!==
!== NTDOMAIN.txt for Samba release 2.2.0-alpha3 24 Mar 2001
!==
Contributor:	Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton (samba@samba.org)
		Copyright (C) 1997 Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton
Created:	October 20, 1997
Updated:	February 25, 1999 (Jerry Carter)

Subject:	NT Domain Logons
===========================================================================

As of 1.9.18alpha1, Samba supports logins for NT 3.51 and 4.0 Workstations,
without the need, use or intervention of NT Server.  This document describes
how to set this up.  Over the continued development of the 1.9.18alpha
series, this process (and therefore this document) should become simpler.

One useful thing to do is to get this version of Samba up and running
with Win95 profiles, as you would for the current stable version of
Samba (currently at 1.9.17p4), and is fully documented.  You will need
to set up encrypted passwords.  Even if you don't have any Win95 machines,
using your Samba Server to store the profile for one of your NT Workstation
users is a good test that you have 1.9.18alpha1 correctly configured *prior*
to attempting NT Domain Logons.

The support is still experimental, so should be used at your own risk.

NT is not as robust as you might have been led to believe: during the
development of the Domain Logon Support, one person reported having to
reinstall NT from scratch: their workstation had become totally unuseable.

[further reports on ntsec@iss.net by independent administrators showing
 similar symptoms lead us to believe that the SAM database file may be
 corruptible.  this _is_ recoverable (or, at least the machine is accessible),
 by deleting the SAM file, under which circumstances all user account details
 are lost, but at least the Administrator can log in with a blank password.
 this is *not* possible except if the NT system is installed in a FAT
 partition.]

This *has* been reported to the NTBUGTRAQ@LISTSERV.NTBUGTRAQ.COM digest.

==========================================================================
Please note that Samba 2.0 does not **officially** support domain logons
for Windows NT clients.  Of course, domain logon support for Windows 9x
clients is complete and official.  These are two different issues.

Samba's capability to act as a Primary Domain Controller for Windows NT
domains is not advertised as it is not completed yet.  For more information 
regarding how to obtain the latest development (HEAD branch) source code
and what features are available, please refer to the NT Domain FAQ on-line
at the Samba web site under the documentation page.

