source: trunk/server/docs-xml/Samba3-HOWTO/TOSHARG-msdfs.xml@ 1012

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//Samba-Team//DTD DocBook V4.2-Based Variant V1.0//EN" "http://www.samba.org/samba/DTD/samba-doc">
<chapter id="msdfs">

<chapterinfo>
        <author>
                <firstname>Shirish</firstname><surname>Kalele</surname>
                <affiliation>
                        <orgname>Samba Team &amp; Veritas Software</orgname>
                        <address>
                                <email>samba@samba.org</email>
                        </address>
                </affiliation>
        </author>
        &author.jht;
        
        <pubdate>12 Jul 2000</pubdate>
</chapterinfo>

<title>Hosting a Microsoft Distributed File System Tree</title>

<sect1>
<title>Features and Benefits</title>

        <para>
<indexterm><primary>distributed file system</primary><see>DFS</see></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>physical locations</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>higher availability</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>load balancing</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>logical directories</primary></indexterm>
        The distributed file system (DFS) provides a means of separating the logical
        view of files and directories that users see from the actual physical locations
        of these resources on the network. It allows for higher availability, smoother
        storage expansion, load balancing, and so on.
        </para>

        <para>
<indexterm><primary>DFS</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS tree</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS-aware</primary></indexterm>
        For information about DFS, refer to the <ulink
        url="http://www.microsoft.com/NTServer/nts/downloads/winfeatures/NTSDistrFile/AdminGuide.asp">Microsoft
        documentation</ulink>.  This document explains how to host a DFS tree on a UNIX machine (for DFS-aware clients
        to browse) using Samba.
        </para>

        <para>
<indexterm><primary>DFS server</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>share-level</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS junction</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS-aware</primary></indexterm>
        A Samba server can be made a DFS server by setting the global Boolean <smbconfoption name="host msdfs"/>
        parameter in the &smb.conf; file. You designate a share as a DFS root using the share-level Boolean
        <smbconfoption name="msdfs root"/> parameter. A DFS root directory on Samba hosts DFS links in the form of
        symbolic links that point to other servers. For example, a symbolic link
        <filename>junction-&gt;msdfs:storage1\share1</filename> in the share directory acts as the DFS junction. When
        DFS-aware clients attempt to access the junction link, they are redirected to the storage location (in this
        case, <parameter>\\storage1\share1</parameter>).
        </para>

        <para>
<indexterm><primary>DFS-aware</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS tree</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS links</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS</primary></indexterm>
        DFS trees on Samba work with all DFS-aware clients ranging from Windows 95 to 200x.
        <link linkend="dfscfg">The following sample configuration</link> shows how to setup a DFS tree on a Samba server.
        In the <filename>/export/dfsroot</filename> directory, you set up your DFS links to 
        other servers on the network.
<screen>
&rootprompt;<userinput>cd /export/dfsroot</userinput>
&rootprompt;<userinput>chown root /export/dfsroot</userinput>
&rootprompt;<userinput>chmod 755 /export/dfsroot</userinput>
&rootprompt;<userinput>ln -s msdfs:storageA\\shareA linka</userinput>
&rootprompt;<userinput>ln -s msdfs:serverB\\share,serverC\\share linkb</userinput>
</screen>
</para>

<example id="dfscfg">
<title>smb.conf with DFS Configured</title>
<smbconfblock>
<smbconfsection name="[global]"/>
<smbconfoption name="netbios name">&example.server.samba;</smbconfoption>
<smbconfoption name="host msdfs  ">yes</smbconfoption>

<smbconfsection name="[dfs]"/>
<smbconfoption name="path">/export/dfsroot</smbconfoption>
<smbconfoption name="msdfs root">yes</smbconfoption>
</smbconfblock>
</example>

        <para>
<indexterm><primary>DFS root</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>msdfs links</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>symbolic links</primary></indexterm>
        You should set up the permissions and ownership of the directory acting as the DFS root so that only
        designated users can create, delete, or modify the msdfs links. Also note that symlink names should be all
        lowercase. This limitation exists to have Samba avoid trying all the case combinations to get at the link
        name. Finally, set up the symbolic links to point to the network shares you want and start Samba.
        </para>

        <para>
<indexterm><primary>DFS-aware clients</primary></indexterm>
<indexterm><primary>DFS tree</primary></indexterm>
        Users on DFS-aware clients can now browse the DFS tree on the Samba server at
        <constant>\\samba\dfs</constant>. Accessing links linka or linkb (which appear as directories to the client)
        takes users directly to the appropriate shares on the network.
        </para>

</sect1>

<sect1>
<title>Common Errors</title>
        <itemizedlist>
                <listitem><para>Windows clients need to be rebooted 
                if a previously mounted non-DFS share is made a DFS 
                root, or vice versa. A better way is to introduce a 
                new share and make it the DFS root.</para>
                </listitem>
                
                <listitem><para>Currently, there's a restriction that msdfs 
                symlink names should all be lowercase.</para>
                </listitem>
                
                <listitem><para>For security purposes, the directory 
                acting as the root of the DFS tree should have ownership 
                and permissions set so only designated users can 
                modify the symbolic links in the directory.</para>
                </listitem>
        </itemizedlist>

        <sect2>
                <title>MSDFS UNIX Path Is Case-Critical</title>

                <para>
                A network administrator sent advice to the Samba mailing list
                after long sessions trying to determine why DFS was not working.
                His advice is worth noting.
                </para>

                <para><quote>
                I spent some time trying to figure out why my particular
                DFS root wasn't working. I noted in the documentation that
                the symlink should be in all lowercase. It should be
                amended that the entire path to the symlink should all be
                in lowercase as well.
                </quote></para>

                <para>
                <quote>For example, I had a share defined as such:</quote>
                <smbconfblock>
                <smbconfsection name="[pub]"/>
                <smbconfoption name="path">/export/home/Shares/public_share</smbconfoption>
                <smbconfoption name="msdfs root">yes</smbconfoption>
                </smbconfblock>
                <quote>and I could not make my Windows 9x/Me (with the dfs client installed) follow this symlink:</quote>
                <screen>
                damage1 -> msdfs:damage\test-share
                </screen>
                </para>

                <para>
                <quote>Running a debug level of 10 reveals:</quote>
                <programlisting>
                [2003/08/20 11:40:33, 5] msdfs/msdfs.c:is_msdfs_link(176)
                  is_msdfs_link: /export/home/shares/public_share/* does not exist.
                </programlisting>
                <quote>Curious. So I changed the directory name from <constant>.../Shares/...</constant> to
                <constant>.../shares/...</constant> (along with my service definition) and it worked!</quote>
                </para>

        </sect2>

</sect1>

</chapter>