Debian 9: Install Samba for file server

This article will describe installing samba.

1 Install Samba

Install samba with apt.

$ sudo apt install -y samba

2 pdbedit

Add user access to samba with pdbedit. This user must be exists in Linux. If user to be added by pdbedit does not exist, you need to add user with useradd.

$ sudo useradd -m hiroom2

This article adds hiroom2 with pdbedit.

$ sudo pdbedit -a hiroom2
new password:
retype new password:

-t option reads password from stdout.

$ yes "${PASSWD}" | sudo pdbedit -a hiroom2 -t

3 /etc/samba/smb.conf

This article show how to share home directory for each user and share directory with multiple user.

Please reboot smbd and nmbd after editing smb.conf.

$ sudo systemctl restart smbd nmbd

3.1 Share home directory for each user

Samba provides /home/<user> sharing to <user> added by pdbedit. This /home/<user> can be accessed by <user> only (The following %S is set to <user> when accessing to Samba).

valid users = %S

Home directory can be shared by default. If you need to disable it, comment out "[homes]" section all.

Access to the following URL from client.

\\<server>\<user>

3.2 Share directory with multiple user.

Share permission 0777 directory with multiple user adde by pdbedit.

$ cat <<EOF | sudo tee -a /etc/samba/smb.conf
[share]
   comment = Share directory
   path = /var/lib/share
   read only = no
   guest only = no
   guest ok = no
   share modes = yes
EOF

Change /var/lib/share's permission to 0777.

$ sudo mkdir /var/lib/share
$ sudo chmod 0777 /var/lib/share