How to Create a Network Share Via Samba Via CLI

Procedures

All commands must be done as root (precede each command with 'sudo' or use 'sudo su').

• Install Samba
  • sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install samba
• Set a password for your user in Samba
  • sudo smbpasswd -a <user_name>

    • Note: Samba uses a separate set of passwords than the standard Linux system accounts (stored in /etc/samba/smbpasswd), so you'll need to create a Samba password for yourself. This tutorial implies that you will use your own user and it does not cover situations involving other users passwords, groups, etc...

      Tip1: Use the password for your own user to facilitate.

      Tip2: Remember that your user must have permission to write and edit the folder you want to share.
      Eg.: 

    • sudo chown <user_name> /var/opt/blah/blahblah
      sudo chown :<user_name> /var/opt/blah/blahblah

• Create a directory to be shared

  mkdir /home/<user_name>/<folder_name>
• Make a safe backup copy of the original smb.conf file to your home folder, in case you make an error
• sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf ~
• Edit the file "/etc/samba/smb.conf"

  sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

  • Once "smb.conf" has loaded, add this to the very end of the file:
    
    [<folder_name>]
    path = /home/<user_name>/<folder_name>
    valid users = <user_name>
    read only = no

    Tip: There Should be in the spaces between the lines, and note que also there should be a single space both before and after each of the equal signs.

• Restart the samba:

  sudo service smbd restart
• Once Samba has restarted, use this command to check your smb.conf for any syntax errors
• testparm
• To access your network share

        sudo apt-get install smbclient
        # List all shares:
        smbclient -L //<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>/<folder_name> -U <user>
        # connect:
        smbclient //<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>/<folder_name> -U <user>

  To access your network share use your username (<user_name>) and password through the path "smb://<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>/<folder_name>/" (Linux users) or "\\<HOST_IP_OR_NAME>\<folder_name>\" (Windows users). Note that "<folder_name>" value is passed in "[<folder_name>]", in other words, the share name you entered in "/etc/samba/smb.conf".

  • Note: The default user group of samba is "WORKGROUP".