Chapter 05

Linux Networking and Security Chapter 5

Configuring File Sharing Services
Configure an FTP server for anonymous or regular users
Set up NFS file sharing between Linux and UNIX systems
Understand NetWare NCP-Based file sharing
Use SMB to share files and printers with Windows-based PCs

Running an FTP server
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) was designed for efficient distribution of a single file to multiple remote clients
Some design characteristics of FTP:
FTP operates in real-time
FTP was designed to be used by the public and this is called anonymous FTP
FTP is very effective for transferring large files
FTP was not designed as a “shared local disk”

Using an FTP Client
Accessing an FTP site requires an FTP client
Linux includes a text-mode FTP client, some Linux systems include a newer and refined text-mode ftp system called ncftp
An FTP client session begins with the ftp command
If the system connects, users are prompted for username and password

Using an FTP Client

Introducing FTP Servers
The most widely used FTP server on Linux is the Washington University server, wu-ftp
Setting up the FTP server is done via a number of configuration files
In addition to configuration files, there is the anonymous user home directory:
Anonymous users do not see the entire file system and are limited to a working area, or home directory that designates downloadable files

Introducing FTP Servers

Setting Up FTP Configuration Files
The FTP server is configured using the ftpaccess file in the /etc directory
There are three types of FTP users: Anonymous, Real, and Guest
Classes of users can be created, which allow you to assign permissions based on groupings
Permit FTP users to perform file actions using a series of directives naming the file action, followed by yes or no, followed by the classes of user to which the directive applies

Setting Up FTP Configuration Files

Sharing Files with NFS
The Network File System (NFS) provides access to remote files systems as if they are part of the local directory structure
NFS was designed for permanent, long-term connections where remote file systems are used as part of the regular user environment
NFS does have security concerns and was designed with a trusted network in mind
NFS is UNIX-centric and does not typically perform well with Windows or NetWare servers

Running the NFS Daemons
The NFS protocol is implemented by several daemons, each handling different tasks
NFS communication is built on the remote procedure call (rpc) system
This system functions almost like a superserver in that programs are assigned an rpc number
A program called portmap watches for rpc requests from programs like NFS daemons, then maps them to TCP or UDP ports
NFS uses the rpc.mountd daemon to make new connections

Accessing Remote NFS File Systems
Acting as a client to an NFS server is straightforward; use the mount command for any local hard disk partitioning containing a file system needing access
The mount point must be created and the host must have allowed mounting of the directory
Mount options include altering the default buffer size for NFS transfers, read-only or read-write permission, hard or soft mounts, and suppressing automatic mounting at system startup

Exporting Your File System Using NFS
To make parts of your file system accessible over the network to other systems, NFS daemons must be running and NFS traffic must be allowed to pass between the hosts
Beyond this, the /etc/exports file must be set up to define which of the local directories will be available to remote users and how each is used
NFS uses a security concept called squashing to prevent a user from gaining access to a user account (especially to the root account) simply because they have an ID on the NFS client

NetWare File and Printer Sharing
NetWare protocols can be used on Linux to act as NetWare file and print servers, or as a client to other NetWare servers
To use either the client or server tools for NetWare, IPX must be installed on Linux
NetWare uses a transport protocol called the NetWare Core Protocol (NCP)
NetWare is a dedicated network operating system, but in the context of Linux, these servers are limited to file and printer sharing

Accessing NetWare Servers as a Client
The ncpfs package implements NCP and provides a number of client utilities allowing log in, file transfer, printing and so forth
The ncpfs package is not installed by default
The ncpfs utilities allow the specification of command-line parameters for server contact
Alternatively, create a .nwclient file in the home directory that contains the NetWare default settings

Accessing NetWare Servers as a Client

Making Linux Into a NetWare Server
Most Linux distributions contain a package that lets a system emulate a NetWare server
The Martin Stovers NetWare Emulator package (mars-nwe) provides NetWare-specific protocols
In addition to NCP transport protocol, mars-nwe provides the NetWare Routing Information Protocol (RIP) and the Service Addressing Protocol (SAP) that let Linux act as a peer with other NetWare servers
Configure mars-nwe using the /etc/nwserv.conf

