Securing-Optimizing-RH-Linux-1_2_418
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© Copyright 1999-2000 Gerhard Mourani and Open Network Architecture ®
418
Linux Samba Server
Overview
Enterprises often handle many kinds of different operating systems and have the needs to keep
them in a networked environment for files sharing and printers. Employee works on workstation
like Linux, Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT, OS/2 or Novel and needs to access server in their daily
works. A linux server with Samba support can be used for these activities. Samba is a strong
network service for files sharing and printers that work on the majority of operating system
available these days. When well implemented by the administrator, its fasted and most secures
then the native files sharing service available on Microsoft Windows machines.
As explained in the README file of Samba:
Samba is the protocol by which a lot of PC-related machines share files and printers and other
information such as lists of available files and printers. Operating systems that support this
natively include Windows 95/98/NT, OS/2, and Linux and add on packages that achieve the same
thing are available for DOS, Windows, VMS, Unix of all kinds, MVS, and more.
Apple Macs and some Web Browsers can speak this protocol as well. Alternatives to SMB
include Netware, NFS, AppleTalk, Banyan Vines, Decnet etc; many of these have advantages but
none are both public specifications and widely implemented in desktop machines by default.
Samba software include a SMB server, to provide Windows NT and LAN Manager-style file and
print services to SMB clients such as Windows 95, Warp Server, smbfs and others, a NetBIOS
(rfc1001/1002) name server, which amongst other things gives browsing support, a ftp-like SMB
client so you can access PC resources (disks and printers) from unix, Netware and other
operating systems, and finally a tar extension to the client for backing up PCs.
These installation instructions assume
Commands are Unix-compatible.
The source path is /var/tmp (other paths are possible).
Installations were tested on RedHat Linux 6.1.
All steps in the installation will happen in superuser account root.
Samba version number is 2.0.6