Section 2.2. Dissection and Discussion

2.2. Dissection and Discussion

What are the key requirements in this business example? A quick review indicates a need for

• Scalability, from 52 to over 100 users in 12 months

• Mobile computing capability

• Improved reliability and usability

• Easier administration

In this instance the installed Linux system is assumed to be a Red Hat Linux Fedora Core2 server (as in Section 1.2.3).

2.2.1. Technical Issues

It is time to implement a domain security environment. You will use the smbpasswd (default) backend. You should implement a DHCP server. There is no need to run DNS at this time, but the system will use WINS. The domain name will be BILLMORE. This time, the name of the server will be SLEETH.

All printers will be configured as DHCP clients. The DHCP server will assign the printer a fixed IP address by way of its Ethernet interface (MAC) address. See Example 2.3.2.

Note

The smb.conf file you are creating in this exercise can be used with equal effectiveness with Samba-2.2.x series releases. This is deliberate so that in the next chapter it is possible to start with the installation that you have created here, migrate it to a Samba-3 configuration, and then secure the system further. Configurations following this one utilize features that may not be supported in Samba-2.2.x releases. However, you should note that the examples in each chapter start with the assumption that a fresh new installation is being effected.

Later on, when the Internet connection is implemented, you will add DNS as well as other enhancements. It is important that you plan accordingly.

You have split the network into two separate areas. Each has its own Ethernet switch. There are 20 users on the accounting network and 32 users on the financial services network. The server has two network interfaces, one serving each network. The network printers will be located in a central area. You plan to install the new printers and keep the old printer in use also.

You will provide separate file storage areas for each business entity. The old system will go away, accounting files will be handled under a single directory, and files will be stored under customer name, not under a personal work area. Staff will be made responsible for file location, so the old share point must be maintained.

Given that DNS will not be used, you will configure WINS name resolution for UNIX hostname name resolution.

It is necessary to map Windows Domain Groups to UNIX groups. It is advisable to also map Windows Local Groups to UNIX groups. Additionally, the two key staff groups in the firm are accounting staff and financial services staff. For these, it is necessary to create UNIX groups as well as Windows Domain Groups.

In the sample smb.conf file, you have configured Samba to call the UNIX groupadd to add group entries. This utility does not permit the addition of group names that contain uppercase characters or spaces. This is considered a bug. The groupadd is part of the shadow-utils open source software package. A later release of this package may have been patched to resolve this bug. If your operating platform has this bug, it means that attempts to add a Windows Domain Group that has either a space or uppercase characters in it will fail. See TOSHARG2, Chapter 11, Section 11.3.1, Example 11.1, for more information.

Vendor-supplied printer drivers will be installed on each client. The CUPS print spooler on the UNIX host will be operated in raw mode.

2.2.2. Political Issues

Mr. Meany is an old-school manager. He sets the rules and wants to see compliance. He is willing to spend money on things he believes are of value. You need more time to convince him of real priorities.

Go ahead, buy better notebooks. Wouldn't it be neat if they happened to be supplied with antivirus software? Above all, demonstrate good purchase value and remember to make your users happy.