HOWTO: Setup Samba peer-to-peer with Windows

[bertolo]

omg this thread has 99 pages :S
can someoene give me a fast update of this for 10.04?
this is important thing, someoen should post a sticky about this.

[degarb]

99 pages should be nothing for a Linux user.

[dmizer]

omg this thread has 99 pages :S
can someoene give me a fast update of this for 10.04?
this is important thing, someoen should post a sticky about this.

The wiki documents regarding samba should be sufficient: https://help.ubuntu.com/10.04/server...ileserver.html

[degarb]

The wiki documents regarding samba should be sufficient: https://help.ubuntu.com/10.04/server...ileserver.html

I spent 14 hours getting mine running. Nothing worked, then I peeked into the host file, and found some bad entries there that the installer automatically stuck in there. Fixed those and it started working. Still doesn't browse other computers nearly as quickly as the xp machines, but works if you persist on clicking 1 or more times and waiting. This incompetence possibly also led me to believe it wasn't working when it was.

I think it would be more useful to have a simple double-check check list that didn't include detailed instruction about crap we are needing. We certainly aren't interested in the packet architecture. Someone, better experienced than I, could boil this down better. The useful stuff that I remember doing that may have helped: 1. check host file 2. check samba.conf make sure name is same as xp machines and all allow entries are there 3. check the inclusion of packages needed to get ntfs browsing over network,etc. Since many distros don't think getting a real mixed computer home network is necessary (Real homes have many occupants that use and share on macs, xp, win7, 98, other linux distros, and the resident linux distro.) 4. Know how to add a user using latest JK Rowling inspired comandline commands.

[Morbius1]

Nothing worked, then I peeked into the host file, and found some bad entries there that the installer automatically stuck in there.

I have never seen that happen. I'm not saying it didn't in your case but I have never seen that happen.

2. check samba.conf make sure name is same as xp machines and all allow entries are there

If you're talking about the Workgroup name I have 4 in my network and everyone ( WinXP, Mac, occasionally a WinVista, other Linux, ... ) seems fine with it.

3. check the inclusion of packages needed to get ntfs browsing over network,etc.

I honestly and truly have no idea what that means. NTFS and FAT32 can present a problem if they are not mounted with the right permissions ( i.e., USB stick ) to facilitate samba access but Samba offers a way around that problem. That's not a Samba problem it's a Linux permissions problem.

4. Know how to add a user using latest JK Rowling inspired comandline commands.

There are GUI's that do all that but most HowTo's - in fact most of the help you find in forums - tend to be desktop environment agnostic. Especially with something like Samba that can be configured on just about anything. If someone gave a description on how to do something using a gnome utility it's not going to do the KDE user any good.

[degarb]

I have never seen that happen. I'm not saying it didn't in your case but I have never seen that happen.
If you're talking about the Workgroup name I have 4 in my network and everyone ( WinXP, Mac, occasionally a WinVista, other Linux, ... ) seems fine with it.
I honestly and truly have no idea what that means. NTFS and FAT32 can present a problem if they are not mounted with the right permissions ( i.e., USB stick ) to facilitate samba access but Samba offers a way around that problem. That's not a Samba problem it's a Linux permissions problem.
There are GUI's that do all that but most HowTo's - in fact most of the help you find in forums - tend to be desktop environment agnostic. Especially with something like Samba that can be configured on just about anything. If someone gave a description on how to do something using a gnome utility it's not going to do the KDE user any good.

So, what is your checklist? Something is missing, else things should all work on install. It didn't with any of my three machines (vector, ubuntu 9, lmde 10 after ubu10 installer kept crashing), or all these other people.

Probably, as pointed out by Morbius, my end user perceptions are warped to think this or that worked, but are serendipitous to some real solution I tried anon the psydo patch. So, I don't firmely know (only three full installs + 2 vbox). I did have to install packages to get ubuntu 9 working (this I am certain), and packages on mint 10 lmde to get networking running (this others were certain, though I spent time doing this). It seems also to my perception (since frantically trying 40 pages and websites with recommended fixes.) that nothing worked until I set workgroup name the same as xp (probably a placebo fix).

