HP CIFS Windows 2000 Interoperability (October 2002)

CIFS/9000 and Windows 2000 Interoperability
Hewlett-Packard
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In addition, because CIFS/9000 Server resides on the underlying UNIX operating system,
UNIX security policy is enforced using account data that is stored on:
• /etc/passwd
• NIS
• NIS+
• LDAP
2.1 Migration to Windows 2000
Because CIFS/9000 is based upon NT4.0 technology, in order to understand how it
interoperates with Windows 2000 we must address NT4.0-to-Windows2000 migration
principles. However, Windows 2000 migration is such an enormous task that the topic could
absorb this entire paper and more, so migration issues will be limited to those features that
directly affect CIFS/9000 server.
As a preview, consider that Windows 2000 Migration has 4 stages:
The starting point is NT4.0, which is assumed to be the existing operating environment in a
stable operating capacity. The benefits of this stage are obvious: it is a known state. The
rationale for migrating to Windows 2000 is to enhance the operating state with the
additional features that Windows 2000 offers.
In Windows 2000 Mixed, the environment has at least the old NT4.0 PDC migrated to, and
running as, a Windows 2000 Domain Controller, but with a NT 4.0 SAM account database
facsimile to handle interoperability with BDCs and downlevel clients. Benefits for this state
include Windows 2000 Pro client features that are available in a Windows 2000 domain,
Active Directory and LDAP access to it, Windows 2000 Distributed File System, Kerberos
authentication, Dynamic DNS, and many others. Detriments include the complex migration
process, expensive re-deployment, extensive planning costs before deployment can begin, and
“if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
In Windows 2000 Mixed-Migrated, all of the BDCs and downlevel clients have been
migrated, so that the domain is “pure Windows 2000.” In this state, Native Mode can be
enabled, but there are benefits to remaining in this state. All of the BDCs and downlevel
clients have been migrated to Windows 2000, so WINS and NetBIOS can be disabled. Those
are the major new benefits. At this state, the flexibility to re-deploy BDCs and/or downlevel
Permanent
+Benefits
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+Benefits
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Benefits
FeaturesFeaturesFeaturesFeatures
Native
W2000
Mixed-
Migrated
W2000
Mixed
NT4.0
Permanent
+Benefits
-Benefits
+Benefits
-Benefits
+Benefits
-Benefits
Benefits
FeaturesFeaturesFeaturesFeatures
Native
W2000
Mixed-
Migrated
W2000
Mixed
NT4.0
MIGRATION MIGRATION MIGRATION
WINDOWS