SMB

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Windows File Sharing, (also known as Common Internet File System [CIFS] and previously known as Server Message Block [SMB]), is probably the most flexible of all of the options for sharing media between your computer or a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device and XBMC.

• On Mac OS X it's called Windows Sharing.
• On Linux/UNIX/BSD its counterpart is SAMBA.

SMB/SAMBA/CIFS sharing has many advantages over the other options, mainly:

• It is already incorporated in Windows, eliminating the need for additional software and services to be installed on your PC
• It allows for authentication by Windows username and password, making it good for use on public networks
• Once properly configured, it will allow your network shares to be seen and accessed by not only XBMC, but also any Windows machine on your network.
  

Mac OS X

Mac OS X 10.2 to 10.6

Enabling SMB sharing:

Once you have your Network settings configured to communicate with XBMC you need to enable Windows Sharing through System Preferences by:

1. Navigating to the Sharing panel.
2. On the left, under Service, select "File Sharing" and turn it On if it's not already enabled.
3. Select "Options" and check "Share Files and Folders using SMB (Windows)" and
4. Below, check the boxes of any accounts you want to give SMB access to then click Done.
5. Windows Sharing should now show as "On" with a green light next to it. Add folders, users and permissions in the boxes below.
6. A message will then be displayed at the base of the panel:

Windows users can access your computer at \\x.x.x.x\youraccountsusername

Enabled accounts: youraccountsusername

You have now enabled Windows Sharing on Mac OS X for the specific accounts you enabled in the Sharing panel. If you want to give public access (i.e. no password required) to shares you need to enable "Allow guests to connect to shared folders" for the Guest account in System Preferences under Accounts. Now you can configure this share by adding a media source in the XBMC GUI.

Mac OS X 10.7

Apple changed their SMB/Samba server in Mac OS X 10.7 to only use the SMB 2.0 protocol (with no 1.0 fallback), which broke compatibility with XBMC.

Restoring XBMC compatible SMB sharing in 10.7:

• SMBUp - SMBUp

Linux

See: Samba

External links

• How to enable Windows File-Sharing on your XBMC Live system (mini-itx.com)