Samba Share with openSUSE 11.4

I recently moved a RAID array from a small server running openSUSE 11.3 to a new server running openSUSE 11.4. I had a Samba share on the last computer with a share for the RAID array. After getting everything up and running with the OS I moved on to getting Samba set up. I had the smb.conf file from my last server and figured it might have to be tweaked just a little bit but that it should work just fine. I was wrong. I spent about three hours banging my head against a wall and trolling the net for information about why I couldn’t even see my server from a Windows client. What was the difference between the two OSs? Why was Samba not working with ANY configuration changes I made, even cutting the smb.conf file down to the bare minimum:


[global]
workgroup = WORKGROUP
netbios name = Server
security = user
[data]
comment = Server Share
path = /srv
read only = Yes
guest ok = Yes

I finally found the answer here: openSUSE Samba Server | ConfigNotes where I learned that there’s a slight difference with Samba in openSUSE 11.4 over 11.3. For those who don’t want to click the link, here’s the gist of it. Novell AppArmor defaults to squashing Samba unless told to do otherwise now. Here’s how to do it.

yast

Select “AppArmor Control Panel” then “Configure Profile Modes” and the “Set profile modes [Configure]” In the Profile Mode Configuration screen, set usr.sbin.nmbd and usr.sbin.smbd for “complain” instead of “enforce”. Problem solved. My Windows machines could suddenly see my Samba shares again.

Anyway, I hope that this helps someone. I’m fairly beginner when it comes to openSUSE so this is probably just common knowledge to most of you here.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I NEVER would have figured this out on my own. Most esp because I’ve never used AppArmor, for which reason I don’t even really know what it is, for which reason I’ve always assumed that, because I didn’t initialize it, it wasn’t even running!! Additionally, I’ve been unable to mount SuSE 11.4 Samba shares on other SuSE 11.3 machines.

I just bought 3 new MiniITX boards. I only upgrade OS if I buy new hardware so the last time I tried 11.4 was about 6 months ago and I just scrapped it because, from the way it worked, I assumed it was buggy. I’m just a user, but I am my own support so I can’t waste a whole lot of time on this kind of stuff. All my machines are Linux except 1 XP and I’m going to make that a Virtual Machine under 11.4…but…have we all noticed that Microsoft has bought Novell from whence comes SuSE? Are we not all suspicious of that? Do we not fear that on some level? Um Gottes Willen!! So ist das Leben.