22.5. Starting and Stopping Samba

To start a Samba server, type the following command in a shell prompt while logged in as root: 
service smb start

Important

To set up a domain member server, you must first join the domain or Active Directory using the net join command before starting the smb service.
To stop the server, type the following command in a shell prompt while logged in as root: 
service smb stop
The restart option is a quick way of stopping and then starting Samba. This is the most reliable way to make configuration changes take effect after editing the configuration file for Samba. Note that the restart option starts the daemon even if it was not running originally.
To restart the server, type the following command in a shell prompt while logged in as root: 
service smb restart
The condrestart (conditional restart) option only starts smb on the condition that it is currently running. This option is useful for scripts, because it does not start the daemon if it is not running.

Note

When the smb.conf file is changed, Samba automatically reloads it after a few minutes. Issuing a manual restart or reload is just as effective.
To conditionally restart the server, type the following command as root: 
service smb condrestart
A manual reload of the smb.conf file can be useful in case of a failed automatic reload by the smb service. To ensure that the Samba server configuration file is reloaded without restarting the service, type the following command as root: 
service smb reload
By default, the smb service does not start automatically at boot time. To configure Samba to start at boot time, use an initscript utility, such as /sbin/chkconfig, /usr/sbin/ntsysv, or the Services Configuration Tool program. Refer to Chapter 18, Controlling Access to Services for more information regarding these tools.