Using Samba

Amazon editorial review Samba, as all Linux users know, enables Windows machines to talk to Linux or Unix using the SMB protocol. It enables Linux to work as a file and print server and, with the latest version, a domain controller complete with password encryption support--but Samba is both a complex and subtle piece of work. A CD-ROM containing Samba 2.0.5a plus sources, docs and so on is included with Using Samba.

The authors cover the background to SMB then move on to running Samba. They then shift to Windows 98 and NT where they explain how to set both up to use Samba including the infamous encrypted password problem after NT service pack 3. They don't tell you how to turn it off in NT's Registry, though. Then they move on to the configuration file. Most of us edit a sample smb.conf file until it works, but the authors cover each option in detail, with practical examples. The most exciting areas discussed are printer support and security.

Chapter nine is essential reading--troubleshooting Samba. It discusses log files, the fault tree, net utilities, Samba utilities, documentation and newsgroups with special reference to the various log levels available. All in all, this is the book Samba users have been waiting for. It's also perfect for Windows users looking to install a cheap, robust, Linux server. --Steve Patient