Contributor: Many Updated: October 2002 Subject: A collection of hints Status: May be useful information but NOT current =============================================================================== Here are some random hints that you may find useful. These really should be incorporated in the main docs someday. ---------------------- HINT: Always test your smb.conf with testparm before using it If your smb.conf file is invalid then samba will fail to load. Run testparm over it before you install it just to make sure there aren't any basic syntax or logical errors. ---------------------- HINT: Try printing with smbclient first If you have problems printing, test with smbclient first. Just connect using "smbclient '\\server\printer' -P" and use the "print" command. Once this works, you know that Samba is setup correctly for printing, and you should be able to get it to work from your PCs. This particularly helps in getting the "print command" right. ---------------------- HINT: Mount cdroms with conv=binary Some OSes (notably Linux) default to auto detection of file type on cdroms and do cr/lf translation. This is a very bad idea when use with Samba. It causes all sorts of stuff ups. To overcome this problem use conv=binary when mounting the cdrom before exporting it with Samba. ---------------------- HINT: Convert between unix and dos text formats Jim barry has written an excellent drag-and-drop cr/lf converter for windows. Just drag your file onto the icon and it converts the file. Get it from ftp://samba.org/pub/samba/contributed/fixcrlf.zip The utilities unix2dos and dos2unix(in the mtools package) should do the job under unix. ---------------------- HINT: Use the "username map" option If the usernames used on your PCs don't match those used on the unix server then you will find the "username map" option useful. ----------------------- HINT: Use "security = user" in [global] If you have the same usernames on the unix box and the PCs or have mapped them with the "username map" option then choose "security = user" in the [global] section of smb.conf. This will mean your password is checked only when you first connect, and subsequent connections to printers, disks etc will go more smoothly and much faster. The main problem with "security = user" if you use WfWg is that you will ONLY be able to connect as the username that you log into WfWg with. This is because WfWg silently ignores the password field in the connect drive dialog box if the server is in user security mode. ------------------------ HINT: Make your printers not "guest ok" If your printers are not "guest ok" and you are using "security = user" and have matching unix and PC usernames then you will attach to the printer without trouble as your own username. This will mean you will be able to delete print jobs (in 1.8.06 and above) and printer accounting will be possible. ----------------------- HINT: Use a sensible "guest" account Even if all your services are not available to "guest" you will need a guest account. This is because the browsing is done as guest. In many cases setting "guest account = ftp" will do the trick. Using the default guest account or "guest account = nobody" will give problems on many unixes. If in doubt create another account with minimal privilages and use it instead. Your users don't need to know the password of the guest account. ---------------------- HINT: Using MS Access Here are some notes on running MS-Access on a Samba drive from Stefan Kjellberg 1. Opening a database in 'exclusive' mode does NOT work. Samba ignores r/w/share modes on file open. 2. Make sure that you open the database as 'shared' and to 'lock modified records' 3. Of course locking must be enabled for the particular share (smb.conf)