glusterfs:volume-export-samba

Exporting a GlusterFS volume as a Samba share exposes distributed storage to SMB/CIFS clients such as Windows systems. A single SMB share endpoint can front a replicated or distributed volume, keeping storage management on the GlusterFS side while providing a familiar file-share interface.

Samba exports files from a local directory path defined in /etc/samba/smb.conf, so the GlusterFS volume must be mounted on the host running smbd. The common approach is a GlusterFS client mount via FUSE to a stable mount point, which is then published as an SMB share name.

FUSE mounts often need the allow_other option (plus /etc/fuse.conf configured) so Samba worker processes can access the mount with per-user credentials. Independent Samba servers exporting the same volume can break locking semantics unless Samba clustering (for example CTDB) is used; prefer a single gateway host for a simple deployment. Firewall access to TCP port 445 is required for clients to connect. Authenticated shares reduce the risk of anonymous writes.

Install the Samba server, smbclient, the GlusterFS client packages.

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install --assume-yes samba smbclient glusterfs-client
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Setting up samba ...
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Examples use Ubuntu or Debian package names.

Enable the user_allow_other setting in /etc/fuse.conf.

$ sudo sed -i 's/^#user_allow_other/user_allow_other/' /etc/fuse.conf
$ grep -n '^user_allow_other$' /etc/fuse.conf
15:user_allow_other

Create a mount point for the volume.
```
$ sudo mkdir -p /srv/gluster/volume1
```
Mount the GlusterFS volume using the allow_other option.
```
$ sudo mount -t glusterfs -o allow_other node1:/volume1 /srv/gluster/volume1
```
The node1:/volume1 value is a placeholder for a reachable GlusterFS server plus an existing volume name.

Related: How to access GlusterFS volume from Linux

Confirm the mount is active at /srv/gluster/volume1.

$ findmnt -T /srv/gluster/volume1
TARGET              SOURCE          FSTYPE          OPTIONS
/srv/gluster/volume1 node1:/volume1 fuse.glusterfs  rw,relatime,allow_other

Create a dedicated Unix group for SMB access.

$ sudo groupadd --system gluster-smb
$ getent group gluster-smb
gluster-smb:x:999:

Create a local Unix account for share authentication.

$ sudo adduser --disabled-password --ingroup gluster-smb --gecos "" smbshare
Adding user `smbshare' ...
Adding new user `smbshare' (1001) with group `gluster-smb' ...
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Set the mount root group ownership to gluster-smb.
```
$ sudo chgrp gluster-smb /srv/gluster/volume1
```
Set group-write permissions with the setgid bit on the mount root.
```
$ sudo chmod 2770 /srv/gluster/volume1
```
The leading 2 in 2770 preserves group ownership for new files created under the directory.

Add the Unix account to the Samba password database.

$ sudo smbpasswd -a smbshare
New SMB password:
Retype new SMB password:
Added user smbshare.

Create a backup copy of /etc/samba/smb.conf before editing.

$ sudo cp --archive /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.bak

Append a share definition to /etc/samba/smb.conf.

$ sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

[volume1]
  comment = GlusterFS volume1
  path = /srv/gluster/volume1
  browseable = yes
  read only = no
  guest ok = no
  valid users = @gluster-smb
  force group = gluster-smb
  create mask = 0660
  directory mask = 2770

Setting guest ok = yes on a writable share permits anonymous write access for any client that can reach the SMB ports, effectively turning the share into a public drop box.

Check the Samba configuration syntax with testparm.

$ sudo testparm --suppress-prompt
Load smb config files from /etc/samba/smb.conf
Loaded services file OK.
Server role: ROLE_STANDALONE

No error output indicates the configuration parses successfully.

Restart the smbd service.
```
$ sudo systemctl restart smbd
```
Restarting smbd disconnects active SMB sessions.

Check the smbd service status for an active state.

$ sudo systemctl status smbd --no-pager
● smbd.service - Samba SMB Daemon
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/smbd.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2025-12-25 10:15:01 UTC; 4s ago
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Allow inbound SMB connections in UFW.
```
$ sudo ufw allow Samba
Rules updated
Rules updated (v6)
```
Systems using firewalld typically open the samba service profile instead of UFW rules.

List the exported shares using smbclient.

$ smbclient -L //localhost -U smbshare
Enter SMB password:

        Sharename       Type      Comment
        ---------       ----      -------
        volume1         Disk      GlusterFS volume1
        IPC$            IPC       IPC Service (Samba Server)

Open the share in smbclient to list its contents.

$ smbclient //localhost/volume1 -U smbshare -c 'ls'
Enter SMB password:
  .                                   D        0  Thu Dec 25 10:18:44 2025
  ..                                  D        0  Thu Dec 25 10:18:44 2025

Windows clients can connect using \\files.example.net\volume1 with a user that belongs to the gluster-smb group.

How to export GlusterFS volume as Samba share

Steps to export GlusterFS volume as Samba share: