<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>nmbd</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="samba.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.71.0"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="refentry" lang="en"><a name="nmbd.8"></a><div class="titlepage"></div><div class="refnamediv"><h2>Name</h2><p>nmbd — NetBIOS name server to provide NetBIOS over IP naming services to clients</p></div><div class="refsynopsisdiv"><h2>Synopsis</h2><div class="cmdsynopsis"><p><code class="literal">nmbd</code> [-D] [-F] [-S] [-a] [-i] [-o] [-h] [-V] [-d <debug level>] [-H <lmhosts file>] [-l <log directory>] [-p <port number>] [-s <configuration file>]</p></div></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id259605"></a><h2>DESCRIPTION</h2><p>This program is part of the <a href="samba.7.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">samba</span>(7)</span></a> suite.</p><p><code class="literal">nmbd</code> is a server that understands and can reply to NetBIOS over IP name service requests, like those produced by SMB/CIFS clients such as Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and LanManager clients. It also participates in the browsing protocols which make up the Windows "Network Neighborhood" view.</p><p>SMB/CIFS clients, when they start up, may wish to locate an SMB/CIFS server. That is, they wish to know what IP number a specified host is using.</p><p>Amongst other services, <code class="literal">nmbd</code> will listen for such requests, and if its own NetBIOS name is specified it will respond with the IP number of the host it is running on. Its "own NetBIOS name" is by default the primary DNS name of the host it is running on, but this can be overridden by the <a class="indexterm" name="id259397"></a>netbios name in <code class="filename">smb.conf</code>. Thus <code class="literal">nmbd</code> will reply to broadcast queries for its own name(s). Additional names for <code class="literal">nmbd</code> to respond on can be set via parameters in the <a href="smb.conf.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smb.conf</span>(5)</span></a> configuration file.</p><p><code class="literal">nmbd</code> can also be used as a WINS (Windows Internet Name Server) server. What this basically means is that it will act as a WINS database server, creating a database from name registration requests that it receives and replying to queries from clients for these names.</p><p>In addition, <code class="literal">nmbd</code> can act as a WINS proxy, relaying broadcast queries from clients that do not understand how to talk the WINS protocol to a WINS server.</p></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id260369"></a><h2>OPTIONS</h2><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term">-D</span></dt><dd><p>If specified, this parameter causes <code class="literal">nmbd</code> to operate as a daemon. That is, it detaches itself and runs in the background, fielding requests on the appropriate port. By default, <code class="literal">nmbd</code> will operate as a daemon if launched from a command shell. nmbd can also be operated from the <code class="literal">inetd</code> meta-daemon, although this is not recommended. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">-F</span></dt><dd><p>If specified, this parameter causes the main <code class="literal">nmbd</code> process to not daemonize, i.e. double-fork and disassociate with the terminal. Child processes are still created as normal to service each connection request, but the main process does not exit. This operation mode is suitable for running <code class="literal">nmbd</code> under process supervisors such as <code class="literal">supervise</code> and <code class="literal">svscan</code> from Daniel J. Bernstein's <code class="literal">daemontools</code> package, or the AIX process monitor. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">-S</span></dt><dd><p>If specified, this parameter causes <code class="literal">nmbd</code> to log to standard output rather than a file.</p></dd><dt><span class="term">-i</span></dt><dd><p>If this parameter is specified it causes the server to run "interactively", not as a daemon, even if the server is executed on the command line of a shell. Setting this parameter negates the implicit daemon mode when run from the command line. <code class="literal">nmbd</code> also logs to standard output, as if the <code class="constant">-S</code> parameter had been given. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">-h|--help</span></dt><dd><p>Print a summary of command line options. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">-H <filename></span></dt><dd><p>NetBIOS lmhosts file. The lmhosts file is a list of NetBIOS names to IP addresses that is loaded by the nmbd server and used via the name resolution mechanism <a class="indexterm" name="id260151"></a>name resolve order described in <a href="smb.conf.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smb.conf</span>(5)</span></a> to resolve any NetBIOS name queries needed by the server. Note that the contents of this file are <span class="emphasis"><em>NOT</em></span> used by <code class="literal">nmbd</code> to answer any name queries. Adding a line to this file affects name NetBIOS resolution from this host <span class="emphasis"><em>ONLY</em></span>.</p><p>The default path to this file is compiled into Samba as part of the build process. Common defaults are <code class="filename">/usr/local/samba/lib/lmhosts</code>, <code class="filename">/usr/samba/lib/lmhosts</code> or <code class="filename">/etc/samba/lmhosts</code>. See the <a href="lmhosts.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">lmhosts</span>(5)</span></a> man page for details on the contents of this file.</p></dd><dt><span class="term">-V</span></dt><dd><p>Prints the program version number. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">-s <configuration file></span></dt><dd><p>The file specified contains the configuration details required by the server. The information in this file includes server-specific information such as what printcap file to use, as well as descriptions of all the services that the server is to provide. See <code class="filename">smb.conf</code> for more information. The default configuration file name is determined at compile time.</p></dd><dt><span class="term">-d|--debuglevel=level</span></dt><dd><p><em class="replaceable"><code>level</code></em> is an integer from 0 to 10. The default value if this parameter is not specified is zero.</p><p>The higher this value, the more detail will be logged to the log files about the activities of the server. At level 0, only critical errors and serious warnings will be logged. Level 1 is a reasonable level for day-to-day running - it generates a small amount of information about operations carried out.