OPS335 Samba Lab

Samba - A Windows SMB/CIFS fileserver for UNIX

Configuring a Samba Server on Linux

• On your host F16 system install Samba

 yum install samba samba-client

• Create a backup of the file /etc/samba/smb.conf, and create a new one that includes the following:

[global]
workgroup = <yourlearnid>.org 
server string = "put your real name here without the quotes"
encrypt passwords = yes
smb passwd file = /etc/samba/smbpasswd
hosts allow = 142.204.141.
; note: the above line will allow access from the Seneca domain in lab T2107 
   
[home]
comment = "put your real name here without the quotes"
path = /home/<learnid>
valid users = <learnid>
; remember <learnid> is your learnid account name
public = no
writable = yes
printable = no
create mask = 0765

• Create a Samba password for user <learnid> with the command

smbpasswd -a <learnid>

• Confirm the user you created has been added using the following command

pdbedit -L -v

• You can change a user's password by using the command

smbpasswd <learnid/username>

• Test your configuration with the command

testparm

• You can now start your Samba server

systemctl start smb.service

• Ensure your server starts at boot.
• You will need to determine which ports you need to open to allow connections to your server.
• Test if you have a connection with the command

smbtree -N

• If the previous command worked, try the connection from one of your VM's. You can view all available shares with the follow command:

smbtree -N

Connecting to a Linux SMB Server from a Linux Client

There are many ways that a Linux client can connect to an SMB server.

smbclient

• From vm01 use the "smbclient" command in a terminal window.

smbclient '\\f16\home' -U <learnid>

• After entering your password you should get a prompt similar to

smb: \>

• Enter the ls command to see a list of the files in your home directory - you may receive the following error.

smb: \> ls
NT_STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED listing \*

• SE Linux should be in Enforcing and will need to be adjusted for this to work. Check the available booleans or your logs.
• Use the get and put commands (similar to ftp) to move files.
• When done enter the quit command.

mount -t cifs

• The next way is to use the mount command.
• Use the mount command on vm01 to mount your home directory

mkdir /tmp/f16-home
mount -t cifs //f16/home /tmp/f16-home -o username=<learnid>
ls /tmp/f16-home

Using Nautilus to browse Samba Shares

• Use the "Places" menu from a Gnome desktop on vm01.
• From the "Places" menu at the top of your screen, select "Network" and wait until the network scan completes.
  • Then click on the Windows Network > Select your Domain name > enter your credentials.

Using a browser

• You can also use a web browser with support for the SMB protocol such as Konqueror.
• If Konqueror is not installed then install it with the command:

yum install kdebase

• Start Konqueror, the web/file browser, and in the Location edit box enter the following: 'smb://matrix/xxxxxx'. Where xxxxxx is your Matrix username.
• Login to your Matrix account. Konqueror should open a window of your Matrix home directory.
• Use the mouse to drag and drop files to and from your Matrix account and your Fedora Linux machine.Close Konqueror.

Connecting to a Linux SMB Server (Matrix) from a Windows Client (Windows 7)

• Power up a Windows 7 system in the lab and login using your LEARN username and password.
• You should see an icon of Tux, the Linux penguin, on your desktop. Double-click it to login to your Matrix account. A window of your Matrix home directory should open.
• Use the mouse to drag and drop files to and from your Matrix account and your Windows 7 lab machine.
• Once you are satisfied that you can easily move files to/from your Matrix account power off the PC.
• Set the HD selector switch to boot from your Fedora 13 Linux drive and power on the PC.

1. • Fedora encrypts passwords when authenticating SMB connections. Unfortunately Windows clients (here at Seneca) insist on passwords being sent in plain text. For this reason Matrix SMB is set to use plain text passwords. To change Fedora to use plain text passwords switch to root and edit the /etc/samba/smb.conf file and immediately after the [global] section header insert these two lines:
     • client plaintext auth = yes
     • client lanman auth = yes

Completing the Lab

Answer the following questions

1. What is your full name and 9 digit Seneca student ID?
2. Explain how you connected to your SMB server on Linux from a Windows PC. List exactly what you had to do on the Windows PC to test your Linux server.
3. What is the purpose of the testparm command?
4. What is the purpose of the smbclient command?
5. What does SMB stand for? CIFS?
6. What does the text inside square brackets in the smb.conf file mean? (e.g., "[homes]").
7. Explain the meaning of the line "create mask = 0765" in the smb.conf file?
8. What does the smbpasswd command do?
9. What was the exact mount command that you used in the last step of the lab?