Use Samba to Map a Linux Directory to a Windows Drive

• Get the samba version for your platform from here

• Install samba on your linux box. It will be installed under /opt/samba by default.

• Edit /etc/samba/smb.conf, and add the section for the directory you want to share to windows. For example, if you want to share your /opt/spike directory to windows, then you need to add the following section into /etc/samba/smb.conf

• [spike]
     comment = Shared Files
     path = /opt/spike/
     writeable = yes
     browseable = yes
     guest ok = no
     printable = no  

• Add samba password by using the following command:

• $ smbpasswd -a <username> -- this adds a user and changes their password

• Export you directory file-system. (For the above example, you can either export /opt or /opt/spike.)

• Go to windows box, open "My Computer" --> "Tools" --> "Map Network Dirve...", then choose a dirve name (eg. e:/f:/g:/.../z:) and map to \\server\share (eg. \\gambia\spike)

• Use the samba user you added in step 4 to connect to \\server\share.

• /sbin/chkconfig --add smb to setup samba as a service.

Some useful Samba commands:

• $ testparm /etc/samba/smb.conf -- check an smb.conf for internal correctness

• $ smbclient -L //{netbios name of server}

• -- "netbios name" gets defined in the gloal section of the smb.conf file.

Some simple diagnostic approaches for samba problem:

• Check if can ping the linux machine from windows

• Check if the the linux file system be exported

• Check if smb service running.

• Restart the smb server using /etc/init.d/smb stop and /etc/init.d/smb start

• Try the above useful samba commands

• Rerun "smbpasswd -a <username>" just in case the user was deleted.

• A universal way: compare its configuration with other machine whose samba works properly.

tags: samba  linux  

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