What is Samba?
Not a dance step, “Samba” is an application that allows Windows or Mac users to access a directory on a UNIX machine as a networked drive. This is most commonly used to grant access to our web server, Ra. When a user needs access to change a web site they use the New Website Request form. Using their universal username we then give the user a “Samba share” linking their username with the particular directory or “share” on the server. Once this access is granted the user maps a network drive to \\ra.cc.wwu.edu\sharename, which creates “drag-and-drop” access to their website on Ra. Note that “sharename” is the same as the http://www.wwu.edu/sharename that is part of the address of the website.
