Mar 10
Access a shared linux folder from Windows XP via Samba
In the previous post you've learned how to share folders among pure linux machines. Now, in reality you'd like to access that securely hosted files on that linux server from a machine running Windows XP. Here's how to achive that:
On the server
sudo apt-get install samba
sudo gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf
and add:
workgroup = GROUP
netbios name = little_smb_server (no spaces)
then, make sure "security" is set to "user" under the security section!
additionally you'd like to set these values:
hosts allow = 127.0.0.1
hosts deny = 0.0.0.0/0
then add what you like to share:
[shared]
path = /home/shared
available = yes
browseable = yes
public = yes
writable = yes
Now you've got a linux machine offering a samba service to the network
finally, samba needs to mirror the user/authentication of the linux machine. So we need to add local users to samba
make sure this account exists on your Ubuntu Linux.
sudo smbpasswd -a <username, for example the one you are using right now>
sudo /etc/init.d/samba restart
Debugging:
look into the samba logs: /var/log/samba/... (on ubuntu)
use smbclient (seperate install)
try: smbclient \\localhost\shared -U<username>
Now on the Windows client side:
Accessing you Samba shares from Windows
There are two ways to access it:
Method 1: My network places > Entire Network > My Windows Network > Workgroup
there open "Desktop", Menu "Extras" -> "connect network drive". And then "\<ip of your samba server><directory, you have just exported on your server>.
Method 2: in the address bar type in "\[whatever you named the Samba server]". From my example above, I used "\little_smb_server".
(So far I haven't managed to get method 2 working completely with Microsoft shares names.)
Further reading might be: