The net command is one of the new features of Samba-3 and is an attempt to provide a useful tool for the majority of remote management operations necessary for common tasks. The net tool is flexible by design and is intended for command-line use as well as for scripted control application.

Originally introduced with the intent to mimic the Microsoft Windows command that has the same name, the net command has morphed into a very powerful instrument that has become an essential part of the Samba network administrator's toolbox. The Samba Team has introduced tools, such as smbgroupedit and rpcclient , from which really useful capabilities have been integrated into the net . The smbgroupedit command was absorbed entirely into the net , while only some features of the rpcclient command have been ported to it. Anyone who finds older references to these utilities and to the functionality they provided should look at the net command before searching elsewhere.

A Samba-3 administrator cannot afford to gloss over this chapter because to do so will almost certainly cause the infliction of self-induced pain, agony, and desperation. Be warned: this is an important chapter.