, it is based
only on the need for a reliable distribution mechanism for the SambaSAMAccount
backend.
ldapsamLDAPldapsamSAM backendldapsam
There are a few points to stress that the ldapsam does not provide. The LDAP
support referred to in this documentation does not include:
A means of retrieving user account information from
a Windows 200x Active Directory server.A means of replacing /etc/passwd.LDAPNSSPAMLGPL
The second item can be accomplished by using LDAP NSS and PAM modules. LGPL versions of these libraries can be
obtained from PADL Software. More information about the
configuration of these packages may be found in LDAP, System Administration by Gerald Carter, Chapter 6, Replacing NIS".
LDAP directorysmbpasswddirectory server
This document describes how to use an LDAP directory for storing Samba user
account information traditionally stored in the smbpasswd(5) file. It is
assumed that the reader already has a basic understanding of LDAP concepts
and has a working directory server already installed. For more information
on LDAP architectures and directories, please refer to the following sites:
OpenLDAP
Sun One Directory ServerNovell eDirectoryIBM
Tivoli Directory ServerRed Hat Directory
ServerFedora Directory
Server
Two additional Samba resources that may prove to be helpful are:
Samba-PDC-LDAP-HOWTO
The Samba-PDC-LDAP-HOWTO
maintained by Ignacio Coupeau.
IDEALXNT migration scriptssmbldap-tools
The NT migration scripts from IDEALX that are
geared to manage users and groups in such a Samba-LDAP domain controller configuration.
Idealx also produced the smbldap-tools and the Interactive Console Management tool.
Supported LDAP ServersLDAPldapsamOpenLDAPNetscape's Directory Server
The LDAP ldapsam code was developed and tested using the OpenLDAP 2.x server and
client libraries. The same code should work with Netscape's Directory Server and client SDK.
However, there are bound to be compile errors and bugs. These should not be hard to fix.
Please submit fixes via the process outlined in Reporting Bugs.
Samba is capable of working with any standards-compliant LDAP server.
Schema and Relationship to the RFC 2307 posixAccount
Samba-3.0 includes the necessary schema file for OpenLDAP 2.x in the
examples/LDAP/samba.schema directory of the source code distribution
tarball. The schema entry for the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass is shown here:
ObjectClass (1.3.6.1.4.1.7165.2.2.6 NAME 'sambaSamAccount' SUP top AUXILIARY
DESC 'Samba-3.0 Auxiliary SAM Account'
MUST ( uid $ sambaSID )
MAY ( cn $ sambaLMPassword $ sambaNTPassword $ sambaPwdLastSet $
sambaLogonTime $ sambaLogoffTime $ sambaKickoffTime $
sambaPwdCanChange $ sambaPwdMustChange $ sambaAcctFlags $
displayName $ sambaHomePath $ sambaHomeDrive $ sambaLogonScript $
sambaProfilePath $ description $ sambaUserWorkstations $
sambaPrimaryGroupSID $ sambaDomainName ))
samba.schemaOpenLDAPOID
The samba.schema file has been formatted for OpenLDAP 2.0/2.1.
The Samba Team owns the OID space used by the above schema and recommends its use.
If you translate the schema to be used with Netscape DS, please submit the modified
schema file as a patch to jerry@samba.org.
smbpasswd/etc/passwdsambaSamAccountAUXILIARYObjectClassLDAPRFC 2307.
Just as the smbpasswd file is meant to store information that provides information
additional to a user's /etc/passwd entry, so is the sambaSamAccount
object meant to supplement the UNIX user account information. A sambaSamAccount is an
AUXILIARY ObjectClass, so it can be used to augment existing
user account information in the LDAP directory, thus providing information needed
for Samba account handling. However, there are several fields (e.g., uid) that overlap
with the posixAccount ObjectClass outlined in RFC 2307. This is by design.
account informationsambaSamAccountposixAccountObjectClassessmbdgetpwnamLDAPNISNSS
In order to store all user account information (UNIX and Samba) in the directory,
it is necessary to use the sambaSamAccount and posixAccount ObjectClasses in
combination. However, smbd will still obtain the user's UNIX account
information via the standard C library calls, such as getpwnam().
This means that the Samba server must also have the LDAP NSS library installed
and functioning correctly. This division of information makes it possible to
store all Samba account information in LDAP, but still maintain UNIX account
information in NIS while the network is transitioning to a full LDAP infrastructure.
