| 1 | <html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>Chapter 47. Samba Support</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../samba.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.75.2"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The Official Samba 3.5.x HOWTO and Reference Guide"><link rel="up" href="Appendix.html" title="Part VI. Reference Section"><link rel="prev" href="ch-ldap-tls.html" title="Chapter 46. LDAP and Transport Layer Security"><link rel="next" href="DNSDHCP.html" title="Chapter 48. DNS and DHCP Configuration Guide"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Chapter 47. Samba Support</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch-ldap-tls.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Part VI. Reference Section</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="DNSDHCP.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div lang="en-US" class="chapter" title="Chapter 47. Samba Support"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id453711"></a>Chapter 47. Samba Support</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="ch47.html#id453826">Free Support</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="ch47.html#id454025">Commercial Support</a></span></dt></dl></div><p>
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| 2 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453720"></a>
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| 3 | One of the most difficult to answer questions in the information technology industry is, <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">What is
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| 4 | support?</span>”</span>. That question irritates some folks, as much as common answers may annoy others.
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| 5 | </p><p>
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| 6 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453735"></a>
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| 7 | The most aggravating situation pertaining to support is typified when, as a Linux user, a call is made to
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| 8 | an Internet service provider who, instead of listening to the problem to find a solution, blandly replies:
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| 9 | <span class="quote">“<span class="quote">Oh, Linux? We do not support Linux!</span>”</span>. It has happened to me, and similar situations happen
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| 10 | through-out the IT industry. Answers like that are designed to inform us that there are some customers
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| 11 | that a business just does not want to deal with, and well may we feel the anguish of the rejection that
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| 12 | is dished out.
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| 13 | </p><p>
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| 14 | One way to consider support is to view it as consisting of the right answer, in the right place,
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| 15 | at the right time, no matter the situation. Support is all that it takes to take away pain, disruption,
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| 16 | inconvenience, loss of productivity, disorientation, uncertainty, and real or perceived risk.
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| 17 | </p><p>
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| 18 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453759"></a>
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| 19 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453765"></a>
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| 20 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453772"></a>
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| 21 | One of the forces that has become a driving force for the adoption of open source software is the fact that
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| 22 | many IT businesses have provided services that have perhaps failed to deliver what the customer expected, or
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| 23 | that have been found wanting for other reasons.
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| 24 | </p><p>
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| 25 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453785"></a>
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| 26 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453791"></a>
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| 27 | In recognition of the need for needs satisfaction as the primary experience an information technology user or
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| 28 | consumer expects, the information provided in this chapter may help someone to avoid an unpleasant experience
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| 29 | in respect of problem resolution.
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| 30 | </p><p>
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| 31 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453804"></a>
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| 32 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453810"></a>
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| 33 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453817"></a>
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| 34 | In the open source software arena there are two support options: free support and paid-for (commercial)
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| 35 | support.
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| 36 | </p><div class="sect1" title="Free Support"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id453826"></a>Free Support</h2></div></div></div><p>
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| 37 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453834"></a>
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| 38 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453841"></a>
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| 39 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453848"></a>
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| 40 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453854"></a>
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| 41 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453861"></a>
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| 42 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453868"></a>
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| 43 | Free support may be obtained from friends, colleagues, user groups, mailing lists, and interactive help
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| 44 | facilities. An example of an interactive dacility is the Internet relay chat (IRC) channels that host user
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| 45 | supported mutual assistance.
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| 46 | </p><p>
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| 47 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453880"></a>
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| 48 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453887"></a>
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| 49 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453894"></a>
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| 50 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453900"></a>
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| 51 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453907"></a>
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| 52 | The Samba project maintains a mailing list that is commonly used to discuss solutions to Samba deployments.
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| 53 | Information regarding subscription to the Samba mailing list can be found on the Samba <a class="ulink" href="https://lists.samba.org/mailman/" target="_top">web</a> site. The public mailing list that can be used to obtain
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| 54 | free, user contributed, support is called the <code class="literal">samba</code> list. The email address for this list
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| 55 | is at <code class="literal">mail:samba@samba.org</code>. Information regarding the Samba IRC channels may be found on
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| 56 | the Samba <a class="ulink" href="http://www.samba.org/samba.irc.html" target="_top">IRC</a> web page.
