Sharing Files between CentOS 6 and Windows Systems with

Samba
Samba and Samba Client
Samba allows both CentOS resources to be shared with Windows systems and Windows resources to be
shared with CentOS systems. CentOS accesses Windows resources using a package named samba-client.
CentOS resources, on the other hand, are shared with Windows systems using a package named samba.
Typically, the samba-client is installed and configured by default allowing the user to browse available Windows
resources without any additional work (this is covered later in the chapter). In order to allow a CentOS 6 system
to share resources with Windows systems, however, some more work is required.

Installing Samba on a CentOS 6 System

The default settings used during the CentOS 6 installation process do not install the samba package. Unless you
specifically requested that Samba be installed it is unlikely that you have Samba installed on your system. To
check whether Samba is installed, open a terminal window (Applications -> System Tools -> Terminal) and run
the following rpm command:
rpm -q samba
If Samba is installed, the rpm command will generate output similar to the following:
samba-3.5.4-68.el6_0.1.x86_64
If Samba is not installed, rpm will return with "package samba is not installed". That being the case, it can be
installed using the yum command-line tool:
su yum install samba
The above command will install both the samba package and the samba-common dependency package.
If you prefer to use the graphical tool to perform the Samba installation, select Applications -> Add/Remove
Software, enter the root password if prompted to do so and then perform a search for Samba. When the list of
matching packages appears, set the checkbox next to the samba and samba-common packages and click on
Apply to initiate the installation.

Configuring the CentOS 6 Firewall to Enable Samba

Next, the firewall currently protecting the CentOS 6 system needs to be configured to allow Samba traffic. To
achieve this, run the Firewall Configuration tool by selecting the System -> Administration -> Firewall menu
option and select the check box next to Samba in the Trusted Services section of the tool. Click Apply and OK to
commit the change.
Before any resources on the CentOS system can be accessed from the Windows systems, however, some
additional configuration steps are necessary.

Configuring the smb.conf File

In releases of CentOS prior to version 6, a user friendly graphical tool named system-config-samba was
provided to assist in the configuration of Samba. In CentOS 6, however, this tool has been removed. This means
that the Samba environment must be configured manually within the /etc/samba/smb.conf file and using the
smbpasswd command line tool. Whilst the loss of system-config-samba may be mourned by those who relied on
it, the tools simplicity actually masked many of the more advanced features of Samba. In practice, much more
can be achieved by taking the time to understand the intricacies of the smb.conf file.
Samba is a highly flexible and configurable system that provides many different options for controlling how
resources are shared on Windows networks. This flexibility can lead to the sense that Samba is overly complex
to work with. In reality, however, many of the configuration options are not needed by the typical installation, and
the learning curve to set up a basic configuration is actually quite short.
For the purposes of this chapter we will look at joining a CentOS 6 system to a Windows workgroup and setting
up a directory as a shared resource that can be accessed by a specific user.
The first step, therefore, is to gain root privileges and to load the /etc/samba/smb.conf file into a suitable editor,
for example:
su
gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf

Configuring the [global] Section

The smb.conf file is divided into sections. The first section is the [global] section where settings can be specified
that apply to the entire Samba configuration. Whilst these settings are global, each option may be overridden
within other sections of the configuration file.
The first task is to define the name of the Windows workgroup on which the CentOS 6 resources are to be
shared. This is controlled via the workgroup = directive of the [global] section which by default is configured as
follows:
workgroup = MYGROUP

Begin by changing this to the actual name of the workgroup. For example, if the workgroup is named
WORKGROUP (the default for most Windows networks):
workgroup = workgroup

Configuring a Shared Resource

The next step is to configure a shared resource (in other words a resource that will be accessible from other
systems on the Windows network). In order to achieve this, the section is given a name by which it will be
referred to when shared. For example, if we plan to share the /tmp directory of our CentOS 6 system, we might
entitle the section [tmp]. In this section a variety of configuration options are possible. For the purposes of this
example, however, we will simply define the directory that is to be shared, indicate that the directory is browsable
and writable and declare the users that are allowed to access the shared resource (in this case a user named
demo):
[tmp]
path = /tmp
writeable = yes
browseable = yes
valid users = demo

Creating a Samba User

Any user that requires access to a Samba shared resource must be configured as a Samba User and assigned
a password. This task is achieved using the smbpasswd command line tool. In our example smb.conf file we
stated the user demo is entitled to access the /tmp directory of our CentOS 6 system. In order to fulfill this
requirement, therefore, we must add demo as a samba user as follows:
# su # smbpasswd -a demo
New SMB password:
Retype new SMB password:
Added user demo.
Now that we have completed the configuration of a very basic Samba server, it is time to test our configuration
file and then start the Samba services.

Testing the smb.conf File

The settings in the smb.conf file may be tested using the testparm command line tool as follows:
# testparm
Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf
rlimit_max: rlimit_max (1024) below minimum Windows limit (16384)
Processing section "[homes]"
Processing section "[printers]"
Processing section "[tmp]"
Loaded services file OK.

