The symlink feature works due to a quirk in the implementation. Home
Dirs work by resolving the path <cifs.home_dir>/<user_name> using an
internal NFS like operation. Since the operation is NFS like, it knows
how to follow symlinks. As Keith said, we now have the root of a
virtual share so we obey the NT security model from that point on.
You can't follow the symlink in CIFS due to the current security
restrictions on respecting share boundaries.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Graham Knight [mailto:grahamk@ast.lmco.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 1999 4:27 AM
To: Keith Brown
Cc: quinlan(a)transmeta.com; toasters(a)mathworks.com;
support(a)netapp.com
Subject: Re: multiple CIFS HOME directories?
Keith Brown wrote:
> >Is it possible to have multiple default shares for CIFS homes?
>
> Not at the moment, although some enhancements are currently being made
in this
> area. For people who have UNIX though, there is a workaround. Here's
the gig...
>
> The idea is that you create a single home directories
> directory and populate it with symbolic links to the real home
directories
> which can be anywhere on the filer.
>
> So, if:
>
> options cifs.home_dir {/vol/vol0}/home
>
> and joe and bill have home directories in /vol/vol5/home, then from a
UNIX
> client you can:
>
> % cd /filer/vol0/home
> % ln -s /vol/vol5/home/joe ./joe
> % ln -s /vol/vol5/home/bill ./bill
We do this and it works very well. One thing that has always confused me
though - the cifs.homedir works - but if i set up /filer/vol0/home as a
share and
browse to it all i see are the unresolved links. How come it
can do one and not the other? It'd be nice to be able to browse
to one spot on the filer and see all the home dirs....
Graham