Setting Up a Linux Samba Server

Although Linux will recognize the Windows NTFS file system, the two Operating Systems don't always play nice with one another. If you have a network with both Linux and Windows computers sharing files, it is best to have the correct Samba Linux setup. However, configuring Samba can be a bit of a chore. Previously, Pranav Thadeshwar has shown you how to mount a Windows Share from a Linux Machine and Jack Wallen has shown you how to use Samba to set up a home file server. Now we're going to expand on those two articles and add more users and set up a print server.

First, grab the latest copy of Samba. You can do this through any package manager. For Ubuntu and other Debian based systems, the command is:

sudo apt-get install samba

Before you make any changes, stop the service:

sudo /etc/init.d/samba stop

Backup the default configuration file:

sudo mv /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.bkup

You can actually just make changes to the smb.conf file, but it is still a good idea to make a backup file anyway. In that case, the command would be:

sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.bkup

Here is a sample smb.conf file that you can copy and paste into your editor:

[global]

workgroup = WORKGROUP

netbios name = MYNAME

security = user

null passwords = true

username map = /etc/samba/smbusers

hostname lookups = yes

hosts equiv = /etc/hosts

hosts allow = 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 localhost

hosts deny = All

interfaces = lo eth0

bind interfaces only = yes

guest ok = yes

printing = CUPS

printcap name = CUPS

[printers]

comment = All Printers

browseable = no

printable = yes

writable = no

public = yes

guest ok = yes

path = /var/spool/samba

printer admin = root

[PhotoSmart]

comment = HP PSC 1500

printable = yes

path = /var/spool/samba

public = yes

guest ok = yes

printer admin = root

[public]

path = /home/public

browseable = yes

read only = no

guest ok = yes

public = yes

create mode = 766

[home_directories]

path = /home/%U

read only = no

valid users = %U root