Managed SMB Support in Ceph: The New SMB MGR Module (sambaXP 2025)

Talk from Avan Thakkar (IBM) at sambaXP 2025. Abstract: In this talk, we introduce the Ceph SMB Manager (MGR) module, designed to streamline the deployment and management of SMB shares backed by CephFS. This module provides an interface for orchestrating Samba services, enabling Active Directory authentication, and seamlessly integrating SMB into Ceph storage clusters. We will explore two management approaches—imperative and declarative—offering flexibility in configuring SMB clusters and shares. Additionally, we will discuss the earmarking feature, which prevents cross-protocol conflicts between SMB and NFS by tagging subvolumes for exclusive use, reducing the risk of data inconsistencies. The session will conclude with a live demo, showcasing the full end-to-end workflow – from enabling the module to set up SMB shares and connecting Windows and Linux clients. Visit the conference website at: https://sambaxp.org​ sambaXP is organised by SerNet: https://sernet.com