Re: [PLUG] Debian-SAMBA Suggestions

Matthew Rosewarne <mrosewarne@inoutbox.com> · Fri, 1 Feb 2008 01:50:34 -0500

On Thursday 31 January 2008, Bill Diehl wrote:
> Because I learned that Debian was underlying popular Linux
> distros, like Ubantu and Linspire, I decided to just go with the core
> distro.  Having run both Ubantu and Linspire from their CDs, I also
> did not want the overhead of the desktops that they have (ran really
> slowly on my Athlon 1.2GHz Thunderbird).

While I typically suggest that new users try either Kubuntu or Suse (though I 
strongly recommend *against* using Linspire), Debian does make a very capable 
desktop/laptop operating system.  After the initial setup, which typically 
requires a decent grasp of the Debian system, it provides the same ease of 
use as do the desktop distributions.  If you intend to gain an understanding 
of Linux, Debian is certainly a good way to learn.

Also, as Chad said, if you only tried the other distributions on their "live 
CDs", you can't really judge their performance, as the CD-ROM is a 
significant performance bottleneck.  For the most part, every distribution is 
as fast as every other when using the same software.*  

> I have been able to configure Debian-Etch with IceWM to eliminate
> the need for a desktop and have it fully functional as a stand-alone
> system.  The primary obstacle to running Etch daily has been the
> lack of a functioning network.  Because it has been several months
> since I worked with Etch, I've forgotten most of what I had learned
> while setting everything up - the networking frustration just burned
> me out.  My goal was to set up a lean Debian configuration and I
> seemed to be doing pretty well for a newbie until I hit the SAMBA
> wall.

I can vouch that my old 1Ghz Pentium 3 is certainly more then powerful enough 
to run KDE 3.5 comfortably, so you might want to try installing "kde-desktop" 
if you'd like to give it a try.  Ultralight GUIs like IceWM are more for 
people who only need a place to put their many terminal windows.

NetworkManager is usually recommended for networking on desktops and laptops, 
since it automatically manages network connections.  To use NetworkManager, 
install either "network-manager-kde" or "network-manager-gnome".

> Hopefully the resources that you all provided will inspire me to go
> back at it again.  I know SAMBA is running and the configuration
> files were set as best as I could determine from the documentation
> but just did not know how to configure it any differently to make it
> work.  I will see what I can learn from what you all provided.  It must
> be possible to get SAMBA to work with Etch (unless there is a bug
> in Etch as some have suggested on other forums).

There is a web interface to configuring SAMBA, which you can find in 
the "swat" package.

To diagnose your samba problem, it would help to know what exactly you're 
trying to do that isn't working.  It would also help to know what OS the 
other machines in your network are running, as Windows 9x and NT behave 
differently.

* No, Gentoo users, your OS isn't any faster.