Windows File and Print Integration with Samba
To implement the Windows-based protocols such as Server Message Block (SMB), Common Internet File System (CIFS) and NetBIOS in Linux, use the Samba suite
The server portion of Samba allows a Linux system to appear in Windows networks as if it were another Windows system
The client portions of Samba also let Linux access Windows systems that are configured to share their resources

Using Samba Client Utilities
Samba client utilities allow access to shared Windows resources as if another Windows-based computer
The smbclient utility is a command-line utility that allows logging into a Windows host, and interacting using a series of commands
To graphically access a Windows system, mount a Windows share as part of Linux by the standard mount command using a file system type of smbfs
Printing to a Windows printer is done using the smbprint command

Using Samba Client Utilities

Setting Up a Samba Server
Samba includes two server daemons:
nmbd, which implements the NetBIOS service
smbd, which implements the SMB file and print sharing
Both of these daemons must be running to implement a Samba server
Both are managed using a single script in /etc/rc.d/init.d
Samba configuration files are typically stored in /etc/samba

Creating Samba Users
The user security model requires users to log in with a valid user name and password before using a share on the Samba server
Several utilities included with the Samba suite allow for everyone with a Linux user account to also log in via Samba
The following command creates a Samba password for all Linux users: cat /etc/passwd | mksmbpasswd.sh > /etc/samba/smbpasswd

Using SWAT to Configure SMB
SWAT is a browser-based graphical interface that sets up the smb.conf file, restarts the Samba server, and provides some status information on server utilization
SWAT runs a network service managed by the superserver
To use SWAT, the SWAT service must be included in the /etc/services file
SWAT must also be enabled in the superserver configuration

Using SWAT to Configure SMB

Accessing Samba from Windows
Once a Samba server is up and running, there is access to Linux files and printers from any Windows-based host
All that is required is the correct Windows networking configuration and a valid username and password
Samba uses only TCP/IP, so TCP/IP should be configured in the Windows environment

Accessing Samba from Windows

Chapter Summary
FTP is a widely used Internet protocol that was designed for efficient transfer of files from a server to multiple clients at diverse locations
The anonymous feature of FTP makes it popular for public download archives
To access an FTP server, you can use the text-mode client, ftp, graphical clients such as gFTP or IglooFTP, or a Web browser
The standard FTP server is wu-ftpd
You can configure classes of users in ftpaccess, then assign permissions to perform different file actions

Chapter Summary
The Network File System (NFS) lets you access remote file systems as part of your local directory structure by using the mount command to contact an NFS server
An NFS server consists of several possible daemons; at the least, nfsd and rpc.mountd are required
An NFS server is configured using the /etc/exports file, which defines which local directories are available for remote users to mount
NFS is prone to security holes, but it relies on several layers of security

Chapter Summary
The NetWare network operating system can be emulated on Linux as a powerful file-and-print server using the mars-nwe package
The mars-nwe NetWare emulator is configured using the /etc/nwserv.conf file
Linux can access NetWare servers as clients using the ncpfs package, which provides a number of command-line tools to manage NetWare servers
Windows networking uses the NetBIOS and SMB (also called CIFS) protocols, both of which are implemented by the Samba suite in Linux

Chapter Summary
Using the Samba client utility smbclient and mounting Windows file systems of type smbfs provide convenient access to shared resources
A simple Samba server configuration in smb.conf involves defining the server name, basic security options, and defining shares
SWAT provides graphical configuration and administration functionality for Samba
Multiple Samba security models are supported, including Windows NT domains and guest accounts, which often use Samba as a dedicated print server

Chapter 05

by cclay3

Accessibility

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Chapter 05 Presentation Transcript

Chapter 05

by cclay3

Accessibility

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Chapter 05 Presentation Transcript

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