Ok i have serveral windows computers all hooked up to a switch along with an ethernet printer and my DSL modem. My DSL modem has a router built in that acts as a DHCP server and gives out IP addresses to all the computers. What I want to do is share files from my linux computer to my windows computers and vice versa. Right now my linux computer is getting an IP address from the router and is able to get on the internet. My windows computers can all share files with each other. I am not on a domain... just a workgroup. Is there any way for me to get my linux computer to connect to the windows shares and be able to create shares for the windows computers to get to?

Samba http://www.samba.org/

ok... how exactly do I install samba? I downloaded the file samba-3.0.4.tar.gz but I don't see any install instructions. Every other program I have installed I just ran ./configure, make, and make install and it was installed but this one looks different

if it's a .tar.gz file you'll need to extract it first.

mandrake probably has a gui tool for this in kde, if you'd rather use it. i think it's called ark. anyway, once you've extracted it you should find a readme, or an install guide of some sort. another thing to consider would be the samba rpm from your install disks. that should get you going, once samba is installed whichever way you choose, have a look here for configuration

http://us1.samba.org/samba/docs/man/guide/

http://us1.samba.org/samba/docs/using_samba/toc.html

http://hr.uoregon.edu/davidrl/samba.html

good luck.

Yay i think i got it i already had it unzipped and the ./configure, make, and make install files were in the folder "source" inside the samba main folder. I'm compiling it now. Hope this works *crosses fingers*

Ok i got it installed. Now what? Those manuals confuse the crap out of me

try linneighborhood, really easy to setup and share. should already be installed.

umm... how exactly do i get to that? lol

sorry, but its been a little while since ive used mandrake, could you explain what u see on the menus(if ur using kde)?

from what i remember it was on the kde menu, u should just be able to find if u look

well... LinNeighborhood wasn't installed... i guess i didn't choose that package. I tried installing it from rpmdrake but it wanted to install an old version of samba along with it so I just downloaded it and installed it myself cause i already downloaded and installed the latest version of samba. Now i don't think LinNeighborhood is working right though cause i still don't see any windows shares on it.

open your Konqueror and type: smb:/
in the Location Bar

Or create a link to a URL on your desktop by right clicking your decktop and selecting Create New
enter: smb:/ as your URL.
Then double click the icon.

There are probably about 100 different threads on doing exactly what you are trying to do. Try some searching... you'll find answers.

I personally like to use Webmin to manage my samba server. (www.webmin.com)

It brought up and error saying this:

Could not start process smbclient

Make sure that the samba package is installed properly on your system

I am trying to remember how to use Mandrake.

Go to control center and select networks and then select samba. This is where you can perminently mount your directories. On the right you will see a radio button (not sure what it is called), click it to see if your network comes up.

I will guide you after you get back to me whether anything was found