[NTLUG:Discuss] Re: Three questions

[Kyle Davenport]

*** Authentication Certificate ***

> 1) What makes the user 'root' special?  Is it because the kernel treates
> UID zero or the name 'root' differently?  If not, what is it?  I'm part
> "just curious" and part wanting to know what would happened if I renamed
> root.

It's the uid=0 that counts.  I believe you can call it anything you want.

> 2) What are the significant differences between FC3 or FC4 and Red Hat
> 9?  I just did an FC3 install and, taking a quick look, didn't see much
> different.  What am I missing?

I just did RH8 to FC3 and RH9 to FC3.  Main differences I see are in
gnome/kde, kernel 2.6, and selinux enhancements.  Despite the improvements
in kernel 2.6, the system was noticeably less responsive.  Compiling my own
kernel helped tho.

> 3) Anyone know of a way using Samba client on a Linux PC to get "network
> mappings" to remote SMB servers without having to supply the password
> for each one (no convenience) or store it in clear text in a local file
> (bad security)?

I have done this at work because of the dozens of windows hosts and
multiple domains I have to connect to.  cifs and smb mounts can use a
credential file.  I put my different domain logins into separate root-only
read files like /etc/IT.cred looks like this:

username=me
password=secret

and in /etc/fstab:

//winserver/C  /winserver/c cifs   credentials=/etc/IT.cred,gid=10,
file_mode=0644,dir_mode=0755 0 0

or, what I usually do, an autofs file, with an entry like this:
auto.host:D$ -fstype=smbfs,credentials=/etc/NA.cred,workgroup=NA
://host/D\$


I'm still trying to hack an auto autofs file, which almost works, to
automount any box in a domain.  Let me know if anyone's interested.

Kyle