HP CIFS Server 3.0g Administrator's Guide verison A.02.03.01

NOTE: While the HP CIFS Server may operate satisfactorily with other LDAP products, HP
only provides LDAP support for the HP CIFS Server with HP LDAP-UX Integration, J4269AA,
HP Netscape Directory Server, J4258CA, or HP Red Hat Directory Server, NSDirSvr7, product
configurations.
HP CIFS Server Advantages
The HP CIFS Server with the LDAP support provides the following benefits to the customer:
• Reduces the need to maintain user account information across multiple HP CIFS servers, as
LDAP provides a centralized user database management.
• Easily adds multiple HP CIFS servers or users to the LDAP directory environment. This
greatly improves the scalability of the HP CIFS Server.
• Stores and looks up user account information in the LDAP directory. This reduces the user
lookup time for large databases by providing an indexed search rather than a sequential
search.
• The amount of information stored in the smbpasswd file has no room for additional
attributes. With the LDAP support, the schema is extensible, you can store more user
information into the LDAP directory. This also eliminates the need for additional employee
and user databases.
Network Environments
The HP CIFS Server supports many different network environments. Features such as WINS,
browser control, domain logons, roaming profiles, and many others continue to be available to
support a diverse range of network environments. LDAP integration provides one more alternative
solution for Samba user authentication.
Domain Model Networks
CIFS Server Acting as the Primary Domain Controller (PDC)
Since PDCs are responsible for Windows authentication, HP CIFS Servers configured as PDCs
will replace smbpasswd with LDAP enabled directory servers for Windows authentication.
Other Samba configuration items may remain unchanged. Administrators of new LDAP
configurations must also install the HP LDAP-UX Integration software and configure the LDAP
client. This will also permit the consolidation of Posix and Windows users on the LDAP directory
server.
CIFS Server Acting as the Member Server
HP CIFS Servers acting as member servers in the domain model network environment can
continue to operate as member servers by leaving their Samba configuration unchanged. The
Windows authentication requests will continue to be managed by the PDC whether through
LDAP or smbpasswd. Administrators of new LDAP configurations may want to install the HP
LDAP-UX Integration software and configure the LDAP client to consolidate Posix and Windows
users on the LDAP directory server.
If a member server (security = domain) is also configured to enable LDAP, then it will still
try to authenticate via the PDC. If the PDC authentication fails, then it will try to authenticate
directly via the LDAP directory server set in its own smb.conf configuration file.
CIFS Server Acting as Backup Domain Controller (BDC) to Samba PDC
Since BDCs are also responsible for Windows authentication, HP CIFS Servers configured as
BDCs can access the LDAP directory for user authentication. BDC configuration is vey similar
84 LDAP Integration Support