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On April 7-8, 2025, the sambaXP conference – the annual international event for the Open-Source software Samba – will take place in Göttingen, Germany. This year, participants have an exciting opportunity: Immediately following the conference, from April 8-10, SNIA will host the SMB3 Interoperability LabEMEA (IO Lab). The event is officially supported by Microsoft.

The IO Lab is organized as a unique testing event. It focuses on creating a collaborative space to test implementations, identify bugs and fix processes. Several new features have recently been added to the SMB3 protocol and are now subject for learning and implementing! Participants will also get an exclusive chance to directly interact with Windows Protocol Support, Test Suite Development, and members of the Windows development team. But the Lab is more than only a testing environment – it invites Samba developers to showcase their SMB3 solutions and exchange experiences and knowledge. 

Make sure to separately register for the Interoperability Lab via SNIA. Don’t miss the opportunity to test your SMB3 implementations on the spot in a cooperative environment. 

As for sambaXP tickets: please check the registration section at the conference website. 

SerNet and the Samba team are eager to meet everyone for the two exciting events in Göttingen!

We're happy to introduce a new webinar series held by Björn Jacke. The first webinar will start in March 2025 and covers how to back up Active Directory with Samba and migrate from a Windows-based AD to Samba-AD. Learn key strategies for seamless transitions and effective AD management using the open-source tool Samba.

Most Active Directory installations are Windows-based. Samba makes it possible to secure such an AD installation with Unix tools and then to operate the backup with a Samba DC. This can be useful not only for backup purposes but also for migrating from Windows to Samba. This webinar demonstrates how to create a backup and how to restore asecure Samba AD.

Registration link: AD-Back-Up & Migration: How to migrate from Microsoft to with Samba

Please note that the webinar will only be held in English.

Volker Lendecke, longtime member of the Samba core team and co-founder of SerNet, will give a presentation on “SMB3.11 UNIX Extensions: Current Status” at FOSDEM 2025 in Brussels. The presentation is scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 13:25 (CET) in room K.3.401. As usual, FOSDEM will again offer the opportunity to follow the presentation remotely this year.

The presentation will highlight the current state of development of the SMB3.1.1 UNIX extensions and show how SMB3.11 Unix Extensions contribute to making SMB a fully-fledged file sharing protocol for Linux systems. Lendecke will address the latest advances in functionality, discuss technical challenges and give an outlook on future developments.

FOSDEM 2025 remains a central meeting place for the open source community and attracts a large number of developers, technologists and enthusiasts from all over the world every year. The free, volunteer-organized conference is known for its wide range of topics, including software development, operating systems, networking and much more. With its practice-oriented presentations and discussions, the event offers a valuable opportunity for knowledge exchange and networking within the open source world.

Whether on-site in Brussels or virtually, don't miss this opportunity to gain deeper insights into the future of SMB and the UNIX extensions and to meet parts of the Samba Core Team!

SerNet is excited to announce that sambaXP 2025 will take place on April 7th and 8th on-site in Göttingen, Germany once again. This annual event promises to bring together Samba enthusiasts and experts for an interesting and enjoyable two-day conference. Please note that this date has changed!

For those eager to contribute to the conference, now is a great time to start thinking about topics for talks. The call for papers will open shortly, and we invite innovative and engaging submissions. If you have ideas, questions, or any issues related to your participation, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Local Organizing Committee. We are ready to assist and make your Samba eXPerience as smooth as possible.

For updates on ticketing, and other event details, be sure to visit sambaxp.org. To get into the Samba spirit ahead of sambaXP 2025, check out the recordings from the 2024 conference available on YouTube. The sessions are a great way to gain insights and inspiration.

We look forward to welcoming you to an engaging and fruitful sambaXP 2025 in Göttingen!