Server role: ROLE_STANDALONE

Press enter to see a dump of your service definitions
[global]
server string = Samba Server Version %v
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
max log size = 50
cups options = raw
[homes]
comment = Home Directories
read only = No
browseable = No
[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
printable = Yes
browseable = No
[tmp]
path = /tmp
valid users = demo
read only = No

Starting the Samba and NetBIOS Name Services on CentOS 6

In order for a CentOS 6 server to operate within a Windows network both the Samba (SMB) and NetBOIS
nameservice (NMB) services must be started. To identify if the services are already running, the following
command may be executed with root privileges in a terminal window:
su
/sbin/service smb status
smbd is stopped
# /sbin/service nmb status
nmbd is stopped
If the services are reported as currently running and you have made changes to the smb.conf file it will be
necessary to restart the services in order to pick up the changes:
/sbin/service smb restart
/sbin/service nmb restart
If, on the other hand, the services are currently stopped, start them as follows:
/sbin/service smb start
/sbin/service nmb start

Accessing Samba Shares

Now that the Samba resources are configured and the services are running, it is time to access the shared
resource from a Windows system. On a suitable Windows system on the same workgroup as the CentOS 6
system, open Windows Explorer and navigate to the Network panel. At this point, explorer should search the
network and list any systems using the SMB protocol that it finds. The following figure illustrates a CentOS 6
system named CentOS6 located using Windows Explorer on a Windows 7 system:

Double clicking on the CentOS 6 host will prompt for the name and password of a user with access privileges. In
this case it is the demo account that we configured using the smbpasswd tool. Entering the username and
password will result in the shared resources configured for that user appearing the explorer window, including
the tmp resource previously configured:

Double clicking on the tmp shared resource will display a listing of the files and directories contained therein.

Accessing Windows Shares from CentOS 6

As previously mentioned, Samba is a two way street, allowing not only Windows systems to access files and
printers hosted on a CentOS 6 system, but also allowing the CentOS system to access shared resources on
Windows systems. This is achieved using the samba-client package which is installed by default under most
CentOS 6 configurations. If it is not currently installed, install it from a Terminal window as follows:
su
yum install samba-client
To access any shared resources on a Windows system, begin by selecting the Places -> Network desktop menu
option. This will display the Network browser dialog including an icon for the Windows Network (if one is
detected) as illustrated in the following figure:

To obtain a list of Windows workgroups on the network, double click on the Windows Network icon. From within
the list of workgroups double click on the desired group to obtain a listing of servers available for access:

Finally, double clicking on a computer will list the shared resources available for access from the CentOS client.

Summary
In this chapter we have looked at the steps necessary to configure a CentOS 6 system to act as both a Samba
client and server allowing the sharing of resources with other systems on a Windows based network. In the case
of Samba server configuration in particular we have only scratched the surface of the configuration options
available. A full over of Samba would require an entire book. Many such publications and online resources are
available if you would like to learn more. Another good place to start is to type man samba in a terminal window.

Installing and configuring samba on centos 6

How to install and configure samba on centos 6 :
Samba is free software mainly used for file sharing between other platforms ( Windows ) using
SMB/CIFS protocol .Default centos 6 installation will not include samba packages , you need install
manually .Here we can see how to install and configure samba using yum.

Samba installation :

After installing Centos 6 (Centos 6 installation step by step screenshots ) and configuring
network (How to setup network in centos 6)
Step 1 Update yum repositories and packages by typing the below command
[root@localhost ~]# yum update

Step 2 Install samba packages along with dependencies using yum

[root@localhost ~]# yum install samba

Samba configuration :

Step 3 Create a share username and password .

[root@localhost ~]# useradd shareuser -s /sbin/nologin

Now create samba password for username shareuser using smbpasswd command .
[root@localhost ~]# smbpasswd -a shareuser
New SMB password:****
Retype new SMB password:****
Added user shareuser.

Step 4 Create a folder called share in the root directory .

[root@localhost ~]# mkdir /share

and change the ownership for the share folder

[root@localhost ~]# chown -R shareuser:root /share/

Step 5 open the file /etc/samba/smb.conf . ( Before editing the file , please copy the
file to another location for backup ) . Add the below lines at the bottom of the file .

[share]
comment = Share
path = /share
writable = yes
valid users = shareuser

Step 6 start samba service

[root@localhost ~]# service smb start

and type this below command to start samba service automatically while booting.
[root@localhost ~]# chkconfig --levels 235 smb on

Samba testing :

Step 7 You can check your configuration by using testparm command

[root@localhost ~]# testparm
Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf
rlimit_max: increasing rlimit_max (1024) to minimum Windows limit (16384)
Processing section "[homes]"
Processing section "[printers]"
Processing section "[share]"
Loaded services file OK.
Server role: ROLE_STANDALONE
Press enter to see a dump of your service definitions
[global]
workgroup = MYGROUP
server string = Samba Server Version %v
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m

max log size = 50

cups options = raw
[homes]
comment = Home Directories
read only = No
browseable = No
[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
printable = Yes
browseable = No
[share]
comment = Share
path = /share
valid users = shareuser
read only = No

You can see your share sections. Here by default home folders of users will be displayed .
you can comment the unwanted section using ; symbol .
For example . you can comment homes section as below and restart the service using
service smb restart
;[homes]
;comment = Home Directories
;read only = No
;browseable = No

Now you can access share folder on windows machine by typing \\samba-server-ip\ on run
prompt . you can see your share folder after entering username and password.
Cheers ..

