One of the most common ways to network Ubuntu and Windows computers is to configure Samba as a File Server. This section covers setting up a Samba server to share files with Windows clients.
The server will be configured to share files with any client on the network without prompting for a password.
If your environment requires stricter Access Controls see Securing File and Print Server.
Installation
The first step is to install the samba package. From a terminal prompt enter:
sudo apt i n s t a l l samba
That’s all there is to it; you are now ready to configure Samba to share files.
Configuration
The main Samba configuration file is located in /etc/samba/smb.conf. The default configuration file has a significant number of comments in order to document various configuration directives.
Note
Not all the available options are included in the default configuration file. See the smb.conf man page or the Samba HOWTO Collection for more details.
First, edit the following key/value pairs in the[global] section of /etc/samba/smb.conf:
workgroup = EXAMPLE . . .
s e c u r i t y = u s e r
The security parameter is farther down in the [global] section, and is commented by default. Also, change EXAMPLE to better match your environment.
Create a new section at the bottom of the file, or uncomment one of the examples, for the directory to be shared:
[ s h a r e ]
comment = Ubuntu F i l e S e r v e r Share path = / s r v /samba/ s h a r e
b r o w s a b l e = y e s g u e s t ok = y e s r e a d o n l y = no c r e a t e mask = 0755
• comment: a short description of the share. Adjust to fit your needs.
• path: the path to the directory to share.
This example uses /srv/samba/sharename because, according to the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS), /srv is where site-specific data should be served. Technically Samba shares can be placed anywhere on the filesystem as long as the permissions are correct, but adhering to standards is recom-mended.
• browsable: enables Windows clients to browse the shared directory using Windows Explorer.
• guest ok: allows clients to connect to the share without supplying a password.
• read only: determines if the share is read only or if write privileges are granted. Write privileges are allowed only when the value is no, as is seen in this example. If the value is yes, then access to the share is read only.
• create mask: determines the permissions new files will have when created.
Now that Samba is configured, the directory needs to be created and the permissions changed. From a terminal enter:
sudo mkdir −p / s r v /samba/ s h a r e
sudo chown nobody : nogroup / s r v /samba/ s h a r e / Note
The-pswitch tells mkdir to create the entire directory tree if it doesn’t exist.
Finally, restart the samba services to enable the new configuration:
sudo s y s t e m c t l r e s t a r t smbd . s e r v i c e nmbd . s e r v i c e
Warning
Once again, the above configuration gives all access to any client on the local network. For a more secure configuration see Securing File and Print Server.
From a Windows client you should now be able to browse to the Ubuntu file server and see the shared directory. If your client doesn’t show your share automatically, try to access your server by its IP address, e.g. \\192.168.1.1, in a Windows Explorer window. To check that everything is working try creating a directory from Windows.
To create additional shares simply create new [dir] sections in /etc/samba/smb.conf, and restart Samba.
Just make sure that the directory you want to share actually exists and the permissions are correct.
Note
The file share named “[share]” and the path /srv/samba/share are just examples. Adjust the share and path names to fit your environment. It is a good idea to name a share after a directory on the file system. Another example would be a share name of[qa]with a path of /srv/samba/qa.
Resources
• For in depth Samba configurations see the Samba HOWTO Collection
• The guide is also available in printed format.
• O’Reilly’s Using Samba is another good reference.
• The Ubuntu Wiki Samba page.
Samba
Computer networks are often comprised of diverse systems, and while operating a network made up entirely of Ubuntu desktop and server computers would certainly be fun, some network environments must consist of both Ubuntu and Microsoft Windows systems working together in harmony. This section of the UBUNTU SG-TITLE introduces principles and tools used in configuring your Ubuntu Server for sharing network resources with Windows computers.
Introduction
Successfully networking your Ubuntu system with Windows clients involves providing and integrating with services common to Windows environments. Such services assist the sharing of data and information about the computers and users involved in the network, and may be classified under three major categories of functionality:
• File and Printer Sharing Services. Using the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol to facilitate the sharing of files, folders, volumes, and the sharing of printers throughout the network.
• Directory Services. Sharing vital information about the computers and users of the network with such technologies as the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and Microsoft Active Directory.
• Authentication and Access. Establishing the identity of a computer or user of the network and determining the information the computer or user is authorized to access using such principles and technologies as file permissions, group policies, and the Kerberos authentication service.
Fortunately, your Ubuntu system may provide all such facilities to Windows clients and share network resources among them. One of the principal pieces of software your Ubuntu system includes for Windows networking is the Samba suite of SMB server applications and tools.
This section of the UBUNTU SG-TITLE will introduce some of the common Samba use cases, and how to install and configure the necessary packages. Additional detailed documentation and information on Samba can be found on the Samba website.