A next-generation test version of the open source Samba file sharing software has been made available, with features emulating Microsoft's Active Directory ID management software. The popular Samba suite is an implementation of Microsoft's SMB (Server Message Block)/CIFS (Common Internet File System) protocol that allows other operating systems to emulate or interoperate with Windows for the purposes of sharing files or printing.
Releasing a new version of the software today in conjunction with a speech on the subject by Australia-based Samba creator Andrew Tridgell at the Linux.conf.au conference in New Zealand, the team behind the software outlined its new features.
"Samba 4 supports the server-side of the Active Directory logon environment used by Windows 2000 and later, so we can do full domain join and domain logon operations with these clients," the group said in a statement on its Web site, noting this feature was "the main emphasis" for the new software.
"Our domain controller implementation contains our own built-in LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) server and Kerberos key distribution centre as well as the Samba 3-like logon services provided over CIFS," the statement continued.
The Samba developers noted their implementation of Kerberos correctly dealt with the "infamous Kerberos PAC (Privilege Access Certificate)" -- a data field in the Kerberos authentication protocol which attracted controversy when critics claimed that Microsoft's version tied users into its own version of Kerberos.
Other improvements include the integration of Samba's Web-based administration tool (SWAT), a new scripting interface which allows Javascript programs to interface with Samba's "internals", and new Virtual Filesystem (VFS) features.
Also, "the Samba 4 architecture is based around an LDAP-like database that can use a range of modular backends". "We are aiming for Samba 4 to be a powerful front end to large directories," said the statement.
Courtesy:http://www.zdnet.com.au/
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