Deciding on a domain or workgroup configuration

About this section

You can install the filer into a Windows NT domain or Windows workgroup. Use the information in this section to help you decide which to choose.

Caution: It is difficult to change this decision after you run setup.

Definition of a domain

A domain

Is a collection of Windows NT computers that share a common directory database defined by a Windows NT server administrator
Has a unique domain name
Provides access to centralized user and group accounts
Enables centralized administration of user and group accounts

Definition of a workgroup

A workgroup

Is a collection of Windows NT computers
Has a unique workgroup name
Is grouped for viewing purposes
Does not provide access to centralized user and group accounts
Does not enable centralized administration of user and group accounts

When to install into a Windows NT domain

Install the filer into a Windows NT domain

If you want centralized administration using a Windows NT domain
If you want to integrate the filer into the Windows NT domain topology
If you want user authentication to be handled by Windows NT domain controllers

Caution: Your network must have at least one Windows NT domain controller to install the filer into a Windows NT domain.

When to install into a Windows workgroup

Install the filer into a Windows workgroup

If you do not want centralized administration through a Windows NT domain
If you want UNIX-style authentication using an /etc/passwd file or NIS

Caution: If you install the filer into a Windows workgroup, it is not compatible with clients that have Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3.0 or Windows 95 clients with Microsoft Distributed File System (DFS) 4.1 installed. Clients can be made compatible by adding a registry entry to reenable plain-text passwords.

To reenable plain-text passwords on a Windows NT client, consult the Microsoft Knowledge Base on the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/kb/default.asp; refer to article Q166730, "With Unencrypted Password SP3 Fails to Connect to SMB Server."

To reenable plain-text passwords on a Windows 95 client, consult the following file in the Microsoft Knowledge Base on the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/dfs/readme.asp.

Summary of domain and workgroup features

The following table shows which authentication features are available to domains and which are available to workgroups.


Feature	Domain	Workgroup
Compatible with Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (encryption).	Y	N
Compatible with Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (message signing).	N	N
Support for Windows NT-only users.	Y	N
Encrypted password sent to filer.	Y	N
/etc/passwd and /etc/group files on the filer determine User Identification numbers (UIDs) and Group Identification numbers (GIDs) for multiprotocol.	Y	Y
/etc/passwd file on the filer contains users' passwords.	N	Y
Single login.	Y	N
Change password remotely.	Y	Y (only with NIS)
Multiple net segments.	Y	N

Part No. 210-02343
File: cifs_in1.htm
Last updated: 02/25/99 17:35:17