Need a fast reliable server to store files and share printers for the scores of Windows PCs in an organisation? Hmmm, that'll mean installing Windows NT on a high-spec server and coughing up for a heap of client licences - or maybe not.
There is another option, which may not immediately jump to mind for managers of Windows systems - Samba. In January last year, Samba 2.0 was released and touted as the world's fastest Windows server. Independent tests showed that Samba outperformed NT and Novell running on identical platforms. Sounds good.
So just what is Samba, then? Essentially it is a software package that turns a Unix or low-cost Linux machine into a file and print server. This means that users on PCs running Microsoft Windows [RO ]can store their files centrally across the network (for backup and security) and have access to shared network printers. Samba has been called "the glue between Unix and Windows". It is available for most Unix/Linux flavours and also runs on other operating systems, including VMS, MVS and Novell. Available as Open Source software licensed under the GNU general public licence, it can be downloaded free from the Internet.
Originally developed by Andrew Tridgell in Australia in 1992, these days Samba development is carried on by a group of programmers working worldwide, the Samba Team, although Tridgell is still actively involved. When a new release of Samba is announced thousands of copies are downloaded from the Net within days. Support for Samba is strong in the commercial world too. Recently the major commercial Unix company SCO announced that it was to distribute Samba for UnixWare 7. Samba is now bundled with commercial systems (and supported) by companies such as HP, SCO and Silicon Graphics. Support is, of course, available on the Internet.
Tales of Samba's success and reliability are legion. A typical story describes a Samba server which was down once in a twoyear period - and that was for an upgrade.
And it is fast - when Samba 2.0 was released in January 1999, independent tests showed Samba's throughput under load to be at least twice that of Windows NT. More conservative estimates place Samba ahead of NT if the number of clients is more than a dozen or so.
So how does it work? The key to Samba lies in the Server Message Block (SMB) networking protocol used by Microsoft Windows. Although Microsoft refers to this kind of networking as Windows networking, it is in fact used by many operating systems. SMB is currently being developed by Microsoft as part of a suite of protocols known as the Common Internet File System, or CIFS. Samba is an open source CIFS implementation - by supporting the SMB protocol Samba allows a Unix system to appear as a Windows server on the network.
As Windows evolved, Microsoft added additional pieces to the SMB package. One of these was a central authentication and authorisation service known as Windows NT Domain Control. A domain is a collection of computers where security is handled centrally. With version 2, Samba introduced the first non-Microsoft-derived NT Domain authentication code. Samba can process logon requests for Windows 95 systems, so an NT server isn't actually needed. The eventual goal, of course, is to completely mimic a Windows NT Domain Controller, and that won't be long in coming.
The major branch of the very latest Samba efforts is dubbed SAMBA-TNG (the next generation). This will lead to a Samba release which will fulfil all of the major functions of an NT Server, including that of PDC. Not merely wishful thinking, this functionality is currently available for testing if you are prepared to build your own system. Though not as difficult as it sounds, this is somewhat more involved than merely installing the pre-built binaries. However you will get an up to the minute Samba system to experiment with.
Configuration of Samba is fairly straightforward and essentially boils down to editing a single file (smb.conf). The structure of this file is very similar to a Windows .ini file, which makes it easy to get to grips with for anyone with experience in configuring Windows systems. Samba 2.0 features the Samba Web Administration Tool (SWAT) allowing a Samba server to be administered remotely via any Web browser from any client. When it is up and running, Samba allows a Unix system to move into a Windows "Network Neighbourhood". From the point of view of the Windows client, the Samba machine appears to be a Windows NT machine.
For file and print services which are secure, fast, flexible and free, many are turning to Samba. And having made the happy discovery, users seem to develop a warm contented feeling as evidenced in the numerous stories of successful trouble-free Samba installations. There are the inevitable Samba T-shirts, not to mention a "Samba embroidered charcoal fleece". Enjoy that warm feeling.
As well as FAQs and up to the minute information available at www.samba.org there is the comp.protocols.smb newsgroup and the Samba@Samba.org mailing list.
rwebb@irish-times.ie
Review: Using Samba, Eckstein, Collier-Brown, Kelly (O'Reilly)
SETTING up a Samba server is made easy with a copy of Using Samba at hand.
The reader is taken through the installation and configuration of Samba with thoughtful reflections and general recommendations for network configuration.
Too many guides merely describe the mechanics of their subject. Here you will find out more about Windows networking than in many Windows or Windows NT "complete" guides. Summary tables of configuration options available within the smb.conf file are very helpful.
Included are sections on configuring Windows clients, sharing disks and printers, security and troubleshooting. There are also sample configurations and instructions for downloading the latest Samba release.
Using Samba anticipates the release of Samba 2.1 which will include full PDC functionality, and so ought to be of use for some time to come. Sources and binaries for many platforms together with documentation and utilities are included on the accompanying CD-ROM.
O'Reilly has released Using Samba under an open content license, so it is available online both in HTML and PDF format, and the guide has been adopted by the Samba Team as the "official" Samba book.