Using Samba, Second Edition

Chapter 11. Additional Samba Information

This chapter wraps up our coverage of the smb.conf configuration file with some miscellaneous options that can perform a variety of tasks. We talk briefly about options for time synchronization, internationalization, messages, and common Windows bugs. For the most part, you will use these options only in isolated circumstances.

Time Synchronization

In a network of computers, the systems on the network must agree on the current time and also on what time files have been modified. One example of the importance of synchronization is the roaming profiles we covered in Chapter 4. It is vital for all clients accessing a roaming profile to agree on what time it is and which client last modified the user’s profile.

Time synchronization can also be very important to programmers. A useful group of settings consists of the following options:

[global]
    time server = yes
    dos filetimes = yes
    fake directory create times = yes
    dos filetime resolution = yes
    delete readonly = yes

If you set these options, Samba shares will provide compatibility of file-modification times that Visual C++, nmake, and other Microsoft programming tools require. Otherwise, PC make programs might think that all the files in a directory need to be recompiled every time. Obviously, this is not the behavior you want.

In Chapter 4, we showed you how to create a logon script that used the net time command to synchronize clients’ clocks automatically when they log on to the domain. If your ...