Here is what I am attempting to do with my network. I have multiple machines on my network. A Slackware desktop(turning in to a server to host MP3, Video, Data files), Slackware Laptop, XP Laptop, XP desktop and a Win2K Desktop(soon to cycled out). What I want to do is set up for file sharing across the network. The Windows machines have shared folders and can access each other. This is my first time to do file sharing with Linux.

SAMBA is just a file server from my understanding, which is what I will have on the Linux Desktop which I want to access files that are on it. Also I want to access the shared folders on each machine. Priority is having linux access the windows shared folders. Then if I could set it up so windows can access the linux shared folders as well.

I have read so many different things I dont know which way would be best for what I want to do. People were talking about using SCP but thats only for one file and thats copying it all the time instead of just accessing it from the other machine. Others have said something about Rsync but again thats for copying the files over. How would I set it up to just access the files and then have the option of copying them to the host machine?

Thank you,
Kyle

Samba is actually a suite of several things. The main Samba service provides file and printer sharing, as well as Windows NT style shared authentication. You don't need a Samba service running for your Linux desktop to access Windows - if the client software is installed then you can use Windows resources either from your desktop or the command-line (with the smbclient utility). You will need the Samba service for your Linux desktop to provide file or printer sharing to Windows desktops.

The scp utility is just a convenient interface to the SSH secure remote access suite, which provides secure file transfer capabilities for software on UNIX. You are right that it is for transferring files from one system to another, rather than sharing, so it isn't relevant here. It isn't limited to one file at a time, though.

So if I understand this properly... if I want to access any shared files/folders on my Linux machines they need to be running Samba? I will do more research on the smbclient command that sounds just like the windows //PCname/Shared-Folder command.

Thank you for explaining about the scp that makes sense now.

Kyle

From Windows, yes. UNIX systems natively use other (standards-based) technologies for file and printer sharing, but Microsoft choose to do their own thing. The Samba service implements file and printer sharing the Microsoft way, so that Windows can work with a UNIX system exactly as if it was another Windows system.

If you run GNOME or KDE then you can actually access Windows printers and file shares through the desktop - behind the scenes they use Samba client software to do this. The smbclient utility is a command-line tool supplied with Samba itself.