OpenLDAP ConfigurationsambaSamAccountOpenLDAPslapdsamba.schema
To include support for the sambaSamAccount object in an OpenLDAP directory
server, first copy the samba.schema file to slapd's configuration directory.
The samba.schema file can be found in the directory examples/LDAP
in the Samba source distribution.
&rootprompt;cp samba.schema /etc/openldap/schema/samba.schemaslapd.confsambaSamAccountcosine.schemauidinetorgperson.schemadisplayNameattribute
Next, include the samba.schema file in slapd.conf.
The sambaSamAccount object contains two attributes that depend on other schema
files. The uid attribute is defined in cosine.schema and
the displayName attribute is defined in the inetorgperson.schema
file. Both of these must be included before the samba.schema file.
## /etc/openldap/slapd.conf
## schema files (core.schema is required by default)
include /etc/openldap/schema/core.schema
## needed for sambaSamAccount
include /etc/openldap/schema/cosine.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/inetorgperson.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/nis.schema
include /etc/openldap/schema/samba.schema
....
sambaSamAccountposixAccountposixGroupObjectClasses
It is recommended that you maintain some indices on some of the most useful attributes,
as in the following example, to speed up searches made on sambaSamAccount ObjectClasses
(and possibly posixAccount and posixGroup as well):
# Indices to maintain
## required by OpenLDAP
index objectclass eq
index cn pres,sub,eq
index sn pres,sub,eq
## required to support pdb_getsampwnam
index uid pres,sub,eq
## required to support pdb_getsambapwrid()
index displayName pres,sub,eq
## uncomment these if you are storing posixAccount and
## posixGroup entries in the directory as well
##index uidNumber eq
##index gidNumber eq
##index memberUid eq
index sambaSID eq
index sambaPrimaryGroupSID eq
index sambaDomainName eq
index default sub
Create the new index by executing:
&rootprompt;./sbin/slapindex -f slapd.conf
Remember to restart slapd after making these changes:
&rootprompt;/etc/init.d/slapd restartInitialize the LDAP DatabaseLDAP databaseaccount containersLDIF fileDNS
Before you can add accounts to the LDAP database, you must create the account containers
that they will be stored in. The following LDIF file should be modified to match your
needs (DNS entries, and so on):
# Organization for Samba Base
dn: dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: dcObject
objectclass: organization
dc: quenya
o: Quenya Org Network
description: The Samba-3 Network LDAP Example
# Organizational Role for Directory Management
dn: cn=Manager,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: organizationalRole
cn: Manager
description: Directory Manager
# Setting up container for Users OU
dn: ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: People
# Setting up admin handle for People OU
dn: cn=admin,ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}c3ZM9tBaBo9autm1dL3waDS21+JSfQVz
# Setting up container for groups
dn: ou=Groups,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: Groups
# Setting up admin handle for Groups OU
dn: cn=admin,ou=Groups,dc=quenya,dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}c3ZM9tBaBo9autm1dL3waDS21+JSfQVz
# Setting up container for computers
dn: ou=Computers,dc=quenya,dc=org
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalUnit
ou: Computers
# Setting up admin handle for Computers OU
dn: cn=admin,ou=Computers,dc=quenya,dc=org
cn: admin
objectclass: top
objectclass: organizationalRole
objectclass: simpleSecurityObject
userPassword: {SSHA}c3ZM9tBaBo9autm1dL3waDS21+JSfQVz
userPasswordslappasswd
The userPassword shown above should be generated using slappasswd.
LDIFLDAP
The following command will then load the contents of the LDIF file into the LDAP
database.
slapadd
&prompt;slapadd -v -l initldap.dif
Do not forget to secure your LDAP server with an adequate access control list
as well as an admin password.
secrets.tdb
Before Samba can access the LDAP server, you need to store the LDAP admin password
in the Samba-3 secrets.tdb database by:
smbpasswd
&rootprompt;smbpasswd -w secretConfiguring SambaLDAPsmbd
The following parameters are available in &smb.conf; only if your version of Samba was built with
LDAP support. Samba automatically builds with LDAP support if the LDAP libraries are found. The
best method to verify that Samba was built with LDAP support is:
&rootprompt; smbd -b | grep LDAP
HAVE_LDAP_H
HAVE_LDAP
HAVE_LDAP_DOMAIN2HOSTLIST
HAVE_LDAP_INIT
HAVE_LDAP_INITIALIZE
HAVE_LDAP_SET_REBIND_PROC
HAVE_LIBLDAP
LDAP_SET_REBIND_PROC_ARGS
If the build of the smbd command you are using does not produce output
that includes HAVE_LDAP_H it is necessary to discover why the LDAP headers
and libraries were not found during compilation.
