How to seutp Samba File Server in Rocky Linux 8/9

Introduction

Samba is a software suite that allows Linux servers to share files and printers with Windows clients.
It uses the SMB/CIFS protocol and is widely used in enterprises for file sharing and collaboration.

Why Use Samba?

• Share directories between Linux and Windows systems.
• Create user-specific or common shared directories.
• Implement access control and security on file shares.
• Useful in offices, classrooms, or enterprise environments.

Server Information

Server IP: 192.168.1.100
Package Name: samba, samba-client, samba-common
Configuration File: /etc/samba/smb.conf
Ports: TCP 139, TCP 445
Service Name: smb, nmb

Install Samba Server

# On Rocky/RedHat/CentOS
dnf install samba samba-client samba-common -y
systemctl enable --now smb nmb
systemctl status smb

Configure Samba Share

Edit the configuration file /etc/samba/smb.conf to add shares:

[common]
   path = /srv/samba/common
   browseable = yes
   writable = yes
   guest ok = no
   valid users = @sambashare

[user1]
   path = /srv/samba/user1
   browseable = no
   writable = yes
   valid users = user1

Create Shared Directories and Set Permissions

mkdir -p /srv/samba/common
mkdir -p /srv/samba/user1

# Set owner and permissions
chown -R root:sambashare /srv/samba/common
chmod -R 2770 /srv/samba/common

chown -R user1:sambashare /srv/samba/user1
chmod -R 700 /srv/samba/user1

# Create samba group and add users
groupadd sambashare
usermod -aG sambashare user1

# Set Samba password for users
smbpasswd -a user1

Restart Samba Service

systemctl restart smb nmb
systemctl status smb

Access Samba Share from Windows

• Open Run -> \192.168.1.100\common
• Enter the username and password of the Samba user.
• Map network drive for easier access.

Access Samba Share from Linux

mount -t cifs //192.168.1.100/common /mnt -o username=user1,password=YourPassword

Implement ACL Permissions in Samba

Access Control Lists (ACL) provide granular permissions for directories and files:

setfacl -m u:user1:rwx /srv/samba/common
getfacl /srv/samba/common

Samba Security Best Practices

• Use strong passwords for all Samba users.
• Disable guest access if sensitive data is shared.
• Restrict shares to specific users or groups.
• Regularly monitor /var/log/samba/ logs for unusual access.
• Use firewall to allow only trusted networks to access Samba ports 139 and 445.

Conclusion

Samba is a powerful tool to create Linux file servers accessible from Windows and Linux clients.
By organizing shares for users, implementing ACLs, and following security best practices, Linux administrators can provide a safe, efficient, and collaborative file sharing environment for enterprise or classroom use.