OpenSUSE 10.3 as File Server

Last week I received one PC to set up as a file server. I choose OpenSUSE 10.3 as operating system. There are 2 reasons why I choose OpenSUSE :

  1. I’ve tried it before and it was success.
  2. I thinks it’s easy to configure.

That PC is belong to my friend who has a small medium company. He needs to prepare a file server because his company growing rapidly right now. And file server is one of the several things that he must to prepare to support his business. May be next month I will help him to configure proxy and internet gateway. To play as a file server I use the Samba services in OpenSUSE. For some of you, Samba is a network protocol that provide file sharing between Unix (Linux also) operating system and Windows operating system. So that both of the operating system can change the informations over the IP network.

Here is what I was do to set a cricket PC (in Indonesian = “PC Jangkrik” / PC rakitan =)) ) as a file server :

  1. Install OpenSUSE to the PC, just easy with a nice graphical menu and sophisticated menu.
  2. In the software/package selections, I give mark in file server choice.
  3. When OpenSUSE has been installed in the PC, I create a directory called “data” with this command :
    file-server:/etc/samba # mkdir /home/data
  4. The next step is edit /etc/samba/smb.conf file so that the file contain this configurations (using root account):
    file-server:/etc/samba # more /etc/samba/smb.conf
    # Global Parameters
    workgroup = home
    netbios name = Samba
    encrypt password = yes
    
    [data]
    path = /home/data
    read only = no
    browseable = yes
    valid users = tedy, edi
  5. After that restart the samba services using this command :
    file-server:/etc/samba # /etc/init.d/smb restart
  6. The next step is add some valid user to access the Samba file server using this command :
    file-server:/etc/samba # smbpasswd -a edi
  7. I turn off the firewall using yast (I think the firewall in OpenSUSE blocked the Windows client to access Samba directory). This one is another issue to fix next time, how to enable firewall in OpenSUSE without disturb Samba services.

It was done. I check to access the server using my Windows notebook (using cross cable). First I change IP address so that my notebook has the same network IP address. To access the Samba directory, I use Run menu in Windows Start Menu and type "\\172.168.1.1\data" and it’s works. One dialog box appear, I must complete username & password verifications to enter Samba directory.

2 thoughts on “OpenSUSE 10.3 as File Server

  1. Pingback: Blognya Tedy Tirtawidjaja » Surabaya (part 1) - Weekend di Surabaya

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