Configuring Samba

For samba to properly operate, you must create a samba configuration file. One is not installed by default, it must be created by hand. There are several hundred possible options which be used, all of them documented in the smb.conf man page (also available online at www.samba.org).

The samba configuration file defines a set of options on a global and share basis. The basic layout is:

[global]
   ; this is a comment
   # also a comment
   options...

[share]
   options

The words in brackets are share names. There are three special share names which you should be aware of.

• [global]
  This share defines global options that are applied to every share unless they are overridden
• [homes]
  This is a special share that allows uses to access thier home directory. When a client requests a share from Samba without specifying a share name, Samba will check to see if the client connecting is a valid user. If they are, samba will return their home directory based on the options defined in the homes share.
• [printers]
  If a requested share does not exist, and is not a valid username on the system, then Samba will check to see if it is a printer name as defined in /etc/printcap. This makes it possible to allow users access to any file with a valid printer capabilities entry without manually setting up each printer. It is important to note the order here, since the homes share is checked first, a printer with the same name as a valid user will never be able to be accessed.