LDAP-related smb.conf options include these:
ldapsam:url
These are described in the &smb.conf; man page and so are not repeated here. However, an example
for use with an LDAP directory is shown in the Configuration with LDAP.
Configuration with LDAPuseryesMORIANOLDORLDAP related parameters:Define the DN used when binding to the LDAP servers.The password for this DN is not stored in smb.confSet it using 'smbpasswd -w secret' to store thepassphrase in the secrets.tdb file.If the "ldap admin dn" value changes, it must be reset."cn=Manager,dc=quenya,dc=org"SSL directory connections can be configured by:('off', 'start tls', or 'on' (default))start tlssyntax: passdb backend = ldapsam:ldap://server-name[:port]ldapsam:ldap://frodo.quenya.orgsmbpasswd -x delete the entire dn-entrynoThe machine and user suffix are added to the base suffixwrote WITHOUT quotes. NULL suffixes by defaultou=Peopleou=Groupsou=ComputersTrust UNIX account information in LDAP (see the smb.conf man page for details)Specify the base DN to use when searching the directorydc=quenya,dc=orgAccounts and Groups ManagementUser ManagementUser AccountsAdding/Deleting
Because user accounts are managed through the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass, you should
modify your existing administration tools to deal with sambaSamAccount attributes.
sambaSamAccount/etc/openldap/sldap.confNSS
Machine accounts are managed with the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass, just
like user accounts. However, it is up to you to store those accounts
in a different tree of your LDAP namespace. You should use
ou=Groups,dc=quenya,dc=org to store groups and
ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org to store users. Just configure your
NSS and PAM accordingly (usually, in the /etc/openldap/sldap.conf
configuration file).
POSIXposixGroupDomain GroupsADS
In Samba-3, the group management system is based on POSIX
groups. This means that Samba makes use of the posixGroup ObjectClass.
For now, there is no NT-like group system management (global and local
groups). Samba-3 knows only about Domain Groups
and, unlike MS Windows 2000 and Active Directory, Samba-3 does not
support nested groups.
Security and sambaSamAccountsambaSAMAccount
There are two important points to remember when discussing the security
of sambaSAMAccount entries in the directory.
Never retrieve the SambaLMPassword or
SambaNTPassword
SambaNTPassword attribute values over an unencrypted LDAP session.Never allow non-admin users to
view the SambaLMPassword or SambaNTPassword attribute values.clear-textimpersonateLM/NT password hashes
These password hashes are clear-text equivalents and can be used to impersonate
the user without deriving the original clear-text strings. For more information
on the details of LM/NT password hashes, refer to the
Account Information Database section.
encrypted sessionStartTLSLDAPSsecure communications
To remedy the first security issue, the &smb.conf;
parameter defaults to require an encrypted session (on) using the default port of 636 when
contacting the directory server. When using an OpenLDAP server, it
is possible to use the StartTLS LDAP extended operation in the place of LDAPS.
In either case, you are strongly encouraged to use secure communications protocols
(so do not set off).
LDAPSStartTLSLDAPv3
Note that the LDAPS protocol is deprecated in favor of the LDAPv3 StartTLS
extended operation. However, the OpenLDAP library still provides support for
the older method of securing communication between clients and servers.
harvesting password hashesACLslapd.conf
The second security precaution is to prevent non-administrative users from
harvesting password hashes from the directory. This can be done using the
following ACL in slapd.conf:
## allow the "ldap admin dn" access, but deny everyone else
access to attrs=SambaLMPassword,SambaNTPassword
by dn="cn=Samba Admin,ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org" write
by * none
LDAP Special Attributes for sambaSamAccounts The sambaSamAccount ObjectClass is composed of the attributes shown in next tables: Part A, and Part B.
