Table of Contents
Stand-Alone servers are independent of Domain Controllers on the network. They are NOT domain members and function more like workgroup servers. In many cases a stand-alone server is configured with a minimum of security control with the intent that all data served will be readily accessible to all users.
Stand-Alone servers can be as secure or as insecure as needs dictate. They can have simple or complex configurations. Above all, despite the hoopla about Domain security they remain a very common installation.
If all that is needed is a server for read-only files, or for printers alone, it may not make sense to affect a complex installation. For example: A drafting office needs to store old drawings and reference standards. No-one can write files to the server as it is legislatively important that all documents remain unaltered. A share mode read-only stand-alone server is an ideal solution.
Another situation that warrants simplicity is an office that has many printers that are queued off a single central server. Everyone needs to be able to print to the printers, there is no need to affect any access controls and no files will be served from the print server. Again a share mode stand-alone server makes a great solution.
The term stand-alone server means that the server will provide local authentication and access control for all resources that are available from it. In general this means that there will be a local user database. In more technical terms, it means that resources on the machine will be made available in either SHARE mode or in USER mode.
No special action is needed other than to create user accounts. Stand-alone servers do NOT provide network logon services. This means that machines that use this server do NOT perform a domain logon to it. Whatever logon facility the workstations are subject to is independent of this machine. It is however necessary to accommodate any network user so that the logon name they use will be translated (mapped) locally on the stand-alone server to a locally known user name. There are several ways this can be done.
Samba tends to blur the distinction a little in respect of what is a stand-alone server. This is because the authentication database may be local or on a remote server, even if from the Samba protocol perspective the Samba server is NOT a member of a domain security context.
Through the use of PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) and nsswitch (the name service switcher, which maintains the unix user database) the source of authentication may reside on another server. We would be inclined to call this the authentication server. This means that the Samba server may use the local UNIX/Linux system password database (/etc/passwd or /etc/shadow), may use a local smbpasswd file, or may use an LDAP back end, or even via PAM and Winbind another CIFS/SMB server for authentication.
The following examples are designed to inspire simplicity. It is too easy to attempt a high level of creativity and to introduce too much complexity in server and network design.
Configuration of a read-only data server that EVERYONE can access is very simple. Here is the smb.conf file that will do this. Assume that all the reference documents are stored in the directory /export, that the documents are owned by a user other than nobody. No home directories are shared, that are no users in the /etc/passwd UNIX system database. This is a very simple system to administer.
Example 8.1. smb.conf for Reference Documentation Server
| # Global parameters |
| [global] |
| workgroup = MIDEARTH |
| netbios name = GANDALF |
| security = SHARE |
| passdb backend = guest |
| wins server = 192.168.1.1 |
| [data] |
| comment = Data |
| path = /export |
| guest only = Yes |
In the above example the machine name is set to REFDOCS, the workgroup is set to the name of the local workgroup so that the machine will appear in with systems users are familiar with. The only password backend required is the "guest" backend so as to allow default unprivileged account names to be used. Given that there is a WINS server on this network we do use it.
Configuration of a simple print server is very simple if you have all the right tools on your system.
Assumptions:
The print server must require no administration
The print spooling and processing system on our print server will be CUPS. (Please refer to the chapter about CUPS for more information).
All printers that the print server will service will be network printers. They will be correctly configured, by the administrator, in the CUPS environment.
All workstations will be installed using postscript drivers. The printer of choice is the Apple Color LaserWriter.
In this example our print server will spool all incoming print jobs to /var/spool/samba until the job is ready to be submitted by Samba to the CUPS print processor. Since all incoming connections will be as the anonymous (guest) user, two things will be required:
Enabling Anonymous Printing
The UNIX/Linux system must have a guest account. The default for this is usually the account nobody. To find the correct name to use for your version of Samba do the following:
$ testparm -s -v | grep "guest account"
Then make sure that this account exists in your system password database (/etc/passwd).
The directory into which Samba will spool the file must have write access for the guest account. The following commands will ensure that this directory is available for use:
root# mkdir /var/spool/samba root# chown nobody.nobody /var/spool/samba root# chmod a+rwt /var/spool/samba
Example 8.2. smb.conf for anonymous printing
| # Global parameters |
| [global] |
| workgroup = MIDEARTH |
| netbios name = GANDALF |
| security = SHARE |
| passdb backend = guest |
| wins server = noldor |
| printing = cups |
| printcap name = cups |
| [printers] |
| comment = All Printers |
| path = /var/spool/samba |
| printer admin = root |
| guest ok = Yes |
| printable = Yes |
| use client driver = Yes |
| browseable = No |