OpenBSD as a File Server

With Active Directory threatening the traditional SMB (Server Message Block) Windows file sharing and Appletalk/Chooser MacOS file sharing open so!rce "ni# has an opening to $eco%e recogni&ed as a file sharing platfor% that can cheaply and efficiently replace the %ore traditional operating syste%s' Altho!gh s!pport for active directory is lacking in the present interi% where SMB Chooser and ()S ((etwork )ile Syste%) still reign s!pre%e tools e#ist to %ake OpenBSD the perfect file server for cross*platfor% client networks and co%ple# internetworks' As an e#a%ple config!ration for the vario!s s!$syste%s involved in this let+s look at %y %ain OpenBSD server at work which handles Appletalk SMB and ()S si%!ltaneo!sly and distri$!tes files over a %!lti* platfor% internetwork' ,here are three repositories of data which %!st all $e accessi$le $y Macintosh and Windows clients on the internal network-

1. /home/www (A local we$*hosting directory on new$oing the server in .!estion) 2. /deepthought (An ()S %o!nt fro% deeptho!ght a re%ote server at a co*location facility) 3. /doca (An ()S %o!nt fro% doc/a a local (, server providing %ain internal file serving)
0iven this layo!t there are three discerna$le steps involved in config!ration'

Step 1, configuring the mounts

,he ()S dae%on on deeptho!ght was config!red to e#port only the /home directory and all its s!$sidiaries and only to the correct 12 address of new$oing' ,his was done via an entry in /etc/exports reading-

/home

202.56.38.123

,hen it was %o!nted on newboing via the following co%%and-

mount -t nfs deepthought.domain.com.au:/home /deepthought

Since there are pro$le%s %o!nting SMB filesyste%s !nder OpenBSD (it is possi$le $!t the new s%$fs* $ased s%$%o!nt is heavily 3in!# oriented) 1 chose to r!n 2C*()S on doc/a' 2C*()S is a port of ()S to Windows (, and 4555' Witho!t going into the details of 2C*()S config!ration the %o!nt on new$oing was perfor%ed !sing the co%%and-

mount -t nfs 1 2.168.0.!0:/data1 /doca

Step 2, exporting data via SMB

,he Sa%$a s!ite availa$le within the OpenBSD ports tree provides SMB interopera$ility for %ost "(16 platfor%s' 1+ve !sed Sa%$a within this instance to e#port all three data repositories over SMB for the !se of the internal Windows clients' Sa%$a installation fro% the ports tree is a si%ple process-

cd /usr/ports/net/samba ma"e ## ma"e insta$$

Sa%$a draws its config!ration pri%arily fro% one file /etc/smb.conf' ,his file is installed with a set of defa!lt options $y the ports tree distri$!tion' )or the p!rposes of this e#a%ple the following i%plicit config!ration was %ade in smb.conf-

wor"group % documenta & 'his defines the wor"group( or in this case & )' *omain( as +documenta+ ser,er string % -pen./* 0newboing1

& 'he )et.2-/ description fie$d( ,iewab$e when & a windows c$ient browses to this ser,er. encr3pt passwords % 3es & .3 defau$t( 4indows 8 # )' use encr3pted passwords( & so in near$3 e,er3 instance the3 shou$d be enab$ed. smb passwd fi$e % /etc/smbpasswd & /pecifies the $ocation of the encr3pted password fi$e. interfaces % 1 2.168.0.1/2! & /pecifies that on$3 the interface spanning 1 2.168.0.1/2! & shou$d be /amba-enab$ed 0ie. not o,er the $i,e interface1.
With this generic config!ration co%plete it+s ti%e to specify the shares' ,hese are also entered into smb.conf with the defa!lt e#a%ple shares co%%ented o!t !sing a 5 (se%i*colon)-

6www7 comment % www path % /home/www pub$ic % 3es writab$e % 3es create mas" % 0888 6deepthought7 comment % deepthought path % /deepthought pub$ic % 3es writab$e % 3es create mas" % 0888 6doca7 comment % doc9a path % /doca pub$ic % 3es writab$e % 3es create mas" % 0888
1n each case these shares are 7p!$lic7 ** %eaning that anyone with a valid SMB logon on newboing can read write and delete (provided the relevant "ni# per%issions to the files per%it it)' As previo!sly %entioned Sa%$a has its own !ser a!thentication %echanis% different than OpenBSD+s native syste% a!thentication' ,o add a !ser to the Sa%$a a!thentication syste% perfor% the following co%%ands-

