Unable to do PCNFS on windows 2008 R2”

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Recently we got a case where customer was trying to set up Server for PCNFS on Windows 2008 R2. They were moving from Windows 2003, SFU 3.5 to Windows 2008 R2.

Server for PCNFS is no more in Windows 2008. Starting Windows 2003 R2, it was removed. The TechNet article below talks about the same thing. 

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753302%28WS.10%29.aspx
 

But we can achieve similar functionality using the below options:

1. User Name Mapping server: If you have an existing Windows 2003 / Windows 2003 R2 system; it can still host the User Name Mapping Service. Your Windows 2008 can fetch maps from the system running user name mapping service on Windows 2003 / Windows 2003 R2 system. The only (and most important!) change needed on the system running user name mapping
service is that the .maphosts file (in C:\WINDOWS\msnfs in case on Windows 2003 R2) needs to have a “+” / list of Windows NFS servers so that they can get the maps.

 

2. Active directory lookup: Windows NFS server can be pointed to fetch the maps directly from Active Directory. The changes which are needed on the Windows Active directory are to populate the UNIX related attributes (below) for related groups and users.

  • On the NFS server, we need to put the netbios name of the domain under the ADlookup setting.
  • Then we need to populate the following entries on the AD for user’s and group

 

List of attributes for a group:

  • gidNumber – an unique number for the group in a domain

List of attributes for a user: (one inbold are mandatory)

  • uid –generally the sAMAccountName
  • uidNumber – an unique number for the user in a domain
  • gidNumber – number same as of the gidNumber of the group to which this user belongs
  • msSFU30Name- generally the sAMAccountName
  • unixHomeDirectory– home directory for UNIX environment
  • loginShell –default shell for user

https://blogs.technet.com/b/sfu/archive/2010/12/09/important-tips-on-nfs-part-1.aspx 

3. ADLDS: This is used for the scenario for mapping local users and group in “non-active directory” environment.