SAMBA Server and Client on Ubuntu

The choice between NFS and Samba depends on who you are sharing with. Linux supports both NFS and Samba, but Windows only supports Samba.

To learn about NFS file sharing, read: NFS Server and Client on Ubuntu 22.04 [Link].

SERVER – SAMBA CONFIG

sudo apt update
sudo apt install samba -y
sudo ufw allow samba
sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

The Samba configuration file is self-explanatory. Parameters prefixed with ‘;‘ are commented out and inactive.

Samba configuration is organized in blocks. Add this block at the end of the file:

[Home_userName]
path = /home/userName/
comment = Personal Files
writeable = yes
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777
browseable = yes
public = yes
valid users = userName

Customize this block to match your setup:

[Home_userName]	The share name.
path = /home/userName/	The directory being shared.
comment = Personal Files	A description of the share.
writeable = yes	Allow the client to write.
create mask = 0777	Permissions applied when a file is created.
directory mask = 0777	Permissions applied when a directory is created.
browseable = yes	Make the share visible when browsing.
public = no	Deny guest users.
valid users = userName	Allow user ‘userName‘ to access the share.

Note: parameter syntax may vary depending on the Samba version. Always refer to the examples in the config file or check the manual:

man smb.conf

You must set a Samba password for the user and enable it, even if the user already has a local system password. Samba manages passwords separately.

adduser -s /usr/sbin/nologin userName
sudo smbpasswd -a userName
sudo smbpasswd -e userName

After editing the configuration file, restart the service and verify it is running:

sudo systemctl restart smbd
sudo systemctl status smbd

sudo service smbd restart
sudo service smbd status

CLIENT – SAMBA MOUNT

sudo apt update
sudo apt install cifs-utils -y

Test connectivity and authentication:

smbclient -U userName -L \\\\192.168.2.40
smbclient -U userName \\\\192.168.2.103\\Home_userName

To mount a remote share on the local file system:

sudo mount -t cifs -o username=userName //192.168.2.40/Home_userName /tmp/hu

Customize this command to match your setup:

-t cifs	Specifies the filesystem type ‘cifs’, the protocol used by Samba.
-o username=userName	The user to authenticate as.
//192.168.2.40/	The server address.
Home_userName	The share name.
/tmp/HU	The local mount point.

The directory ‘/tmp/HU‘ must exist on the local file system. If it does not, create it:

sudo mkdir /tmp/HU
sudo chmod 755 /tmp/HU

To mount automatically on boot, edit fstab:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add this line at the end of the file:

//192.168.2.40/Home_userName /tmp/HU cifs username=userName,password=pass,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777

Customize this line to match your setup:

//192.168.2.40/	IP address of the server.
Home_userName	The share name.
/tmp/HU	The local mount point.
cifs	The filesystem type, the protocol used by Samba.
username=userName	The user to authenticate as.
password=pass	The user’s password.
iocharset=utf8, sec=ntlm 0 0	Keep these arguments as they are.

This guide was written and tested on Ubuntu 18.04, 20.04, 22.04, and Raspbian Buster 10. The firewall command does not apply to Raspbian, but everything else works the same.

To apply the new fstab entries without rebooting:

sudo mount -a