Using Samba

Windows Domains

Now that you are comfortable with users and passwords on a Samba server, we can show you how to set up Samba to become a primary domain controller for Windows 95/98 and NT machines. Why use domains? The answer probably isn’t obvious until you look behind the scenes, especially with Windows 95/98.

Recall that with traditional workgroups, Windows 95/98 simply accepts each username and password that you enter when logging on to the system. There are no unauthorized users with Windows 95/98; if a new user logs on, the operating system simply asks for a new password and authenticates the user against that password from then on. The only time that Windows 95/98 attempts to use the password you entered is when connecting to another share.

Domain logons, on the other hand, are similar to Unix systems. In order to log on to the domain, a valid username and password must be presented at startup, which is then authenticated against the primary domain controller’s password database. If the password is invalid, the user is immediately notified and they cannot log on to the domain.

There’s more good news: once you have successfully logged on to the domain, you can access any of the shares in the domain to which you have rights without having to reauthenticate yourself. More precisely, the primary domain controller returns a token to the client machine that allows it to access any share without consulting the PDC again. Although you probably won’t notice the shift, this can be ...