Linux/Debian/Desktop environment, try to make shares on a network

[GHBenji]

I am just introducing myself to the world of linux and it feels so overwhelming from everything that I'm learned so far.
I am trying to make a File Server with just basic Folder sharing with user rights a permissions.
I have a Desktop setup with Linux/Debian with Desktop environment with Samba.
I'm trying to create a folder in the filesystem but it seems whatever I try to do i have no permissions to do anything.
I did create a shared folder right on the desktop but can't access it from a different computer on my network.
Can somebody please help me out. And remember I'm at kindergarten level with linux
thanks

 

[geirendre]

It's correct that by default you don't have permission
to "do everything", only the user root has that.
So whenever you need to do such admin tasks you need
to switch user like this:

su

It will ask you for the admin-password.
Now you are the admin-user root, and can do your stuff.
Use exit to get back to your normal userlevel.

http://www.debianhelp.co.uk/index.php

HTH

 

[GHBenji]

how do i do that when I'm in Desktop Environmnet?

 

[donb01]

Under your menu there should be something like "Open Terminal Window" - that's kind of like the MS-Dos command prompt in the other world.

once you get there, some other common commands are "ls" (which is like "Dir" in DOS (commonly used as ls -l meaning list files in long format), "cat" which is like "type" in dos and lets you look at files.

When you do "cd" to change directories the slashes are done in the opposite direction - use cd /usr rather than cd \usr.

when you do an ls -l you will see a bunch of little letters on the left side. the left most one tells you if it is a directory (d) or one of a few other special files, the next 3 spots can be rwx and represent the permissions the file or directory's owner has (red, write, eXecute), the middle 3 are for people in the same group as the owner, and the last 3 represent everyone else in the world.

There are a number of very good resources and books on the subject, but my advice is to find a beater PC and set up linux on it and just play in a non-production environment so you can make mistakes and experiment.

You may find this site helpful - I like it:

http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/index.html

Good Luck!