Linux File Sharing Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to file sharing on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including Samba (Windows file sharing), NFS, and network file sharing setup.

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Table of Contents

1. Understanding File Sharing
2. Samba Setup
3. NFS Setup
4. SSH File Sharing
5. Accessing Shared Files
6. Troubleshooting

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Understanding File Sharing

What is File Sharing?

File sharing allows accessing files over network.

What it does:

• Network access: Access files from other computers
• Centralized storage: Share files from one location
• Cross-platform: Works with Windows, Linux, macOS
• Convenience: Easy file access

Why use file sharing:

• Network storage: Central file storage
• Backup: Network backups
• Collaboration: Share files with others
• Convenience: Access files from anywhere

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Samba Setup

What is Samba?

Samba provides Windows-compatible file sharing.

What it does:

• Windows compatibility: Works with Windows
• SMB/CIFS protocol: Windows file sharing protocol
• Cross-platform: Linux, Windows, macOS
• Easy setup: Simple configuration

Install Samba

Install Samba:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S samba

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install samba

# Fedora
sudo dnf install samba

Enable Samba

Start services:

# Enable services
sudo systemctl enable --now smb.service nmb.service

# Check status
systemctl status smb nmb

Configure Samba

Edit config:

# Edit config
sudo vim /etc/samba/smb.conf

Example share:

[share]
    path = /home/user/share
    valid users = user
    read only = no
    browsable = yes

Create Samba User

Add user:

# Add Samba user
sudo smbpasswd -a username

# Enable user
sudo smbpasswd -e username

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NFS Setup

Install NFS

Install NFS:

# Arch/CachyOS
sudo pacman -S nfs-utils

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install nfs-kernel-server

# Fedora
sudo dnf install nfs-utils

Enable NFS

Start service:

# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable nfs-server
sudo systemctl start nfs-server

# Check status
systemctl status nfs-server

Configure NFS

Edit exports:

# Edit exports
sudo vim /etc/exports

Example:

/home/user/share 192.168.1.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

Export:

# Export shares
sudo exportfs -ra

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SSH File Sharing

SSH File Transfer

Using SCP:

# Copy file
scp file.txt user@server:/path/

# Copy directory
scp -r directory user@server:/path/

SFTP

Using SFTP:

# Connect
sftp user@server

# Commands
put file.txt
get file.txt

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Accessing Shared Files

Access Samba Share

From Linux:

# Install client
sudo pacman -S smbclient

# List shares
smbclient -L //server

# Mount share
sudo mount -t cifs //server/share /mnt/share -o username=user

From Windows:

\\server\share

Access NFS Share

Mount NFS:

# Mount NFS
sudo mount -t nfs server:/share /mnt/share

# Or in fstab
server:/share /mnt/share nfs defaults 0 0

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Troubleshooting

Samba Not Working

Check service:

# Check status
systemctl status smb nmb

# Check logs
journalctl -u smb

Permission Issues

Fix permissions:

# Set permissions
sudo chmod 755 /path/to/share
sudo chown user:group /path/to/share

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Summary

This guide covered file sharing for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions, including Samba, NFS, and SSH file sharing.

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Next Steps

• Networking - Network setup
• Remote Desktop - Remote access
• Security Configuration - Security
• ArchWiki Samba: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Samba

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.