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| 57 | </p><p>
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| 58 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453944"></a>
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| 59 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453951"></a>
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| 60 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453958"></a>
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| 61 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453965"></a>
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| 62 | As a general rule, it is considered poor net behavior to contact a Samba Team member directly
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| 63 | for free support. Most active members of the Samba Team work exceptionally long hours to assist
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| 64 | users who have demonstrated a qualified problem. Some team members may respond to direct email
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| 65 | or telephone contact, with requests for assistance, by requesting payment. A few of the Samba
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| 66 | Team members actually provide professional paid-for Samba support and it is therefore wise
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| 67 | to show appropriate discretion and reservation in all direct contact.
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| 68 | </p><p>
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| 69 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453980"></a>
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| 70 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453986"></a>
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| 71 | <a class="indexterm" name="id453993"></a>
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| 72 | When you stumble across a Samba bug, often the quickest way to get it resolved is by posting
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| 73 | a bug <a class="ulink" href="https://bugzilla.samba.org/" target="_top">report</a>. All such reports are mailed to
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| 74 | the responsible code maintainer for action. The better the report, and the more serious it is,
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| 75 | the sooner it will be dealt with. On the other hand, if the responsible person can not duplicate
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| 76 | the reported bug it is likely to be rejected. It is up to you to provide sufficient information
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| 77 | that will permit the problem to be reproduced.
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| 78 | </p><p>
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| 79 | <a class="indexterm" name="id454013"></a>
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| 80 | We all recognize that sometimes free support does not provide the answer that is sought within
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| 81 | the time-frame required. At other times the problem is elusive and you may lack the experience
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| 82 | necessary to isolate the problem and thus to resolve it. This is a situation where is may be
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| 83 | prudent to purchase paid-for support.
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| 84 | </p></div><div class="sect1" title="Commercial Support"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id454025"></a>Commercial Support</h2></div></div></div><p>
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| 85 | There are six basic support oriented services that are most commonly sought by Samba sites:
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| 86 | </p><div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" type="disc"><li class="listitem"><p>Assistance with network design</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Staff Training</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Assistance with Samba network deployment and installation</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Priority telephone or email Samba configuration assistance</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Trouble-shooting and diagnostic assistance</p></li><li class="listitem"><p>Provision of quality assured ready-to-install Samba binary packages</p></li></ul></div><p>
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| 87 | <a class="indexterm" name="id454069"></a>
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| 88 | <a class="indexterm" name="id454076"></a>
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| 89 | Information regarding companies that provide professional Samba support can be obtained by performing a Google
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| 90 | search, as well as by reference to the Samba <a class="ulink" href="http://www.samba.org/samba/support.html" target="_top">Support</a> web page. Companies who notify the Samba Team
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| 91 | that they provide commercial support are given a free listing that is sorted by the country of origin.
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| 92 | Multiple listings are permitted, however no guarantee is offered. It is left to you to qualify a support
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| 93 | provider and to satisfy yourself that both the company and its staff are able to deliver what is required of
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| 94 | them.
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| 95 | </p><p>
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| 96 | <a class="indexterm" name="id454096"></a>
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| 97 | The policy within the Samba Team is to treat all commercial support providers equally and to show no
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| 98 | preference. As a result, Samba Team members who provide commercial support are lumped in with everyone else.
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| 99 | You are encouraged to obtain the services needed from a company in your local area. The open source movement
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| 100 | is pro-community; so do what you can to help a local business to prosper.
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| 101 | </p><p>
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| 102 | <a class="indexterm" name="id454113"></a>
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| 103 | Open source software support can be found in any quality, at any price and in any place you can
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| 104 | to obtain it. Over 180 companies around the world provide Samba support, there is no excuse for
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| 105 | suffering in the mistaken belief that Samba is unsupported software it is supported.
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| 106 | </p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="ch-ldap-tls.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="Appendix.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="DNSDHCP.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Chapter 46. LDAP and Transport Layer Security </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Chapter 48. DNS and DHCP Configuration Guide</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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