Need just a bit of Linux advice

[Cerpin Taxt]

So I'm moving to Seattle in a couple weeks for a new job, and I'm gonna be living with my sister. She happens to have an older machine that is collecting dust since she just uses her lappy at home. I want to set up a file/print server on this machine thru either Ubuntu or Xubuntu using Samba, depending on the system resources available on that machine. She doesn't know enough to communicate the system specs to me so I'm not certain what they are, but I suspect I may be limited to Xubuntu by the specs on that machine.

In the meantime I've setup a Xubuntu virtual machine on my main rig (A643500+, 1GB RAM) in order to learn some Linux. I am a total Linux newbie, and I have some free time before the new job starts that I can use to learn.

Right now I'm wondering if I should have started with a Ubuntu setup as a learning environment, and then later installed Xubuntu if I have to on the target machine after I move. I'm having difficulty finding Xubuntu-specific tutorials that are basic enough for a total newb like myself, but even worse is that I'm such a newb that I don't know if it makes any difference to prefer Ubuntu over Xubuntu.

More particularly, I'm just looking for the easiest environment to learn to configure Samba for file/print serving to Windows XP workstations.

If anyone has any suggestions or links or whatever, that's basically all I'm fishing for right now. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Pics of my sister may be forthcoming if I get some particularly useful help. 🙂

(this message was posted from within my Xubuntu virtual machine)

 

[kamper]

Sure, if the tutorials for ubuntu are better, then put that in your vm and follow them. You can run xubuntu alongside it and see if you can figure out how to do the ubuntu tutorials in xubuntu.

Pics of my sister may be forthcoming if I get some particularly useful help.

This is Operating Systems, not OT, but thanks for offering 😛

 

[Nothinman]

For file and printer sharing you'll be dealing almost exclusively with Samba so the UI you choose isn't relevant since I'm sure most of the Samba tutorials will just tell you to either edit /etc/samba/smb.conf with the editor of your choice or to use SWAT which is web-based.

 

[tatteredpotato]

As for X(Ubunutu) for the purpose of that machine once it's configured, there is no need for a Desktop Environment just run command line only.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
For file and printer sharing you'll be dealing almost exclusively with Samba so the UI you choose isn't relevant since I'm sure most of the Samba tutorials will just tell you to either edit /etc/samba/smb.conf with the editor of your choice or to use SWAT which is web-based.

Yeah, that's what I'm finding out right now. I've just been plodding along through the Ubuntu documentation. The Samba sections there are working just fine for me in Xubuntu.

At first I was sticking exclusively to the Xubuntu-specific documentation and the Samba info was kinda weak there, for whatever reason.

BlameCanada your note about running CLI-only is well-taken, also.

 

[nweaver]

yes, I would run CLI only, and as with most linux info, it's (mostly) cross portable, as the core of the OS (gnu tools, kernel) and configurations apply across pretty much all distros.

 

[Brazen]

I would suggest using Debian Stable (mweaver is one of the guys who talked me into going with Debian Stable over Ubuntu). Otherwise, go with Ubuntu Server and use the 6.06 LTS version so you can leave it for 5 years and still get security updates without messing with doing a major-version upgrade.

Here is the thread I started talking about possible distros for a Samba serve. I updated the OP with a HowTo, but it is for an enterprise environment using SAN equipment, VMWare ESX Server virtual machines, and Active Directory, but you may still be able to glean some information from it.

For a home server though it is basically just "sudo apt-get install samba" and then edit the smb.conf with "sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf" and you're done. For reference, here is the smb.conf from my home file server:

# Global parameters
[global]
workgroup = JDHOME
server string = Samba Server
log file = /var/log/samba/%m.log
max log size = 50
socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192
dns proxy = No
ldap ssl = no
force unknown acl user = Yes
map acl inherit = Yes
cups options = raw

# File share parameters
[My Files]
comment = Dinkel family file share
path = /export/My Files
read only = No
admin users = james,erin

Oh yes and you can add users that access the file share with "sudo adduser username" and assign a passwd with "sudo passwd username". I set this up a while ago and now I can't remember, but you may also need to do something with the "smbpasswd" command to enable samba to use those users. Also, whatever is in the brackets in the smb.conf is the name of the file share, so in my example the [My Files] means the file share will be at "//servername/My Files" and on the linux box the files are located where the "export" parameter points to, such as "/export/My Files" which is a directory you will need to create.

 

[DasFox]

Well if you read it, then why didn't you just ask in that post instead of making another Linux post? hehe 😉

That's a GOOD point I'll add to that post, telling people if they still think they have a question, then ask in there. No need to tie up the forum with posts that are suppose to handle Linux in that thread.

By the way what you can do in Ubuntu you can do pretty much in Xubuntu, it's just a change from a different desktop not the basic core of the system.

ALOHA

 

[silverpig]

okay, pics of sister required now 😛