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Specifying the FTP authentication style

To configure the FTP server to use UNIX, Windows, or both authentication styles, you can set the ftpd.auth_style option to unix, ntlm, or mixed, respectively. By default, this option is mixed.

About this task

When you specify the UNIX authentication style, the FTP server authenticates users using the /etc/passwd file, NIS, or LDAP.

When you specify the NTLM authentication style, the FTP server authenticates users using the Windows domain controller. The NTLM authentication style is more secure than the UNIX authentication style because it uses encrypted user names and passwords.

When you specify the mixed authentication style, the FTP server uses the NTLM authentication style for users with names containing a backslash (\) or "@" character; it uses the UNIX authentication style for all other users.

Steps

  1. Enter the following command: options ftpd.auth_style style

    style is unix, ntlm, or mixed.

  2. Perform one of the following actions:
    If you specified... Then...
    ntlm Specify the CIFS home directory in the /etc/cifs_homedir.cfg file and then enter the following command: cifs homedir load

    The home directory of a user is a combination of the path you specify in /etc/cifs_homedir.cfg and the user ID of the user. The path you specify in /etc/cifs_homedir.cfg is case-sensitive; however, the user ID is not case-sensitive. For example, if the path is \home and the user name is JOHN, the home directory for the user is \home\john.

    unix and previously enabled NIS by setting the nis.enable option to on Add an appropriate passwd entry to the /etc/nsswitch file.
    • To authenticate users using the /etc/passwd file only, add the following entry: passwd: files
    • To authenticate users using NIS only, add the following entry: passwd: nis
    • To authenticate users using both the /etc/passwd file and NIS, add the following entry: passwd: files nis