I can't figure out how to properly configure these Samba shares. Really I can't understand what's wrong.

I read many many articles here, on AskUbuntu forum, on LinuxQuestions and other forums and website. I really tried EVERY possible combination of config parameters.
I first tried with the proper ones - the ones I assumed they should have worked - then I step-by-step tried changing all parameters until now: I really can't understand how to set the params to make it work. Please help me!

How it's intended to work

• 2 shares;
• 1 public (accessible from everyone who connects to the server, Read/Write), 1 protected (accessible only with defined username and password, Read/Write);
• Some users must have access to both shares (the defined ones), some other only to the public one;
• Public share name: DSMPubblica;
• Private share name: DSMUfficio;
• From Windows, I should be able to configure DSMPubblica on, ie, letter Y: and access it straightly AND THEN I should be able to configure DSMUfficio in letter Z: and be prompted with username and password window.

Additional efforts and log lines

I tried something more. I deleted from my config the two shares and created a new one, public, called "Public". When I try to connect, Windows says it's impossible to connect.

On the log I can see:

• smb_pwd_check_ntlmv1: incorrect password length (62) => ??? I DON'T WANT the user to specify a password and Windows doesn't even ask me for one...
• process_usershare_file: stat of /var/lib/samba/usershares/dsmufficio failed. Permission denied => ??? What is /var/lib/samba/usershares/dsmufficio? It doesn't exists in my Linux server and it's not specified anywhere in the config file (not even "usershares").

What happens

Everything happens with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.

• I try to connect a new network share;
• I select the letter (Y:) for DSMPubblica;
• I write the server address (\10.10.10.1\DSMPubblica);
• I check "Connect again at restart" and don't check "Connect with different credentials" (the check on credentials is indifferent - same behaviour with or without check);
• I am prompted with authentication window!
• If I click OK without entering any username, Windows won't let me continue: he WANTS a username AND a password.
• If I give him my username and password set for DSMUfficio, then I'm able to connect;
• Same for DSMUfficio, but with this one it's OK for Windows to ask me for authentication;
• If I check "save authentication credentials", at restart it asks me everything again.

My Config

The shares

[DSMUfficio]
    delete readonly = yes
    writeable = yes
    path = /var/dsm/ufficio
    write list = tzanarella,jcangini,dlazzarato,mcazzoli,sgiombetti
    force group = dsm
    revalidate = yes
    comment = DSM share locale privata - solo autorizzati
    valid users = tzanarella,jcangini,dlazzarato,mcazzoli,sgiombetti
    create mode = 770
    directory mode = 770

[DSMPubblica]
    guest ok = yes
    guest account = 
    writeable = yes
    delete readonly = yes
    path = /var/dsm/pubblica
    force directory mode = 777
    force create mode = 777
    comment = DSM share locale pubblica - senza restrizioni di accesso
    create mode = 777
    public = yes
    browsable = yes
    directory mode = 777

Note that DSMPubblica configuration has changed many many MANY times in order to try to make it work properly. I really tried every single combination... Nothing worked. If you need more tests, information, specifications, just ask and let me know. Thank you.

Whole configuration

#
# Sample configuration file for the Samba suite for Debian GNU/Linux.
#
#
# This is the main Samba configuration file. You should read the
# smb.conf(5) manual page in order to understand the options listed
# here. Samba has a huge number of configurable options most of which 
# are not shown in this example
#
# Some options that are often worth tuning have been included as
# commented-out examples in this file.
#  - When such options are commented with ";", the proposed setting
#    differs from the default Samba behaviour
#  - When commented with "#", the proposed setting is the default
#    behaviour of Samba but the option is considered important
#    enough to be mentioned here
#
# NOTE: Whenever you modify this file you should run the command
# "testparm" to check that you have not made any basic syntactic 
# errors. 
# A well-established practice is to name the original file
# "smb.conf.master" and create the "real" config file with
# testparm -s smb.conf.master >smb.conf
# This minimizes the size of the really used smb.conf file
# which, according to the Samba Team, impacts performance
# However, use this with caution if your smb.conf file contains nested
# "include" statements. See Debian bug #483187 for a case
# where using a master file is not a good idea.
#

