[BC] Webmin

[Jason R.]

Ok, *nix fans, somebody tell me what I'm missing in my first install.  I'm
trying to rush it a bit, and I'm getting frustrated with it.

  I set up Xubuntu Server 9.04 (jaunty jackelope).
  I ran the Synaptic package mgr, installed the updates / upgrades.  Login
goes fine, got a user up and running, things seem to work.  Unlike the other
version I tried (Ubuntu, hardy) I cannot browse the neighboring Windows
network, although I can see the networked printer and can ping all the
machines fine.  Off we go.

  I run the Synaptic for SWAT, and follow the instructions to the letter.  I
try to fire it up, no luck.  Files that are supposed to be updated manually
aren't that easy to find... "whereis rc.conf" returns a long list of rc0. ,
rc1., rc2., etc... but I have no luck finding rc.conf... or smbd nmbd.

  Got sick of fiddling with that, and found Webmin, apparently similar to
SWAT.  Has an installer specifically for Debian.
Also a GUI style web style networking admin program.
I get it installed, it does start - although it complains at first that the
'certificate was issued by the same machine the package is resident on' - I
install the certificate anyway, hit port 10000, and it runs.

  Went through the Webmin setup as far as the instructins take me.

  Went to a windows machine on the network, ran things as instructed to try
to hit the server.  No luck.  Pings are good, cmd line 'net view' shows the
Samba server in the domain, so,
I run net use \\servername\username password... and we get connected the
hard way. Now I can see the folders using network exploring, and can
actually do things with it, sort of.  The server itself is easy to hit,
folders not so much.
Lots of 'do not have permission to edit this resource' gets frustrating.
Can't create a folder, can see one though.

  After a few more hours of piddling, I get a share or two running, but,
soon discover I can't have more than one instance open at a time.  Or so it
seems. By now, I have things probably corrupted, have created a bajillion
shares, etc.  Did notice that now at least, the smb.conf file shows up in a
window inside webmin, and starts to make sense given the things I've been
doing.

  I'm beginning to think I'm supposed to be creating some sort of user or
account on the Samba servers for each windows machine I expect to have
accessing the 'shared folder' on Samba.

  Am I right?
(By the way, NAS really sets up fast.  It sure is tempting to use it here.
Needs to be the print server too though)

Jason R.