How to Set Up a Samba NAS on a Mini PC 2026

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Samba makes a mini PC accessible as a network drive from any device on your home network. Once configured, Windows sees it as a mapped drive, macOS accesses it from Finder’s network sidebar, and Linux mounts it via SMB — all without any special client software. This guide sets up a Samba server on Ubuntu 24.04 with user authentication, multiple shares, and macOS Time Machine support.

What you need:

• A mini PC running Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
• External USB HDD or the mini PC’s NVMe drive for storage

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Step 1: Attach and Mount Storage

External USB HDD

Plug in the external drive and find its device path:

lsblk
# Find the new disk — often /dev/sda or /dev/sdb
# SIZE column confirms which is which

# Check current filesystem
sudo blkid /dev/sda

Create a mount point and mount the drive:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas

# If the drive already has a filesystem (ext4, NTFS, etc.):
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/nas

# If this is a new drive — format to ext4 first:
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/nas

Make the mount permanent by adding to /etc/fstab:

# Get the UUID of the drive
sudo blkid /dev/sda1
# Example output: /dev/sda1: UUID="a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890" TYPE="ext4"

sudo nano /etc/fstab
# Add this line:
UUID=a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890 /mnt/nas ext4 defaults,nofail 0 2

The nofail option prevents boot failure if the drive is disconnected.

Test the fstab entry:

sudo mount -a  # Mounts everything in fstab
df -h /mnt/nas  # Verify the mount is active

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Step 2: Create Share Directories

# Media share — for Plex/Jellyfin and general media
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas/{media,documents,backup,timemachine}

# Set permissions — readable by everyone, writable by the owner
sudo chmod 2775 /mnt/nas/media
sudo chmod 2770 /mnt/nas/documents
sudo chmod 2770 /mnt/nas/backup
sudo chmod 2770 /mnt/nas/timemachine

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Step 3: Create Samba Users

Samba uses its own user database — your Linux user exists separately. Create a dedicated Samba user:

# Create a Linux system user for Samba (no login shell)
sudo useradd -M -s /sbin/nologin sambauser

# Set the Samba password for this user
sudo smbpasswd -a sambauser
# Enter and confirm password when prompted

# Enable the account
sudo smbpasswd -e sambauser

Set ownership of restricted directories to this user:

sudo chown -R sambauser:sambauser /mnt/nas/documents /mnt/nas/backup /mnt/nas/timemachine

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Step 4: Install and Configure Samba

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y samba samba-vfs-modules

# Verify Samba version
smbd --version

Back up the default config and create a clean one:

sudo cp /etc/samba/smb.conf /etc/samba/smb.conf.backup
sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

[global]
   workgroup = WORKGROUP
   server string = Mini PC NAS
   server role = standalone server
   log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
   max log size = 50
   logging = file
   panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
   
   # Security
   security = user
   passdb backend = tdbsam
   map to guest = Bad Password
   
   # Performance
   socket options = TCP_NODELAY IPTOS_LOWDELAY
   use sendfile = yes
   
   # macOS compatibility
   fruit:model = MacPro7,1
   fruit:advertise_fullsync = true

# ─── Public Media Share ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Anyone on the local network can read; sambauser can write

[Media]
   comment = Media Library
   path = /mnt/nas/media
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   guest ok = yes
   write list = sambauser
   create mask = 0664
   directory mask = 0775
   force user = sambauser
   force group = sambauser

# ─── Private Documents Share ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Authentication required — sambauser only

[Documents]
   comment = Private Documents
   path = /mnt/nas/documents
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   valid users = sambauser
   create mask = 0660
   directory mask = 0770

# ─── Backup Share ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
# Authentication required — for remote backups

[Backup]
   comment = Backup Storage
   path = /mnt/nas/backup
   browseable = no      # Hidden from network browse — access by direct path
   read only = no
   valid users = sambauser
   create mask = 0660
   directory mask = 0770

# ─── Time Machine Share (macOS) ──────────────────────────────────────────────

[TimeMachine]
   comment = Time Machine Backup
   path = /mnt/nas/timemachine
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   valid users = sambauser
   create mask = 0660
   directory mask = 0770
   # macOS Time Machine magic
   vfs objects = catia fruit streams_xattr
   fruit:time machine = yes
   fruit:time machine max size = 500G

Validate the configuration:

testparm
# Should output "Loaded services file OK." with no errors

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Step 5: Start Samba Services

sudo systemctl enable smbd nmbd
sudo systemctl start smbd nmbd

# Verify both are running
sudo systemctl status smbd nmbd

Allow Samba through UFW if the firewall is enabled:

sudo ufw allow samba
sudo ufw status  # Verify

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Step 6: Access Your Samba Shares

From Windows

Open File Explorer → type in the address bar: \\192.168.1.100

Windows shows all browseable shares. Double-click a share. For password-protected shares, enter sambauser and the Samba password when prompted.

