Using openSUSE's YaST on the Raspberry Pi

Deploying Samba

Running an NFS server on an openSUSE-powered Raspberry Pi is not your only option. If you have Windows machines on your network, and you want to use them to access files on the Raspberry Pi, deploying a Samba server on it is the way to go. The YaST Samba Server module allows you to do this with minimal effort.

The first step is to install the required software on the Raspberry Pi. If you already installed the File Server pattern, then you have everything you need to deploy a Samba server. Switch to Network Services | Samba Server, and YaST will guide you through configuring initial Samba server options. While you can leave most of them as default, you might want to enable the Service Start | During Boot option. This way, the Samba server will automatically start whenever you boot the Raspberry Pi. If you choose to start and stop the Samba server manually, you can do that using the

sudo systemctl start nmb smb

and

sudo systemctl stop nmb smb

commands respectively. When you press <OK>, YaST applies the changes and returns to the Network Services section.

The next step is to add a share (i.e. a directory you want to share using the Samba server). Switch to Network Services | Samba Server again, which automatically drops you into the Shares section. Press Add and give the new share a descriptive name. Make sure that the Directory option is selected under Share Type, and use the Browse button to select the directory you want to share. Press OK, and you should see the new share in the list.

If you want to share the user home directory, you don't have to go through this procedure: simply enable the Allow Users to Share Their Directories option, and you are done. In case you want to give guest access (i.e. access without providing a user name and password), enable the Allow Guest Access option. Once you're done configuring the Samba server settings, press OK. You can then start the server manually using the sudo systemctl start nmb smb command mentioned above.

Deploying an FTP Server

When it comes to serving files on the Internet, the File Transfer Protocol still remains one of the most popular options. If you want to share files with the rest of the world, you can use YaST to transform the Raspberry Pi into an FTP server. All packages required for deploying an FTP server are included in the File Server pattern, so if you already installed it on your Raspberry Pi, you have everything you need to configure and run one.

Launch YaST and switch to Network Services | FTP Server. In the FTP Start-up area, enable the desired boot option, start the server by activating the Start FTP Now option, and press Finish. If you would like to modify the default FTP server settings, return to the FTP Server section, configure the available options, and press Finish.

Finally, you need to create a new user and add it to the ftp group. Switch to Security and Users | User and Group Management, press Add, specify a new user name and password, then press OK. Switch to the Groups section, select the users group and press Edit. In the Group Members list, select ftp and press the space bar to mark the item for addition. Press OK, and you should then be able to log in to the FTP server using the specified user name and password.