Apologies if I've missed an existing thread with this question - I took a look but wasn't able to spot a solution.
I've recently swapped from Raspbian to DietPi so that I can use my old Pi Zero W as a simple usenet downloader. Using an older howtogeek tutorial, I've mounted an external USB hard drive in DietPi and am trying to get a Samba network share up and running. While the HTG tutorial has the external drive named as 'Backup' and the user 'backups', I've called both 'shares' on my setup.
However, while I can connect from my Windows 10 PC to the default DietPi folder share (i.e. \\DIETPI\dietpi\), and I can see my external drive in the Windows network folder (\\DIETPI\shares\), it's not letting me connect.
The error code that comes up (0x80070043) claims that 'the network name cannot be found', and when I diagnose the issue a second error message pops up: 'You don't have permission to access the share'.
Any ideas how to fix this problem?
Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
-
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:56 pm
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
Hi,
thanks for your message. pls can you share your smb.conf file as well as lsblk -o name,fstype,label,size,ro,type,mountpoint
thanks for your message. pls can you share your smb.conf file as well as lsblk -o name,fstype,label,size,ro,type,mountpoint
Pls let us know if a solution is working. This could help others if they hit by similar situation. Your DietPi Team
-
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:56 pm
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
Sure, here's my smb.conf - I've added the [shares] section in, but the rest was there as default:
And the output of lsblk:
Code: Select all
[global]
workgroup = WORKGROUP
server string = %h server
dns proxy = no
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
max log size = 1000
syslog only = no
syslog = 0
panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
security = user
encrypt passwords = true
passdb backend = tdbsam
obey pam restrictions = yes
unix password sync = yes
passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
pam password change = yes
map to guest = bad user
load printers = no
printcap name = /dev/null
disable spoolss = yes
[dietpi]
comment = DietPi Share
path = /mnt/dietpi_userdata
browseable = yes
create mask = 0664
directory mask = 0775
valid users = dietpi
writeable = yes
max connections = 2
[shares]
comment = USBHDD
path = /mnt/USBHDD/shares
valid users = @users
force group = users
create mask = 0660
directory mask = 0771
read only = no
Code: Select all
NAME FSTYPE LABEL SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 1.8T 0 disk
└─sda1 exfat BACKUP 1.8T 0 part
mmcblk0 59.5G 0 disk
├─mmcblk0p1 vfat boot 256M 0 part /boot
└─mmcblk0p2 ext4 rootfs 59.2G 0 part /
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
ok let me try to replicate your issue.
Pls let us know if a solution is working. This could help others if they hit by similar situation. Your DietPi Team
-
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:56 pm
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
Thanks Joulinar!
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
Hi,
Ok I guess I found it. Is there a particular reason to set following value in your smb.conf file
Because this will limit access to the share to user who are member of the group users. Usually on Debian this group is empty and not used as Debian systems use the private user group system by default (each user has their own group). Basically you would need to add all user who should have access to the group users.
However from security point of view this doesn't make any difference to have multiple user created and trying to separate the access because you are using exFAT as file system format on your HDD. exFAT, as an extension of FAT and not capable of storing discretionary access control metadata. This is why all the files on an exFAT volume appear to be 777 permissions (root user).
Ok I guess I found it. Is there a particular reason to set following value in your smb.conf file
Code: Select all
valid users = @users
force group = users
However from security point of view this doesn't make any difference to have multiple user created and trying to separate the access because you are using exFAT as file system format on your HDD. exFAT, as an extension of FAT and not capable of storing discretionary access control metadata. This is why all the files on an exFAT volume appear to be 777 permissions (root user).

Pls let us know if a solution is working. This could help others if they hit by similar situation. Your DietPi Team
-
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:56 pm
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
I did that because the instructions in the HTG tutorial had those values listed for Samba sharing in Raspbian, so I assumed that they would apply in DietPi as well.
Is that not the case? I assume if I need to add specific users, that I should add my 'shares' user there instead?
Thanks again for the help!
Is that not the case? I assume if I need to add specific users, that I should add my 'shares' user there instead?
Thanks again for the help!
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
If you don't need the dietpi share, just go to adjust this section. No need to create a 2nd share and you can stay with dietpi user.
As well you can have a look to DietPi online docs https://dietpi.com/docs/software/file_s ... ile-server
Code: Select all
[dietpi]
comment = DietPi Share
path = /mnt/dietpi_userdata
browseable = yes
create mask = 0664
directory mask = 0775
valid users = dietpi
writeable = yes
max connections = 2
Pls let us know if a solution is working. This could help others if they hit by similar situation. Your DietPi Team
-
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:56 pm
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
WIll using the DietPi share details already in there let me access the external hard drive though? It's a different path from the current one in there (i.e. /mnt/dietpi_userdata), so not sure if I need to change that to /mnt/USBHDD/shares or not?
-
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2020 11:56 pm
Re: Unable to connect to mounted USB HDD via Samba
Okay, still not connecting unfortunately.
I commented out the [shares] lines, changed the filepath to /mnt/USBHDD/shares, and also cleared all the existing network credentials on my W10 PC, but it's still telling me that 'Your user account doesn't have permission to access "dietpi"'
I commented out the [shares] lines, changed the filepath to /mnt/USBHDD/shares, and also cleared all the existing network credentials on my W10 PC, but it's still telling me that 'Your user account doesn't have permission to access "dietpi"'