Using Samba, Second Edition

Server Configuration

We will now start from scratch and build a configuration file for our Samba server. First we will introduce three basic configuration options that can appear in the [global] section of the smb.conf file:

[global]
    #  Server configuration parameters
    netbios name = toltec
    server string = Samba %v on %L
    workgroup = METRAN
    encrypt passwords = yes

This configuration file is pretty simple; it advertises the Samba server under the NetBIOS name toltec. In addition, it places the system in the METRAN workgroup and displays a description to clients that includes the Samba version number, as well as the NetBIOS name of the Samba server.

Tip

If you used the line encrypt passwords = yes in your earlier configuration file, you should do so here as well.

If you like, you can go ahead and try this configuration file. Create a file named smb.conf under the /usr/local/samba/lib directory with the text listed earlier. Then restart the Samba server and use a Windows client to verify the results. Be sure that your Windows clients are in the METRAN workgroup as well. After double-clicking the Network Neighborhood on a Windows client, you should see a window similar to Figure 6-2. (In this figure, Mixtec is another Samba server, and Zapotec is a Windows client.)

Figure 6-2. Network Neighborhood showing Toltec, the Samba server

You can verify the server string by listing the details of the Network ...