If you’ve been following our blog here you’ll notice that we try to make our tutorials as easy as it can be even for the newcomers. We do this because we know some in our audience are not as geeky as others, so to be all inclusive we decided to write our tutorials for everyone — geeks and non-geeks.

In this simple tutorial, I will show you how to configure both Windows Vista and Fedora Linux to share files and folders and printers.

 

For you to accomplish this task, you’ll need to satisfy some basic requirements before Windows Vista and Fedora Linux can share files and folders.

Both machines need to be in the same IP subnet

Both machines need to be in the same workgroup

Both machines need to be using the same protocol (samba needs to be installed on Fedora machine)

When you’re ready, please continue below.

 

 

Step One) Preparing Windows Vista machine

 

1) Click Start –> Right-click on Network –> Properties. Next click on Manage Network Connections.

 

 

 

2) Right-click on Local Area Connection –> Properties. Then select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click the Properties button.

 

 

3) Enter the IP address information and click OK when done. Next go back and enable sharing in the Network and Sharing Center as shown below.

 

 

4) Click Right-click on Computer –> Properties. Then select Advanced system settings.

 

 

5) Configure the workgroup name and click OK. Your system will restart, and that’s ok.

 

 

 

Step Two) Preparing Fedora Client

 

1) Click on System –> Administration –> Add/Remove Software. Next search for the term ‘samba’ into the search box. From the list select ‘Samba Server Configuration Tool’, ‘Server and Client software to Interoperate with Windows machines’

 

 

2) After selecting both, enter the root password to install the selected packages.

 

 

3) After installing click the Run button to run Samba configuration. Next click settings –> Server settings and enter the workgroup name and server description.

 

 

4) On the Security tab, select ‘User’ for authentication mode and click OK. Select settings –> Samba Users to add users to samba shares.

 

 

5) Next select System –> Administration –> Network. When the network console is opened select Edit to edit the connection.

 

 

6) Select ‘Statically set IP addresses:’ option and enter the IP addresses and enable Samba and Samba-client through the Firewall.

 

 

 

7) Also add the eth0 interface to the trusted interfaces.

 

 

 

 

Add users to Samba database. Go to Applications –> System –> Terminal

 

su root


smbpasswd -a username

Do this for all users on the Fedora system who need access to shares.

 

 

9) Fedora can see my Windows Vista PC. If you still can’t see it look at the Firewall settings again and make sure Samba is running.

 

 

 

Restart both machines and login to create shares. Creating shares in Fedora is done in samba-system-config. In Windows, right-click on any folder and select share.