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man smb.conf lists several dozens of available
options. I've picked out a few which might be interesting even for the casual
Samba user.
Displaying non-English Characters
Samba allows you to configure code pages in order to
display non-English characters correctly. The options are client code
page andcharacter set. You'll find a commented example
in 'smb.conf', just above the share definitions.
Restricting Access by Network
The options hosts allow = and hosts
deny = allow you to specify machines or networks which are allowed
(or denied) to access the server. By default, all machines and networks are
allowed to connect. This option can be set by share.
Assigning a NetBIOS host name
By default, the Samba server uses the machine's DNS
hostname as the NetBIOS name (i.e. the machine name which appears on the
browse list). If you prefer another name, set the option netbios name
=. You can specify aliases for that name with the netbios aliases
= option.
Passwordless Access to All Services for Specific Users
/ Machines
The option hosts equiv = allows you to
specify a file (usually called '/etc/hosts.equiv') which contains the profile
and NetBIOS names of users allowed to use all services without having to
provide a password. Quote 'man smb.conf':
I recommend that the hosts equiv option be
only used if you really know what you are doing, or perhaps on a home network
where you trust your spouse and kids. And only if you really trust
them :-).
See man hosts.equiv for the structure of
the 'hosts.equiv' file.
Restrict Maximum Number of Connections to the Server
By default no limit on the number of connections to
the Samba server is set. You can change this with the max connections
= option.
Instant LAN Messaging
MS Windows 9x comes with 'WinPopUp', a small tool to
send and receive messages over the local network of SMB machines. You can
take part in the fun, just remove the semicolon in front of the message
command =option in 'smb.conf' and install 'LinPopUp' (included in
Mandrake Linux 8.2). Start 'WinPopUp' on the Windows machine and 'LinPopUp'
on the Linux machine and start messaging.
'WinPopUp' is a rather basic utility and not part of
the NT/2k/XP line of Ms Windows. You might want to consider going for a more
powerful equivalent like the freeware RealPopup.
Acting as a Time Server
If the option time server = yes is set,
the Samba server will act as a time server to MS Windows clients.
Restrict Share Access on per User Basis
Using the valid users = option in a share
definition, you can decide which users might access this share.
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Once the basic setup for anonymous logins works, you
can share directories you own on your Mandrake Linux 8.2 system by
right-clicking on them in KDE's Konqueror or GNOME's Nautilus. First,
you have to enable this feature via 'Properties - Share - Configure File
Sharing'. Once you have enabled it, you can share directories via the new
'Share' field at the bottom of the directory's context menu.
By default, these directories are set 'read only'. In
order to change this, open 'smb.conf' as 'root' in an editor, scroll down
to the entry of the share and set writable to 'yes'. Restart
Samba.
Make sure shared directories have the proper permissions (world readable
for read only, world writable for read / write). You can adjust those permissions
from the context menus in Konqueror or Nautilus.
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A Linux system running a Samba server can be accessed
by about every other system which understands the SMB protocol. Samba runs
on every Unix operating system, including Mac OS X, and ports exist for a
variety of non-Unix operating systems like OS/2 or even AmigaOS.
Linux clients can employ the methods introduced on the
first page. Mac OS X clients can either use the Finder or - preferably,
since much more convenient - the freeware SMB Browse which works very much
like its Linux equivalents.
Non-Windows clients actually enjoy an added bonus, since they can choose
their login name upon connect.
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Of course, this basic setup is just a start. Read the
next two pages kindly provided by Mandrake Linux user Buchan Milne which
introduce you to advanced topics like using Winbind or running the Samba
server as a Primary Domain Controller.
If you run into trouble along the way, there's a very
nice document on Troubleshooting
Techniques (PDF) for Samba. This document introduces all the tools needed
to diagnose Samba problems and ways to solve these problems.
Be aware that there's a somewhat confusing line on page 7:
Both POGO and WIN-CLIENT should be using a
network mask of 255.255.255.0 and a broadcast address of 192.168.255.
The broadcast address actually should be 192.168.1.255.
I guess that's a typo since the author later on refers to the correct address.
More information can be gathered by installing the 'samba-doc'
package. This package includes a complete book on Samba ('Using Samba' by
Eckstein, Collier-Brown, Kelly) as well as FAQs, HOWTOs, HTML versions of
the manual pages and documents on special features.
If you prefer dead tree manuals, check out the Samba books page.
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 Samba as a Domain
Member
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