🖧 Samba (SMB) Setup Guide — MiniPC ↔ Main PC

This guide explains how to share folders between two computers using Samba (SMB) — ideal for Linux ↔ Windows interoperability.

⚙️ 1. Install Samba on the MiniPC (server)

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sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y samba

📁 2. Create a shared folder

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sudo mkdir -p /srv/samba/share
sudo chown -R youruser:youruser /srv/samba/share
sudo chmod -R 775 /srv/samba/share

(Replace youruser with your actual username — same UID 1000 on both PCs.)

🧾 3. Configure Samba

Edit the configuration file:

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sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Append this section at the end:

[shared]
   path = /srv/samba/share
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   guest ok = no
   create mask = 0664
   directory mask = 0775
   valid users = youruser

Save and exit (Ctrl + O, Enter, Ctrl + X).

🔑 4. Add your user to Samba

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sudo smbpasswd -a youruser
sudo smbpasswd -e youruser
sudo systemctl restart smbd

🔥 5. Allow Samba through the firewall (LAN only)

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sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any app Samba

🧩 6. Connect from your Main PC

🖥️ If main PC is Linux

Install CIFS utilities:

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sudo apt install -y cifs-utils

Mount the share:

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mkdir -p ~/mnt/minipc-smb
sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.1.50/shared ~/mnt/minipc-smb -o username=youruser,uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g)

Unmount:

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sudo umount ~/mnt/minipc-smb

Make persistent (optional) by adding to /etc/fstab:

# Format: //<server>/<share> <mountpoint> cifs <options>
//192.168.1.50/shared /mnt/minipc-smb cifs username=youruser,password=YOURPASSWORD,uid=1000,gid=1000,_netdev 0 0

🪟 If main PC is Windows

  1. Open File Explorer and type in the address bar:
    \\192.168.1.50\shared
  2. Enter your Samba username/password.
  3. (Optional) Right-click → “Map Network Drive…” to make it permanent.

🧪 7. Test your setup

On MiniPC:

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ls -ld /srv/samba/share

On main PC:

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echo "test" > ~/mnt/minipc-smb/test.txt

Or create a new file in File Explorer if on Windows.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

IssueCauseFix
Permission deniedOwnership mismatchsudo chown -R youruser /srv/samba/share
Network path not foundWrong IP or firewallCheck IP, sudo ufw status, restart Samba
Slow transfersProtocol mismatchAdd mount option vers=3.0
Windows login failsWrong domain syntaxTry .\youruser as username
Guest access failsGuest disabledEnable guest ok = yes (not recommended)

🔒 Security Tips

  • Disable guest access unless absolutely necessary.
  • Restrict subnet access with UFW.
  • Use per-user credentials.
  • Do not expose ports 445 or 139 to the Internet.

⚙️ Bonus — Connect via GUI (GNOME/KDE)

In your file manager:
Other Locations → Connect to Server → smb://192.168.1.50/shared
Bookmark it for quick access.

Last updated: 2025-11-01