Attributes in the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass (LDAP), Part AsambaLMPasswordThe LanMan password 16-byte hash stored as a character
representation of a hexadecimal string.sambaNTPasswordThe NT password 16-byte hash stored as a character
representation of a hexadecimal string.sambaPwdLastSetThe integer time in seconds since 1970 when the
sambaLMPassword and sambaNTPassword attributes were last set.
sambaAcctFlagsString of 11 characters surrounded by square brackets [ ]
representing account flags such as U (user), W (workstation), X (no password expiration),
I (domain trust account), H (home dir required), S (server trust account),
and D (disabled).sambaLogonTimeInteger value currently unused.sambaLogoffTimeInteger value currently unused.sambaKickoffTimeSpecifies the time (UNIX time format) when the user
will be locked down and cannot login any longer. If this attribute is omitted, then the account will never expire.
Using this attribute together with shadowExpire of the shadowAccount ObjectClass will enable accounts to
expire completely on an exact date.sambaPwdCanChangeSpecifies the time (UNIX time format)
after which the user is allowed to change his password. If this attribute is not set, the user will be free
to change his password whenever he wants.sambaPwdMustChangeSpecifies the time (UNIX time format) when the user is
forced to change his password. If this value is set to 0, the user will have to change his password at first login.
If this attribute is not set, then the password will never expire.sambaHomeDriveSpecifies the drive letter to which to map the
UNC path specified by sambaHomePath. The drive letter must be specified in the form X:
where X is the letter of the drive to map. Refer to the logon drive parameter in the
smb.conf(5) man page for more information.sambaLogonScriptThe sambaLogonScript property specifies the path of
the user's logon script, .CMD, .EXE, or .BAT file. The string can be null. The path
is relative to the netlogon share. Refer to the parameter in the
&smb.conf; man page for more information.sambaProfilePathSpecifies a path to the user's profile.
This value can be a null string, a local absolute path, or a UNC path. Refer to the
parameter in the &smb.conf; man page for more information.sambaHomePathThe sambaHomePath property specifies the path of
the home directory for the user. The string can be null. If sambaHomeDrive is set and specifies
a drive letter, sambaHomePath should be a UNC path. The path must be a network
UNC path of the form \\server\share\directory. This value can be a null string.
Refer to the logon home parameter in the &smb.conf; man page for more information.
Attributes in the sambaSamAccount ObjectClass (LDAP), Part BsambaUserWorkstationsHere you can give a comma-separated list of machines
on which the user is allowed to login. You may observe problems when you try to connect to a Samba domain member.
Because domain members are not in this list, the domain controllers will reject them. Where this attribute is omitted,
the default implies no restrictions.
sambaSIDThe security identifier(SID) of the user.
The Windows equivalent of UNIX UIDs.sambaPrimaryGroupSIDThe security identifier (SID) of the primary group
of the user.sambaDomainNameDomain the user is part of.
PDCsambaSamAccount
The majority of these parameters are only used when Samba is acting as a PDC of
a domain (refer to Domain Control, for details on
how to configure Samba as a PDC). The following four attributes
are only stored with the sambaSamAccount entry if the values are non-default values:
sambaHomePathsambaLogonScriptsambaProfilePathsambaHomeDrivesambaHomePathsambaLogonScriptsambaProfilePathsambaHomeDrivesambaSamAccountPDCsmbHome
These attributes are only stored with the sambaSamAccount entry if
the values are non-default values. For example, assume MORIA has now been
configured as a PDC and that \\%L\%u was defined in
its &smb.conf; file. When a user named becky logs on to the domain,
the string is expanded to \\MORIA\becky.
If the smbHome attribute exists in the entry uid=becky,ou=People,dc=samba,dc=org,
this value is used. However, if this attribute does not exist, then the value
of the parameter is used in its place. Samba
will only write the attribute value to the directory entry if the value is
something other than the default (e.g., \\MOBY\becky).
