[Pkg-samba-maint] Bug#496208: winbind: package description overhaul

Justin B Rye jbr at edlug.org.uk
Sat Aug 23 12:56:46 UTC 2008


Package: winbind
Version: 2:3.2.1-1
Severity: minor

This is part of a set of related bugreports on the packages in the
Samba suite; I've already reported many of these issues (with some
suggested fixes) as a single bugreport on samba4 (see #486370), but
since that approach is a dud I'm trying the alternative of splitting
them up and targetting individual packages.

Current package description:         
# Description: service to resolve user and group information from Windows NT servers
#  This package provides the winbindd daemon, which provides a
#  service for the Name Service Switch capability that is present
#  in most modern C libraries (like the GNU C Library - glibc.)
#  .
#  The service provided by winbindd is called `winbind' and
#  can be used to resolve user and group information from a
#  Windows NT server. The service can also provide authentication
#  services via an associated PAM module.

Problems shared with other packages in the set:
* "PAM module" is a mild but easily avoided PIN-numberism.
* Samba is all about OS interoperability, so keep the OS names
	straight.  The references to "Windows NT" are presumably
	just a rather ninetiesish way of saying "on a Windows
	domain".
* and the wishlist item: WIBNI all the packages in the suite had
	consistently styled short descriptions (especially important
	where the package name gives no hint of its affiliation).
	Likewise, consistent what-Samba-is boilerplate.

Problems unique to this package:
* a package that provides a daemon that provides a service, and a
	service provided by a daemon that can also provide services!
* the first thing a user needs to know about Name Service Switch
	isn't this strangely dated and irrelevant stuff about "most
	modern C libraries" (a man page quote?), or even its name;
	it's the fact that it's configured in /etc/nsswitch.conf.
* it doesn't make it clear that pam_winbind.so is included in this
	package (but requires a bit of config-wrestling).
* it doesn't mention ADS!  Indeed it never gets round to hinting at
	the actual point of winbind: unified network logons.

I think I'll just have to throw the existing text away and start
again from scratch.  Let me know if I'm getting it wrong...

Suggested replacement text:
| Description: Samba nameservice integration server
|  The Samba software suite implements the SMB/CIFS protocol, providing
|  cross-platform support for Windows-style network shares.
|  .
|  This package provides winbindd, a daemon which can integrate the
|  user/group lookup and authentication mechanisms from a Windows domain
|  with their equivalents on the Samba side. Thus for example users who
|  have Active Directory accounts can automatically be given working
|  /etc/password logins and vice versa, once /etc/nsswitch.conf and the
|  winbind module for PAM are configured appropriately.
-- 
JBR - please CC me (or the debian-l10n-english list) in replies





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