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It has been said (by Sun Microsystems) that `the network is the
computer'.  While this may take it a little too far, networked systems
form the heart of every modern enterprise, and at the heart of every
modern network are directories of various sorts, which document and
control it.  

Samba is many things, but primarily a file and print server, that has for over 10
years emulated the Microsoft's products in this area.  In more recent
times, and particularly with Samba 3.0, it has taken on new roles in
running networks, as a 'Domain Controller', compatible with the
protocols used in NT4.

Samba version 4 is already a massive leap forward in the way Samba is
designed, and built.  This thesis attempts to take that further, by
examining the protocol basis and implementation details adding
support for hosting the Kerberos network authentication system into
Samba4's partial implementation of an Active Directory Domain
controller.

Active Directory forms the heart of Microsoft's modern network
architecture, and is the heart of many corporate networks.  Producing
a compatible product is important, if the Samba project is to remain
relevant into the future.

As a member of the Samba Team, and a core developer on the Samba4
project, I decided to research and document the protocols used by
Active Directory in a way that would lay the groundwork for future
development.  As a developer, I have been involved in a number of
authentication-related sub-projects on Samba4, but in particular I took
on the addition of Kerberos to Samba4 as a documented part of this thesis.

In the process, this thesis describes the authentication problem
space, the existing protocols, and in particular Microsoft's
proprietary NTLM and Kerberos extensions.

By making these changes to Samba version 4, we have progressed closer
to (but not yet succeeded in) creating an implementation compatible
with Active Directory.

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