If you’ve got a Raspberry Pi 4 lying around, you can easily turn it into a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) device to share files across your network. This guide will show you how to set up Samba on Raspberry Pi OS to create a simple and efficient NAS solution. 🚀🔧

🛠️ What You’ll Need

Raspberry Pi 4 (or newer)
Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm recommended)
An external USB storage device (HDD or SSD)
Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi connection
SSH access or a monitor and keyboard

1️⃣ Prepare Your Raspberry Pi

✨ Update Raspberry Pi OS

Before starting, update your system to the latest version:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

📂 Attach and Mount Your Storage

If you're using an external USB drive, check if it's recognized:

lsblk

Check if your drive appears:

NAME        MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
sda           8:0    0  7.3T  0 disk
├─sda1        8:1    0  200M  0 part
└─sda2        8:2    0  7.3T  0 part /media/amastelek/G
sdb           8:16   0  1.8T  0 disk
└─sdb1        8:17   0  1.8T  0 part /media/amastelek/amastelek
mmcblk0     179:0    0 29.7G  0 disk
├─mmcblk0p1 179:1    0  512M  0 part /boot/firmware
└─mmcblk0p2 179:2    0 29.2G  0 part /

🔹 A 2 & 8 TB drives are attached and mounted!

2️⃣ Install and Configure Samba

Samba is an open-source software that allows Windows, macOS, and Linux devices to share files.

🔹 Install Samba

sudo apt install samba -y

📝 Edit Samba Configuration

Open the Samba config file:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Add this to the bottom:

[Pi-SMALL]
   path = /media/amastelek/amastelek
   writeable = yes
   create mask = 0777
   directory mask = 0777
   public = yes
   valid users = amastelek, ronald, megs, ray
   guest ok = yes
   force user = amastelek

[Pi-LARGE]
   path = /media/amastelek/G
   writeable = yes
   create mask = 0777
   directory mask = 0777
   public = yes
   valid users = amastelek, ronald, megs, ray
   guest ok = yes
   force user = amastelek

📌 Save and exit (CTRL+X, then Y, then Enter).

3️⃣ Enable and Restart Samba

sudo systemctl restart smbd
sudo systemctl enable smbd

4️⃣ Access Your NAS

💻 From Windows

Open File Explorer
In the address bar, type:
```
 \\34DiasMedia\
```
(Use the Pi’s IP if the hostname doesn’t work: \\<Pi-IP>\)

🍏 From macOS

Open Finder
Press Cmd + K and enter:
```
 smb://34DiasMedia
```
Click Connect

🎯 Secure Access with User Authentication

For private shares, create a Samba user:

sudo smbpasswd -a ronald

Then, modify your smb.conf to require authentication:

public = no
   valid users = ronald

Restart Samba:

sudo systemctl restart smbd

Now, you'll need to log in with the username ronald and the password you set. 🔐

✅ Wrap

You've now turned your Raspberry Pi 4 into a fully functional NAS using Samba! Whether you're storing backups, streaming media, or just sharing files, this setup will serve you well. 📂🚀

🏠💾 How to Turn a Raspberry Pi 4 into a NAS with Raspberry Pi OS & Samba