This Redpaper describes a z/VM front-end for managing a Linux Samba file server. For shops that have substantial mainframe skills but UNIX skills that are not as strong, managing a Samba server, even with the Samba Web Administration Tool, or SWAT, can be challenging. The z/VM front-end tool described in this paper, EXLNXID, allows you to maintain a Samba Linux system from a z/VM user ID running CMS.

In this document, file sharing from Microsoft Windows desktops is assumed. We use the term "file system" from a Linux perspective, and use the term "share" from a Windows desktop perspective. Users on the same team, or Linux group, will get shares read-write, while other shares may be accessible read-only.

Samba overview

Managing a Samba server

Preparing the z/VM host

Preparing the Linux guest

Linux distributions and Samba versions

Customizing and using Samba

Installing and customizing the EZLNXID tool

Using EZLNXID

The z/VM EXECs and Linux scripts

Other considerations