#======================= Global Settings =======================

[global]

## Browsing/Identification ###

# Change this to the workgroup/NT-domain name your Samba server will part of
   workgroup = DSM

# server string is the equivalent of the NT Description field
   server string = %h server

# Windows Internet Name Serving Support Section:
# WINS Support - Tells the NMBD component of Samba to enable its WINS Server
#   wins support = no

# WINS Server - Tells the NMBD components of Samba to be a WINS Client
# Note: Samba can be either a WINS Server, or a WINS Client, but NOT both
;   wins server = w.x.y.z

# This will prevent nmbd to search for NetBIOS names through DNS.
   dns proxy = no

# What naming service and in what order should we use to resolve host names
# to IP addresses
;   name resolve order = lmhosts host wins bcast

#### Networking ####

# The specific set of interfaces / networks to bind to
# This can be either the interface name or an IP address/netmask;
# interface names are normally preferred
;   interfaces = 127.0.0.0/8 eth0

# Only bind to the named interfaces and/or networks; you must use the
# 'interfaces' option above to use this.
# It is recommended that you enable this feature if your Samba machine is
# not protected by a firewall or is a firewall itself.  However, this
# option cannot handle dynamic or non-broadcast interfaces correctly.
;   bind interfaces only = yes



#### Debugging/Accounting ####

# This tells Samba to use a separate log file for each machine
# that connects
   log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m

# Cap the size of the individual log files (in KiB).
   max log size = 1000

# If you want Samba to only log through syslog then set the following
# parameter to 'yes'.
#   syslog only = no

# We want Samba to log a minimum amount of information to syslog. Everything
# should go to /var/log/samba/log.{smbd,nmbd} instead. If you want to log
# through syslog you should set the following parameter to something higher.
   syslog = 0

# Do something sensible when Samba crashes: mail the admin a backtrace
   panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d


####### Authentication #######

# "security = user" is always a good idea. This will require a Unix account
# in this server for every user accessing the server. See
# /usr/share/doc/samba-doc/htmldocs/Samba3-HOWTO/ServerType.html
# in the samba-doc package for details.
#   security = user

# You may wish to use password encryption.  See the section on
# 'encrypt passwords' in the smb.conf(5) manpage before enabling.
   encrypt passwords = true

# If you are using encrypted passwords, Samba will need to know what
# password database type you are using.  
   passdb backend = tdbsam

   obey pam restrictions = yes

# This boolean parameter controls whether Samba attempts to sync the Unix
# password with the SMB password when the encrypted SMB password in the
# passdb is changed.
   unix password sync = yes

# For Unix password sync to work on a Debian GNU/Linux system, the following
# parameters must be set (thanks to Ian Kahan <<[email protected]> for
# sending the correct chat script for the passwd program in Debian Sarge).
   passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
   passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .

# This boolean controls whether PAM will be used for password changes
# when requested by an SMB client instead of the program listed in
# 'passwd program'. The default is 'no'.
   pam password change = yes

########## Domains ###########

# Is this machine able to authenticate users. Both PDC and BDC
# must have this setting enabled. If you are the BDC you must
# change the 'domain master' setting to no
#
;   domain logons = yes
#
# The following setting only takes effect if 'domain logons' is set
# It specifies the location of the user's profile directory
# from the client point of view)
# The following required a [profiles] share to be setup on the
# samba server (see below)
;   logon path = \\%N\profiles\%U
# Another common choice is storing the profile in the user's home directory
# (this is Samba's default)
#   logon path = \\%N\%U\profile

# The following setting only takes effect if 'domain logons' is set
# It specifies the location of a user's home directory (from the client
# point of view)
;   logon drive = H:
#   logon home = \\%N\%U

