Additional Samba Commands: smbcontrol, smbstatus, testparm, smbpasswd, nmblookup

In addition to the main Samba daemons (smbd, nmbd, and winbindd), there are several useful command-line utilities that help manage and troubleshoot Samba. These include smbcontrol, smbstatus, testparm, smbpasswd, and nmblookup.

smbcontrol

smbcontrol is used to send messages to Samba daemons (smbd, nmbd, winbindd) to control their behavior or request information.

• Usage:

  smbcontrol <daemon> <message-type> [parameters]

• Common Commands:

  • smbcontrol all reload-config: Reloads the configuration file for all running daemons.

  • smbcontrol smbd debug 10: Sets the debug level of smbd to 10.

  • smbcontrol winbindd ping: Sends a ping to the winbindd daemon.

• Example:

  sudo smbcontrol all reload-config

smbstatus

smbstatus is used to display current Samba connections, open files, and locked files.

• Usage:

  smbstatus [options]

• Common Options:

  • -S: Show share mode locks.

  • -L: Show byte range locks.

  • -p: Show process IDs of the connected clients.

• Example:

  smbstatus

  Output example:

  Samba version 4.13.3
  PID     Username     Group        Machine  Protocol Version  Encryption           Signing             
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1234    john         users        192.168.1.5 (ipv4:192.168.1.5:12345) NT1

testparm

testparm is a utility to check the Samba configuration file (smb.conf) for syntax errors.

• Usage:

  testparm [configuration file] [hostname host IP]

• Common Usage:

  • Validate the default configuration file:

    testparm

• Example:

  testparm /etc/samba/smb.conf

  This checks the specified configuration file for syntax errors and displays the loaded configuration.

smbpasswd

smbpasswd is used to manage Samba user accounts and passwords.

• Usage:

  smbpasswd [options] [username]

• Common Commands:

  • smbpasswd -a username: Adds a new Samba user.

  • smbpasswd -x username: Deletes a Samba user.

  • smbpasswd username: Changes the password for the specified user.

• Example:

  sudo smbpasswd -a john

  This adds a new Samba user named john and prompts for a password.

nmblookup

nmblookup is used for NetBIOS name resolution, similar to nslookup but for NetBIOS names.

• Usage:

  nmblookup [options] name

• Common Options:

  • -A IP-address: Queries the specified IP address for its NetBIOS name.

  • -R: Sends the query as a broadcast.

• Example:

  nmblookup -A 192.168.1.5

  This queries the NetBIOS names registered by the specified IP address.

Summary of Commands and Usage

Command	Purpose	Common Usage	Example Command
smbcontrol	Sends control messages to Samba daemons	smbcontrol all reload-config	sudo smbcontrol smbd debug 10
smbstatus	Displays current Samba connections and files	smbstatus	smbstatus
testparm	Checks Samba configuration for syntax errors	testparm	testparm /etc/samba/smb.conf
smbpasswd	Manages Samba user accounts and passwords	smbpasswd -a username, smbpasswd username	sudo smbpasswd -a john
nmblookup	Performs NetBIOS name queries	nmblookup -A IP-address	nmblookup -A 192.168.1.5

Conclusion

These Samba command-line utilities (smbcontrol, smbstatus, testparm, smbpasswd, and nmblookup) provide essential tools for managing, troubleshooting, and configuring Samba services. Understanding their usage and options enhances an administrator's ability to maintain and secure Samba servers in a network environment.