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14 <title>How to Install and Test SAMBA</title>
17 <title>Obtaining and Installing Samba</title>
20 <indexterm><primary>packages</primary></indexterm>
21 Binary packages of Samba are included in almost any Linux or UNIX distribution. There are also some
22 packages available at <ulink url="https://www.samba.org/">the Samba home page</ulink>. Refer to the manual of your
23 operating system for details on installing packages for your specific operating system.
27 <indexterm><primary>compile</primary></indexterm>
28 If you need to compile Samba from source, check <link linkend="compiling">How to Compile Samba</link>.
34 <title>Configuring Samba (smb.conf)</title>
37 <indexterm><primary>/etc/samba/smb.conf</primary></indexterm>
38 <indexterm><primary>SWAT</primary></indexterm>
39 Samba's configuration is stored in the &smb.conf; file, which usually resides in
40 <filename>/etc/samba/smb.conf</filename> or <filename>/usr/local/samba/lib/smb.conf</filename>. You can either
41 edit this file yourself or do it using one of the many graphical tools that are available, such as the
42 Web-based interface SWAT, that is included with Samba.
46 <title>Configuration File Syntax</title>
49 <indexterm><primary>section name</primary></indexterm>
50 The &smb.conf; file uses the same syntax as the various old <filename>.ini</filename> files in Windows
51 3.1: Each file consists of various sections, which are started by putting the section name between brackets
52 (<literal>[]</literal>) on a new line. Each contains zero or more key/value pairs separated by an equality
53 sign (<literal>=</literal>). The file is just a plaintext file, so you can open and edit it with your favorite
58 <indexterm><primary>meta-service</primary></indexterm>
59 <indexterm><primary>print</primary><secondary>queue</secondary></indexterm>
60 <indexterm><primary>share</primary></indexterm>
61 <indexterm><primary>spooler.</primary></indexterm>
62 <indexterm><primary>print</primary><secondary>spooler</secondary></indexterm>
63 <indexterm><primary>spool</primary><secondary>directory</secondary></indexterm>
64 Each section in the &smb.conf; file represents either a share or a meta-service on the Samba server. The
65 section <literal>[global]</literal> is special, since it contains settings that apply to the whole Samba
66 server. Samba supports a number of meta-services, each of which serves its own purpose. For example, the
67 <literal>[homes]</literal> share is a meta-service that causes Samba to provide a personal home share for
68 each user. The <literal>[printers]</literal> share is a meta-service that establishes print queue support
69 and that specifies the location of the intermediate spool directory into which print jobs are received
70 from Windows clients prior to being dispatched to the UNIX/Linux print spooler.
74 <indexterm><primary>printers</primary></indexterm>
75 <indexterm><primary>meta-service</primary></indexterm>
76 <indexterm><primary>printcap</primary></indexterm>
77 <indexterm><primary>lpstat</primary></indexterm>
78 <indexterm><primary>CUPS API</primary></indexterm>
79 <indexterm><primary>browseable</primary></indexterm>
80 The <literal>printers</literal> meta-service will cause every printer that is either specified in a
81 <literal>printcap</literal> file, via the <command>lpstat</command>, or via the CUPS API, to be
82 published as a shared print queue. The <literal>printers</literal> stanza in the &smb.conf; file can
83 be set as not browseable. If it is set to be browseable, then it will be visible as if it is a share.
84 That makes no sense given that this meta-service is responsible only for making UNIX system printers
85 available as Windows print queues. If a <literal>comment</literal> parameter is specified, the value
86 of it will be displayed as part of the printer name in Windows Explorer browse lists.
90 <indexterm><primary>stanza</primary></indexterm>
91 Each section of the &smb.conf; file that specifies a share, or a meta-service, is called a stanza.
92 The <literal>global</literal> stanza specifies settings that affect all the other stanzas in the
93 &smb.conf; file. Configuration parameters are documented in the &smb.conf; man page. Some parameters
94 can be used only in the <literal>global</literal> stanza, some only in share or meta-service stanzas,
95 and some can be used globally or just within a share or meta-service stanza.
99 <indexterm><primary>minimal</primary><secondary>configuration</secondary></indexterm>
100 <link linkend="smbconfminimal">A minimal smb.conf</link> contains a very minimal &smb.conf;.
