Chapter 5. Samba: Talking to Windows Networks
Chapter 5. Samba: Talking to Windows Networks
Difficult-o-Meter: 4 ( fairly high Linux knowledge required)Covers:
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Question: I've snuck a Linux machine onto my mostly Windows corporate network, to use as a personal workstation. There are a lot of files and documents out on the NT file servers that I'd like to be able to access. I also need to be able to print documents to the network printers. Or maybe I've started my own business. My employees are more comfortable with Windows workstations, but I don't want to spring for an expensive file and print server. What can I do?
Answer: Samba provides a complete solution for sharing files and printers with Windows networks. Not only does it allow a Linux machine to act as a workstation in a Windows network, it can also make a Linux machine act as a file and print server for a Windows network. In fact, why don't you just replace both the servers and workstations with Linux machines?
One of the most important requirements for Linux to be adopted in the mainstream business environment is the ability to interoperate with Microsoft Windows networks.
Neither Windows nor Linux is going to go away anytime soon. Transparent network access that's independent of a user 's choice of operating system is a worthy goal. Since Windows isn't known for its wide variety of networking protocols, it's up to Linux to fill the niche.
The software package that came to be known as Samba was originally developed in Australia by Andrew Tridgell. The project is open source and released under the GPL. A worldwide group of contributors have carefully reverse-engineered Microsoft's protocols, both documented and not so documented. The job is even more difficult because of Microsoft's strategy of making their software a moving target: changing protocols, using incompatible file formats, and so on.
Simply put, Samba provides full-featured SMB networking functionality to Linux ”almost all of the functions available on a Windows machine. A Linux computer can browse shares and access files or printers on an existing Windows network. It's also easy to set up a Linux machine as a file or print server in place of a Windows NT or 2000 box. In Samba versions 2.0 and above, Linux can even serve in place of a Windows NT domain controller. Samba emulates the SMB protocol so closely that clients won't even know it's not a Windows machine. In fact, many corporate IT departments have been able to replace their Window NT servers with Linux machines with no interruption in service.
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Pages: 257