# The following setting only takes effect if 'domain logons' is set
# It specifies the script to run during logon. The script must be stored
# in the [netlogon] share
# NOTE: Must be store in 'DOS' file format convention
;   logon script = logon.cmd

# This allows Unix users to be created on the domain controller via the SAMR
# RPC pipe.  The example command creates a user account with a disabled Unix
# password; please adapt to your needs
; add user script = /usr/sbin/adduser --quiet --disabled-password --gecos "" %u

# This allows machine accounts to be created on the domain controller via the 
# SAMR RPC pipe.  
# The following assumes a "machines" group exists on the system
; add machine script  = /usr/sbin/useradd -g machines -c "%u machine account" -d /var/lib/samba -s /bin/false %u

# This allows Unix groups to be created on the domain controller via the SAMR
# RPC pipe.  
; add group script = /usr/sbin/addgroup --force-badname %g

########## Printing ##########

# If you want to automatically load your printer list rather
# than setting them up individually then you'll need this
#   load printers = yes

# lpr(ng) printing. You may wish to override the location of the
# printcap file
;   printing = bsd
;   printcap name = /etc/printcap

# CUPS printing.  See also the cupsaddsmb(8) manpage in the
# cupsys-client package.
;   printing = cups
;   printcap name = cups

############ Misc ############

# Using the following line enables you to customise your configuration
# on a per machine basis. The %m gets replaced with the netbios name
# of the machine that is connecting
;   include = /home/samba/etc/smb.conf.%m

# Most people will find that this option gives better performance.
# See smb.conf(5) and /usr/share/doc/samba-doc/htmldocs/Samba3-HOWTO/speed.html
# for details
# You may want to add the following on a Linux system:
#         SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192
#   socket options = TCP_NODELAY

# The following parameter is useful only if you have the linpopup package
# installed. The samba maintainer and the linpopup maintainer are
# working to ease installation and configuration of linpopup and samba.
;   message command = /bin/sh -c '/usr/bin/linpopup "%f" "%m" %s; rm %s' &

# Domain Master specifies Samba to be the Domain Master Browser. If this
# machine will be configured as a BDC (a secondary logon server), you
# must set this to 'no'; otherwise, the default behavior is recommended.
#   domain master = auto

# Some defaults for winbind (make sure you're not using the ranges
# for something else.)
;   idmap uid = 10000-20000
;   idmap gid = 10000-20000
;   template shell = /bin/bash

# The following was the default behaviour in sarge,
# but samba upstream reverted the default because it might induce
# performance issues in large organizations.
# See Debian bug #368251 for some of the consequences of *not*
# having this setting and smb.conf(5) for details.
;   winbind enum groups = yes
;   winbind enum users = yes

# Setup usershare options to enable non-root users to share folders
# with the net usershare command.

# Maximum number of usershare. 0 (default) means that usershare is disabled.
;   usershare max shares = 100

#======================= Share Definitions =======================

[homes]
   comment = Home Directories
   browseable = no

# By default, the home directories are exported read-only. Change the
# next parameter to 'no' if you want to be able to write to them.
   read only = yes

# File creation mask is set to 0700 for security reasons. If you want to
# create files with group=rw permissions, set next parameter to 0775.
   create mask = 0700

# Directory creation mask is set to 0700 for security reasons. If you want to
# create dirs. with group=rw permissions, set next parameter to 0775.
   directory mask = 0700

# By default, \\server\username shares can be connected to by anyone
# with access to the samba server.
# The following parameter makes sure that only "username" can connect
# to \\server\username
# This might need tweaking when using external authentication schemes
   valid users = %S

# Un-comment the following and create the netlogon directory for Domain Logons
# (you need to configure Samba to act as a domain controller too.)
;[netlogon]
;   comment = Network Logon Service
;   path = /home/samba/netlogon
;   guest ok = yes
;   read only = yes

