samba

Introduction

To share a directory over the LAN on Ubuntu, the most common and user-friendly method is to use Samba, which allows you to share folders with Windows and other Linux systems easily. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

🛠️ Step-by-Step: Share a Directory on LAN (Ubuntu with Samba)

Install Samba

Open your terminal and run:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install samba

Choose a Directory to Share

For example, if you want to share your ~/Shared folder:

mkdir -p ~/Shared

Make sure your user owns the folder:

sudo chown $USER:$USER ~/Shared

Backup Samba Config File

sudo mv /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.bk

Add Samba Config File

Open the Samba configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Scroll to the bottom and add this block:

[SharedFolder]
   path = /home/YOUR_USERNAME/Shared
   browseable = yes
   writable = yes
   guest ok = yes
   read only = no
   force user = YOUR_USERNAME

Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username.

Set Samba Password (Optional but recommended)

You can add your user to Samba with:

sudo smbpasswd -a $USER

Restart Samba

To apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart smbd

Allow Samba Through the Firewall (if enabled)

sudo ufw allow samba

🔗 Access the Shared Folder from Another Device

On Windows, open \\YOUR_UBUNTU_IP\SharedFolder in File Explorer. On another Linux, use:

nautilus smb://YOUR_UBUNTU_IP/SharedFolder

Replace YOUR_UBUNTU_IP with the local IP of your Ubuntu system (you can find it with ip a).