SAMBA Configuring NetBIOS Support in Linux

By Corey Hynes, May 24th, 2002 Posted in Linux. Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Many people are under the misimpression that simply having a network protocol such as TCP/IP in common is sufficient for two operating systems to communicate. The fact is that nothing is further from the truth. Although a common protocol is required, that is only part of the picture. Let’s look at a simple example – the web.

In order to browse a web site you must have a network/transport layer protocol in common. This protocol provides connectivity and routing functionality, but it does not allow to applications to communicate. In order for a web client, such as Netscape to browse a web server such as Apache, there must be a common application layer protocol. In this case, the application layer protocol is HTTP. HTTP provides the basic set of commands for retrieving and posting information on the web, but it does not actually transport the data. That is provided by the lower layer protocols. File sharing is no exception. In order to browse the file system of a remote system, there must be a common application layer protocol. On Windows systems, this protocol is the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol.

Windows provides a SMB client built into all Windows Operating Systems, and hidden in the functionality of Explorer. This client is managed via the Workstation Service and the Client for Microsoft Networks. Windows also provides an SMB server in the form of File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks and the Server Service. If any of these components is uninstalled or disabled, then SMB, and thus file sharing, functionality is not available.

The common Open Source alternative/supplement to the Client for Microsoft Networks, and File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks is Samba. Samba provides a Server and Client component that when installed, allow a Linux computer to appear in “My Network Places” and expose shares, as well as connect to and work with shares based on Windows.

Written by Corey Hynes - Visit Website

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