Configure Network Share via Samba CLI

November 3, 2016November 18, 2017 Comments Off

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".
```