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SAMBA+ 4.22 packages for various SUSE and Red Hat platforms as well as for Debian GNU/Linux and Ubuntu have been developed by SerNet’s Samba team and are now available.

This is the first stable SAMBA+ release of the new Samba 4.22 series. Please test thoroughly before upgrading and read the release notes carefully. They contain important information about changes and new features in this major release:

Samba 4.22 Release Notes

With this release, Samba 4.21 has entered "maintenance mode," while Samba 4.20 is now in "security fixes only mode." Samba 4.19 will likely not receive further updates, and the SAMBA+ 4.19 repositories will soon be disabled. Please upgrade to a recent SAMBA+ version.

New in Samba 4.22: SMB3 Directory Leases

A major enhancement in Samba 4.22 is the introduction of SMB3 Directory Leases. This is a milestone developed as part of the larger project funded by the Sovereign Tech Fund (STF). SerNet GmbH secured the funding and is managing the development.

SMB3 Directory Leases allow clients to cache directory listings, reducing network overhead and improving performance when working with shared files and folders. The new global smb.conf option "smb3 directory leases" controls this feature. It is enabled by default for non-clustered Samba installations and disabled for clustered environments. More details are available in man smb.conf.

Ralph Böhme will present "The Rocky Road to SMB3 Directory Leases" at sambaXP on April 7-8, 2025, in Göttingen, Germany.

For more information on the STF project and its contributions to Samba, visit: STF Project Overview

Upgrading

Details on package access and upgrading can be found in the SAMBA+ How-to collection: SAMBA+ How-to Guide

If you are upgrading from a SAMBA+ version older than 4.21 and use your own or third-party scripts that rely on Samba’s Python modules, you must install the sernet-samba-python3 package after upgrading to SAMBA+ 4.22 on Debian or Ubuntu systems. RHEL and SUSE-based systems are not affected.

For details on SAMBA+ pricing:

• US SAMBA+ Shop
• World SAMBA+ Shop

For further questions, contact the SAMBA+ Team.

On April 7-8, 2025, the sambaXP conference – the annual international event for the Open-Source software Samba – will take place in Goettingen, 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 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.