New Samba user

[Mike Pilkington]

I'm trying to set up a simple samba system to link my windows Pc's to my Linux box. I've read the NHF on Samba but still it is proving to be difficult to set up. Does anybody know of any documents that I can look at to help me set samba up in Linuxconf. I have looked at all the official sites but they aren't offering the simple information that I need.

Cheers Mike :eek:

[Ryeker]

Here is a basic smb.conf file.


netbios name = LINUXSERV
workgroup = WORKGROUP
security = share
[SHARE]
path = /samba
guest ok = yes
writeable = true


That will share the /samba directory (you'll need to create it).

[Coral Sea]

Don't think you can use linuxconf to set up Samba. Try SWAT. Also, download the free Samba book from http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/samba/chapter/book/index.html to help you out.

Samba can be tricky, especially when you try to call a Linux share from your Windoze PC. To access your Windows box from Linux, you don't have to do much to the smb.conf file other than specify the correct workgroup and indicate the correct IP address range:

workgroup = Your_Workgroup (as you named it in Windows)

hosts allow = 192.168.0 127. (assuming you're using IP addresses in the 192.168.0 series)

Then issue the following command (and put it in your /etc/rc.local file if you want to automount the Windows share when your Linux box boots up):

smbmount //winbox/winshare /mountpoint -o username=you,password=password,uid=501,gid=501

where you substitute the appropriate values for the variables, e.g., put in your Windoze PC's name for winbox.

Remember to enable file and printer sharing in Windoze and share a directory or drive.

To access a Linux share from Windoze, you need to edit the smb.conf file as follows:

security = user
encrypt passwords = yes
smb passwd file = /etc/smbpasswd

Then add your username as an smbuser by issuing the following command:

smbpasswd -a username

and then put in the password when prompted.

Username must exist in the /etc/passwd file so keep it simple by having identical usernames and passwords on your Linux and Windoze machines.

Then you have to create the Linux share like:

[Data]

Comment = Data
Path = /linuxshare
public = no
valid users = username
browseable = yes
writable = yes

When you call the Linux share from Windoze, the command will look like:

\\linuxbox\Data (literal "Data", not /linuxshare or /Data)

If all is well, you should also see the Linux share (and printers too!) in Network Neighborhood.

Hope that helps. ;)

[bdg1983]

Originally posted by Coral Sea:
When you call the Linux share from Windoze, the command will look like:

\\linuxbox\Data (literal "Data", not /linuxshare or /Data)

I like using \\linuxbox\public
Win users see 2 "folders".
Home
public

Just a preference, that's all.

[Coral Sea]

Yup, lots of flexibility here. You can add as many shares as you like and make them public or not, yada yada. Good point. ;)

[Coral Sea]

Just noticed a bit of sloppiness in my configuration. If you make the share [Data] writeable, you don't need to specify the browseable switch.