Learning Samba for File Sharing

At this point, you have a complete and working disk share. If you followed the process model step-by-step, the /etc/smb.conf configuration file should mirror the following:

[global]
	netbios name = <sambasvrname>
	workgroup = <sambagroup>
	security = share
	wins server = <10.x.x.x>
[Files]
	path = /home/samba/files
	comment = Network Files
	writeable = yes
	guest ok = yes
	guest user = nobody

Samba periodically scans the /etc/smb.conf file for changes and updates the configuration appropriately, so you don't need to restart Samba manually. However, after you've configured the Files section and the global section, restarting Samba makes the changes take effect immediately. Use the following commands to restart Samba on your Linux server:

# /etc/rc.d/init.d/smb stop
# /etc/rc.d/init.d/smb start

Avoid restarts after your server is in production; restarts break client connections, which can result in file corruption. Stopping Samba when it's hosting a disk share produces the same results from the client's perspective as unplugging the network cable to your server.

Make sure you can access the files disk share over the network. Perform the following test to browse \\<sambasvrname> for the share files:

C:> net view \\<sambasvrname>

The command results in the following output:

Shared resources at \\<sambasvrname>
Samba 2.0.7
Share name Type   Used as  Comment
---------------------
Files       Disk            Network Files
The command completed successfully.

If the command completes successfully, the new disk share is accessible for browsing. You can also use Network Neighborhood to view the server.

You also need to determine whether you can connect to the share and whether you have write access. Use the Net Use command to verify access, then perform a write operation on the share to verify write access. In the example below, I tested access by making a directory:

C:> net use Z: \\<sambasvrname\files

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