WINDOWS NETWORKING: Doing It the Samba Way

Odds are you have networked, or are interested in networking, the Windows-powered PC workstations in your location. I have to confess that despite my company's focus on UNIX and Linux, a substantial part of my billable time seems to involve Windows networks of one form or another. The fact is, the majority of businesses have at least a couple of PC's running Windows, which means Microsoft networking seems to be as unavoidable as death and taxes.
Before I get too far along, I should note that it is possible for a Macintosh to join in on the fun and pretend it's a Windows machine. Now I realize that doing so is a step down for a Mac, kind of like a Kentucky Derby contender rubbing withers with a bunch of uncouth male donkeys, but what's a computer to do? If the other guys can't speak your language then you have to speak theirs.
Anyhow, back to Windows networking. There are several ways to go about it:
Peer-to-peer. Such a network consists solely of Windows workstations linked together through an Ethernet hub or switch, wireless arrangement or a combination thereof (by "workstation," I mean a PC running Windows 95/98/ME/XP or Windows 2000 workstation edition). In fact, a minimal network can be cobbled together by connecting two PC's via a crossover patch cord -- no hub or switch is needed.
Homogeneous client/server. This is a mixture of Windows workstations and Windows servers. Users on the workstations log into a Windows NT/2000/2003 server, which is usually configured to host a Windows "domain." The server that controls the domain is called (surprise!) the primary domain controller or PDC. Think of the PDC as the "network police." On a small network, the PDC may well be the only server present and thus will also provide file and print services to the workstations. Since Windows servers don't scale very well and tend to stumble if asked to do too much at any given instant, it is customary in larger installations to divvy up duties amongst several servers, any of which could also be backup domain controllers or BDC. Note that a Windows domain has no relationship whatsoever to an Internet domain, such as this website.
Heterogeneous client/server. This is usually a conglomeration of Windows workstations and various kinds of servers, of which at least one will not be a Windows machine. The behavior is similar to a homogeneous network, except that it is likely the user will be logging into a Linux or UNIX server in order to be granted access, and will see UNIX or Linux resources show up in the "network neighborhood" on his/her PC. As with the homogeneous network, at least one server will assume the role of network police.
Of the three arranegements described above, peer-to-peer is generally the easiest to get up and running. Little technical knowledge is required -- there's no server to deal with -- and the defaults configured by Windows work in the majority of cases. The downside is that peer-to-peer is very insecure: it can be said that there are no unauthorized users on such a network. You certainly would not want to expose such a network to the Internet. (Actually, it is generally unwise to expose any Windows network to the Internet, see this article.) In my opinion, peer-to-peer is totally inappropriate in a business setting -- the lack of security in itself should be sufficient to convince anyone there's a better way. For that reason alone, my company does not install such systems. If a client insists on a peer-to-peer installation we! will politely suggest they seek h elp from another source.
That leaves client/server. Of the two types, the homogeneous network tends to be less demanding to set up and configure. This is because Microsoft has expended considerable effort in simplifying the networking of their workstation operating systems with their server operating systems. Rank amateurs can build a homogeneous Windows network with virtually no technical information, simply by "doing it by the (Microsoft) numbers."
The relative simplicity of setting up an all Windows network, along with the "if it's all Windows it'll work better" attitude that pervades much contemporary thinking, has caused many businesses to choose this approach without really considering the technical implications of doing so. As many of them soon discovered once the system was running, Microsoft expended far more effort on style than on substance. The result tends to be something analogous to a beautiful, multi-story, brick home boasting all sorts of modern conveniences -- but erected on a cracked foundation placed into an marsh that breeds malarial mosquitoes.
That leaves us with the heterogeneous network model. You may think that you have never encountered a heterogeneous network -- indeed, this may be the first time you have even heard of such a thing. You may not even know what heterogeneous means (hint: it's not about sex). Now, I'm not one who usually points out the obvious, but I'll make an exception: since you are reading these words, you are connected to a heterogeneous network, which we call the Internet. The Internet is the largest heterogeneous network in the known Solar System.
As one might expect, a heterogeneous Windows network is more technically demanding to configure than an equivalent homogeneous system. The reason is simply that what is being accomplished is getting disparate operating systems to converse in mutually acceptable ways. In my earlier animal analogy, I alluded that your UNIX server is a race horse and Windows workstations are er...jackasses. Therefore, it is necessary for UNIX to bray rather than whiny when on a Windows network -- that is, speak the lingua franca of Windows networking. So the heterogeneous network administrator will have to know more about his system than his Microsoft counterpart.
Now, before you get too discouraged and stop reading, I'd like to assure you that despite the extra initial effort, the resulting system will be most rewarding. You will achieve a degree of control over your network that most Windows jocks can only dream about. Also, you will enjoy a level of security and stability that is difficult to achieve in the Microsoft equivalent. In fact, some of the trouble experienced in a homogeneous Windows network will be eliminated by getting rid of the part that usually causes the most trouble: the Windows server. That's right: take that thing and send it to the nearest recycling center (or format the hard drive and load UNIX or linux on it). Fire up your Linux or UNIX host, make sure your TCP/IP is working properly and grab some SMB server software.
Some SMB what??? SMB (server message block) is the means by which Windows machines communicate on the network. In order for a non-Windows system to join in, it has to speak SMB -- bray instead of whiny. There are several ways to go about this in the UNIX or Linux environment. You can purchase commercial SMB software for your flavor of UNIX (e.g., FacetWin or VisionFS from Tarantella), for which you will pay a per seat licensing charge. Or you can install Samba, which may be freely downloaded.
I'm a strong advocate of Samba, not so much because of its zero per seat cost (which, of course, is a nice feature) but because of its technical excellence and adaptability. Samba does all that is needed to run a Windows network, including acting as the primary domain controller, without dragging along a lot of the old baggage that Windows has inherited over the years. Plus the Samba team takes performance, reliability and security very seriously; more seriously, I daresay, than does Microsoft. Samba has been continuously improved for some 10 years and when bugs are discovered, they are addressed in a timely fashion. As a bonus, you don't have to hand over money to get the bug fixes (those things that the Redmond crowd euphemistically refers to as "service packs").
Now, you may be asking yourself questions like, "Why does this Windows to UNIX thing have to be so complicated? How is it that something like Samba is free? And, isn't there something illegal about using Windows networking without a Windows server?" The short answers are: 1) Because Microsoft made it that way. 2) The best things in life usually are free. 3) Don't worry, bubba! The network police won't arrest you.
So take a close look at Samba and get out from under Bill Gates' thumb. If you are willing to learn a little something about Microsoft networking and are willing to invest some time to get more acquainted with your UNIX or Linux system, you will soon have one server running Samba and doing the work of numerous Windows servers. But, first a little history.