Figure 7-5. Adding a Samba printer to a Windows XP system
1. You may receive a warning about installing printer drivers at this point. Click OK.
2. Select the printer manufacturer and model. Click OK.
If you do not see the printer listed, you will need to insert the printer's driver CD, click Have Disk, and then select the disk location. When the list of printer models appears, select the one that matches the printer you are installing.
1. If you already have a printer set up on the Windows system, you will be asked if the new printer should become the default. Choose Yes or No, and then click Next.
2. Click Finish .
You will now be able to print to the printer from any Windows application.
7.1.1.3. Configuring Samba from the command line
You can edit Samba's configuration from the command line instead of using the graphical configuration tool.
Samba's configuration file is /etc/samba/smb.conf , and it is a regular text file. Like most server programs, Samba has dozens of configuration options, which it calls parameters . This configuration file is divided into sections by lines of section names enclosed in square brackets (so, for example, the global configuration section starts with the line [global] ). Lines that start with a pound sign ( # ) are treated as comments and ignored.
The workgroup name and server description are configured at the top of the global section:
[global]
# workgroup = NT-Domain-Name or Workgroup-Name
workgroup = bluesky
# server string is the equivalent of the NT Description field
server string = Samba Server
Set the workgroup name to the value used by the local Windows workgroup or domain. The server string description can be any descriptive value (change the default if you don't want people to know you're running a Linux system). The system name will be the same as the hostname.
By default, only home directories and printers will be shared. To add additional shares, add an additional share section to the end of the configuration file. There are many examples in the configuration file, such as this one:
# The following two entries demonstrate how to share a directory so that two
# users can place files there that will be owned by the specific users. In this
# setup, the directory should be writable by both users and should have the
# sticky bit set on it to prevent abuse. Obviously this could be extended to
# as many users as required.
;[ myshare ]
; comment = Mary's and Fred's stuff
; path = /usr/somewhere/shared
; valid users = mary fred
; public = no
; writable = yes
; printable = no
; create mask = 0765
From this template, you can see the basic format:
[ myshare ]
Name of the share as it will be seen by the Windows systems.
comment = Mary's and Fred's stuff
The description that will appear when browsing the share.
path = /usr/somewhere/shared
The directory to be shared.
valid users = mary fred public = no
Specifies who can access this share: specific users or everyone ( public = yes ). Either valid users or public should be enabled, but not both.
writable = yes printable = no browseable = yes
Determines what can be done with the share. writable controls whether the remote user can change or create files and directories, printable enables printing (not applicable to a regular directory share), and browseable enables the share to appear when the network user is browsing using a tool such as Windows Explorer.
create mask = 0765
Sets the octal permission that is applied to new files.
To allow read-only access to /usr/share/doc , for example, create this share:
[doc]
comment = Documentation
path = /usr/share/doc
writeable = no
browseable = yes
guest ok = yes
You will need to adjust the SELinux context of the shared directory (see "Using SELinux" in Chapter 8 Lab 8.2, "Using SELinux in Chapter 8).
After editing the configuration file, restart or reload Samba to activate the changes:
# service smb reload
Reloading smb.conf file: [ OK ]
To add Samba users, you must first create a Linux user account (see Lab 4.7, "Managing Users and Groups "), and then use the smbpasswd command with the add option, -a :
# smbpasswd -a frank
New SMB password:
FranklySpeaking
Retype new SMB password:
FranklySpeaking
Added user frank.
To change the password, leave out the -a option:
# smbpasswd jane
New SMB password:
PrimeUser
Retype new SMB password:
PrimeUser
To delete a user, use the -x option:
# smbpasswd -x kim
Deleted user kim.
7.1.2. How Does It Work?
Samba uses the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol suite and related protocols and programs developed by Microsoftmore recently grouped under the moniker Common Internet File System (CIFS). The name Samba is derived from the acronym SMB.
SMB and related protocols have been in use since the 1980s, but have changed significantly through the years. There are many different, incompatible implementations of the protocols present in various versions of Windows, and in particular, there are several ways of authenticating users. Many of Samba's configuration options relate to compatibility and user authentication.