How to install and configure samba in ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal and 11.10 oneiric ocelot via GUI

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If you want to share files between your Ubuntu and Windows computers, the best option is to use Samba file sharing. In our previous posts, we did show you how to install  and configure  samba in ubuntu via command line, Today we will do the installation and configuration in ubuntu  10.10 Maverick Meerkat and Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal via GUI (This Tutorial also works in LinuxMint). There are many tools that make it easy to install and configure samba using a graphical interface, one of them Samba server configuration tool and S.W.A.T.

If you are new to ubuntu:

“Samba is a free software re-implementation of SMB/CIFS networking protocol, originally developed by Australian Andrew Tridgell. As of version 3, Samba provides file and print services for various Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Windows Server domain, either as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or as a domain member. It can also be part of an Active Directory domain.Samba runs on most Unix and Unix-like systems, such as Linux, Solaris, AIX and the BSD variants, including Apple’s Mac OS X Server (which was added to the Mac OS X client in version 10.2). Samba is standard on nearly all distributions of Linux and is commonly included as a basic system service on other Unix-based operating systems as well. Samba is released under the GNU General Public License. The name Samba comes from SMB (Server Message Block), the name of the standard protocol used by the Microsoft Windows network file system. ”

Before to start we need to install samba, you can do that from Ubuntu software center or by command line :

sudo apt-get install samba samba-common 

I – Installation and configuration using Samba Server configuration Tool

After samba is installed we need to install the graphical interface System-config samba using the command:

sudo apt-get install  system-config-samba

Now we will try for example to share the directory  /home/pirat9/Music folder to do that,

 First open GUI samba  server configuration tool by going to System–> Administration–>Samba

• Edit  existing shares

• Add  new  share

Find more details about the configuration of samba using this tool in our previous post.

II -Installation and configuration using SWAT. Web samba  adminitration tool

SWAT is a tool that allows Web-based configuration of Samba. It has a wizard that may help to get Samba configured quickly, it has context-sensitive help on each smb.conf parameter, it provides for monitoring of current state of connection information, and it allows networkwide MS Windows network password management.

SWAT uses integral Samba components to locate parameters supported by the particular version of Samba. Unlike tools and utilities that are external to Samba, SWAT is always up to date as known Samba parameters change. SWAT provides context-sensitive help for each configuration parameter, directly from man page entries.

Note : Before using SWAT, please be warned SWAT will completely replace your smb.conf with a fully optimized file that has been stripped of all comments you might have placed there and only nondefault settings will be written to the file.

To install SWAT open terminal and type the command:

sudo apt-get  install  swat

This will install SWAT also samba and dependencies.

Now to access SWAT, open your browser and  type :

http://your- ip:901 or http://localhost:901

Then use your root  login and password

Login admin page:

Global informations

• Wizard  to  edit  the  samba  config

• Server Statut:

• View  of  the  actual samba  config:

• Changes  admin password  page

For more posts about the installations and cofiguration of Samba in ubuntu, please read our previous posts.
Note: If you need help please post your problem in the comments and we will help you to resolve the issue.

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