Setting up file and print servers for Windows clients
Windows networks use a protocol called the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Samba is a suite of software applications developed to allow Linux to communicate using the SMB protocol. Samba lets Linux computers interact with Windows computers. With Samba you can create Windows file and print servers on a Linux computer.
Using Samba, Corel LINUX can function as an intranet server for Windows and Linux clients, or as a Windows client within a Windows network. UNIX clients that have Samba software installed can also interact with other Samba clients. A Corel LINUX intranet server can provide file sharing, printing, naming, and authentication services for a network of Windows and Linux systems.
The Samba server is installed when you install Corel LINUX with the server option. You can also install the Samba server using Corel® Update. For information about installing Corel LINUX, see "Installing Corel LINUX" in the Corel LINUX User Guide. For information about installing Samba using Corel Update, see "Installing servers on Corel LINUX."
Corel LINUX provides a Samba Server Wizard to help you easily set up a Samba server. You can use a Samba server for any or all of the following server types: file server, print server, Windows Internet Name Service (WINS) server, and Primary Domain Controller (PDC). Corel LINUX systems that are not configured as the server can still share files or printers with other clients on the network.
This documentation is an introduction to Samba and how it can be configured to give Corel LINUX Windows server capabilities. If you intend to perform significant network administration using Samba and Linux, you should find out more about Samba's capabilities. For information about Samba, visit the Resources page on the Corel LINUX Web site, http://linux.corel.com.
The Samba file server
All Corel LINUX systems can be Samba file servers and clients at the same time. Using Corel File Manager, any Samba client can share a file with other Samba clients on the network. Corel LINUX users can also set directory permissions using Corel File Manager to let Linux and Windows clients mount directories. For information about setting up a shared directory,see "Starting the Samba Server Wizard to set up the Samba server."
When you use Corel File Manager to share a directory with other users on the network, the authentication information is written to the smb.conf file. The smb.conf file contains all of the information about the files and directories the user has designated as shared and the clients that can access them. When a client requests a file from the server, the Samba server daemons check the smb.conf file for authentication information.
All of the Linux computers in a network can provide file sharing, however, usually one computer is designated as the file server. Typically, the file server is the computer that has directories that are accessed frequently for group tasks. If the file server is used heavily, it may be necessary to dedicate a computer as the file server. The file server may also require additional disk space and memory.
For information about setting up a Samba server, see "Starting the Samba Server Wizard to set up the Samba server."
The Samba print server
A Samba print server functions much like a Samba file server, providing a shared resource to which clients can send files. Instead of specifying a directory to share with clients, you configure the print server's printers as a shared resource. Clients then configure their computers to print to the shared printer.
All Corel LINUX computers can share printers with other users, however, one computer is usually designated as the print server. The computer designated as the print server typically handles printing for a number of users and can be connected to a number of printers.
For information about setting up a Samba server, see "Starting the Samba Server Wizard to set up the Samba server."
The Samba WINS Server
The Samba software lets you add a WINS server running on Corel LINUX to your network. A WINS server is a server that answers clients' NetBIOS address requests. A NetBIOS address is a numerical address, like an IP address, that identifies a computer. You can enable the WINS server by using the Samba Server Wizard.
For information about WINS servers, see "Setting up DHCP and WINS servers."
The Samba PDC
You can use the Samba software to set up a Primary Domain Controller (PDC). A PDC is the server that authenticates all users when they log in to a domain. You can use Corel LINUX to set up a PDC for the authentication of both Samba and Windows clients.
The PDC performs domain authentication by keeping a record of all the users and passwords for its domain. When a user logs into a domain, the PDC server prompts the user for a username and password. If the user is registered on the PDC and enters the correct password, they are logged into the domain.
There can be only one PDC in a domain. Setting up multiple PDC servers causes problems with your network.
PDC implementation is still under development by Samba. The extent of your Samba server capabilities are related to the version of Samba you are running. For information about the current status of the Samba project, visit the Samba Web site at http://samba.anu.edu.au/.
For information about setting up a Samba server, see "Starting the Samba Server Wizard to set up the Samba server."
The Samba server components
The Samba server consists of three components: the smbd and nmbd server daemons, and the smb.conf Samba configuration file.
The smbd daemon provides file-sharing and printing services to Windows clients. For information about the smbd server see the smbd man page.
The nmbd daemon provides naming services for Samba. The nmbd daemon handles client requests for the address of the server that clients want to access. For information about the nmbd name server, see the nmbd man page.
The smb.conf file is the Samba configuration file. The location of the smb.conf file depends on the particular release of Samba. The smb.conf file is typically installed in the /etc/ directory.
You can configure the Samba servers with many different options by editing the smb.conf file. For information about the smb.conf file, see the smb.conf man page.