--------------------------------Install and Configure Samba

[root@lan ~]#
yum -y install samba
[root@lan ~]#
mkdir /home/share
[root@lan ~]#
chmod 777 /home/share
[root@lan ~]#
vi /etc/samba/smb.conf
# near line 58: add
unix charset = UTF-8
dos charset = CP932
# line 75: change (Windows' default)
workgroup =
WORKGROUP
# line 81: uncomment and change IP address you allow
hosts allow = 127.
10.0.0.
# line 102: change (no auth)
security =
share
# add at the bottom
[Share]
# any name you like
path = /home/share
# shared directory
writable = yes
# writable
guest ok = yes
# guest OK
guest only = yes
# guest only

create mode = 0777

# fully accessed
directory mode = 0777
# fully accessed
share modes = yes
# warn if some people a ccess to a file
[root@lan ~]#
/etc/rc.d/init.d/smb start
Starting SMB services:
[ OK ]
[root@lan ~]#
/etc/rc.d/init.d/nmb start
Starting NMB services:
[ OK ]
[root@lan ~]#
chkconfig smb on
[root@lan ~]#
chkconfig nmb on

-------------------------------

I'm using Cent OS 5.3 as the lab server. FTP is not so easy to use, so I
decide to set up Samba service.
STEP 1
Install the samba from YUM update.
view plaincopy to clipboardprint?

1. [root@sample ~]# yum -y install samba

STEP 2
Edit the configure file
view plaincopy to clipboardprint?

1. [root@sample ~]# vi /etc/samba/smb.conf

There are several places to modify.

1st place (We must use Chinese so I use GB2312 as charset):
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

[global]
dos charset = GB2312
unix charset = GB2312
display charset = GB2312
directory mask = 0777

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

force directory mode = 0777

directory security mask = 0777
force directory security mode = 0777
create mask = 0777
force create mode = 0777
security mask = 0777
force security mode = 0777

2nd Place
Change the following line
1. workgroup = MYGROUP

into
1. workgroup = WORKGROUP

3rd Place, add IP address which is allowed to access the service.

view plaincopy to clipboardprint?

1. hosts allow = 192.168.0. 127.

4th Place, in the end of the file, add:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

[public]
comment = Public Stuff
path = /data/public_dir
public = yes
writable = yes

STEP 3
Set up the public folder and provide sufficient privilege.
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1. [root@sample ~]# mkdir /data/public_dir

2. [root@sample ~]# chown -R nobody. /data/public_dir
3. [root@sample ~]# chmod 777 /data/public_dir

STEP 4
Add samba users (Make sure that the user you are adding has already been a
linux system user). Here I take user goodcjwas an example.
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1. [root@sample ~]# smbpasswd -a goodcjw

STEP 5
Take care of your firewall. You should configure your iptables to open port
139 and 445.
STEP 6
Make Samba suns once the system starts up.
view plaincopy to clipboardprint?

1. [root@sample ~]# chkconfig smb on

2. [root@sample ~]# chkconfig --list smb
3. smb 0:off 1:off 2:on 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off

Start up Samba service.

view plaincopy to clipboardprint?

1. [root@sample ~]# /etc/rc.d/init.d/smb start

2. Starting SMB services:
[ OK ]
3. Starting NMB services:
[ OK ]

STEP 7
Now, all works are done. Use one windows PC to map the shared folder
provided by Samba.
------------------

Configuring a Samba Server (windows file server)

1.Check the necessary rpm
#rpm -q samba

2.set the samba work group name according to windows work group or domain name.
#nano /etc/samba/smb.conf
Press CTRL + W
Search >>>> mygroup
delete the mygroup and type your windows work group or domain name

3.Start the samba service

#service smb start
#chkconfig smb on
4.Now you will be able to see the samba servers through my network places in windows, but you wont be
able to access them unless you create samba user accounts in linux.

5.You must have a Linux user account first

#useradd uddika
#passwd uddika

6.you can convert them in to samba

#smbpasswd -a uddika
you can use user current password or another one.

7.Once you add a user to samba his home folder will be automatically shared. How to share a different
folder through samba.

8.Create a folder to share

#cd /
#mkdir test

9.sharing above folder through samba

#nano /etc/samba/smb.conf
Go to a end of file, to a new line
[MyTestShare]
path = /test
public = yes
writable = yes

10.Save and exit the file

CTRl + O
CTRL + X

11.Reload the samba service

#service smb reload

12.Although we give a writable samba permissions, normal samba users wont be able to witting to the
folder though windows, unless we change the ext3 file folder permissions properly.

13.See current permissions

#cd /
#ls -ld test

14.Change current permissions

#chmod 757 test
#ls -ld
now normal users can access share folder