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If you’re a new user of Ubuntu (version G, gutsy gibbon, or 7.1 as of this writing) you may be wondering how to interface that system with the other windows/linux based systems in your network.This is a very simplistic scenario and does not cover the details of how exactly to set up your SAMBA configuration, but it will get you sharing your folders over the SAMBA/SMB network.

Background (Brief): Windows uses a sharing technology called SMB, SAMBA is a linux package that emulates SMB shares; if you want to share your folders over both linux and windows directories you’re going to want a SAMBA running.

Ubuntu actually makes this relatively easy, but leaves out a critical detail that can really upset you.   First, find the folder you’d like to share, right click on it, and go ’share’.Now here is where things will get complicated fast; so I’ll keep it as simple as possible.

WARNING: this is absolutely positively NOT secure; only do this for a public write directory inside your own network, never impliment this on sensitive information

Go to /etc/samba/smb.confadd/edit the following lines:hosts allow = 127. 192.168.  (if you know your internal network address you can specify the third octet here, otherwise ‘192.168.’ will at least give you some semblance of security)security = shareguest account = <your user account, IE the name you log in with>At the very bottom of your page there will be the new share you created earlier by right clicking; make sure the following options are on:

read only = no

available  yes

browsabel = yes

writeabel = yes

guest ok = yes

public = yes

ok; one last step, you must TURN ON samba, UBUNTU does not do this by default.pull up the shell (applications->accessories->terminal) and type the followingsudo /etc/init.d/samba startand samba starts, however it will only do this THIS TIME, it will not do it every boot.If you want this to be enabeled after every startup do the following:go to system->administration->servicesFind SAMBA (folder sharing(samba))Put a check mark beside it; and just to make sure go to proporties and make sure that there is a start in runlevel 5 and that it has the same priority of any stops proceeding it.There you can now share folders; unfortunately that was far too complex.