[KLUG Members] samba user permissions

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> I'm new to Samba configuration. I've read the "Samba by example" docs on
> the Samba.org site and I read Michael Lueck's KLUG presentation. I have
> Samba setup as a domain server for a LAN of ~30 users. I setup linux
> groups for domadmins and domusers and have ~40 machines on the network.
> I even managed to get shares drives mounted.
> I'm still confused on some things.
> 1) I see that all the users have roaming profiles. I'm not sure if this
> is a good thing as it takes time and leaves copies of files on all the
> workstations that never seem to go away until the drives fills up and I
> have to delete them. 

Normal, this is M$ after all.  Administering Window's boxes is just
about the crappiest job in the whole *^$&*(@^&*% world;  well, maybe
second to cutting asperagus [ I have nothing but respect for migrant
farm workers, what a horrible job ]

> What would happen if I disabled roaming profiles? Would people loose the
> ability to save things like their AIM settings and website favorites?

You don't want to disable roaming profile, you want to perform folder
redirection via policies.  This is described in the Samba guides.

> 2) We have a requirements capture program, no names, that uses ODBC to
> access databases containing the data. My problem is that this
> application creates registry entries for these ODBC connections for each
> project database that a user wants to create or access.
> Domain users apparently don't have local access to create/modify
> registry entries so the program fails to open files unless an admin
> first runs it to create or establish access to the database file on that
> machine.

Normal again; your application *IS NOT* Windows 2000/XP compatible.
Call the OEM and raise bloody hell and tell the moron to fix his
freakin' program.  The program should create the keys in the user's hive
(to which they have access) or store the defaults in isolated storage.
If the application is requiring write access to the system/machine hive
(to which the user does not have write access) then the developer
clearly DOES NOT know what he is doing and should be FIRED - today.

> This is a pain. 
> Is there some way Samba can grant some users local access to modify
> registry entries within this app without making those users admins?

Setting them as "Power Users" might help;  better to make the OEM fix
his BROKEN application.