Example LDIF Entries for a sambaSamAccount
The following is a working LDIF that demonstrates the use of the SambaSamAccount ObjectClass:
dn: uid=guest2, ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org
sambaLMPassword: 878D8014606CDA29677A44EFA1353FC7
sambaPwdMustChange: 2147483647
sambaPrimaryGroupSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-513
sambaNTPassword: 552902031BEDE9EFAAD3B435B51404EE
sambaPwdLastSet: 1010179124
sambaLogonTime: 0
objectClass: sambaSamAccount
uid: guest2
sambaKickoffTime: 2147483647
sambaAcctFlags: [UX ]
sambaLogoffTime: 2147483647
sambaSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-5006
sambaPwdCanChange: 0
The following is an LDIF entry for using both the sambaSamAccount and
posixAccount ObjectClasses:
dn: uid=gcarter, ou=People,dc=quenya,dc=org
sambaLogonTime: 0
displayName: Gerald Carter
sambaLMPassword: 552902031BEDE9EFAAD3B435B51404EE
sambaPrimaryGroupSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-1201
objectClass: posixAccount
objectClass: sambaSamAccount
sambaAcctFlags: [UX ]
userPassword: {crypt}BpM2ej8Rkzogo
uid: gcarter
uidNumber: 9000
cn: Gerald Carter
loginShell: /bin/bash
logoffTime: 2147483647
gidNumber: 100
sambaKickoffTime: 2147483647
sambaPwdLastSet: 1010179230
sambaSID: S-1-5-21-2447931902-1787058256-3961074038-5004
homeDirectory: /home/moria/gcarter
sambaPwdCanChange: 0
sambaPwdMustChange: 2147483647
sambaNTPassword: 878D8014606CDA29677A44EFA1353FC7
Password Synchronization
Samba-3 and later can update the non-Samba (LDAP) password stored with an account. When
using pam_ldap, this allows changing both UNIX and Windows passwords at once.
The options can have the values shown in
Possible ldap passwd sync Values.
Possible ldap passwd sync ValuesValueDescriptionyesWhen the user changes his password, update
SambaNTPassword, SambaLMPassword,
and the password fields.noOnly update SambaNTPassword and
SambaLMPassword.onlyOnly update the LDAP password and let the LDAP server
worry about the other fields. This option is only available on some LDAP servers and
only when the LDAP server supports LDAP_EXOP_X_MODIFY_PASSWD.
More information can be found in the &smb.conf; man page.Using OpenLDAP Overlay for Password Syncronization
Howard Chu has written a special overlay called smbk5pwd. This tool modifies the
SambaNTPassword, SambaLMPassword and Heimdal
hashes in an OpenLDAP entry when an LDAP_EXOP_X_MODIFY_PASSWD operation is performed.
The overlay is shipped with OpenLDAP-2.3 and can be found in the
contrib/slapd-modules/smbk5pwd subdirectory. This module can also be used with
OpenLDAP-2.2.
MySQLSAM backendmysqlsamSQL backend
Every so often someone comes along with what seems (to them) like a great new idea. Storing user accounts
in an SQL backend is one of them. Those who want to do this are in the best position to know what the
specific benefits are to them. This may sound like a cop-out, but in truth we cannot document
every little detail of why certain things of marginal utility to the bulk of Samba users might make sense
to the rest. In any case, the following instructions should help the determined SQL user to implement a
working system. These account storage methods are not actively maintained by the Samba Team.
Creating the DatabaseMySQL
You can set up your own table and specify the field names to pdb_mysql (see
MySQL field names for MySQL passdb backend for
the column names) or use the default table. The file
examples/pdb/mysql/mysql.dump contains the correct queries to
create the required tables. Use the command:
&rootprompt;mysql -uusername -hhostname -ppassword \
databasename < /path/to/samba/examples/pdb/mysql/mysql.dumpConfiguringThis plug-in lacks some good documentation, but here is some brief information. Add the following to the
variable in your &smb.conf;:
[other-plugins] mysql:identifier [other-plugins]The identifier can be any string you like, as long as it does not collide with
the identifiers of other plugins or other instances of pdb_mysql. If you
specify multiple pdb_mysql.so entries in , you also need to
use different identifiers.
Additional options can be given through the &smb.conf; file in the section.
Refer to Basic smb.conf Options for MySQL passdb Backend.
Basic smb.conf Options for MySQL passdb BackendFieldContentsmysql hostHost name, defaults to `localhost'mysql passwordmysql userDefaults to `samba'mysql databaseDefaults to `samba'mysql portDefaults to 3306tableName of the table containing the users
Since the password for the MySQL user is stored in the &smb.conf; file, you should make the &smb.conf; file
readable only to the user who runs Samba. This is considered a security bug and will soon be fixed.
