BKUSAMBA.RVW   20000126

"Using Samba", Robert Eckstein/David Collier-Brown/Peter Kelly, 2000,
1-56592-449-5, U$34.95/C$51.95
%A   Robert Eckstein
%A   David Collier-Brown
%A   Peter Kelly
%C   103 Morris Street, Suite A, Sebastopol, CA   95472
%D   2000
%G   1-56592-449-5
%I   O'Reilly and Associates
%O   U$34.95/C$51.95 707-829-0515 fax: 707-829-0104 nuts@ora.com
%P   416 p.
%T   "Using Samba"

Server Message Block (SMB) is a protocol used for simple client-server
networking.  More importantly, however, it is the protocol used in
Microsoft's basic Windows products.  There are Windows clients for
other protocols, such as NFS (Network File System), but these are not
supplied with the operating system and must be purchased separately. 
As well, these add-on clients are not as tightly coupled with the
Windows operating system and its functions.

Samba is a UNIX server program using the SMB protocol.  This allows
UNIX administrators to set up file and print sharing on UNIX machines,
for access and use by Windows PCs without specialized clients on all
the workstations.

Chapter one is an introduction to Samba and the basic SMB concepts. 
Compilation and installation of Samba on the UNIX server are covered
in chapter two.  Setup of Windows clients is dealt with in chapter
three, as well as some header level information about the protocol
itself.  The material details configuration of Windows 9x and NT
separately, because of the slight differences in menus and dialogue
boxes.  The instructions are quite detailed, even down to the
information that the IP 192.168.x.x address range can be used for
internal LANs, although more time is spent with the 9x versions than
with NT.

Most of the rest of the book is spent on configuration options for
Samba.  Chapter four provides an outline of the smb.conf file and the
basic preference settings.  Browsing (functions advertising and
searching for resources) and advanced file sharing choices are given
in chapter five.  Security related settings are discussed in chapter
six, along with some practical tips.  Chapter seven looks at printing
and name resolution, while miscellaneous functions are presented in
chapter eight.

Chapter nine outlines not just troubleshooting tools, but also
detailed procedures.  Appendices list information on the use of SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer), performance tuning, daemons and commands, as
well as a command reference.

The book is aimed at experienced UNIX administrators.  The
explanations of how Windows works will definitely be of help to these
people.  However, it is a bit of a pity that slightly more information
wasn't included about UNIX for those not familiar with the system. 
While there certainly are good references for UNIX administration
available (many of them coming from O'Reilly), it is arguably the case
that the greater "market" for Samba is among those who administer
Windows networks, and need the basic and reliable server functions
that UNIX can provide.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2000   BKUSAMBA.RVW   20000126