&author.jelmer;
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SimoSorceoriginal vfs_skel READMEAlexanderBokovoyoriginal vfs_netatalk docsStefanMetzmacherUpdate for multiple modulesStackable VFS modulesFeatures and Benefits
Since Samba-3, there is support for stackable VFS (Virtual File System) modules.
Samba passes each request to access the UNIX file system through the loaded VFS modules.
This chapter covers all the modules that come with the Samba source and references to
some external modules.
Discussion
If not supplied with your platform distribution binary Samba package you may have problems
compiling these modules, as shared libraries are compiled and linked in different ways
on different systems. They currently have been tested against GNU/Linux and IRIX.
To use the VFS modules, create a share similar to the one below. The
important parameter is the vfs objects parameter where
you can list one or more VFS modules by name. For example, to log all access
to files and put deleted files in a recycle bin, see next configuration:
smb.conf with VFS modules[audit]commentAudited /data directorypath/datavfs objectsaudit recyclewriteableyesbrowseableyes
The modules are used in the order in which they are specified.
Let's say that you want to both have a virus scanner module and a recycle
bin module. It is wise to put the virus scanner module as the first one so
that it is the first that get run an may detect a virus immediately, before
any action is performed on that file.
vfs objectsvscan-clamav recycle
Samba will attempt to load modules from the /lib directory in the root directory of the
Samba installation (usually /usr/lib/samba/vfs or /usr/local/samba/lib/vfs
).
Some modules can be used twice for the same share.
This can be done using a configuration similar to the one shown in the following example.
smb.conf with multiple VFS modules[test]commentVFS TESTpath/datawriteableyesbrowseableyesvfs objectsexample:example1 example example:testexample1: parameter1example: parameter5test: parameter7Included Modulesaudit
A simple module to audit file access to the syslog
facility. The following operations are logged:
shareconnect/disconnectdirectory opens/create/removefile open/close/rename/unlink/chmodextd_audit
This module is identical with the audit module above except
that it sends audit logs to both syslog as well as the smbd log files. The
log level for this module is set in the &smb.conf; file.
Valid settings and the information that will be recorded are shown in the next table.
fake_perms
This module was created to allow Roaming Profile files and directories to be set (on the Samba server
under UNIX) as read only. This module will, if installed on the Profiles share, report to the client
that the Profile files and directories are writeable. This satisfies the client even though the files
will never be overwritten as the client logs out or shuts down.
recycle
A Recycle Bin-like module. Where used, unlink calls will be intercepted and files moved
to the recycle directory instead of being deleted. This gives the same effect as the
Recycle Bin on Windows computers.
The Recycle Bin will not appear in Windows Explorer views of the network file system
(share) nor on any mapped drive. Instead, a directory called .recycle will be
automatically created when the first file is deleted. Users can recover files from the
.recycle directory. If the recycle:keeptree has been
specified, deleted files will be found in a path identical with that from which the file was deleted.
Supported options for the recycle module are as follow:
recycle:repository
Relative path of the directory where deleted files should be moved.
recycle:keeptree
Specifies whether the directory structure should be kept or if the files in the directory that is being
deleted should be kept separately in the recycle bin.
recycle:versions
If this option is set, two files
with the same name that are deleted will both
be kept in the recycle bin. Newer deleted versions
of a file will be called Copy #x of filename.
recycle:touch
Specifies whether a file's access date should be touched when the file is moved to the recycle bin.
recycle:maxsize
Files that are larger than the number of bytes specified by this parameter will not be put into the recycle bin.
recycle:exclude
List of files that should not be put into the recycle bin when deleted, but deleted in the regular way.
recycle:exclude_dir
Contains a list of directories. When files from these directories are
deleted, they are not put into the
recycle bin but are deleted in the
regular way.
recycle:noversions
Opposite of recycle:versions. If both options are specified, this one takes precedence.
netatalk
A netatalk module will ease co-existence of Samba and netatalk file sharing services.
Advantages compared to the old netatalk module:
Does not care about creating .AppleDouble forks, just keeps them in sync.If a share in &smb.conf; does not contain .AppleDouble item in hide or veto list, it will be added automatically.VFS Modules Available Elsewhere
This section contains a listing of various other VFS modules that
have been posted but do not currently reside in the Samba CVS
tree for one reason or another (e.g., it is easy for the maintainer
to have his or her own CVS tree).
No statements about the stability or functionality of any module
should be implied due to its presence here.
DatabaseFS
URL: http://www.css.tayloru.edu/~elorimer/databasefs/index.phpBy Eric Lorimer.
I have created a VFS module that implements a fairly complete read-only
filesystem. It presents information from a database as a filesystem in
a modular and generic way to allow different databases to be used
(originally designed for organizing MP3s under directories such as
Artists,Song Keywords, and so on. I have since easily
applied it to a student
roster database.) The directory structure is stored in the
database itself and the module makes no assumptions about the database
structure beyond the table it requires to run.
Any feedback would be appreciated: comments, suggestions, patches,
and so on. If nothing else, hopefully it might prove useful for someone
else who wishes to create a virtual filesystem.
vscanURL: http://www.openantivirus.org/samba-vscan is a proof-of-concept module for Samba, which
uses the VFS (virtual file system) features of Samba 2.2.x/3.0
alphaX. Of course, Samba has to be compiled with VFS support.
samba-vscan supports various virus scanners and is maintained
by Rainer Link.