Learning Debian GNU/Linux

Samba Client Configuration and Use

Once you’ve got your Samba server up and running, you can access it via Microsoft Windows, Linux, and other operating systems. This section shows you how to do so and also how to use your Samba server to create backups of important data files on client systems.

Microsoft Windows Client

Microsoft Windows 3.11, 9x, and NT have built-in support for the SMB protocol, so systems running these operating systems can easily access your Samba server’s resources. Under Microsoft Windows 9x and NT, you can access Samba resources by using the Windows Explorer. Log on using a userid that’s authorized to access Samba resources. Then click on Network Neighborhood and you should see a subtree that corresponds to your Samba server. By expanding the subtree, you can see the browseable file and printer shares that are available. You can easily drag and drop files to and from a shared directory, assuming your userid is permitted the necessary access.

To use a shared printer, click on Start → Settings → Printers and then double click on Add Printer. The wizard will guide you through the setup procedure. Simply choose the Network Printer option and then browse to select the desired printer. If you configured the printer share without the browseable option, you cannot browse and therefore must type the name of the printer share. To do so, type two backslashes, followed by the name of your Samba server, followed by a single backslash, followed by the name of the printer ...