docudjeex/content/2.general/3.samba.md

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Samba

Samba is a protocol that allows access to a folder located on a network drive. It can be configured on macOS, Windows, or Linux.

There are many tutorials for setting up Samba on Windows or on NAS systems like Synology, but here we focus on Debian.

::alert{type="info"} 🎯 Objectives:

• Create a network folder on a remote machine
• Access the network folder from our server ::

Sharing a Network Folder

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::alert{type="info"} :::list{type="info"}

• In this example, we will share the /video folder from a remote machine called remote-machine. We will access this folder from a machine called local-machine. The user connecting to the network drive will be sambauser. ::: ::

Install Samba Server

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install samba smbclient cifs-utils

Create the /video Folder

sudo mkdir /video

Configure the Share

Now, edit the file /etc/samba/smb.conf.

✨ Tip: You can use File Browser to navigate and edit your files instead of using terminal commands. ::

sudo vim /etc/samba/smb.conf

Find the workgroup variable, press i to enter insert mode, and name your workgroup (e.g., workgroup = WORKGROUP).

Then scroll to the end of the file and add the following configuration:

[video]
   comment = Video folder
   path = /video
   writable = yes
   guest ok = no
   valid users = @smbshare
   force create mode = 770
   force directory mode = 770
   inherit permissions = yes

Press Esc to exit insert mode, then type :x and press Enter to save and exit.

Create a Samba User and Group

Since we're using a secured share, we need to create a user and group to access it remotely.

Create the group:

sudo groupadd smbshare

Give the group control over the /video folder:

sudo chgrp -R smbshare /video

Set inherited permissions:

sudo chmod 2775 /video

Now add a no-login user — this user cannot log into the server but can access Samba.

sudo useradd -M -s /sbin/nologin sambauser

Add the user to the smbshare group:

sudo usermod -aG smbshare sambauser

Set a Samba password:

sudo smbpasswd -a sambauser

Enable the Samba account:

sudo smbpasswd -e sambauser

sudo ufw allow from remote-ip to any app Samba
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Accessing a Shared Folder

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Install Required Packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install cifs-utils

Create the Mount Destination

We will create a folder on our local machine where the remote /video folder will be mounted — e.g., /mnt/video.

sudo mkdir /mnt/video

Prepare the .credentials File

To avoid typing our username and password every time, create a .credentials file storing the login info.

Create it in the /smb folder:

sudo mkdir /smb
sudo vi /smb/.credentials

Enter insert mode (i) and write:

username=smbuser
password=password

• smbuser: the user we created on the remote-machine
• password: the password set earlier

Press Esc, then :x and Enter to save and exit.

Set proper file permissions:

sudo chmod 600 /smb/.credentials

Mount the Shared Folder

Now mount the folder:

sudo mount -t cifs -o credentials=/smb/.credentials //remote-ip/video /mnt/video

Replace remote-ip with your remote-machine's IP address.

Verify the mount:

sudo mount -t cifs

You’ll see details confirming the mount is successful.

Now you can access the /video folder of the remote-machine from your local-machine!

Auto-mount on Boot

By default, shares aren't auto-mounted after reboot. To automate this, edit the /etc/fstab file.

First, back it up:

sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak

Then add the mount configuration line:

sudo echo //remote-ip/video    /mnt/video  cifs   _netdev,nofail,credentials=/smb/.credentials,x-systemd.automount,x-systemd.device-timeout=15 0 0 >> /etc/fstab

Reboot the machine:

sudo reboot

After rebooting, verify the mount:

sudo mount -t cifs

And done!

Unmount the Shared Folder

sudo umount -t cifs /mnt/video