Linux Illiterate

[SunDizzle]

All,
either I am an ass or I just can not figure out the connection between windows and linux? I want to connect my linux machine to my windows network, how do I configure the samba server?

[jkrohn]

What exactly would you like to do?
1) Put shares from your linux machine on the network so that Windows machines can access them.
2) Access windows shares from your linux machine.

Jkrohn

[SunDizzle]

Both actually. What I ultimately want to do is have my Linux drive recognize my windows pc and vice versa. I would also like to have the printer connected to the windows pc available for my linux machine.

[jkrohn]

What Distribution/Version of linux are you using?

Jkrohn

[SunDizzle]

Red Hat Pub Ed 7.2

[flashingcurser]

I'm not a RH guy but isnt 7.2 a little long in the tooth?

[nukes]

The file you need to edit is /etc/samba/smb.conf
This holds all the configuration for setting up a samba server.
RH probably has a GUI tool to do it.
To mount network shares on a windows machine:
Assuming the windows machine is called windows and set in /etc/hosts. Also assuming the share is called share:

mount -t smbfs -o username=youruser,rw //windows/share /mnt/samba_mountpoint

you will need to input your password as well.
To do this in /etc/fstab:

//windows/share /mnt/samba_share smbfs rw,username=youruser 0 0

You can also add a password= field to it if you don't want to be prompted for the password, but /etc/fstab is normally world-readable so its a security list.
As to the printers, I did write a howto for that, but I can't seem to find it. but I'll dig it out for you.
Hope that's enough to get you started

[nukes]

right, found it:
(from http://www.usalug.org/phpBB2/viewtop...ght=cups+print )
Install CUPS, and go to the web-based control panel.
Go to www.linuxprinting.org and get the PPD file for your printer. Install it how it says.
In the CUPS control panel, add a printer, when asked for the URL follow these instructions:

Posted by nukes over at usalug
For the device URL use:
smb://username:pass@workgroup/host/printer
username is your username on the windows box
pass is the password
workgroup is the workgroup name
host is the NetBIOS machine name
printer is the share name of the printer.

I guess it wasn't the full mini-howto I thought it was. :D
Hope that sorts you out for now.
And:

I'm not a RH guy but isnt 7.2 a little long in the tooth?

Yeah, its old, but many servers still run it that have been in place for a long time. RPM systems don't always (hardly ever in my experience) handle upgrades well at all. One of the reasons I use Debian and BSD on my servers, and Gentoo on my desktop.
edit: just disabled smilies as it screwed up the device URL with :p

[SunDizzle]

Thanks all, I will do this as soon as I get time this week.


I apreciate all the help