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I want to setup samba and have a folder share that is not protected by passwords, but open for anyone, read-only. what do i need to write on smb.conf?

3 Answers 3

7

On the desktop this is as simple as switching on the folder sharing with anonymous access, right click on the folder and click "Sharing Options" it may ask you to install the sharing services, install them:

Share option in nautilus

Once done (and restarted session) then just share the folder with guest access:

Share dialog

On the Ubuntu Server (without graphical desktop) you can follow this guide:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SettingUpSamba

Warning! When you enable guest access it does mean the anyone will be able to see your files. This is especially problematic on laptops with wifi networks where you just visit an internet cafe and give your files to your fellow coffee drinkers.

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  • thanks for the wonderful answer, but i am a kubuntu user, and your answer is very gnome-centric. it hope it helps a lot of people. Nov 22, 2010 at 20:55
  • 2
    Could you edit your question so it's specific to gnome and then make a new question which is specific to kde and we'll answer it there too. Nov 22, 2010 at 21:00
  • Why not just tag it both KDE and Gnome, then there is a single reference for doing this in (k)ubuntu? KDE solution provided below.
    – Werner
    Mar 17, 2015 at 12:56
6

Put this at the bottom of your smb.conf, replacing the path/to/share/point with the location of your shared directory.

[public]
        comment = Public Share
        path = /path/to/share/point
        read only = yes
        guest ok = yes

If it doesn't exist, do

sudo mkdir /path/to/share/point

Then do:

sudo service samba restart

and test.

0

This answer is based on Kubuntu, but should work on most KDE installations. Screenshots for Konqueror were provided, but the process is identical in Dolphin.

  1. Right-Click on the folder you want to share and select properties.

enter image description here

  1. Activate the Share tab. Hit Install Samba if not already installed on your system. (After installation you might need to open the folder properties window again.)

enter image description here

  1. Tick both the Share with Samba (Microsoft Windows) and Allow Guests options. Select a suitable access level for Everyone. The default access level is Read Only, which is what is required in your case.

enter image description here

Note: It's advisable to share a folder owned by your user, for example a sub-folder in your home directory.

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