101 <indexterm><primary>minimal configuration</primary></indexterm>
104 <example id="smbconfminimal">
105 <title>A minimal smb.conf</title>
108 <smbconfsection name="[global]"/>
109 <smbconfoption name="workgroup">WKG</smbconfoption>
110 <smbconfoption name="netbios name">MYNAME</smbconfoption>
111 <smbconfsection name="[share1]"/>
112 <smbconfoption name="path">/tmp</smbconfoption>
114 <smbconfsection name="[share2]"/>
115 <smbconfoption name="path">/my_shared_folder</smbconfoption>
116 <smbconfoption name="comment">Some random files</smbconfoption>
123 <title>TDB Database File Information</title>
126 This section contains brief descriptions of the databases that are used by Samba.
130 <indexterm><primary>tdb file locations</primary></indexterm>
131 The directory in which Samba stores the tdb files is determined by compile-time directives. Samba stores
132 tdb files in two locations. The best way to determine these locations is to execute the following
135 &rootprompt; smbd -b | grep PRIVATE_DIR
136 PRIVATE_DIR: /etc/samba/private
138 This means that the confidential tdb files are stored in the <filename>/etc/samba/private</filename>
139 directory. Samba also uses a number of tdb files that contain more mundane data. The location of
140 these files can be found by executing:
142 &rootprompt; smbd -b | grep LOCKDIR
143 LOCKDIR: /var/lib/samba
145 Therefore the remaining control files will, in the example shown, be stored in the
146 <filename>/var/lib/samba</filename> directory.
150 <indexterm><primary>tdb file descriptions</primary></indexterm>
151 The persistent tdb files are described in <link linkend="tdbpermfiledesc">the Persistent TDB File
152 Descriptions table</link>. All persistent tdb files should be regularly backed up. Use the
153 <command>tdbbackup</command> utility to backup the tdb files. All persistent tdb files must be
154 preserved during machine migrations, updates and upgrades.
158 The temporary tdb files do not need to be backed up, nor do they need to be preseved across machine
159 migrations, updates or upgrades. The temporary tdb files are described in <link linkend="tdbtempfiledesc">
160 the Temporary TDB File Descriptions</link>.
163 <table frame='all' id="tdbpermfiledesc"><title>Persistent TDB File Descriptions</title>
165 <colspec align="left"/>
166 <colspec align="justify" colwidth="1*"/>
167 <colspec align="left"/>
170 <entry align="left">Name</entry>
171 <entry align="justify">Description</entry>
176 <entry>account_policy</entry>
177 <entry><para>Samba/NT account policy settings, includes password expiration settings.</para></entry>
180 <entry>group_mapping</entry>
181 <entry><para>Mapping table from Windows groups/SID to UNIX groups.</para></entry>
184 <entry>ntdrivers</entry>
185 <entry><para>Stores per-printer installed driver information.</para></entry>
188 <entry>ntforms</entry>
189 <entry><para>Stores per-printer installed forms information.</para></entry>
192 <entry>ntprinters</entry>
193 <entry><para>Stores the per-printer devmode configuration settings.</para></entry>
196 <entry>passdb</entry>
198 Exists only when the tdbsam passwd backend is used. This file stores the
199 SambaSAMAccount information. Note: This file requires that user POSIX account information is
200 available from either the /etc/passwd file, or from an alternative system source.
204 <entry>registry</entry>
206 Read-only Samba database of a Windows registry skeleton that provides support for exporting
207 various database tables via the winreg RPCs.
211 <entry>secrets</entry>
213 This file stores the Workgroup/Domain/Machine SID, the LDAP directory update password, and
214 a further collection of critical environmental data that is necessary for Samba to operate
215 correctly. This file contains very sensitive information that must be protected. It is stored
216 in the PRIVATE_DIR directory.
220 <entry>share_info</entry>
221 <entry><para>Stores per-share ACL information.</para></entry>
224 <entry>winbindd_idmap</entry>
225 <entry><para>Winbindd's local IDMAP database.</para></entry>
231 <table frame='all' id="tdbtempfiledesc"><title>Temporary TDB File Descriptions</title>
233 <colspec align="left"/>
234 <colspec align="justify" colwidth="1*"/>
235 <colspec align="left"/>
238 <entry align="left">Name</entry>
239 <entry align="justify">Description</entry>
240 <entry align="center">Backup</entry>
245 <entry>brlock</entry>
246 <entry><para>Byte-range locking information.</para></entry>
250 <entry>connections</entry>
251 <entry><para>A temporary cache for current connection information used to enforce max connections.</para></entry>
255 <entry>eventlog/*tdb</entry>
256 <entry><para>Records of eventlog entries. In most circumstances this is just a cache of system logs.</para></entry>
260 <entry>gencache</entry>
261 <entry><para>Generic caching database for dead WINS servers and trusted domain data.</para></entry>
265 <entry>login_cache</entry>
266 <entry><para>A temporary cache for login information, in particular bad password attempts.</para></entry>
270 <entry>messages</entry>
271 <entry><para>Temporary storage of messages being processed by smbd.</para></entry>
275 <entry>netsamlogon_cache</entry>
276 <entry><para>Caches user net_info_3 structure data from net_samlogon requests (as a domain member).</para></entry>
280 <entry>perfmon/*.tdb</entry>
281 <entry><para>Performance counter information.</para></entry>
285 <entry>printing/*.tdb</entry>
286 <entry><para>Cached output from lpq command created on a per-print-service basis.</para></entry>
290 <entry>schannel_store</entry>
292 A confidential file, stored in the PRIVATE_DIR, containing crytographic connection
293 information so that clients that have temporarily disconnected can reconnect without
294 needing to renegotiate the connection setup process.
