I'd like to find out how to set up Samba for file sharing between 2 computers in my home using the GUI tools provided by Mandriva 2008. I see several posts showing various howtos and fixes but all involve using the command line or manually editing files.

If Mandriva 2008 provides graphical tools, then it should be possible to set up Samba file sharing with those tools, no?

Both computers are running Mandriva 2008 and KDE. They are connected wirelessly using a Linksys WRT54G. The two computers are "davelaptop" and "dave-tower"

What I want:

1) Since everything is behind the Linksys, my security needs should be minimal; I live in the country and there's no one in range.

2) I want to share the files in /home/dave/public on each machine read/write/drag/drop both ways. I'm trying to allow any/all users to use the files without passwords or special groups, although there's only one me using both machines.

3) On both, I have symlinked some directories from another partition outside my home directory into /home/dave/public.

So far, smb4k says "The share '//DAVELAPTOP/PUBLIC' could not be mounted" and "retrying with upper case share name...mount error 6 = No such device or address...Refer to the mount.cifs(8) manual page (e.g.man mount.cifs)" Same message on dave-tower.

Question:

Is it possible to configure Samba using only the GUI tools provided in Mandriva 2008?

...............................................

This is my current /etc/samba/smb.conf file, the enabled configurations only; I omitted the rest of the file to save space. I've been messing with this for a week now so it may be scrambled:

[global]
workgroup = MDKGROUP
server string = Samba Server %v
printcap name = cups
printcap cache time = 60
printing = cups
log file = /var/log/samba/%m.log
max log size = 50
map to guest = Bad User
security = share
encrypt passwords = yes
dns proxy = no
restrict anonymous = no
domain master = no
preferred master = no
max protocol = NT
acl compatibility = winnt
ldap ssl = No
server signing = Auto

[printers]
comment = All Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
browseable = no
guest ok = yes
printable = yes
create mask = 0700
print command = lpr-cups -P %p -o raw %s -r
use client driver = yes

[print$]
path = /var/lib/samba/printers
write list = @adm root
guest ok = yes
inherit permissions = yes

[pdf-gen]
path = /var/tmp
printable = Yes
comment = PDF Generator (only valid users)
printing = bsd
print command = /usr/share/samba/scripts/print-pdf "%s" "%H" "//%L/%u" "%m" "%I" "%J" &
lpq command = /bin/true

[PUBLIC]
path = /home/dave/PUBLIC/
guest ok = yes
read only = no
case sensitive = no
strict locking = no
msdfs proxy = no
comment = Public directory

......................................................

Thanks for any help.

In faith, Dave
Viva Texas <><

Hi ehawk. Not sure I totally understand your response. The link you gave has a lot about webmin, but my question was about the Mandriva 2008 GUI. One post mentioned drakwizard.

OK, I downloaded drakwizard and ran Control Center. Looks like the same Control Center I used before installing drakwizard. There isn't a "sharing" tab in the tree but there is one for File Sharing. It's the same one I used before... enable local network file sharing is checked. Advanced sharing is checked, and Use samba (Microsoft(R) Windows (R)). Allowed Users shows "Allow all users to share folders". There are 4 shares listed including /home/dave/Public. All four have samba checked and NFS "X"ed. There's not an option for "Configure Samba". However, on the tree there is a tab for "Samba". Nothing about manage samba share.

Under the "Samba" tab > Base Settings, the config file is /etc/samba/smb.conf. The workgroup is MDKGROUP. The netBIOS name is DAVELAPTOP (DAVE-TOWER). The server string is Samba Server %v. Security level is set for Share.

Under the "Shares" tab two are listed including PUBLIC, /home/dave/PUBLIC. Under "Properties" it shows a globe, a paper with pencil, and a gear. Under the "Users" tab nothing is entered. All the possible users show twice; example: dave, dave; games, games; etc.

Under "Advanced" I made no entries.

All this I had set before downloading drakwizard. Nothing looks any different after I D/L drakwizard.

?????

In faith, Dave
Viva Texas <><

I don't know anything about Mandriva's GUI tools, but I can tell you that what you want to do is really simple in setting up a simple file sharing server. You just need to manually edit the /etc/samba/smb.conf setting. Are you comfortable doing this, or do you strictly only want to do it the GUI way? There is a tool called Samba SWAT

As of Mandriva2007.1, the tool to configure samba was broken. The smb.conf file it would give you was wrong. I don't know if it is fixed in 2008; haven't tried it. When I want to share/unshare a partition or directory, I just manually edit smb.conf. I have concluded that is more time efficient than using the tool, getting a broken file, then having to fix it.

Micro and Jim: A totally honest answer to your questions would be "all of the above" ^_^.

I began by watching a friend set up his home network in Windows using up about 20 seconds and 3 mouse clicks per computer; I didn't pay close attention because I'm not going to have Windows on my computers (except for an old laptop which still runs W95 and simply refuses to die) But I thought, "I really ought to get filesharing going at my home. I wanted Samba because I might want to include that old laptop. First I tried using the GUI tools, and managed to get read-only sharing between two machines. Using several online howtos, I set up my smb.cong file. After a lot of cussing I couldn't get either machine to see the other ("folder does not exist"). But Konqueror broke when I tried to set permissions on the folder to be shared. Reinstall. Same process with the GUI and then smb.conf and break Konqueror again. Reinstall.

So I definitely don't feel comfortable editing smb.conf.

Then I began to wonder why have a GUI tool if it doesn't work? Maybe I had done something wrong? Maybe the correct procedure is glaringly obvious but I'm blinded by my noobiness? I also reflected on my friend's experience with Windows, thinking that home networks are pretty basic any more and, if Linux ever hopes to compete, there should be an easy obvious way to do it in Linux.

So I decided to ask, and only about the GUI tools. From what you are saying, the GUI tools are busted - and have been busted for a while now - which sort of sucks.

If the only thing I can do is edit smb.conf, then OK, but I just can't tell other folks how great Linux is. So, looking at my smb.conf file in the first post of this thread, or at the GUI configurations I did in post #3, can you spot what I've done wrong? Right now, smb4k tells me the file isn't mounted and I can't figure out how to mount it or whatever smb4k wants me to do :^>.

And I'd really like to be able to tell my grandson who's just getting into computers by himself how great is Linux, but he wants to share files with his Dad.

In faith, Dave
Viva Texas <><

Does the share /home/dave/PUBLIC exist? Samba says it doesn't.

Remember that, unlike Windows, Linux is case-sensitive. Are you sure it isn't public or Public?

I've tried it both ways, naming the shared folder public and PUBLIC, but got the same error either way. Control Center > Internet & Network > File Sharing matches it either way. If I change, I have first to delete the existing share or I'll have something like PUBLIC2. Then I go back through konqueror > share. Right now it's PUBLIC and the share matches.

In faith, Dave
Viva Texas <><

You shouldn't have to try it multiple ways. That share is a directory on your system. The path in smb.conf points to that directory. So what is the name of the directory?

The directory is /home/dave/PUBLIC.

????

Well, I never could get samba to work with the GUI tools. However, there is a tool in Control Center for setting up an ftp server which even offered to download/install the necessary software and explained my options well enough that I was able to follow them. So at least I can move files back and forth with reasonable convenience. Maybe I'll mess with samba some more later.

I still say if Linux can get the rest of its administrative tools fixed as well as the ftp tool, then Bill Gates won't know what hit him.

Thanks anyway.

In faith, Dave
Viva Texas <><