</p><p>Levels above 1 will generate considerable amounts of log data, and should only be used when investigating a problem. Levels above 3 are designed for use only by developers and generate HUGE amounts of log data, most of which is extremely cryptic.</p><p>Note that specifying this parameter here will override the <a class="indexterm" name="id300494"></a> parameter in the <code class="filename">smb.conf</code> file.</p></dd><dt><span class="term">-l|--logfile=logdirectory</span></dt><dd><p>Base directory name for log/debug files. The extension <code class="constant">".progname"</code> will be appended (e.g. log.smbclient, log.smbd, etc...). The log file is never removed by the client. </p></dd><dt><span class="term">-p <UDP port number></span></dt><dd><p>UDP port number is a positive integer value. This option changes the default UDP port number (normally 137) that <code class="literal">nmbd</code> responds to name queries on. Don't use this option unless you are an expert, in which case you won't need help!</p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id300546"></a><h2>FILES</h2><div class="variablelist"><dl><dt><span class="term"><code class="filename">/etc/inetd.conf</code></span></dt><dd><p>If the server is to be run by the <code class="literal">inetd</code> meta-daemon, this file must contain suitable startup information for the meta-daemon. </p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="filename">/etc/rc</code></span></dt><dd><p>or whatever initialization script your system uses).</p><p>If running the server as a daemon at startup, this file will need to contain an appropriate startup sequence for the server.</p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="filename">/etc/services</code></span></dt><dd><p>If running the server via the meta-daemon <code class="literal">inetd</code>, this file must contain a mapping of service name (e.g., netbios-ssn) to service port (e.g., 139) and protocol type (e.g., tcp). </p></dd><dt><span class="term"><code class="filename">/usr/local/samba/lib/smb.conf</code></span></dt><dd><p>This is the default location of the <a href="smb.conf.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smb.conf</span>(5)</span></a> server configuration file. Other common places that systems install this file are <code class="filename">/usr/samba/lib/smb.conf</code> and <code class="filename">/etc/samba/smb.conf</code>.</p><p>When run as a WINS server (see the <a class="indexterm" name="id300653"></a>wins support parameter in the <a href="smb.conf.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smb.conf</span>(5)</span></a> man page), <code class="literal">nmbd</code> will store the WINS database in the file <code class="filename">wins.dat</code> in the <code class="filename">var/locks</code> directory configured under wherever Samba was configured to install itself.</p><p>If <code class="literal">nmbd</code> is acting as a <span class="emphasis"><em> browse master</em></span> (see the <a class="indexterm" name="id300700"></a>local master parameter in the <a href="smb.conf.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smb.conf</span>(5)</span></a> man page, <code class="literal">nmbd</code> will store the browsing database in the file <code class="filename">browse.dat </code> in the <code class="filename">var/locks</code> directory configured under wherever Samba was configured to install itself. </p></dd></dl></div></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id300739"></a><h2>SIGNALS</h2><p>To shut down an <code class="literal">nmbd</code> process it is recommended that SIGKILL (-9) <span class="emphasis"><em>NOT</em></span> be used, except as a last resort, as this may leave the name database in an inconsistent state. The correct way to terminate <code class="literal">nmbd</code> is to send it a SIGTERM (-15) signal and wait for it to die on its own.</p><p><code class="literal">nmbd</code> will accept SIGHUP, which will cause it to dump out its namelists into the file <code class="filename">namelist.debug </code> in the <code class="filename">/usr/local/samba/var/locks</code> directory (or the <code class="filename">var/locks</code> directory configured under wherever Samba was configured to install itself). This will also cause <code class="literal">nmbd</code> to dump out its server database in the <code class="filename">log.nmb</code> file.</p><p>The debug log level of nmbd may be raised or lowered using <a href="smbcontrol.1.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smbcontrol</span>(1)</span></a> (SIGUSR[1|2] signals are no longer used since Samba 2.2). This is to allow transient problems to be diagnosed, whilst still running at a normally low log level.</p></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id300819"></a><h2>VERSION</h2><p>This man page is correct for version 3.0 of the Samba suite.</p></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id300829"></a><h2>SEE ALSO</h2><p> <a href="inetd.8.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">inetd</span>(8)</span></a>, <a href="smbd.8.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smbd</span>(8)</span></a>, <a href="smb.conf.5.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smb.conf</span>(5)</span></a>, <a href="smbclient.1.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">smbclient</span>(1)</span></a>, <a href="testparm.1.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">testparm</span>(1)</span></a>, <a href="testprns.1.html"><span class="citerefentry"><span class="refentrytitle">testprns</span>(1)</span></a>, and the Internet RFC's <code class="filename">rfc1001.txt</code>, <code class="filename">rfc1002.txt</code>. In addition the CIFS (formerly SMB) specification is available as a link from the Web page <a href="http://samba.org/cifs/" target="_top"> http://samba.org/cifs/</a>.</p></div><div class="refsect1" lang="en"><a name="id300907"></a><h2>AUTHOR</h2><p>The original Samba software and related utilities were created by Andrew Tridgell. Samba is now developed by the Samba Team as an Open Source project similar to the way the Linux kernel is developed.</p><p>The original Samba man pages were written by Karl Auer. The man page sources were converted to YODL format (another excellent piece of Open Source software, available at <a href="ftp://ftp.icce.rug.nl/pub/unix/" target="_top"> ftp://ftp.icce.rug.nl/pub/unix/</a>) and updated for the Samba 2.0 release by Jeremy Allison. The conversion to DocBook for Samba 2.2 was done by Gerald Carter. The conversion to DocBook XML 4.2 for Samba 3.0 was done by Alexander Bokovoy.</p></div></div></body></html>