file servers, usernames, access to shares . . .

DaveSalt · 02-26-2005, 02:39 PM

Help needed please!!!

I have been using an old Netgear ND508 to share files on a peer to peer network of 20 pcs in the school where I teach. This works well because it allows all the children to log with the same username but when they access a share on the file server a window pops up to ask them for the username and password to access the share. This allows children to log on to the pcs with one username ("pupil") but store their files in a password protected folder.

However it is far too slow and copes with only a few concurrent users. I have purchased a replacement NAS file server (Synology DS101) which includes shares, users and groups in the administration set up. However it takes the username and password from the the workstation login, and blocks access to shares rather than promting for a password.

Does anyone have any ideas how the children could log onto the PCs all using the username "pupil" but then be required to give a password to access a share on a file server? Would it be possible to build a simple file server using Fedora as the OS which would enable this?

Any thoughts or comments greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

acid_kewpie · 02-26-2005, 02:54 PM

well i'm sure Samba is more than capable of doing what you want, not totally sure what that really is you're after. but for 20 users on a 100mb network, pretty much any standard desktop PC running samba would handle that just fine.

is there any real reason you wish them to have just one login? will they not log out reliably etc...? if they already have individual passwords for this fileserver you currently have, then why not expand that to a logon account for the machines? then you could automatically map "home" drive on the samba server so they wouldn't need a secondary login.

from you're position though, you'd need central access to those accounts, which would be extra work for you i guess. and i'd assume you're already up to all hours marking papers...? (I had a teacher friend who always had to stay up real late.. mind you he was smoking joints to forget about the day ratehr than anything else!)