[Sussex] Samba - I don't quite follow.

[Steve Williams]

On Sun, 2005-02-20 at 23:43 +0000, John D. wrote:
> I'm trying to work out how to configure SAMBA so that Clare can just 
> plug her laptop in and print (and maybe file share, though probably not 
> as the NTFS support AFAIK isn't fully up to speed with "write" ability).
> 

If you emerge samba on your desktop PC, you are effectively installing
the samba server. You don't necessarily need to install samba to act as
client though. If I remember correctly, both Kde and Gnome both include
samba client facilities.

> Having read through the gentoo samba HOWTO (which also covers CUPS and 
> ClamAV), I'm just trying to get my head round things before I go for it.
> 
> As I've already got some (well probably all) of the various packages 
> emerged, should I unmerge them and re emerge them with the USE flags 
> suggested in the HOWTO? or just check which USE flags I've already used 
> and then add any extra ones they suggest and then run genkernel again 
> (erm is thats what's meant by re-building the kernel as I don't normally 
> use the "makemenuconfig" facility as I don't know enough about the 
> hardware in an in depth way to do that)?:
> 

The easiest way to configure a samba server is to use swat.


You shouldn't need to re-compile the kernel. Try:

lsmod

If smbfs isn't listed, try:

modprobe smbfs

If your system complains then you might have to re-compile the kernel.


> Also the HOWTO says
> 
> *quote:
> 
> *First of all: be sure that all your hostnames resolve correctly. Either 
> have a working domain name system running on your network or appropriate 
> entries in your /etc/hosts file. cupsaddsmb often borks if hostnames 
> don't point to the correct machines.
> 

It's a good idea to have your hosts listed in this file provided you
don't have too many hosts on your network. You'll find a similar file on
windows systems. If you're only talking about 2 PCs, this isn't too
difficult.

> */quote*
> 
> Is this something different or is it refering to the "domain name" stuff 
> that I had to enter when I was installing the gentoo?

Simple answer: Yes.

Less simple answer: The two are related. In a Gentoo install you set the
hostname in /etc/hostname and the dns domain name in /etc/dnsdomainname.
These files are used to the fully qualified domain name during the boot
process.

The /etc/hosts file allows your PC to resolve names in the event there
is no domain name server (or other type of name server) on your network.
This is highly likely to be the case.

> 
> Then there's the question of understanding the terminology. If the SAMBA 
> is actually installed in the main machine, what am I setting up, a 
> windows client (Clares laptop) or a *nix client so my login can talk to 
> SAMBA and get access to the printer(s) or both?

If your laser printer is a network laser printer, i.e. you have a
network cable connecting it to a printer, you don't need samba to access
it.  Cups can configure it without samba as a network IP printer.

However, if your printer is connected to a PC by a local connection
(parallel or USB) them samba can present it as a shared network printer.
Again the easiest way to configure it is using swat.

I suspect we may need to talk again.

Steve.

> 
> regards
> 
> John D.
> 
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