[Samba] change machine password

[Tilo Lutz]

Hi

I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.

I use Suse Linux 9.3 as samba pdc. samba version is 3.0.13.
How can I set the password for a workstation?

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

I tried smbpasswd to change the password but this doesn't
seem to work.
Is there any other way to change the password?

I know I can modify the file smbpasswd directly or change
the password in ldap. But I want a clean solution working with
every password backend.

Best regards,

Tilo Lutz

[Martin Petersen]

Post by Tilo Lutz
Hi
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.
I use Suse Linux 9.3 as samba pdc. samba version is 3.0.13.
How can I set the password for a workstation?

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

I tried smbpasswd to change the password but this doesn't
seem to work.
Is there any other way to change the password?
I know I can modify the file smbpasswd directly or change
the password in ldap. But I want a clean solution working with
every password backend.
Best regards,
Tilo Lutz

As far as I know You need to set a system account. smbpasswd gives this
error because of the missing user entry for test$ in /etc/passwd.

Just add the user without shell and homedir and try smbpasswd again.

Hope this helps, please let me know I've You have another kind of setup
and You are sure that You don't need a plain system account for Your
machine accounts.

Martin

[Tilo Lutz]

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Tilo Lutz
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

As far as I know You need to set a system account. smbpasswd gives this
error because of the missing user entry for test$ in /etc/passwd.
Notebook:/home/tilo # smbpasswd -a -m test
Added user test$.
Notebook:/home/tilo #

Cheers, Tilo

[Martin Petersen]

Post by Tilo Lutz

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Tilo Lutz
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

As far as I know You need to set a system account. smbpasswd gives this
error because of the missing user entry for test$ in /etc/passwd.
Notebook:/home/tilo # smbpasswd -a -m test
Added user test$.
Notebook:/home/tilo #

Cheers, Tilo

So the system machine account exits but smbpasswd will not allow to
create the samba user account for this machine?

After I've read Your first post again: Maybe the machine account doesn't
even need a password but You only need to to add the account with
smbpasswd -a -m test$?

I've set up a couple of Win32 domain members with cloning and my
problems only occured with the clients and not the backend (e.g. get
machine out of domain and bring in again).


Martin

[Tilo Lutz]

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Tilo Lutz
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

As far as I know You need to set a system account. smbpasswd gives this
error because of the missing user entry for test$ in /etc/passwd.

So the system machine account exits but smbpasswd will not allow to
create the samba user account for this machine?
After I've read Your first post again: Maybe the machine account doesn't
even need a password but You only need to to add the account with
smbpasswd -a -m test$?

No, everything is fine. I can add and remove workstations without problems.
But as soon as I try to change the workstations password with
smbpasswd -m -w workstation or
(echo pass;echo pass) | smbpasswd -s -m -e workstation
I get the above error.

Cheers, Tilo

[Martin Petersen]

Post by Tilo Lutz

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Tilo Lutz
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

As far as I know You need to set a system account. smbpasswd gives this
error because of the missing user entry for test$ in /etc/passwd.

So the system machine account exits but smbpasswd will not allow to
create the samba user account for this machine?
After I've read Your first post again: Maybe the machine account doesn't
even need a password but You only need to to add the account with
smbpasswd -a -m test$?

No, everything is fine. I can add and remove workstations without problems.
But as soon as I try to change the workstations password with
smbpasswd -m -w workstation or
(echo pass;echo pass) | smbpasswd -s -m -e workstation
I get the above error.
Cheers, Tilo

So I am sorry to say that I am not of any help here. Good luck.

Martin

[Csere Matyas]

hello

i've asked this question a while ago, but noone could help me with it..
ill try to give more detail in this message:

so, there is a samba file server on our lan, and the clients are all
windows XP's.
when i start the samba server, it becomes the local/domain master, and
starts to build up its browse list (i can see that from the browse.dat
file, and when i browse the network i can see computers in it)
but after some while, cant quite define the time, it loses the list
(browsing then network doesnt show up computers, and the browse.dat file
becomes EMPTY)

anyone has a clue, what could be causing this?
or, do you need any other information?

thanks in advance,
cserem

[Guus Leeuw jr.]

-----Original Message-----
Subject: [Samba] samba loses its browse list
hello
i've asked this question a while ago, but noone could help me with it..
so, there is a samba file server on our lan, and the clients are all
windows XP's.
when i start the samba server, it becomes the local/domain master, and
starts to build up its browse list (i can see that from the browse.dat
file, and when i browse the network i can see computers in it)
but after some while, cant quite define the time, it loses the list
(browsing then network doesnt show up computers, and the browse.dat file
becomes EMPTY)
anyone has a clue, what could be causing this?
or, do you need any other information?

