Hey Ho, Samba 4 Has Arrived! ClearOS Preview Coming Shortly
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Congratulations to the Samba Team on shipping Samba 4!
For those of you who don't know, Samba 4 not only includes the high quality file server solution that we have come to depend on for many years, but also an Active Directory** logon environment. Yes, you will be able to start replacing those Windows Active Directory servers with a Samba 4 implementation. For all the gory details, you can find the Samba 4 feature list here and in the release notes.
So, how does Samba 4's directory integrate with ClearOS? Well, ClearOS uses a driver model for the accounts system (users and groups). One of the steps that you see when you configure a ClearOS system is the account system driver selection as shown in the following screenshot:
ClearOS with Samba 4 Accounts
Once selected, ClearOS will use the driver in its normal and native way. In the case of Samba 4, there's no synchronization going on between Samba's directory and other directories or user databases. When Samba 4 is running, all apps and services on ClearOS query Samba Directory directly. The current internal Samba Directory app has been tested with FTP, PPTP, Squid, SSH, and other apps and it all works great!
ClearOS Professional 6.4, which is expected to be released in the next few weeks, will include this new Samba Directory app. Please keep in mind, we are going to be cautious with the release of the app -- it will be beta until we figure out all the gotchas. Oh, you can expect a public preview in the next few days... stay tuned.
Home users don't need the complexity of a full blown directory: Kerberos, SIDs, Base DN, and all that other jargon should not appear anywhere in ClearOS Community Edition user interface. In home and small office environments, we are going to keep things as simple and slim as possible. Our plan is to release ClearOS Community with Samba 4 implemented just as it is right now -- as a solid and reliable file server.
** Trademark is the property of the respective owner. ClearCenter and ClearFoundation are not affiliated with Microsoft.
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Comments (6)
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Nothing is firm at this point, but there's a good chance that the Samba Directory implementation will be included in ClearOS Professional (i.e. free for Pro users).
The value that ClearOS provides is 1) providing the right implementation and integration points and 2) creating the necessary drivers for the web interface and accounts system. Community Edition users certainly have full access to the Samba 4 RPMs -- these are already available today (and have been available since October) in the "clearos-test" repository.0 Like -
I don't mind paying for samba 4 if it's a one off fee or maybe yearly but I think a monthly subscription seems weird considering you mostly have yearly subscriptions.
Also to not have this in clearos community seems a bit unfair is there some type of support that you provide for samba4 that is the reason why it's only a professional version only?
What type of features do you plan to have for samba4?0 Like -
For me it would be great if it was included as a standard module in the Lite or above subscription.
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Hello,
This is very good news. Is it possible for Windows 8 machines to join the domain running on ClearOS 6.4? In the 6.3 version this is not possible.
Regards Ruud.0 Like -
Active Directory in the home -- that's a whole new level of tech guy :-) Unfortunately, I'm fairly certain the feature will only be available in the Professional Edition. For about $20 a month, there's a whole lot of value packed into ClearOS Professional Standard. We hope that's not too much to ask for even the smallest of businesses. It's also possible that the feature might be included in the Lite subscription ($7 a month)... we'll see.
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This is great news, but for small-business/home users is there any plans for full implementation or any ability? In a couple small businesses, I utilize an active directory for a lot of reasons and that flexibility migrated over to Linux would be great. Yes, it is more complex, but it is much more powerful.
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