Interesting point about kde, gnome, xfce. In last year, I have slitaz, ubuntu xfe 9, mint 10 kde and crunchbang (pretty much same as ubuntu). I just assumed that since Ubuntu 9 xfce and Mint 10 kde were pretty much arranged in same logical manner (graphics differ, one at top and one at bottom), that, finding switches in gui is pretty much the same. You don't need graphic to describe a folder structure or gui heirachy: Administration> Control panel>drives>mount iso , nor are they totally arbitrary. Musing too, often Windows tutorial descriptions of fixes may cover the two most common layouts.

[Morbius1]

So, what is your checklist? Something is missing, else things should all work on install. It didn't with any of my three machines (vector, ubuntu 9, lmde 10 after ubu10 installer kept crashing), or all these other people.

Don't have a checklist. Haven't had a problem since I bought my current router ( an aging DLink DI-604 into which I have a wireless access point attached ). And that was years and many distros ago. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with my network. Most of these Samba HowTo's are in response to something being wrong with the network and how Samba can be used to correct for it.

Take a look at this HowTo and you'll note that there is really very little pure Samba content. It has a recommended smb.conf file, something on setting up users with passwords, and something about security. The bulk of this HowTo is how to set up a WINS server and how to configure a Windows client to access the WINS server.

One doesn't set up a WINS server unless there is something wrong with the network and name services are either not present or not working or the network is very complex with multiple subnets. By default Ubuntu uses "broadcast" to inform the rest of the network that it is alive and well and has shares available. As it turns out Windows also uses "broadcast" so everything for me works out of the box. Only once did I have to make a change in smb.conf to correct for a network problem and that was on a laptop. It was easily fixed by forcing it to use broadcast first in the name resolve order. And I never did change it's workgroup name.

There are things that can get in the way of samba such as firewalls, linux file permissions, even the length of the machine name but that's why forums were created

[miekrand]

In Ubuntu 10.10 a few things changed.

To stop or restart samba

sudo service smbd stop
sudo service smbd start
sudo service smbd restart

The link to windows networking at the bottom has changed to
https://help.ubuntu.com/10.10/server...etworking.html

I am in the process of connecting my Ubuntu 10.10 to my mothers XP Thingy so that I can use our printer again since I dont have a network card in my simple HP PSC 1500xi I am forced to use file/printer sharing.

Can I ask for permission to post a new HOWTO for the latest Ubuntu? When I get mine working of course. And if anyone wants an Italian translation, if time permits I could do that also.

[krustybaguette]

@stormbringer

I assume you've been wise enough to put /home onto a separate partition having an reasonable amount of storage space.

To create the folder type (inside a new terminal) ...

Code:

sudo mkdir /home/samba

... and adjust "path =" to read ...

path = /home/samba/

I'd like to put my /home on an external hard disk connected by a hard drive adapter (Sharkoon) Since the adapter can be turned off and on I would need to remember to turn it on when using my computer but how would I mkdir on this other drive? Here's what I've tried:

kenny@PORTEGE-7140CT:/media/Sharkoon Drive Adapter$ mkdir /home
mkdir: cannot create directory `/home': File exists
kenny@PORTEGE-7140CT:/media/Sharkoon Drive Adapter$ sudo mkdir /home
[sudo] password for kenny:
mkdir: cannot create directory `/home': File exists
kenny@PORTEGE-7140CT:/media/Sharkoon Drive Adapter$

Does this mean I would have to wipe out the existing /home on my main drive (sda)?

[degarb]

In Ubuntu 10.10 a few things changed.

To stop or restart samba

sudo service smbd stop
sudo service smbd start
sudo service smbd restart

The link to windows networking at the bottom has changed to
https://help.ubuntu.com/10.10/server...etworking.html

Ah, ha. Been forgetting to post for why old ways didn't work.


I like that you don't need to remember path. I guess sudo service samba stop would have been too obvious. So, they chose something less intuitive. Wouldn't want to make things too logical or easy.