COPY FROM LINUX TO M$ and vice-versa

SAMBA:
------
Samba acts as a fileserver for windows/linux using the SMB protocol
(Server Message Block), SMB is sometimes referred to as CIFS (Common Internet
File System).

Server Side:
------------
The directory to be shared from a linux server has to be given a sharename.
Clients access server's directory by referring to this sharename.
We can have user level access list and host level access list in samba.
Those users to whom server is granting access shuld be a unix server user
as well, and those users shuld be converted to samba users by giving them a
seperate samba password also. The samba users password database is located
inside /etc/samba directory in the name smbpasswd.
ie, /etc/samba/smbpasswd
Eg:
There is a directory in the server named /backups.
These directory needs to be shared to clients which use windows OS.
First of all we need to give /backups a sharename, by which the windows clients
access our /backups. Let it be UNIXBAKUP.
We are planning to give access to this share only for windows clients
192.168.0.3 and 192.168.0.2 only.
More over, they shuld be granted access if and only if they login as users
jack or jane.

Open the samba configuration file using an editor,
-------------------------------------
#vi /etc/samba/smb.conf
[UNIXBAKUP]
comment = Share for windows clients
path = /backups
valid users = jane jack
hosts allow = 192.168.0.3 192.168.0.2
writeable = yes
create mask = 0765
-------------------------------------
Now we need to add the allowed users
#useradd jane
#useradd jack
#passwd -l jack ; passwd -l jane
this is done to lock their unix password
Now we need to convert these unix users to samba users.
#smbpasswd -a jane
now u will be prompted for a password.
this step only adds the user to the samba password database.
we need to allow this user to use our samba server.
#smbpasswd -e jane
same way add the user jack also.
now we need to give permission to users jane and jack the write permission in
our share
#chmod 777 /backups
#/etc/init.d/smb start
#chkconfig smb on
to make our samba server persistent across reboots.
now we can test whether our samba configuration is correct or not with the
command testparm
#testparm
if any errors are there it will be reported.
--------------------------------------------

Client Side: (in 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.3)
------------
#smbclient //sambaserveraddress/sharename -U username
here
#smbclient //192.168.0.4/UNIXBAKUP -U jane/jack
enter the password
u will be put into a samba shell
smb: \>
now u are inside 192.168.0.4's /backups directory
frm here if u want to get some files, frm with in samba shell issue
smb: \>mget filename
file is now copied frm samba server to the client directory frm where we logged into the samba server.
instead if u want to put some files frm the folder where u logged into the
samba server, issue
smb: \>mput file-frm-the-client
smb: \>ls
you will be listed with the file u have just copied frm client to the
samba server.

Using GUI:
------------
Take run in KDE/Gnome and try
smb://sambaserverip
then u will be prompted for the samba username and password!

In M$ Windows u can access the Linux samba share by taking Start>Run and issuing
\\sambaserverip
upon opening any directory u will be asked the samba username and password...!