# Un-comment the following and create the profiles directory to store
# users profiles (see the "logon path" option above)
# (you need to configure Samba to act as a domain controller too.)
# The path below should be writable by all users so that their
# profile directory may be created the first time they log on
;[profiles]
;   comment = Users profiles
;   path = /home/samba/profiles
;   guest ok = no
;   browseable = no
;   create mask = 0600
;   directory mask = 0700

[printers]
   comment = All Printers
   browseable = no
   path = /var/spool/samba
   printable = yes
   guest ok = no
   read only = yes
   create mask = 0700

# Windows clients look for this share name as a source of downloadable
# printer drivers
[print$]
   comment = Printer Drivers
   path = /var/lib/samba/printers
   browseable = yes
   read only = yes
   guest ok = no
# Uncomment to allow remote administration of Windows print drivers.
# You may need to replace 'lpadmin' with the name of the group your
# admin users are members of.
# Please note that you also need to set appropriate Unix permissions
# to the drivers directory for these users to have write rights in it
;   write list = root, @lpadmin

# A sample share for sharing your CD-ROM with others.
;[cdrom]
;   comment = Samba server's CD-ROM
;   read only = yes
;   locking = no
;   path = /cdrom
;   guest ok = yes

# The next two parameters show how to auto-mount a CD-ROM when the
#   cdrom share is accesed. For this to work /etc/fstab must contain
#   an entry like this:
#
#       /dev/scd0   /cdrom  iso9660 defaults,noauto,ro,user   0 0
#
# The CD-ROM gets unmounted automatically after the connection to the
#
# If you don't want to use auto-mounting/unmounting make sure the CD
#   is mounted on /cdrom
#
;   preexec = /bin/mount /cdrom
;   postexec = /bin/umount /cdrom


[DSMUfficio]
    delete readonly = yes
    writeable = yes
    path = /var/dsm/ufficio
    write list = tzanarella,jcangini,dlazzarato,mcazzoli,sgiombetti
    force group = dsm
    revalidate = yes
    comment = DSM share locale privata - solo autorizzati
    valid users = tzanarella,jcangini,dlazzarato,mcazzoli,sgiombetti
    create mode = 770
    directory mode = 770

[DSMPubblica]
    guest ok = yes
    guest account = 
    writeable = yes
    delete readonly = yes
    path = /var/dsm/pubblica
    force directory mode = 777
    force create mode = 777
    comment = DSM share locale pubblica - senza restrizioni di accesso
    create mode = 777
    public = yes
    browsable = yes
    directory mode = 777

Solution 1:

This was the key option to set to resolve this issue:

[global]
    map to guest = bad user

Solution 2:

This is the config that (finally) worked here. I can access a linux server from Windows without asking for a user/password:

[global]
workgroup = MYGROUP
server string = Samba Server %v
netbios name = debian
security = user
map to guest = bad user
dns proxy = no
#============= Share Definitions =================
[adriano]
force user = adriano
path = /home/adriano
browsable =yes
writable = yes
guest ok = yes
read only = no

Solution 3:

I ran into the same issue (Windows kept rejecting the pi's password) until I got a tip from this YouTube video. Basically I had to run the command:

sudo smbpasswd -a pi

to create the pi samba user. On the Windows, I just use RASPBERRYPI\pi as the user, type in the password and it works.

Solution 4:

2017, Windows 7 with Ubuntu 17

this config is when you don't need security or password prompt , so it's for your internal private net or for your virtual pc ( virtualbox, vmware, etc).

Example with user 'david'

in ubuntu

sudo apt install samba

edit config

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

my pc in windows had the workgroup: WORKGROUP so i did not change the section global, just added this block:

[Home Share]
comment = Home Public Folder
path = /home/david/projects
writable = yes
force user = david
public = no
browsable = yes

you need in ubuntu add to user to samba, creating a password:

sudo smbpasswd -a david

restart service

sudo systemctl restart smbd

Solution 5:

Anybody struggling with this in 2020, please try adding to your [global]

min protocol = NT1

If you are connecting to samba server an outdated OS or a device, eg. media player.