Map as a drive letter for persistent access:

1. Right-click This PC → Map Network Drive
2. Choose a drive letter
3. Folder: \\192.168.1.100\Documents
4. Check “Reconnect at sign-in”
5. Enter credentials when prompted

From macOS

In Finder → Go → Connect to Server ⌘K:

smb://192.168.1.100

Select the share and mount. For authentication required shares, enter sambauser credentials.

Set up Time Machine:

1. System Settings → Time Machine
2. Add Backup Disk → select your mini PC → select TimeMachine share
3. Authenticate with sambauser credentials
4. Time Machine begins its first backup

From Linux

# Mount via command line
sudo apt install -y cifs-utils
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/nas-remote

sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.1.100/Media /mnt/nas-remote \
  -o username=sambauser,password=yourpassword,uid=1000,gid=1000

# Or add to /etc/fstab for permanent mount:
//192.168.1.100/Documents /mnt/nas-docs cifs credentials=/home/user/.smb-creds,uid=1000,gid=1000,nofail 0 0

# Create credentials file:
echo "username=sambauser" > ~/.smb-creds
echo "password=yourpassword" >> ~/.smb-creds
chmod 600 ~/.smb-creds

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Performance Tuning

For large file transfers 4K media, backups, add these to [global]:

# Buffer sizes — increase for large file transfers
socket options = TCP_NODELAY IPTOS_LOWDELAY SO_RCVBUF=131072 SO_SNDBUF=131072
read raw = yes
write raw = yes
max xmit = 65535
dead time = 15

# Async I/O
aio read size = 16384
aio write size = 16384

With a 2.5GbE network, expect 200-280 MB/s sustained throughput from an NVMe drive. USB HDD speed is capped by the drive 100-150 MB/s typical.

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Monitoring Samba Connections

Check who is connected:

sudo smbstatus
# Shows connected users, shares, and open files

View logs:

sudo tail -f /var/log/samba/log.smbd

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Troubleshooting

Windows Can’t Find the Mini PC

Ensure nmbd is running handles NetBIOS name resolution. If Windows still can’t find it by name, access by IP directly: \\192.168.1.100.

“Access Denied” on Password-Protected Shares

Check that the user exists in Samba’s database: sudo pdbedit -L — your sambauser should appear. If not, re-run sudo smbpasswd -a sambauser.

Time Machine Won’t Show Share as Destination

Verify the fruit VFS module is installed: dpkg -l samba-vfs-modules. Ensure vfs objects = catia fruit streams_xattr is in the Time Machine share definition. Restart Samba: sudo systemctl restart smbd.

Slow Transfer Speeds

Check that you’re on a wired 2.5GbE connection rather than Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi throughput varies significantly. Also verify the USB drive if using external HDD is USB 3.0 — USB 2.0 caps at ~30-40 MB/s.

Who Should Skip This Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a mini PC as a NAS with Samba?

Yes. Samba turns a mini PC into a full network-attached storage device accessible from Windows, macOS, and Linux over SMB protocol. With an external USB HDD or additional NVMe drive, a mini PC running Samba provides the same file sharing functionality as a Synology NAS at a lower cost — and runs other services simultaneously.

Is a mini PC better than a Synology NAS for Samba file sharing?

A mini PC is more flexible but requires more setup. Synology’s DiskStation Manager is polished and purpose-built for NAS use. A mini PC running Samba on Ubuntu requires command-line configuration but runs more services alongside it — Docker, Home Assistant, Jellyfin — on the same hardware. For users already running a mini PC home server, adding Samba costs nothing beyond disk storage.

Does Samba on Ubuntu work with macOS Time Machine?

Yes. Configure the Samba share with the ‘fruit’ and ‘streams_xattr’ VFS modules, and add ‘time machine = yes’ to the share definition. macOS recognizes it as a Time Machine destination in System Settings → Time Machine → Add Backup Disk.

What storage should I use for a Samba NAS on a mini PC?

For a media library: an external USB HDD or USB-attached drive enclosure. For personal documents and backups: the mini PC’s NVMe drive has enough space if you budget it. For a proper multi-disk array: use TrueNAS Scale on a mini PC with multiple NVMe slots, or attach a USB drive enclosure. Samba works with any Linux filesystem — ext4 for HDD storage, ZFS via TrueNAS for data integrity.