Samba authentication?

dragon · 12-07-2007, 08:30

Is it possible to setup A samba share where a windows client can login with a user and password that doesn't exist on the local machine.

I have a NAS drive but rather annoyingly the only way I can seem to set access permissions is by setting the user name/password to be the same as the windows user/pass which is fine for my account but its would be a pain in the backside to get everyone else to setup their user/pass on the NAS.

If the windows user/pass doesn't exist on the NAS I get a login prompt from windows xp/vista asking for a user/pass

Problem is I cannot seem to get it to take anything unless that user/pass combination actually is for a user on the local computer.

I've tried prefixing the user name with the server name but it wont take it either.

Where am I going wrong?

Network is a Mix of Vista, XP and Macs

The share is on a "Dual HDD NAS" which as far as I can tell runs a embedded linux and is based on the Storlink centrinas platform (its an MRT communications Dual HDD NAS bought it off svp)

Users are created on the NAS via web interface.

Graham M · 12-07-2007, 09:28

If you set up a user that is not on your local machine, does it not ask you for a username and password then?

dragon · 12-07-2007, 09:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

If you set up a user that is not on your local machine, does it not ask you for a username and password then?

Yes it does, however it does not want to accept the user/pass I put in.

I've tried

username
pasword

nas/username
password

username@nas
password

where am i going wrong?

I know the username and password are correct for a valid account on the nas that has access to that perticular Share but windows is point blank refushing to login to the share using them.

Happens on XP and Vista

Yet if its an account that exists both on the local machine and the NAS its quite happy to take it as

username
password

Stuart W · 12-07-2007, 10:08

Do you have any other shares on the network like printers?

Also, do you run a domain?

If you run a domain, just create a user on the NAS and create the same user on the Primary Domain Controller.

If you have printers on your network, make sure you do not connect to them or XP will just want to use whichever connection details were given to the printer for all network authentication.

Aragorn · 12-07-2007, 10:47

How are you putting in the user/pwd? In the 'different user' box when you map the share?
Does the NAS allow guest access?
Is the NAS in the same workgroup as the PC's?
Have you tried connecting from the command prompt -

net use x: \\nas\photos /user:dragon /persistent:yes

If the above doesn't work, what error does it return.

dragon · 12-07-2007, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aragorn

How are you putting in the user/pwd? In the 'different user' box when you map the share?

When i try to connect to the share i get prompted with a username and password box

I put in the user/password

hit ok

and then the box just comes up again and i can keep trying till it gives up and deny access

i'll try the cmd line method.

Why cant windows login to different shares with different names, Strange thign is one of the shares is public (open to anyone) my mates machine (running xp) logged into it Fine a couple days ago but then point blank refused yesterday

greencreeper · 12-07-2007, 20:48

It won't work. It's Windows authentication for you. Have to have the matching credentials. Doesn't matter how you specify the username. Unless the client PC is a member of domain, in which case you should be able to store credentials for the server - in User Accounts in Control Panel.

kr0ne · 12-07-2007, 23:33

If you're really feeling daring you could set up samba to function as a domain controller and authenticate all of your Windows machines against it.

That way you wouldn't have to provide credentials when accessing individual shares on the NAS (as long as you have permissions to access them) as you'd already be authenticated on the domain.

You won't be able to authenticate the Macs against the domain (without some jiggery pokery) but if memory serves when you connect a network share from a Mac it lets you provide a username and password to send... think it might even have a 'remember me' tick box in there somewhere.

dragon · 13-07-2007, 00:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by kr0ne

If you're really feeling daring you could set up samba to function as a domain controller and authenticate all of your Windows machines against it.

That way you wouldn't have to provide credentials when accessing individual shares on the NAS (as long as you have permissions to access them) as you'd already be authenticated on the domain.

You won't be able to authenticate the Macs against the domain (without some jiggery pokery) but if memory serves when you connect a network share from a Mac it lets you provide a username and password to send... think it might even have a 'remember me' tick box in there somewhere.

Not sure id be able to make the necessarily changes to samba on the NAS since it runs the samba server from firmware not the hard-drive inside it.

As much as I'd love someone to make a custom firmware like you can get for the linksys nslu2 (theres firmware for that which starts the boot sequence from its flash till it mounts the drive then it boots off that) i doubt its going to happen unless some clever bod just happens to buy one of these nas devices and then decides to make custom firmware.

I wouldn't know where to even begin with doing that.

ZrByte · 13-07-2007, 00:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon

Is it possible to setup A samba share where a windows client can login with a user and password that doesn't exist on the local machine.

I have a NAS drive but rather annoyingly the only way I can seem to set access permissions is by setting the user name/password to be the same as the windows user/pass which is fine for my account but its would be a pain in the backside to get everyone else to setup their user/pass on the NAS.

If the windows user/pass doesn't exist on the NAS I get a login prompt from windows xp/vista asking for a user/pass

Problem is I cannot seem to get it to take anything unless that user/pass combination actually is for a user on the local computer.

I've tried prefixing the user name with the server name but it wont take it either.

Where am I going wrong?

Network is a Mix of Vista, XP and Macs

The share is on a "Dual HDD NAS" which as far as I can tell runs a embedded linux and is based on the Storlink centrinas platform (its an MRT communications Dual HDD NAS bought it off svp)

Users are created on the NAS via web interface.

Cant you just map the network shares? Been a while since ive needed this since I have my network setup to use the same username/pass combination on all my machines tho I seem to remember that this was how I used to do it.

dragon · 13-07-2007, 08:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZrByte

Cant you just map the network shares? Been a while since ive needed this since I have my network setup to use the same username/pass combination on all my machines tho I seem to remember that this was how I used to do it.

machines i have an account on yes i was just wandering how to do it on machines i don't

I guess i'll have to get the other person to setup an account on the nas drive.