smb / samba

Samba Setup on Linux (Home Server) 
 A practical guide to installing and configuring Samba for a home network, covering a shared folder setup suitable for a home wiki or general file server. 
 
 1. Install Samba 
 sudo apt update && sudo apt install samba samba-common-bin -y
 
 Verify it's running: 
 sudo systemctl status smbd nmbd
 
 Both should be active. If not: 
 sudo systemctl enable smbd nmbd --now
 
 
 2. Create the Share Directory 
 sudo mkdir -p /srv/samba/wiki
sudo chown -R conor:conor /srv/samba/wiki
sudo chmod 755 /srv/samba/wiki
 
 Adjust owner to your actual Linux username. 
 
 3. Configure Samba 
 Back up the default config first: 
 sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.bak
 
 Edit the config: 
 sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf
 
 Global section — replace or update: 
 [global]
 workgroup = WORKGROUP
 server string = Home Server
 server role = standalone server
 log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
 max log size = 1000
 logging = file
 panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d

 # Security
 security = user
 map to guest = never
 encrypt passwords = yes

 # Performance
 socket options = TCP_NODELAY IPTOS_LOWDELAY
 read raw = yes
 write raw = yes
 use sendfile = yes
 
 Share definition — add to the bottom: 
 [wiki]
 comment = Home Wiki
 path = /srv/samba/wiki
 browseable = yes
 read only = no
 valid users = conor
 create mask = 0664
 directory mask = 0775
 force group = conor
 
 
 4. Create Samba User 
 Samba uses its own password store separate from Linux system passwords. The Linux user must already exist. 
 sudo smbpasswd -a conor
 
 You'll be prompted to set a Samba-specific password. Enable the user: 
 sudo smbpasswd -e conor
 
 
 5. Validate Config and Restart 
 Test the config for syntax errors: 
 testparm
 
 If clean: 
 sudo systemctl restart smbd nmbd
 
 
 6. Firewall 
 If UFW is active: 
 sudo ufw allow samba
 
 This opens ports 137, 138 (UDP) and 139, 445 (TCP). 
 
 7. Connect From Clients 
 Linux (Files / Nautilus): 
 smb://SERVER_IP/wiki
 
 Or mount via CLI: 
 sudo mount -t cifs //SERVER_IP/wiki /mnt/wiki -o username=conor,password=yourpass,uid=1000,gid=1000
 
 Permanent via /etc/fstab : 
 //SERVER_IP/wiki /mnt/wiki cifs credentials=/home/conor/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,_netdev,x-systemd.automount 0 0
 
 /home/conor/.smbcredentials : 
 username=conor
password=yourpass
 
 chmod 600 /home/conor/.smbcredentials
 
 macOS: 
 Finder → Go → Connect to Server → smb://SERVER_IP/wiki 
 Windows: 
 \\SERVER_IP\wiki in Explorer address bar, or map as a network drive. 
 
 8. Tailscale Consideration 
 Since you're on Tailscale, use the Tailscale IP ( 100.x.x.x ) instead of the LAN IP for consistent access across all your machines regardless of which network you're on. This also avoids exposing Samba to the public internet — Samba should never be exposed publicly, it has a long CVE history (EternalBlue, etc.). 
 Bind Samba only to your LAN + Tailscale interfaces to be safe: 
 [global]
 interfaces = lo tailscale0 eth0
 bind interfaces only = yes
 
 Replace eth0 with your actual LAN interface ( ip a to check). 
 
 9. Verify the Share is Visible 
 From the server itself: 
 smbclient -L localhost -U conor
 
 From another machine: 
 smbclient -L //SERVER_IP -U conor
 
 You should see wiki listed under shares. 
 
 10. Troubleshooting 
 
 
 
 Symptom 
 Likely cause 
 Fix 
 
 
 
 
 "Permission denied" on connect 
 Wrong Samba password or user not enabled 
 smbpasswd -e username 
 
 
 Share not visible 
 browseable = no or firewall 
 Check config + ufw status 
 
 
 Can connect but can't write 
 Directory permissions 
 chmod 775 /srv/samba/wiki 
 
 
 Works on LAN, not Tailscale 
 Interfaces binding 
 Add tailscale0 to interfaces 
 
 
 testparm errors 
 Config syntax 
 Read the output carefully, it's specific 
 
 
 
 
 Notes 
 
 Samba passwords and Linux system passwords are independent — changing one doesn't change the other. 
 For a multi-user setup, create a dedicated group (e.g., sambashare ) and use valid users = @sambashare in the share definition. 
 If you're running this on the same machine as your wiki app (e.g., WikiJS, Obsidian vault server), Samba is a good way to access the underlying vault files directly from other machines for editing.