Names of the columns are given in MySQL field names for MySQL
passdb backend. The default column names can be found in the example table dump.
MySQL field names for MySQL passdb backendFieldTypeContentslogon time columnint(9)UNIX timestamp of last logon of userlogoff time columnint(9)UNIX timestamp of last logoff of userkickoff time columnint(9)UNIX timestamp of moment user should be kicked off workstation (not enforced)pass last set time columnint(9)UNIX timestamp of moment password was last setpass can change time columnint(9)UNIX timestamp of moment from which password can be changedpass must change time columnint(9)UNIX timestamp of moment on which password must be changedusername columnvarchar(255)UNIX usernamedomain columnvarchar(255)NT domain user belongs tont username columnvarchar(255)NT usernamefullname columnvarchar(255)Full name of userhome dir columnvarchar(255)UNIX homedir path (equivalent of the parameter.dir drive columnvarchar(2)Directory drive path (e.g., H:)logon script columnvarchar(255)Batch file to run on client side when logging onprofile path columnvarchar(255)Path of profileacct desc columnvarchar(255)Some ASCII NT user dataworkstations columnvarchar(255)Workstations user can logon to (or NULL for all)unknown string columnvarchar(255)Unknown stringmunged dial columnvarchar(255)Unknownuser sid columnvarchar(255)NT user SIDgroup sid columnvarchar(255)NT group SIDlanman pass columnvarchar(255)Encrypted lanman passwordnt pass columnvarchar(255)Encrypted nt passwdplain pass columnvarchar(255)Plaintext passwordacct ctrl columnint(9)NT user dataunknown 3 columnint(9)Unknownlogon divs columnint(9)Unknownhours len columnint(9)Unknownbad password count columnint(5)Number of failed password tries before disabling an accountlogon count columnint(5)Number of logon attemptsunknown 6 columnint(9)Unknown
You can put a colon (:) after the name of each column, which
should specify the column to update when updating the table. You can also specify nothing behind the colon, in which case the field data will not be updated. Setting a column name to NULL means the field should not be used.
An example configuration is shown in Example Configuration for the MySQL passdb Backend.
Example Configuration for the MySQL passdb Backendmysql:foosambaabmassambadomain name is static and can't be changed'MYWORKGROUP':The fullname column comes from several other columnsCONCAT(firstname,' ',surname):Samba should never write to the password columnslm_pass:nt_pass:The unknown 3 column is not storedNULLUsing Plaintext Passwords or Encrypted Passwordencrypted passwords
I strongly discourage the use of plaintext passwords; however, you can use them.
plaintext passwords
If you would like to use plaintext passwords, set
`identifier:lanman pass column' and `identifier:nt pass column' to
`NULL' (without the quotes) and `identifier:plain pass column' to the
name of the column containing the plaintext passwords.
If you use encrypted passwords, set the 'identifier:plain pass
column' to 'NULL' (without the quotes). This is the default.
Getting Non-Column Data from the Table
It is possible to have not all data in the database by making some "constant."
For example, you can set `identifier:fullname column' to
something like CONCAT(Firstname,' ',Surname)
Or, set `identifier:workstations column' to:
NULL.
See the MySQL documentation for more language constructs.XMLSAM backendxmlsamlibxml2pdb_xml
This module requires libxml2 to be installed.The usage of pdb_xml is fairly straightforward. To export data, use:
pdbedit$ pdbedit -e xml:filename
where filename is the name of the file to put the data in.
To import data, use:
$ pdbedit -i xml:filenameCommon ErrorsUsers Cannot LogonI've installed Samba, but now I can't log on with my UNIX account! Make sure your user has been added to the current Samba .
Read the Account Management Tools, for details.Users Being Added to the Wrong Backend Database
A few complaints have been received from users who just moved to Samba-3. The following
&smb.conf; file entries were causing problems: new accounts were being added to the old
smbpasswd file, not to the tdbsam passdb.tdb file:
...smbpasswd, tdbsam...
Samba will add new accounts to the first entry in the passdb backend
parameter entry. If you want to update to the tdbsam, then change the entry to:
[globals]
...
tdbsam, smbpasswd
...
Configuration of auth methods
When explicitly setting an parameter,
guest must be specified as the first entry on the line &smbmdash;
for example, guest sam.