CIFS without Active Directory

[kal]

Hi,

I want to configure CIFS on my Netapp. The Netapp cluster has for DNS the Google's DNS (8.8.8.8) and I haven't an Active Directory. I want my client which are in WORKGROUP can connect to a CIFS share on the cluster. Is an Active Directory required ?

Regards.

[aborzenkov]

Do you have 7-Mode or C-Mode (you added both tags)?

[kal]

Hi,

Sorry, I have a Cluster mode Data On Tap.

[aborzenkov]

As far as I know currently only CIFS servers that a part of Active Directory are supported. Although documentation mentions that "Workgroups are not supported in this release", so it is possible that it will be supported in the future.

[kal]

Ok, I undestand. So the AD's DNS must be declared on the cluster and the client computers must be in the AD's domain. Isn't it ?

Thanks.

[thomas_glodde]

You MUST configure DNS in the SVM and join an ADS for CIFS to properly work. Clients & Servers which access the SVMs shares can be inside or outside of your ADS domain.

[kal]

Hi,

In conclusion, my CIFS SVM/Volume must join the Active Directory Server. The Clients ans Server which access to the CIFS share could be outside, in WORKGROUP for example.

But what about the post of Aborzenkov : 

"As far as I know currently only CIFS servers that a part of Active Directory are supported. Although documentation mentions that "Workgroups are not supported in this release", so it is possible that it will be supported in the future".

Thanks a lot for your answer.

[AdvUniMD]

The SVM has to be in an AD domain, otherwise you will not get any CIFS functionality.

The clients that connect to the NetApp can be either other AD members (domain computers) or standalone computers (i.e. computers running in Workgroup mode). Note that if you try to connect to the SVM on the NetApp cluster from a computer which is NOT part of the same domain, you will have to supply a username and password to connect. This can be either a domain user (using "DOM\User"-style usernames) or a local user created on the SVM (see the vserver cifs users-and-groups local-user create command). This is the same, actually, as with Windows servers and computers without any NetApp involved

Also, if you really need CIFS with Workgroup style authentication, it is possible that this might be added to Data OnTap at a later date (all documentation, for example, says it is "not yet available" or "currently not possible")....

Regards

-Michael

[angelpublishing]

I'd just like to say it's very inconv. to force the use of AD just to enable CIFS. I'm a complete linux shop and use my FAS device for NFS primarily. I figured 'hey why not use it's CIFS support' ... nope.

So I'll be using a cheap, unreliable network storage device simply to host CIFS shares meanwhile.

++bump as a feature request. Simply let me turn it on and create shares like every other network storage device lets you.

Thanks for the sweet NFS support though.

[AdvUniMD]

If you're a complete NFS shop, what do you need CIFS for? If it's only for 1 share that 2 or 2 users access, you can also use Microsoft's NFS for Windows, for example.

That being said, it's been possible for a few months now (since OnTap 9.0) to run an SVM in Workgroup mode without AD. See the man page for the "vserver cifs create -workgroup" command.

-Michael