Let's take another look at this configuration file, this time from a higher level:
[global]
...
[homes]
...
[printers]
...
[test]
...
The names inside the square brackets delineate unique sections of the
smb.conf file; each section names the
share (or service) that the section refers to. For example, the
[test] and
[homes] sections are each unique disk shares; they contain options that map to specific directories on the Samba server. The
[printers] share contains options that map to various printers on the server. All the sections defined in the
smb.conf file, with the exception of the
[global] section, will be available as a disk or printer share to clients connecting to the Samba server.
The remaining lines are individual configuration options unique to that share. These options will continue until a new bracketed section is encountered, or until the end of the file is reached. Each configuration option follows a simple format:
option =
value
Options in the
smb.conf file are set by assigning a value to them. We should warn you up front that some of the option names in Samba are poorly chosen. For example,
read
only is self-explanatory, and is typical of many recent Samba options.
public is an older option, and is vague; it now has a less-confusing synonym
guest
ok (may be accessed by guests). We describe some of the more common historical names in this chapter in sections that highlight each major task. In addition, Appendix C,
Samba Configuration Option Quick Reference, contains an alphabetical index of all the configuration options and their meanings.
