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Using Samba for File Sharing on a Host-only Network

On a Linux host computer, VMware Workstation can automatically install and configure a Samba server to act as a file server for Microsoft Windows guest operating systems. You can then use Windows Explorer in the virtual machine to move and copy files between virtual machine and host — or between virtual machines on the same network — just as you would with files on physical computers that share a network connection.

The lightly modified Samba server installed by VMware Workstation runs over the VMware Workstation virtual Ethernet and the Samba traffic between different operating systems is isolated from actual local area networks. The source code diffs for the changes, based on Samba 2.0.6, are available from VMware.

Adding User Names and Passwords to the VMware Workstation Samba Password File

You may add user names and passwords to the VMware Workstation Samba password file at any time from a terminal window on your Linux host computer.

  1. Log in to the root account by typing the following command at the prompt:
    su

  2. Run the VMware Workstation Samba password command.
    vmware-smbpasswd vmnet1 -a <username>

    where <username> is the user name you want to add.

  3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

    Note: vmware-smbpasswd is based on the standard Samba password program. If you are familiar with the options used in smbpasswd, you may use any of them in vmware-smbpasswd.

  4. Log out of the root account.
    exit

    If you receive an error message that says Unknown virtual interface "vmnet1", this indicates your machine is not using the VMware Workstation Samba server. If your installation of VMware Workstation does not include the VMware Workstation Samba server and you want to set it up, log in to the root account on your host computer, then run vmware-config.pl from a terminal window on the host. When the configuration script asks Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your virtual machines to access the host file system?, answer Yes.

If You Are Already Running Samba

If you already have Samba configured on your Linux host, the recommended approach is to modify that configuration so it includes the IP subnet used by the VMware Workstation virtual Ethernet adapter, VMnet1. In this case, you should not install the VMware Workstation Samba server when you are installing VMware Workstation on your host. When the configuration script prompts you Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your virtual machines to access the host file system?, answer No.

To determine what subnet is being used by VMnet1, run /sbin/ifconfig vmnet1.

It may also be possible to run both your existing Samba server and the VMware Workstation Samba server at the same time. In order to do this, your current Samba server must be version 2.0.6 or higher and must be configured correctly.

To determine the version of your Samba server, run
smbd -V

If you want to try running both Samba servers at the same time, use this sample smb.conf file as a basis for configuring the regular Samba server on your host computer.

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