Linux find or look for available smb shares on a server

Posted by Vivek Gite [Last updated: January 29, 2007]

So how do you find out share name from Linux command line? Let us say you've few more servers running:

=> Windows 2000 server

=> Redhat Enterprise Linux 4.0

How do you list or look for available share on a server?

Linux comes with command called smbclient. It is a ftp-like client to access SMB/CIFS resources on servers or workstations. It offers an interface similar to that of the ftp command. Operations include things like getting files from the server to the local machine, putting files from the local machine to the server, retrieving directory information from the server and so on.

It has special option called -L. This option allows you to look at what services and shares are available on a server.

Task: Find smb share name from Linux and UNIX shell prompt

If your server name is jumbo (NetBIOS name) type:
$ smbclient -L jumbo -Uusername
OR
$ smbclient -L jumbo -Uusername -I ip-address

Domain=[NAS02] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.21a]

        Sharename       Type      Comment
        ---------       ----      -------
        ADMIN$          IPC       IPC Service (SAMBA-LDAP Server)
        IPC$            IPC       IPC Service (SAMBA-LDAP Server)
        docs                 Disk      Home Directories
        Sales                Disk      Home Directories
Domain=[NAS02] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.0.21a]

        Server               Comment
        ---------            -------

        Workgroup            Master
        ---------            -------
        OFFICE                   LDAP01

Docs and Sales are two share name for my office NAS02 server.

It may prompt for a password and a list should appear on screen . The -I option may be useful if your NetBIOS names don't match your TCP/IP DNS host names or if you are trying to reach a host on another network.

For more information refer to smbclient man page:
man smbclient

E-mail this to a friend Printable version