[Fonte: Linux-Watch]
Direttamente da samba.org:
Samba 4.0.0 alpha1 Available for Download
Samba 4 is the ambitious next version of the Samba suite that is being developed in parallel to the stable 3.0 series. The main emphasis in this branch is support for the Active Directory logon protocols used by Windows 2000 and above.
Samba 4 is currently not yet in a state where it is usable in production environments. Note the WARNINGS in WHATSNEW.txt in the source and the STATUS file which aims to document what should and should not work.
Samba4 alpha1 is the culmination of 4.5 years of development under our belt since Tridge first proposed a new Virtual File System (VFS) layer for Samba3 (a project which eventually lead to our Active Directory efforts), and 1.5 years since we first released a Technology Preview. We wish to allow users, managers and developers to see how we have progressed, and to invite feedback and support.
E se andiamo a guardare cosa c’é scritto nel file WHATSNEW.txt incluso nei sorgenti:
NEW FEATURES
============
Samba4 supports the server-side of the Active Directory logon environment used by Windows 2000 and later, so we can do full domain join and domain logon operations with these clients.
Our Domain Controller (DC) implementation includes our own built-in LDAP server and Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) as well as the Samba3-like logon services provided over CIFS. We correctly generate the infamous Kerberos PAC, and include it with the Kerberos tickets we issue.
The new VFS features in Samba 4 adapts the filesystem on the server to match the Windows client semantics, allowing Samba 4 to better match windows behaviour and application expectations. This includes file annotation information (in streams) and NT ACLs in particular. The VFS is backed with an extensive automated test suite.
A new scripting interface has been added to Samba 4, allowing JavaScript programs to interface to Samba’s internals.
The Samba 4 architecture is based around an LDAP-like database that can use a range of modular backends. One of the backends supports standards compliant LDAP servers (including OpenLDAP), and we are working on modules to map between AD-like behaviours and this backend.
We are aiming for Samba 4 to be powerful frontend to large directories.
Come dire… gioia per le orecchie di ogni sistemista!
A quanto pare uno dei passi fondamentali è il portarsi in casa autenticazione Kerberos e directory LDAP, con la possibilità – molto interessante – di moduli di interfaccia con altri database, Open Source e non. Si parla anche di interfaccia per scripting. Se saltano fuori anche le GPO, godo.