Figure 1 shows a simple network diagram with clients machines, running Windows systems that are using resources and services from the Windows NT/2000 server. This server can be replaced by using the Linux/SAMBA server.

Fig. 1 – PDC and File Server on Windows

Configuration

Follow the steps:

1) Create the users that should be authenticated in the PDC server (Linux with Samba).
Use the adduser command, useradd or userconf, you can also use some tool for users administration, but with graphic user interfase (Webmin, Linuxconf, Yast, etc.).

Be sure that users have access only to Linux/Samba services (if you want it), it implies they don't have access to the Linux shell, to do it they will have /dev/null as home directory and /bin/false as shell.

2) Convert the UNIX users to Linux/Samba/Windows users, creating the smbpasswd file.

cat /etc/passwd | mksmbpasswd.sh > /etc/samba/smbpasswd

Another way to do it, execute the following Samba commands for users creation and for passwords definition:

smbadduser
smbpasswd

These commands work in a similar way to adduser and passwd commands.

3) Edit the Samba configuration file (smb.conf), making sure to include or to remove the comment signs for the options that are shown below:

netbios name = SMBServer
workgroup = THEDOMAIN
server string = Linux Samba NT Server
log file = /var/log/samba/%m.log
max log file = 0
security = user
encrypt password = yes
smb password file = /etc/samba/smbpasswd
ssl CA certificate = /usr/share/ssl/.... (cancel comment)
socket options = (cancel comment)
local master = yes
preferred master = yes
domain master = yes
domain logons = yes
logon script = logon.bat
wins support = yes