JumpStart: Configuring a Samba Server Using system-config-samba

The system-config-samba utility can set up only basic features of a Samba server. It is, however, the best tool to use if you are not familiar with Samba and you want to set up a simple Samba server quickly. The system-config-samba utility performs three basic functions: configuring the server, configuring users, and setting up shares (directory hierarchies) that are exported to the Windows machines.

Tip: Make a copy of smb.conf

As installed, the /etc/samba/smb.conf file has extensive comments (page 705). The system-config-samba utility overwrites this file. Make a copy of smb.conf for safekeeping before you run this utility for the first time.

To display the Samba Server Configuration window (Figure 23-1), enter system-config-samba on a command line. From KDE select Main menu: System Samba or from GNOME select System: Administration Server Settings Samba.

Figure 23-1. Samba Server Configuration window

Select Menubar:Preferences Server Settings to display the Server Settings window Basic tab (Figure 23-2, next page). Change the workgroup to the one in use on the Windows machines. Change the description of the server if you like. Click the Security tab and make sure Authentication Mode is set to User; you do not need to specify an Authentication Server or a Kerberos Realm. If you are using Windows 98 or later, set Encrypt Passwords to Yes. When you specify a username in the Guest Account, anyone logging in on the Samba server as guest maps to that user's ID. Typically the guest account maps to the UID of the Linux user named nobody. Click OK.

Figure 23-2. Server Settings window, Basic tab

Samba users

Select Menubar: Preferences Samba Users to display the Samba Users window (Figure 23-3). If the user you want to log in as is not already specified in this window, click Add User. When you have the proper permissions, the Create New Samba User window displays a combo box next to Unix Username that allows you to select a Linux user; otherwise, your username is displayed as the Unix Username. The Windows Username is the Windows username that you want to map to the specified Linux (UNIX) username. The Samba Password is the password this user or Windows enters to gain access to the Samba server.

Figure 23-3. Samba Users window

If Sam has accounts named sam on both the Windows and Linux systems, you would select sam from the Unix Username combo box, enter sam in the Windows Username text box, and enter Sam's Windows password in the two Samba Password text boxes. Click OK to close the Create New Samba User window and click OK to close the Samba Users window.

Tip: Adding a Samba password for the Linux user nobody

Because the user nobody exists in smbusers when you install Samba, you cannot add the user nobody, nor can you add a password for nobody from system-config-samba. Instead, you must use smbpasswd from the command line as follows:

# smbpasswd -a nobody New SMB password: Retype new SMB password:

Normally the user nobody does not have a password because it is the guest login. Press RETURN (without typing any characters) in response to each of the SMB password prompts to add nobody to the Samba password file without a password.

Linux shares

Next you need to add a share, which is the directory hierarchy you export from the Linux system to the Windows system. Click Add Share on the toolbar to display the Basic tab in the Create Samba Share window (Figure 23-4). In the Directory text box, enter the absolute pathname of the directory you want to share (/tmp is an easy directory to practice with). Enter a description if you like. It can be useful to enter the Linux hostname and the pathname of the directory you are sharing here. Specify Writable if you want to be able to write to the directory from the Windows machine; Visible allows the share to be seen from the Windows machine. Click the Access tab and specify whether you want to limit access to specified users or whether you want to allow anyone to access this share. Click OK. Close the Samba Server Configuration window.

Figure 23-4. Create Samba Share window, Basic tab

You should now be able to access the share from a Windows machine (page 711). There is no need to restart the Samba server.