299 <entry>sessionid</entry>
300 <entry><para>Temporary cache for miscellaneous session information and for utmp handling.</para></entry>
304 <entry>unexpected</entry>
305 <entry><para>Stores packets received for which no process is actively listening.</para></entry>
309 <entry>winbindd_cache</entry>
310 <entry><para>Cache of Identity information received from an NT4 domain or from ADS. Includes user
311 lists, etc.</para></entry>
321 <title>Starting Samba</title>
324 <indexterm><primary>daemon</primary></indexterm>
325 Samba essentially consists of two or three daemons. A daemon is a UNIX application that runs in the background and provides services.
326 An example of a service is the Apache Web server for which the daemon is called <command>httpd</command>. In the case of Samba there
327 are three daemons, two of which are needed as a minimum.
331 The Samba server is made up of the following daemons:
335 <varlistentry><term>nmbd</term>
337 <indexterm><primary>nmbd</primary></indexterm>
338 <indexterm><primary>starting samba</primary><secondary>nmbd</secondary></indexterm>
339 This daemon handles all name registration and resolution requests. It is the primary vehicle involved
340 in network browsing. It handles all UDP-based protocols. The <command>nmbd</command> daemon should
341 be the first command started as part of the Samba startup process.
345 <varlistentry><term>smbd</term>
347 <indexterm><primary>smbd</primary></indexterm>
348 <indexterm><primary>starting samba</primary><secondary>smbd</secondary></indexterm>
349 This daemon handles all TCP/IP-based connection services for file- and print-based operations. It also
350 manages local authentication. It should be started immediately following the startup of <command>nmbd</command>.
354 <varlistentry><term>winbindd</term>
356 <indexterm><primary>winbindd</primary></indexterm>
357 <indexterm><primary>starting samba</primary><secondary>winbindd</secondary></indexterm>
358 This daemon should be started when Samba is a member of a Windows NT4 or ADS domain. It is also needed when
359 Samba has trust relationships with another domain. The <command>winbindd</command> daemon will check the
360 &smb.conf; file for the presence of the <parameter>idmap uid</parameter> and <parameter>idmap gid</parameter>
361 parameters. If they are are found, <command>winbindd</command> will use the values specified for
362 for UID and GID allocation. If these parameters are not specified, <command>winbindd</command>
363 will start but it will not be able to allocate UIDs or GIDs.
369 <indexterm><primary>startup</primary><secondary>process</secondary></indexterm>
370 When Samba has been packaged by an operating system vendor, the startup process is typically a custom feature of its
371 integration into the platform as a whole. Please refer to your operating system platform administration manuals for
372 specific information pertaining to correct management of Samba startup.
378 <title>Example Configuration</title>
381 <indexterm><primary>examples</primary></indexterm>
382 <indexterm><primary>source code</primary></indexterm>
383 <indexterm><primary>distribution</primary></indexterm>
384 <indexterm><primary>tarball</primary></indexterm>
385 <indexterm><primary>package</primary></indexterm>
386 There are sample configuration files in the examples subdirectory in the source code distribution tarball
387 package. It is suggested you read them carefully so you can see how the options go together in practice. See
388 the man page for all the options. It might be worthwhile to start out with the
389 <filename>smb.conf.default</filename> configuration file and adapt it to your needs. It contains plenty of comments.
393 <indexterm><primary>simplest</primary><secondary>configuration</secondary></indexterm>
394 The simplest useful configuration file would contain something like that shown in
395 <link linkend="simple-example">Another simple smb.conf File</link>.
