LPIC-2 File Sharing and Samba Practice Question
Samba is integrated with Active Directory using security = ads. Which service is required for Kerberos authentication?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse winbindd (which handles identity mapping) with the actual authentication daemon, or assume the generic 'samba' service is a single binary that handles everything, when in fact smbd is the specific daemon for Kerberos-based SMB authentication.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
smbd
When Samba is integrated with Active Directory using `security = ads`, Kerberos authentication is handled by the `smbd` daemon. `smbd` is responsible for authenticating incoming SMB connections, and in an AD domain it uses the Kerberos protocol (via the GSSAPI) to validate tickets presented by clients. Without `smbd`, no Kerberos-based authentication can occur for SMB/CIFS services.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
smbd
Why this is correct
smbd handles Kerberos authentication via GSSAPI.
- ✗
winbindd
Why it's wrong here
winbindd resolves IDs but does not handle Kerberos directly.
- ✗
samba
Why it's wrong here
samba is a wrapper service.
- ✗
nmbd
Why it's wrong here
nmbd is for NetBIOS, not Kerberos.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-2 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the LPIC-2 exam.