How To: Browse Samba Shares

[trulan]

I've heard that Fragadelic has a Samba setup utility in the works.  Until it arrives, here's how I set things up to browse the Samba shares on my home network.  Most of the 'brains' comes from dmizer's excellent guide for Ubuntu, here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1169149
(ATTENTION: One of the edits is not compatible with firestarter.  If you use firestarter, please see dmizer's how-to for more info.)

1. You'll need the following packages (install via synaptic, apt-get, etc.):
winbind
samba-common
samba-common-bin
gnome-commander (already installed on the latest AVLinux snapshot)

During installation, a debconf window will pop up asking for your workgroup name.  This must match the workgroup name of the windows network you are planning to access.  To change it later, edit (as root) /etc/samba/smb.conf.
Next, it will ask a question about wins and dhcp settings.  Leave this unchecked (I think - I'm not sure about this one.)

2. You'll need to make the following edits: (as root)

Code:

gedit /etc/samba/smb.conf

Make sure your workgroup name is correct (Linux default is WORKGROUP)

Find the line that says:

Code:

;   name resolve order = lmhosts host wins bcast

Remove the semicolon and move 'host' to the end of the line, like this:

Code:

   name resolve order = lmhosts wins bcast host

Save the file and close gedit.

Then this edit:  (ATTENTION:  this edit is not compatible with firestarter.  See dmizer's how-to for more info)

Code:

gedit /etc/nsswitch.conf

Find the 'hosts' line:

Code:

hosts:          files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] dns mdns4

and add 'wins' before 'dns', like this:

Code:

hosts:          files mdns4_minimal [NOTFOUND=return] wins dns mdns4

Save the file and close gedit.

3. Reboot (or restart networking).

4. Now, you should be able to use the SMB browser in Gnome Commander.  Good luck!

[GMaq]

trulan,

Great guide! Gnome Commander is also a phenomenal ftp application as well. One question, Firestarter is a dependency of Remastersys Control Panel... did you remove the "RCP" as well to make this work on your own system? Just curious.

[trulan]

I did not remove firestarter.  I never set it up, never used it.  I figured if I had never used it, it wasn't running and wouldn't cause a problem.

I have not verified that there is an issue with firestarter, I have never had any problems.  The ubuntu guide had a very specific warning about this and I thought it would be foolish to post a guide without the warnings.  If it can be verified that this problem is gone, I will remove the warnings from this guide.  Supposedly doing the nsswitch edit if firestarter is in use could result in an un-bootable system.  I'll do some more research on the issue and see what I can learn.  Also, I'm curious if Fragadelic has run into this in his work with a Samba setup utility?

[GMaq]

trulan,

Thanks for clarifying that, I have asked fragadelic to remove Firestarter (and mtpaint) as an RCP dependencies in the future, for reasons relating to this guide as well as to allow user's more choice since many don't want/need a firewall and RCP is a pillar of AV Linux. I'm not sure when he'll have time to implement the changes but in the meantime it's good for users to know that your guide will work if Firestarter has never been configured to have it's daemon running. I haven't heard anything further on fragadelic's Samba Utility but he never fails to amaze when he gets around to these things!

[trevelyn]

I've always simply used

smbtree -N

It lists all of the shares out in a tree structure and you can mount them via the names given.
Have you ever tried that?  It comes with smbclient I think.  The -N means "no password"