Classnotes | UNIX02 | RecentChanges | Preferences The SAMBA software suite is a collection of programs that implements the Server Message Block (commonly abbreviated as SMB) protocol for UNIX systems. This protocol is sometimes also referred to as the Common Internet File System (CIFS), LanManager or NetBIOS protocol. SAMBA provides a simple mechanism by which UNIX systems can speak to Microsoft systems in their native tongue.
What is SAMBA used for?
File sharing
Printer sharing
Microsoft Domain Control and Logins
Microsoft Windows OS virus and intrusion protection
NOTE: SAMBA is presently in the process of unrolling a brand new and drastically different version (3.0). If you use SAMBA in a year or two, you may find that it's configuration and setup is quite a bit different than what we cover here!
Did you know that SMB & CIFS as implemented in Microsoft Windows OSes often times contain bugs that most Windows applications depend upon? Did you know that many of these bugs weren't exposed until the SAMBA developers found them? One example is the MS Access "pruning" bug.
Are there any disadvantages?
UNIX permissions are not as finely grained as those under MS Windows NTFS (which is a descendant of classic VMS). Although, with SGI XFS or with the new ACL POSIX specifications which will likely be in Linux 2.6, this is a moot point.
