14
Filtering the WINS display for the Samba server emonster IP address shows the static mapping
table for the users that looks similar to the hosts file we created above (except with multiple
NetBIOS name suffixes per user).
The user can now map their share using the familiar syntax: \\buffy\share. This results in a
separate TCP/IP connection per client and a separate smbd process. The same process can be
used to create multiple server names per IP address, like emonster1, emonster2, etcetera, as in
the hosts file example above.
5.2 Maximum Usernames (security = share)
Prior to Samba version 3.0.2, the Samba code data structure for the username (session_users)
was 1024 bytes long. Therefore, the total number of usernames that an individual smbd process
could service was limited by the session_users data structure length, but only if “security =
share”:
(Username1+Username2+…..UsernameN) <= 1024 (session_users)
If the system username policy dictates a name length of 8 characters, then the single smbd can
service a Terminal Server session user base of:
Example: 1024(session_users) / 8(username) = 128 sessions
The 129
th
Terminal-Server-user connection request to the Samba server will be denied by the
smbd because it will not be able to allocate space for the additional username. Note that
configuring Samba or Terminal Server for aliasing the Samba server will likely workaround this
limitation (when each alias has a discrete smbd that is handling either a single username or a
subset of the Terminal Server username pool).
Note: Due to the requirement of “security = share” for Samba 2.2 to encounter this issue, the
probability of its appearance is slight. Samba 3.0.2 was enhanced to eliminate the 1024 length
issue. HP CIFS Server A.01.10 was based upon Samba 2.2.8a, and is now obsolete.
