Can you have shared folders in Linux ubuntu over a lan with windows xp based systems?

Question

I am building an htpc and am contemplating using ubuntu instead of windows xp. I have three other computers us XP now. I have them set up to share certain folders.

I was hoping to allow the three xp systems to access saved media files on the htpc system since it will have the largest hard drives, can this be done easily. under windows, I just tell it to share a folder and it shows up on the network.

Answer 1

As much as I like editing /etc/samba/smb.conf by hand, in Ubuntu you can enable file sharing by right clicking on the folder you want to share and click on "Share folder". It loads a wizard that walk you through setting up a simple share. You can just choose SMB, don't choose NFS it's not Windows compatible anyways.

Answer 2

One thing to realize between the operating systems is that they use different file systems. Microsoft using CIFS (Common Internet File System or what was formerly called SMB - Small Message Block). Linux and UNIX systems tend to run NFS or one of several alternative file systems. They also manage mounts of disk differently (Windows mounts per user at login while Linux/UNIX mount at boot - just try to start a service on MS Windows that uses a remote file system and you'll appreciate the Linux/UNIX mount style). Most Linux distros include SAMBA for managing exporting a Linux file system as CIFS/SMB. Microsoft does have their Microsoft Services For UNIX (SFU) that you may want to take a look at. I have only run that as something included as a Dell PowerVault but it should work on a non-file server system too (as long as Microsoft didn't cripple the software to only work on MS Windows Server).

Answer 3

Absolutely. Every variant of Linux and most
other UNIXs have some variant of a utility
called "Samba" which allows you to both
connect to drives and act as network drives.

If that's all you need, its easy.

If you need it to provide separate authentication
services or use some other machines to
act as a domain controller, that can also be
done with Samba.

Check out http://www.samba.org for more
information than you can stand on the subject.
Yes, you could download it from that site
but chances are pretty good that you don't
need to - its probably already installed on
your machine.

Check out "swat", the Samba setup utility
which provides a web based interface.

People have used Linux boxes to replace
Windows Active Directory/Domain
authentication, print servers, file servers
etc - and discovered that they are more
reliable and perform better on the same
hardware.

Oh yeah ... and as you already know,
the software is free.

Answer 4

Yes, the most straight forward method is using Samba, it is a collection of utilities for using old-style Microsoft SMB protocol in which all Windows use.

Answer 5

Yes, how is beoynd me, I have confiured a file share with suse but it has a good install tool. I dont know anything about your distrubution. I belive the what your looking for is called simba though.