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Samba-util-bin

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samba-util-bin

Introduction

samba-util-bin is a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing Samba configuration on Linux systems. It provides a visual front‑end for editing smb.conf, managing Samba users and inspecting service status. The application is built with the cross‑platform Avalonia framework and is available as both an AppImage and an AUR package.

Features

  • Graphical editor for smb.conf.
  • Creation, modification and removal of Samba shares.
  • Management of Samba users through smbpasswd.
  • Validation of filesystem permissions for shared directories.
  • Service status inspection for smbd and nmbd.
  • Log viewer for Samba‑related journal entries.
  • Cross‑platform Avalonia‑based interface.

Installation

From AUR

The package is available as samba-util-binAUR: 

bash
yay -S samba-util-bin

AppImage

The AppImage can be downloaded from the project’s release page:

Make it executable: 

bash
chmod +x samba-util.appimage
./samba-util.appimage

Dependencies

The following packages are required for full functionality:

  • samba — provides smbd, nmbd, testparm and user management tools.
  • util-linux — provides mount, umount, lsblk, blkid.
  • libnotify — desktop notifications.
  • systemd — service management.

Optional dependencies:

  • gvfs-smb — SMB integration in graphical file managers.
  • nss-mdns — mDNS name resolution.
  • avahi — mDNS/zeroconf service discovery.

Usage

When launched, the application reads the system configuration from /etc/samba/smb.conf. The interface provides access to:

  • Editing global and per‑share configuration.
  • Creating and removing Samba shares.
  • Managing Samba users:
bash
smbpasswd -a <user>
  • Inspecting the status of smbd and nmbd.
  • Viewing logs related to Samba services.

Changes to smb.conf can be validated using testparm.

System integration

samba-util interacts with the standard samba mechanisms for configuration and service control. For details on Samba configuration, see:

Troubleshooting

Issues encountered while using the application generally correspond to underlying Samba configuration or filesystem permissions. Refer to:

  • testparm for configuration validation.
  • journalctl -u smbd for service logs.
  • Samba for detailed configuration guidance.