396 <indexterm><primary>simple configuration</primary></indexterm>
399 <example id="simple-example">
400 <title>Another simple smb.conf File</title>
402 <smbconfsection name="[global]"/>
403 <smbconfoption name="workgroup">&example.workgroup;</smbconfoption>
405 <smbconfsection name="[homes]"/>
406 <smbconfoption name="guest ok">no</smbconfoption>
407 <smbconfoption name="read only">no</smbconfoption>
412 <indexterm><primary>connections</primary></indexterm>
413 <indexterm><primary>account</primary></indexterm>
414 <indexterm><primary>login name</primary></indexterm>
415 <indexterm><primary>service name</primary></indexterm>
416 This will allow connections by anyone with an account on the server, using either
417 their login name or <smbconfsection name="homes"/> as the service name.
418 (Note: The workgroup that Samba should appear in must also be set. The default
419 workgroup name is WORKGROUP.)
423 <indexterm><primary>smbd</primary></indexterm>
424 Make sure you put the &smb.conf; file in the correct place. Note, the correct location of this file
425 depends on how the binary files were built. You can discover the correct location by executing from
426 the directory that contains the <command>smbd</command> command file:
428 &rootprompt; smbd -b | grep smb.conf
433 <indexterm><primary>security</primary><secondary>settings</secondary></indexterm>
434 For more information about security settings for the <smbconfsection name="[homes]"/> share, please refer to
435 <link linkend="securing-samba">Securing Samba</link>.
439 <title>Test Your Config File with <command>testparm</command></title>
442 <indexterm><primary>validate</primary></indexterm>
443 <indexterm><primary>testparm</primary></indexterm>
444 <indexterm><primary>misconfigurations</primary></indexterm>
445 It's important to validate the contents of the &smb.conf; file using the &testparm; program.
446 If testparm runs correctly, it will list the loaded services. If not, it will give an error message.
447 Make sure it runs correctly and that the services look reasonable before proceeding. Enter the command:
449 &rootprompt; testparm /etc/samba/smb.conf
451 Testparm will parse your configuration file and report any unknown parameters or incorrect syntax.
452 It also performs a check for common misconfigurations and will issue a warning if one is found.
456 Always run testparm again whenever the &smb.conf; file is changed!
460 <indexterm><primary>smbd</primary></indexterm>
461 <indexterm><primary>nmbd</primary></indexterm>
462 <indexterm><primary>winbindd</primary></indexterm>
463 <indexterm><primary>configuration</primary><secondary>documentation</secondary></indexterm>
464 The &smb.conf; file is constantly checked by the Samba daemons <command>smbd</command> and every instance of
465 itself that it spawns, <command>nmbd</command> and <command>winbindd</command>. It is good practice to
466 keep this file as small as possible. Many administrators prefer to document Samba configuration settings
467 and thus the need to keep this file small goes against good documentation wisdom. One solution that may
468 be adopted is to do all documentation and configuration in a file that has another name, such as
469 <filename>smb.conf.master</filename>. The <command>testparm</command> utility can be used to generate a
470 fully optimized &smb.conf; file from this master configuration and documentation file as shown here:
472 &rootprompt; testparm -s smb.conf.master > smb.conf
474 This administrative method makes it possible to maintain detailed configuration change records while at
475 the same time keeping the working &smb.conf; file size to the minimum necessary.
485 <indexterm><primary>swat</primary></indexterm>
486 SWAT is a Web-based interface that can be used to facilitate the configuration of Samba. SWAT might not
487 be available in the Samba package that shipped with your platform, but in a separate package. If you need to build SWAT please read the SWAT man page regarding compilation, installation, and
488 configuration of SWAT from the source code.
492 To launch SWAT, just run your favorite Web browser and point it to
493 <ulink url="http://localhost:901/" noescape="1">http://localhost:901/</ulink>.
494 Replace <replaceable>localhost</replaceable> with the name of the computer on which
495 Samba is running if that is a different computer than your browser.
499 SWAT can be used from a browser on any IP-connected machine, but be aware that connecting from a remote
500 machine leaves your connection open to password sniffing because passwords will be sent over the wire in the clear.
504 Please note that re-writing the configuration file using SWAT will
506 More information about SWAT can be found in <link linkend="SWAT">The Samba Web Administration Tool</link>.
514 <title>List Shares Available on the Server</title>
517 To list shares that are available from the configured Samba server, execute the
522 &prompt;<userinput>smbclient -L <replaceable>yourhostname</replaceable></userinput>
526 You should see a list of shares available on your server. If you do not, then
527 something is incorrectly configured. This method can also be used to see what shares
528 are available on other SMB servers, such as Windows 2000.
532 If you choose user-level security, you may find that Samba requests a password
533 before it will list the shares. See the <command>smbclient</command> man page for details.
