1 mailto(samba-bugs@samba.anu.edu.au)
3 manpage(nmbd)(8)(23 Oct 1998)(Samba)(SAMBA)
5 manpagename(nmbd)(NetBIOS name server to provide NetBIOS over IP
6 naming services to clients)
10 bf(nmbd) [-D] [-o] [-a] [-H lmhosts file] [-d debuglevel] [-l log file basename] [-n primary NetBIOS name] [-p port number] [-s configuration file] [-i NetBIOS scope] [-h]
14 This program is part of the bf(Samba) suite.
16 bf(nmbd) is a server that understands and can reply to NetBIOS over IP
17 name service requests, like those produced by SMBD/CIFS clients such
18 as Windows 95/98, Windows NT and LanManager clients. It also
19 participates in the browsing protocols which make up the Windows
20 "Network Neighborhood" view.
22 SMB/CIFS clients, when they start up, may wish to locate an SMB/CIFS
23 server. That is, they wish to know what IP number a specified host is
26 Amongst other services, this program will listen for such requests,
27 and if its own NetBIOS name is specified it will respond with the IP
28 number of the host it is running on. Its "own NetBIOS name" is by
29 default the primary DNS name of the host it is running on, but this
30 can be overriden with the bf(-n) option (see em(OPTIONS) below). Thus
31 nmbd will reply to broadcast queries for its own name(s).
33 bf(nmbd) can also be used as a WINS (Windows Internet Name Server)
34 server. What this basically means is that it will act as a WINS database
35 server, responding to all name registration requests that it receives that are not broadcasts, as long as it can
36 resolve the name. Resolvable names include all names in the NetBIOS
37 hosts file (if any, see .B \-H below), its own name, and any other
38 names that it may have learned about from other browsers on the
39 network. A change to previous versions is that nmbd will now no
40 longer do this automatically by default.
46 This option is obsolete. Please use the "interfaces" option in smb.conf instead.
52 This option is obsolete. Please use the "interfaces" option in smb.conf instead.
58 If specified, this parameter causes the server to operate as a daemon. That is,
59 it detaches itself and runs in the background, fielding requests on the
62 By default, the server will NOT operate as a daemon.
68 This option is obsolete. Please use the "server string" option in smb.conf
75 This option is obsolete. Please use the "workgroup" option in smb.conf instead.
82 It may be useful in some situations to be able to specify a list of
83 NetBIOS names for which the server should send a reply if queried.
84 This option allows you to specify a file containing such a list.
85 The syntax of the hosts file is similar to the standard /etc/hosts file
86 format, but has some extensions.
88 The file contains three columns. Lines beginning with a # are ignored
89 as comments. The first column is an IP address, or a hostname. If it
90 is a hostname then it is interpreted as the IP address returned by
91 gethostbyname() when read. An IP address of 0.0.0.0 will be
92 interpreted as the server's own IP address.
94 The second column is a NetBIOS name. This is the name that the server
95 will respond to. It must be less than 20 characters long.
97 The third column is optional, and is intended for flags. Currently the
98 only flag supported is M, which means that this name is the default
99 NetBIOS name for this machine. This has the same effect as specifying the
104 NOTE: The G and S flags are now obsolete and are replaced by the
105 "interfaces" and "remote announce" options in smb.conf.
107 The default hosts file name is set at compile time, typically as
109 but this may be changed in the Samba Makefile.
111 After startup the server waits for queries, and will answer queries for
112 any name known to it. This includes all names in the NetBIOS hosts file,
113 its own name, and any other names it may have learned about from other
114 browsers on the network.
116 The primary intention of the
118 option is to allow a mapping from NetBIOS names to internet domain names.
122 # This is a sample NetBIOS hosts file
124 # DO NOT USE THIS FILE AS-IS
125 # YOU MAY INCONVENIENCE THE OWNERS OF THESE IPs
126 # if you want to include a name with a space in it then
129 # next add a NetBIOS alias for a faraway host
130 arvidsjaur.anu.edu.au ARVIDSJAUR
132 # finally put in an IP for a hard to find host
139 This option is obsolete. Please use the "interfaces" option in smb.conf instead.
146 This option sets the debug level. See
156 parameter specifies a path and base filename into which operational data
159 server will be logged.
160 The actual log file name is generated by appending the extension ".nmb" to
161 the specified base name.
162 For example, if the name specified was "log" then the file log.nmb would
163 contain the debugging data.
165 The default log file is specified at compile time, typically as
173 This option allows you to override the NetBIOS name that Samba uses for itself.
179 If this parameter is specified, the log files will be appended to with each
180 new connection. This is the default.
186 Overwrite existing log files instead of appending to them. (This was the
187 default until version 2.0.0.)
194 port number is a positive integer value.
196 Don't use this option unless you are an expert, in which case you
201 .I configuration file
204 The default configuration file name is set at compile time, typically as
206 but this may be changed in the Samba Makefile.
208 The file specified contains the configuration details required by the server.
211 for more information.
215 In version 1.9.18 and above, nmbd will accept SIGHUP, which will cause it to dump out
216 it's namelists into the file namelist.debug in the SAMBA/var/locks directory. This
217 will also cause nmbd to dump out it's server database in the log.nmb file.
218 Also new in version 1.9.18 and above is the ability to raise the debug log
219 level of nmbd by sending it a SIGUSR1 (kill -USR1 <nmbd-pid>) and to lower
220 the nmbd log level by sending it a SIGUSR2 (kill -USR2 <nmbd-pid>). This
221 is to allow transient problems to be diagnosed, whilst still running at
222 a normally low log level.
226 This man page is (mostly) correct for version 1.9.16 of the Samba
227 suite, plus some of the recent patches to it. These notes will
228 necessarily lag behind development of the software, so it is possible
229 that your version of the server has extensions or parameter semantics
230 that differ from or are not covered by this man page. Please notify
231 these to the address below for rectification.
240 The original Samba software and related utilities were created by
241 Andrew Tridgell (samba-bugs@samba.anu.edu.au). Andrew is also the Keeper
242 of the Source for this project.