adduser :oe smbpasswd -a :oe

,he first co%%and adds the !ser to the OpenBSD syste% the second adds the% to the Sa%$a a!thentication syste%' 1n each instance of the co%%ands a$ove yo! will $e pro%pted for password details' )or %anagea$ility p!rposes it is reco%%ended to keep these passwords in synch' ,his co%plete it+s ti%e to start the Sa%$a dae%ons and test yo!r syste%' ,here are two dae%ons that %!st $e started-

nmbd # smbd #
,he first nmbd is the (etB1OS na%ing*sche%e dae%on while smbd handles act!al SMB file and print sharing' ,o ens!re that the dae%ons start !pon $oot a si%ple entry in /etc/rc.$oca$ is re.!ired-

echo -n +/tarting /amba *aemons...+ nmbd -* smbd -*

Ass!%ing we have added the !ser 78oe7 with password 7password7 and the internal 12 address of the Sa%$a server is 9:4'9;<'5'9 the following co%%and wo!ld $e !sed-

smbc$ient -; 1 2.168.0.1 -< :oe

,his co%%and atte%pts to list all SMB shares on the host 9:4'9;<'5'9 availa$le to the !ser 8oe' =o! will then $e pro%pted for a password to a!thenticate the !ser 8oe-

added interface ip%1 2.168.0.1 bcast%1 2.168.0.255 nmas"%255.255.255.0 =assword: password

After s!ccessf!lly a!thenticating a list of SMB shares will appear-

*omain%6*-><?@)'A7 -/%6<nix7 /er,er%6/amba 2.0.67 /harename --------www deepthought doca 2=>B /er,er --------*->9A )@4.-2)C 4or"group --------*-><?@)'A '3pe ---*is" *is" *is" 2=> >omment ------www deepthought doc9a 2=> /er,ice 0-pen./* 0newboing11

>omment -------pen./* 0newboing1 ?aster ------*->9A

,his co%plete yo!+re ready to set !p Windows clients to !se the shares'

Step 3, exporting data via Appletal

,he netatalk (prono!nced 7nedtalk7) package is !sed to handle Appletalk interopera$ility' 0iven that Appletalk is a protocol independent of ,C2/12 and that the 0>(>?1C kernel does not contain s!pport for it the first step towards installation is to $!ild a co%pati$le kernel' Details of kernel config!ration were disc!ssed in the previo!s article in this series 7OpenBSD @ernel Co%pilation and Opti%i&ation 7 so 1 will not go into great detail here' A kernel sho!ld $e $!ilt with the option in its config!ration file-

option )@'A'A;D
,his will provide kernel*level s!pport for Appletalk and its associated protocols' Once the syste% has $een re$ooted with this in place netatalk installation is ready to take place fro% the ports tree !sing the following co%%ands-

cd /usr/ports/net/netata$" ma"e ## ma"e insta$$

1n contrast to Sa%$a netatalk does !se OpenBSD+s syste% a!thentication so in the case of this e#a%ple it is not necessary to perfor% any !ser config!ration as the syste% !sers have already $een added' Share definitions are handled $y the file/etc/netata$"/App$eEo$umes.defau$t for !sers who have no i%plicit AppleAol!%es file of their own' ,he file $y defa!lt contains the single line-

F
,his allows each !ser who logs in to access F/ (their own ho%e directories)' Other shares availa$le to all !sers sho!ld $e added to the top of the file /etc/netata$"/App$eEo$umes.s3stem which handles these share definitions as well as file e#tension descriptors' )or this e#a%ple the following App$eEo$umes.s3stem config!ration was re.!ired-

&/hare /home/www /deepthought /doca

>omment 444 deepthought doc9a

"nlike other filesharing syste%s s!ch as ()S and Sa%$a netatalk re.!ires .!ite a n!%$er of dae%ons to $e r!n si%!ltaneo!sly in order to achieve f!ll f!nctionality' ,his is controlled $y the file /etc/netata$"/rc.ata$" which is installed $y defa!lt fro% the ports tree distri$!tion' ,o start netatalk si%ply e#ec!te the following co%%ands-

chmod Gx /etc/netata$"/rc.ata$" /etc/netata$"/rc.ata$"

,he $otto% co%%and sho!ld also $e added to /etc/rc.$oca$ in order to %ake netatalk start a!to%atically !pon $oot' ,his co%plete any Macintosh %achines on a local network seg%ent sho!ld $e a$le to access these shares via Chooser' David Jorm has been involved with open source and security projects for several years, originally with OpenBSD and Debian GN !"inu#, now with the development team at wiretapped$net$