1.12. Configuring a share to allow access without authentication

Procedure

1. Edit the /etc/samba/smb.conf file:

   1. If this is the first guest share you set up on this server:

      1. Set map to guest = Bad User in the [global] section:

         [global]
                 ...
                 map to guest = Bad User

         With this setting, Samba rejects login attempts that use an incorrect password unless the user name does not exist. If the specified user name does not exist and guest access is enabled on a share, Samba treats the connection as a guest log in.

      2. By default, Samba maps the guest account to the nobody account on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Alternatively, you can set a different account. For example:

         [global]
                 ...
                 guest account = user_name

         The account set in this parameter must exist locally on the Samba server. For security reasons, Red Hat recommends using an account that does not have a valid shell assigned.

   2. Add the guest ok = yes setting to the [example] share section:

      [example]
              ...
              guest ok = yes

2. Verify the /etc/samba/smb.conf file:

   # testparm

3. Reload the Samba configuration:

   # smbcontrol all reload-config