What is Samba?

Samba is an implementation of the Server Message Block (SMB)/Common Internet File System (CIFS) protocol for Unix systems, providing support for cross-platform file and printer sharing with Microsoft Windows, OS X, and other Unix systems.

Samba can be used to:

• Act as a server for SMB clients: share folders and printers, including PDF pseudo-printers so all the computers in your network may write PDF files
• Act as a domain controller in a Windows network (authenticating users, etc.)
• Do some more complex things, such as using a Windows domain controller to authenticate the users of a Linux/UNIX machine

Samba is freely available under the GNU General Public License. More information be found at http://www.samba.org.

General Samba Guides

• Configuring Samba Clients - A guide to accessing shared files on Ubuntu and Windows.

• Configuring Samba Servers - Setting up and configuring a Samba Server.

• Swat - Samba's web-based GUI configuration utility.

• Securing Samba - a brief introduction to Samba's security configuration.

Samba and Active Directory

• Add and authenticate an Ubuntu box in an Active Directory domain.

• Configuring an Ubuntu server as a file server in an Active Directory Domain.

• Setting up an LDAP/Samba/Ubuntu Primary Domain Controller and mixed Linux/Windows clients.

• Automating joining Active Directory Domains using SADMS.

• Integrating Fedora Directory Server onto Ubuntu.

• Configuring Samba server and clients to utilize Kerberos authentication services.

Samba and LDAP

• OpenLDAP-SambaPDC-OrgInfo-Posix

Samba File and Print

• Printer Sharing

• Mount Windows Shares Permanently

Troubleshooting

The first thing you should do, before looking into your conf files, is ensure that the directory you are sharing actually exists.

• Samba Diagnostics - from samba.org.

• pdbedit man page - Online version of the pdbedit manual. pdbedit is a Samba tool that manages user accounts.

Known issues

• Unable to see Windows share hostnames in Nautilus when on WiFi - This is due to how WINS is not a protocol enabled by default in Ubuntu by earlier versions of Ubuntu. To enable this, one would execute via a terminal:

  sudo nano /etc/nsswitch.conf

  and change:

  hosts: files

  to:

  hosts: files wins

See Also

• Setting up Samba as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC)

External Links

• samba.org - The Samba web site

• enterprisesamba.org - Prebuild Samba packages

• Samba HowTo Collection - Samba howtos at samba.org, partly outdate, use with care.

• Using Samba 2nd Edition - Published 2003.

• ubuntuguide.org - Samba howtos are available for a variety of Ubuntu versions

• Chapters 10, 11 and 12 from the wiki at linuxhomenetworking.com

CategoryNetworking