How to set up Windows File Shares in Ubuntu 18.04 with Samba

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Introduction

In this article we will set up some samba file shares in Ubuntu 18.04, and secure them with username/password authentication, this is useful if you are setting up a NAS or Storage server that can later be accessed by most operating systems.

Samba is a free implementation of the SMB/CIFS networking protocol, this will provide file and print services that are compatible with normal Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Microsoft Windows Server domain, either as a Domain Controller (DC) or as a domain member.

Step 1

Logging in to your server

ssh [email protected]

Make sure your OS is up to date.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Once that is done we will install Samba and set up a username and password.

Note:

This is the simplest to set up but you can also set up Samba with Active Directory for authentication.

sudo apt install samba -y

Now we will set up a username and password

Note:

The user will need to be an existing one, below i will show the steps to add a new user, but you can skip this if you will be using an existing user.
optional:

sudo adduser --shell /bin/false <username>

set the samba password for the user

Note:

This should match the previous password:

sudo smbpasswd -a <username>

Step 2

Create a directory to be shared

sudo mkdir /mnt/<folder_name>

Set the correct owner and permissions for the newly created directory

sudo chown <username>:<username> /mnt/<folder_name>

sudo chmod 770 /mnt/<folder_name>

Configuring the shares in the Samba config file

Edit /etc/samba/smb.conf

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Scroll to the bottom of the config file and add the following to create a share, and point it to the newly created directory.

....
[<share_name>]
path = /mnt/<folder_name>
valid users = <username>
read only = no

Close and save with Control + X , Y and Enter
Restart the Samba service

sudo systemctl restart smbd

Now you are ready to set up the share in windows or any os by using the following details.

\\<ServerIP>\<share_name>

Username:

WORKGROUP\<username>

Note:

The default group in the config file is called "WORKGROUP" but can be changed by editing the "/etc/samba/smb.conf"

That is all, now you have a functional file server with password protected windows shares.

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