Please check your network. Seems that one of your XPs is becoming the master
browser. Please the nmbd logs on your samba server to know which box is
becoming the master browser. If it's an XP machine, check Microsoft website.
I seem to remember that there are two settings in Windows which will prevent
a Windows box becoming the master browser.

Cheers,
Guu

[Tilo Lutz]

Post by Martin Petersen

Post by Tilo Lutz
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.

Notebook:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -m test
Failed to set password for user test$.
Failed to modify password entry for user test$

As far as I know You need to set a system account. smbpasswd gives this
error because of the missing user entry for test$ in /etc/passwd.
Notebook:/home/tilo # smbpasswd -a -m test
Added user test$.
Notebook:/home/tilo #

I forgot: Of course I've called smbpasswd -x test first
before smbpasswd -a -m test,

smbpasswd -a -s -m test doesn't work too.

Cheers, Tilo

[Tomasz Chmielewski]

Post by Tilo Lutz
Hi
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.
I use Suse Linux 9.3 as samba pdc. samba version is 3.0.13.
How can I set the password for a workstation?

It is set automatically when you join the domain.
Just leave the domain and join it again, your problem will be solved.

Yet another method is not using "cloning", but a real Unattended
installation - similar to cloning, but doesn't have the drawbacks of
cloning (which are: problems with machine names/passwords, cloning will
work only on the same/very similar hardware, hard to change etc.).

You may check it on http://unattended.sf.net


Tomek
WPKG - automated software deployment with Samba
http://wpkg.org

[Tilo Lutz]

Hi

Post by Tomasz Chmielewski

Post by Tilo Lutz
I use some programs to clone a windows workstation and
duplicate it's image on other workstations.
After cloning I change the workstation name and add a
machine account on the samba pdc.
Now I want to create a new password for the workstation
account and store it.
I use Suse Linux 9.3 as samba pdc. samba version is 3.0.13.
How can I set the password for a workstation?

It is set automatically when you join the domain.
Just leave the domain and join it again, your problem will be solved.

I don't want to rejoin the domain. This would require interaction from
the administrator after cloning.
I want a solution which works fully without interaction.

Cheers, Tilo

[Csere Matyas]

hi

is it possible that it looses the master browser status, and it still
thinks that it is the master browser? (which it does)


thanks
wd

Post by Guus Leeuw jr.

-----Original Message-----
Subject: [Samba] samba loses its browse list
hello
i've asked this question a while ago, but noone could help me with it..
so, there is a samba file server on our lan, and the clients are all
windows XP's.
when i start the samba server, it becomes the local/domain master, and
starts to build up its browse list (i can see that from the browse.dat
file, and when i browse the network i can see computers in it)
but after some while, cant quite define the time, it loses the list
(browsing then network doesnt show up computers, and the browse.dat file
becomes EMPTY)
anyone has a clue, what could be causing this?
or, do you need any other information?

Please check your network. Seems that one of your XPs is becoming the master
browser. Please the nmbd logs on your samba server to know which box is
becoming the master browser. If it's an XP machine, check Microsoft website.
I seem to remember that there are two settings in Windows which will prevent
a Windows box becoming the master browser.
Cheers,
Guu

[Guus Leeuw jr.]

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 09:16
To: Guus Leeuw jr.
Subject: Re: [Samba] samba loses its browse list
is it possible that it looses the master browser status, and it still
thinks that it is the master browser? (which it does)

Unless there is some grave mistake in the sources, I wouldn't think so...
The master browser status is obtained via a competition protocol whereby the
server with the maximum free CPU cycles normally wins the competition, and
gets the status after which it will announce the new master browser.

Did you check following samba configuration flag:
* preferred master
This flag should be set to Yes so that the samba is most likely to become
master browser all the time.

Cheers,
Guus

[Csere Matyas]

prefered/domain/local masters and os level are set according to the
documentation.

i can see that it wins the election, but i cant see that another
computer wins after that, however, if i issue smbclient -L samba_machine
i can clearly see that it is the master for the domain, and also that
there arent any other computers recognised by it.

Post by Guus Leeuw jr.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 09:16
To: Guus Leeuw jr.
Subject: Re: [Samba] samba loses its browse list
is it possible that it looses the master browser status, and it still
thinks that it is the master browser? (which it does)

Unless there is some grave mistake in the sources, I wouldn't think so...
The master browser status is obtained via a competition protocol whereby the
server with the maximum free CPU cycles normally wins the competition, and
gets the status after which it will announce the new master browser.
* preferred master
This flag should be set to Yes so that the samba is most likely to become
master browser all the time.
Cheers,
Guus