534 You can force it to list the shares without a password by adding the option
535 <option>-N</option> to the command line.
540 <title>Connect with a UNIX Client</title>
543 Enter the following command:
545 &prompt;<userinput>smbclient <replaceable> //yourhostname/aservice</replaceable></userinput>
548 <para>Typically <replaceable>yourhostname</replaceable> is the name of the host on which &smbd;
549 has been installed. The <replaceable>aservice</replaceable> is any service that has been defined in the &smb.conf;
550 file. Try your username if you just have a <smbconfsection name="[homes]"/> section in the &smb.conf; file.</para>
552 <para>Example: If the UNIX host is called <replaceable>bambi</replaceable> and a valid login name
553 is <replaceable>fred</replaceable>, you would type:</para>
556 &prompt;<userinput>smbclient //<replaceable>bambi</replaceable>/<replaceable>fred</replaceable></userinput>
561 <title>Connect from a Remote SMB Client</title>
564 Now that Samba is working correctly locally, you can try to access it from other clients. Within a few
565 minutes, the Samba host should be listed in the Network Neighborhood on all Windows clients of its subnet.
566 Try browsing the server from another client or "mounting" it.
570 Mounting disks from a DOS, Windows, or OS/2 client can be done by running a command such as:
572 &dosprompt;<userinput>net use m: \\servername\service</userinput>
574 Where the drive letter m: is any available drive letter. It is important to double-check that the
575 service (share) name that you used does actually exist.
579 Try printing, for example,
581 &dosprompt;<userinput>net use lpt1: \\servername\spoolservice</userinput>
583 The <literal>spoolservice</literal> is the name of the printer (actually the print queue) on the target
584 server. This will permit all print jobs that are captured by the lpt1: port on the Windows client to
585 be sent to the printer that owns the spoolservice that has been specified.
589 <screen>&dosprompt;<userinput>print filename</userinput>
593 <title>What If Things Don't Work?</title>
596 You might want to read <link linkend="diagnosis">The Samba Checklist</link>. If you are still
597 stuck, refer to <link linkend="problems">Analyzing and Solving Samba Problems</link>. Samba has
598 been successfully installed at thousands of sites worldwide. It is unlikely that your particular problem is
599 unique, so it might be productive to perform an Internet search to see if someone else has encountered your
600 problem and has found a way to overcome it.
604 If you are new to Samba, and particularly if you are new to Windows networking, or to UNIX/Linux,
605 the book <quote>Samba-3 by Example</quote> will help you to create a validated network environment.
606 Simply choose from the first five chapters the network design that most closely matches site needs,
607 then follow the simple step-by-step procedure to deploy it. Later, when you have a working network
608 you may well want to refer back to this book for further insight into opportunities for improvement.
614 <title>Still Stuck?</title>
617 The best advice under the stress of abject frustration is to cool down! That may be challenging
618 of itself, but while you are angry or annoyed your ability to seek out a solution is somewhat
619 undermined. A cool head clears the way to finding the answer you are looking for. Just remember,
620 every problem has a solution &smbmdash; there is a good chance that someone else has found it
621 even though you can't right now. That will change with time, patience and learning.
625 Now that you have cooled down a bit, please refer to <link linkend="diagnosis">the Samba Checklist</link>
626 for a process that can be followed to identify the cause of your problem.
634 <title>Common Errors</title>
637 The following questions and issues are raised repeatedly on the Samba mailing list.
641 <title>Large Number of smbd Processes</title>
644 Samba consists of three core programs: &nmbd;, &smbd;, and &winbindd;. &nmbd; is the name server message daemon,
645 &smbd; is the server message daemon, and &winbindd; is the daemon that handles communication with domain controllers.
649 If Samba is <emphasis>not</emphasis> running as a WINS server, then there will be one single instance of
650 &nmbd; running on your system. If it is running as a WINS server, then there will be
651 two instances &smbmdash; one to handle the WINS requests.
655 &smbd; handles all connection requests. It spawns a new process for each client
656 connection made. That is why you may see so many of them, one per client connection.
660 &winbindd; will run as many processes depending in part on how many
661 domains it needs to contact.
667 <title><quote><errorname>The network name cannot be found</errorname></quote></title>
670 This error can be caused by one of these misconfigurations:
674 <listitem><para>You specified a nonexisting path
675 for the share in &smb.conf;.</para></listitem>
677 <listitem><para>The user you are trying to access the share with does not
678 have sufficient permissions to access the path for
679 the share. Both read (r) and access (x) should be possible.</para></listitem>
681 <listitem><para>The share you are trying to access does not exist.</para></listitem>