LPIC-2 File Sharing and Samba Practice Question
An administrator wants to restrict access to a Samba share based on client IP addresses. Which parameter in the [share] section of smb.conf should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the parameter order (`allow hosts` vs `hosts allow`) or mistakenly think `valid users` can filter by IP, when it only filters by authenticated user identity.
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
✓
hosts allow
The `hosts allow` parameter in the `[share]` section of `smb.conf` restricts access to the Samba share based on client IP addresses or subnets. It is the correct directive for IP-based access control, allowing the administrator to specify which hosts are permitted to connect. This parameter is evaluated before authentication, blocking unauthorized IPs at the connection level.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
hosts allow
Why this is correct
'hosts allow' defines IP-based access control per share.
- ✗
allow hosts
Why it's wrong here
'allow hosts' is an alias for 'hosts allow', but the standard parameter is 'hosts allow'.
- ✗
browseable
Why it's wrong here
'browseable' controls visibility in the network, not IP-based restriction.
- ✗
valid users
Why it's wrong here
'valid users' controls user-level access, not IP addresses.
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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.