Mounting samba folder from a Samba server 1.9 in Ubuntu 16.4LTS

Question

I have just bought a router ZTE F680 that is using a Samba server 1.9. I want to share a usb hard disk using the SMB protocol.

In the router, the disk is correct attached and the path is:

/mnt/usb3_1_1

I have disabled the FTP server. And I have enabled the Samba service. No user and password at all. There are no so much options in the router.

From my Windows 10 the router is found in the "Network". I can access to the folder correctly and see all the files. The address is something like

//ROUTER/samba/usb3_1_1

That confirms that the configuration of the router must be correct.

When I start my Ubuntu 16.04LTS machine, I try to mount the samba folder using the terminal:

sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.1.254/samba/usb3_1_1   /mnt/smb/

And a password is asked:

Password for root@//192.168.1.254/samba/usb3_1_1:

Any password I put (empty, random, router user, ...), always has the same result. The folder is mounted but, the folder listened are not correct:

$  a  b  B  B  B  C  G  L  P  S  S

And if I try to access with cd to any of this folder, an error that the folder does not exists is shown. Of course if I change the URL to an invalid one, nothing is mounted.

First of all, in Windows no password is needed, and everything is correct. Also in my ubuntu machine I can connect to the windows machine shared folders. Therefore does not seems that any application is missing in my Ubuntu machine. Previously, in my old router (TP-Link) also I have similar configuration and it works fine. But now, not Ubuntu or Raspberry machine can access to it.

Is a router software issue or is a Ubuntu/Raspberry configuration issue?

I assume that the Samba server 1.9 on the router is more or less standard (but old). How can I connect correctly using a modern SMB client?

And, why I can list some invalid folders in my mounted folder? Is only a codification problem?

-- EDIT --

At least con -o guest when mounting the unit, no password is asked.

Answer 1

I'm still having the same problem with the same router ZTE F680 with Ubuntu 23.10 The SMB Server used by this router looks like the version SMB1 which is not used by default in Ubuntu (or Windows) due to security isssues.

Anyway we can force to use SMB1 version adding those line into the /etc/samba/smb.conf file.

client min protocol = NT1

IMPORTANT: use min and not MAX!!

And also

client ntlmv2 auth = No
client lanman auth = Yes

Then in command line I use:

smbclient  //192.168.1.1/samba -U samba

User can be anything really but we use "samba" (as recommended by ZTE router) and once is requested the password you can use anything except "empty"

But again the folders are shown incorrect (only 1 letter, in my case "u") and you can have access to them.

To access through nautilus got to "Other Locations" and here in the bottom under Server Adress add:

smb://[email protected]/samba

Or in my case the USB in the Router has this name USBSMB (originally "samba_share")

smb://samba@USBSMB/samba

Anyone has advanced in this topic?