Configure Network Share via Samba CLI

November 3, 2016November 18, 2017 haxf4rall2017 create samba share on ubuntu server, how to create network share on linux using samba, samba shares for windows

Here we will learn how to create a network share via Samba using the command line interface in a easy, simple detailed way for network administrators targeting Windows users.

Procedures

Note: All commands must be done via root by using “sudo” in front of the command

Install Samba

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install samba

Set a password for your user in Samba

sudo smbpasswd -a <user_name>

Note: Samba uses a separate set of passwords than the standard Linux system accounts (stored in /etc/samba/smbpasswd), so you'll need to create a Samba password for yourself. This tutorial implies that you will use your own user and it does not cover situations involving other users passwords, groups, etc...

Tip1: Use the password for your own user to facilitate.

Tip2: Remember that your user must have permission to write and edit the folder you want to share.
Eg.:
sudo chown <user_name> /var/opt/blah/blahblah
sudo chown :<user_name> /var/opt/blah/blahblah

Tip3: If you're using another user than your own, it needs to exist in your system beforehand, you can create it without a shell access using the following command :
sudo useradd USERNAME --shell /bin/false

You can also hide the user on the login screen by adjusting lightdm's configuration, in /etc/lightdm/users.conf add the newly created user to the line :
hidden-users=

Create a directory to be shared
```
mkdir /home/<user_name>/<folder_name>
```
Make a safe backup copy of the original smb.conf file to your home folder, in case you make an error
```
sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf ~
```

Edit the file “/etc/samba/smb.conf”

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Once "smb.conf" has loaded, add this to the very end of the file:

[<folder_name>]
path = /home/<user_name>/<folder_name>
valid users = <user_name>
read only = no

Tip: There Should be in the spaces between the lines, and note que also there should be a single space both before and after each of the equal signs.

Restart the samba:
```
sudo service smbd restart
```
Once Samba has restarted, use this command to check your smb.conf for any syntax errors
```
testparm
```
To access your network share
```
      sudo apt-get install smbclient
      # List all shares:
      smbclient -L //<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>/<folder_name> -U <user>
      # connect:
      smbclient //<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>/<folder_name> -U <user>
```
To access your network share use your username (<user_name>) and password through the path “smb://<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>/<folder_name>/” (Linux users) or “\\<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>\<folder_name>\” (Windows users). Note that “<folder_name>” value is passed in “[<folder_name>]”, in other words, the share name you entered in “/etc/samba/smb.conf”.
- ```
Note: The default user group of samba is "WORKGROUP".
```