Fedora Linux

Configuring Samba to Share Files with Windows Systems

Fedora can be configured to use Samba to serve files and printers to a wide range of Windows systems using Microsoft-compatible protocols.

Tip

Samba can be configured to work with a wide range of Windows versions and to serve resources in many different ways. This lab is focused on sharing files and printers with Windows XP systems in a small workgroup, which is a common scenario in home and small-business networks.

How Do I Do That?

To configure Samba, select the menu option System→Administration→Server Settings→Samba, which will open the window shown in Figure 7-1.

Figure 7-1. Samba configuration window

Click Preferences→Server Settings to open the small window shown at bottom right in Figure 7-1. Enter your local Windows workgroup name into the Workgroup field and click OK. The Samba server will be started automatically.

Tip

See Lab 4.7, “Managing Users and Groups,” to create Fedora accounts for your users before enabling Samba access.

Next, select Preferences→Samba Users to bring up the user configuration dialog box shown in Figure 7-2. Click Add User, select an existing Linux user, enter a Windows username (which may be the same as the Linux username), and enter the Samba password of your choice twice. Click OK when you’re done.

Figure 7-2. Samba user configuration

Warning

If you are using a firewall or have ...