Unknown Windows Network at my Fedora machine

I have no idea why there is a Windows Network profile appearing as it is on my network but when I trying to open it. It doesn’t exist. By using Fedora system which I recently used to do a hardware reset on my router and modem. There should be no connections to any Windows machines. I do have a lap top with windows installed but it is not turned on and not on the network. As I right click with the mouse on the Windows Network icon. I have no options to delete or enter it.

Do somebody have an reasonable explanation.

As long as you not have configured Samba this link just appears as an placeholder like windows has “Network-Neigborhood”

As soon you have a share configured it will appear there.

How to create a Samba share :: Fedora Docs

And if you have computers with shared content inkl. printers you will see them there too.

4 Likes

Thank you very much for teaching me new levels of entering Samba by CLI .
I do not understand if I shall create a new user sudo smbpasswd -a Jonas as a guest of the allready existing user [TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]

[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
success
[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ sudo smbpasswd -a Jonas
New SMB password:
Retype new SMB password:
Failed to add entry for user Jonas.
[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ sudo smbpasswd -a Jonas
[sudo] password for TemplePusher: 
Sorry, try again.
[sudo] password for TemplePusher: 
New SMB password:
Retype new SMB password:
Failed to add entry for user Jonas.

As I follow the example I do fail because of lack of understanding. As I understand the Quick docs - How to create a Samba share. I will create a guest user and NOT a new user with the sudo rights ?

New SMB password was not correctly repeated?
Try again and write down password for Jonas first.

1 Like

This is always difficult, but maybe i can explain in short terms:

Samba/smb is a protocol/software who acts as an interface between Linux & Windows (and others i guess).
It has a own User-Database! that’s why you have to create a separate user and password.

That you can configure Samba you need sudo or root rights. Setting a password is a configuration.

In your example, your are crating a SAMBA-user named Jonas who will be used with your Linux-account TemplePusher who apparently is a sudo user.

When you connect from windows, you will use the user/pw from Jonas to connect to the share.
If you want to see your share from Network: “Browse Network” in Linux you will need also to use the user/pw from Jonas.

And yes as @jpbn mentioned, writing down a password would be a good idea in this case ;-).

To simplify the whole thing, using the username/pw from Windows to create a samba-user, helps to remember better that you are communicating between windows and linux over samba.

Dont forget to check man samba in terminal.

I hope this helps a bit.

2 Likes

Thank you very much. Here you really explains me how the Transport layer actually functioning by a part of OSI to differ from the GUI where my basic knowledge reach. I will study more and see if I can do further modification.

Just one question @jpbn writing down a password would be a good idea in this case ;-).
Is it enough security using a PW saver like a cloudbased as Lock wise Browser Password manager ( Mozilla ) or an Fedora software install as KeepPassXCPassword manager for Fedora 34. All this writing down and finding passwords can be a lot of keeping track on when there is more than 20 different account to logins. I thought about getting a Physical password manager. Typically, these gadgets are advertised as an alternative to writing passwords on paper or in digital documents on the computer for easy access. Physical passwordmanager Perhaps getting a Smartcard Smartcard or similiar.

I use KeepassXC, and sync it on all machines. available on Fedora dnf install keepasxc

1 Like

Thank you Jaap. I will have an update on that one :nerd_face:

I guess that is some of what your @ilikelinux rererred to

Is this a shared folder. It is something new. And I do not know why it is in a print folder.

If the Windows server is set up to share its printers, this is the folder in which the printers will show up, I believe.

1 Like

As far as I know I didn’t set up any Windows server and definitely no printers as I haven’t any (I know a printer can print PDF ). Hmm, kind of strange. Wonder what I did this time :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

It worked very well. Thank you for guiding me to the set up example :+1:

[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ sudo dnf install samba
[sudo] password for TemplePusher: 
Last metadata expiration check: 2:06:55 ago on ons 03 nov 2021 17:43:12 CET.
Package samba-2:4.14.8-0.fc34.x86_64 is already installed.
Dependencies resolved.
Nothing to do.
Complete!
[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ sudo systemctl enable smb --now
[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ firewall-cmd --get-active-zones
FedoraWorkstation
  interfaces: enp4s0
[TemplePusher@jonas-bloch-riisgaard ~]$ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=FedoraWorkstation --add-service=samba
Warning: ALREADY_ENABLED: samba
success

Samba/SMB is a “Windows server”. My mistake, looks like this is a default location for printer drivers. Anyway, you can check your /etc/samba/smb.conf. You’ll probably see a section like this below. You can comment out that share name if you don’t want/need it.

# Windows clients look for this share name as a source of downloadable
# printer drivers
[print$]
   comment = Printer Drivers
   path = /var/lib/samba/printers
   browseable = yes
   read only = yes
   guest ok = no

1 Like

Now I get it. SAMBA is for the routers software configuration which is made for windows users. What doew it means that it is a Windows server ? What is there for Fedora Linux as an alternative if there is any ?

From Wikipedia:

Samba is a free software re-implementation of the SMB networking protocol, and was originally developed by Andrew Tridgell. Samba provides file and print services for various Microsoft Windows clients

It’s a way to allow Linux to present itself as a “native” server for Windows - i.e.; it will make your Linux server look like a Windows server to other Windows machines/clients.

It’s perfectly fine to use Samba if that’s what you need - Windows and macOS machines can easily access Samba network shares.

If you’re looking for a “Linux native” file sharing protocol though, you might want to check out NFS.

Personally, I’ve always just used Samba because of its cross-platform compatibility.

1 Like

Yes inside the folders there is a possibility to watch the configuration of the SMB2

But I wonder what the printer default folder has to do with SMB as I do not printshare with a Windows server as far as I know.

Oh! Now I understand why this Windows icon appear on my machine. Thank you very much for explaining me. I was a litle confused because I thought I had an Windows machine connected through my router to this machine.

Oh! Now I understand why this Windows icon appear on my machine. Thank you very much for explaining me. I was a little confused because I thought I had an Windows machine connected through my router to this machine.

@voodooviking It would be nice if you did close this discussion “Solved”.