F.2 Configuration Details

Underneath the GUI, a lot of activity takes place to offer Windows Services. In the non-Server version of Mac OS X, selecting Windows File Sharing sets the SMBSERVER parameter in /etc/hostconfig and triggers the Samba startup item. In Mac OS X Server, under normal circumstances the Samba startup item and the SMBSERVER parameter are never used.

Instead, a process named sambadmind generates /etc/smb.conf from the configuration specified in Server Settings and Workgroup Manager and handles starting and restarting the Samba daemons as necessary. The sambadmind process is in turn monitored by watchdog , which keeps an eye on certain processes and restarts those which fail. The watchdog utility is configured in /etc/watchdog.conf , a file similar to a System V inittab , which specifies how the services under watchdog 's purview are to be treated. For example, the line for sambadmind looks like this:

 sambadmin:respawn:/usr/sbin/sambadmind -d     # SMB Admin daemon 

Using a watchdog -monitored process such as sambadmind to start the Samba daemons, instead of a one-time execution of a startup item, results in more reliable service. In Mac OS X Server, if a Samba daemon dies unexpectedly, it is quickly restarted. (Examples of other services monitored by watchdog are Password Server, Print Service, and the Server Settings daemon that allows remote management.)

There's another wrinkle in Mac OS X Server: the Samba configuration settings are not written directly to /etc/smb.conf , as they are in the non-Server version of Mac OS X. Instead, they're stored in the server's local Open Directory domain, ^[1] from which sambadmind retrieves them and regenerates smb.conf . For example, the Samba global parameters are stored in /config/SMBServer (see Figure F-7). Share point information is also kept in Open Directory, under /config/SharePoints , while CUPS takes responsibility for printer configuration in /etc/cups/printers.conf (also creating stub entries used by Samba in /etc/printcap ).

^[1] In versions of Mac OS X prior to 10.2, Open Directory domains were called NetInfo domains. NetInfo Manager (located in /Applications/Utilities ) provides a graphical interface to view and modify the contents of Open Directory databases. For more information, see the Mac OS X Server Administrator's Guide , as well as Understanding and Using NetInfo , downloadable from the Mac OS X Server resources web page at http://www.apple.com/server/resources.html.

Figure F-7. NetInfo Manager: SMBServer properties

Table F-1 summarizes the association of Windows Services settings in the Server Settings application, properties stored in Open Directory, and parameters in /etc/smb.conf .

Table F-1. Samba configuration settings in Mac OS X Server

Server Settings graphical element in Windows Services	Open Directory property in /config/SMBServer	Samba global parameter in /etc/smb.conf
General Server Name	netbios_name	netbios name
General Workgroup	workgroup	workgroup
General Description	description	server string
General Code Page	code_page	client code page
General Start Windows Services on system startup	auto_start	N/A
Access Allow Guest Access	guest_access , map_to_guest	map to guest
N/A	guest_account	guest account
Access Maximum client connections	max_connections	max smbd processes
Logging Detail Level	logging	log level
Neighborhood WINS Registration Off	WINS_enabled , WINS_register	wins support
Neighborhood WINS Registration Enable WINS server	WINS_enabled	wins support
Neighborhood WINS Registration Register with WINS server	WINS_register , WINS_address	wins server
Neighborhood Workgroup/Domain Services Master Browser	Local_Master	local master
Neighborhood Workgroup/Domain Services Domain Master Browser	Domain_Master	domain master
Print Start Print Service	printing	N/A
N/A	lprm_command	lprm command
N/A	lppause_command	lppause command
N/A	lpresume_command	lpresume command
N/A	printer_admin	printer admin
N/A	encryption	encrypt passwords
N/A	coding_system	coding system
N/A	log_dir	N/A
N/A	smb_log	log file
N/A	nmb_log	N/A
N/A	samba_sbindir	N/A
N/A	samba_bindir	N/A
N/A	samba_libdir	N/A
N/A	samba_lockdir	N/A
N/A	samba_vardir	N/A
N/A	stop_time	N/A