LPIC-2 File Sharing and Samba Practice Question
An administrator sets up a Samba server with 'security = user'. Users are stored in the local smbpasswd file. After changing a user's Unix password, the user cannot access Samba shares. What should the administrator do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume changing the Unix password automatically updates the Samba password, or that restarting the service will synchronize them, when in fact they are stored in separate databases and must be updated independently.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Run 'smbpasswd username' to set the SMB password.
When Samba is configured with 'security = user', each user must have a separate SMB password stored in the smbpasswd file (or the tdbsam backend). Changing the Unix password does not automatically update the SMB password. Running 'smbpasswd username' sets the SMB password for that user, allowing them to authenticate to Samba shares.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add the user to the 'valid users' list.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; this controls access, not authentication.
- ✓
Run 'smbpasswd username' to set the SMB password.
Why this is correct
Correct; SMB passwords are independent of Unix passwords and must be set explicitly.
- ✗
Restart the smbd service.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; restarting does not update passwords.
- ✗
Run 'pdbedit -u username' to modify the password.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect; pdbedit modifies account settings, not password change.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-2 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the LPIC-2 exam.