How to mount a public windows share in linux

Question

This is more a Windows configuration question I think.

Goal: To access Windows 10 public shares from Linux.

In this context: "server" is a single simple standalone Windows 10 machine, and "client" is Debian stable.

I have a folder shared on a windows 10 machine. It is shared with "Everyone" and "Everyone" has "read/write" access. In the security tab of the properties dialog of the folder, again "Everyone" has been given "Full Control". I specifically want this folder to be publically accessible to everyone, IE creating a specific user is not an option. I can access my passwordless \\servername\sharename from within Windows just fine, however,

I am having problems mounting the shared folder from linux machine. It seems windows 10 is enforcing the access to be a sign up user. Is that so? How to overcome it? My windows 10 is an enterprise edition.

As per https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MountWindowsSharesPermanently

guest indicates you don't need a password to access the share

$ sudo mount.cifs //servername/sharename /media/windowsshare -o 'guest,iocharset=utf8'
mount error(13): Permission denied

# error log:
CIFS: Status code returned 0xc0000072 STATUS_ACCOUNT_DISABLED

Here are also other options that I've tried, from various suggestions I found from internet:

• -o 'username=guest,password=,iocharset=utf8'
• -o 'user=administrator,password='
• -o 'username=Everyone,password=,iocharset=utf8'
• -o 'sec=none,iocharset=utf8'

all failed with various errors:

CIFS: Status code returned 0xc0000072 STATUS_ACCOUNT_DISABLED
VFS: cifs_mount failed w/return code = -128

CIFS: Status code returned 0xc000006d STATUS_LOGON_FAILURE
VFS: cifs_mount failed w/return code = -13

CIFS: Status code returned 0xc0000022 STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED
VFS: cifs_mount failed w/return code = -13

I also tried to enable file sharing under "Guest or Public" access in Windows configuration as well, but it isn't working either.

Please help.

UPDATE:

"Everyone" is listed with "Full Control" access:

Windows 10 local security policy settings just corrected as per the following instruction:

And now:

$ sudo mount.cifs -v //servername/sharename /media/windowsshare -o 'guest,iocharset=utf8'
mount.cifs kernel mount options: ip=192.168.0.xx,unc=\\servername\sharename,iocharset=utf8,user=,pass=********
mount error(13): Permission denied

# error log:
CIFS: Status code returned 0xc0000022 STATUS_ACCESS_DENIED
CIFS: VFS: cifs_mount failed w/return code = -13

# and trying to add `,vers=2.1` will get the same result as well.

$ sudo mount.cifs //servername/sharename /media/windowsshare -o 'guest,iocharset=utf8,vers=1.0'
mount error: Server abruptly closed the connection.
This can happen if the server does not support the SMB version you are trying to use.
The default SMB version recently changed from SMB1 to SMB2.1 and above. Try mounting with vers=1.0.
mount error(112): Host is down

# error log:
[22997.487658] Use of the less secure dialect vers=1.0 is not recommended unless required for access to very old servers

[22997.494779] CIFS: VFS: Use of the less secure dialect vers=1.0 is not recommended unless required for access to very old servers
[22997.505612] CIFS: VFS: cifs_mount failed w/return code = -112

Answer 1

Ensure the shared folder is properly configured on the Windows 10 machine:

Open the Folder Properties dialog for the shared folder.

In the Sharing tab, click on the "Advanced Sharing" button.

Check the box for "Share this folder" and provide a share name.

Click on the "Permissions" button and ensure that "Everyone" is listed with "Full Control" access.

Check the Windows 10 local security policy settings:

Open the Local Security Policy on the Windows 10 machine.

Navigate to "Local Policies" > "Security Options".

Look for the policy named "Network access: Sharing and security model for local accounts" and ensure it is set to "Guest only - local users authenticate as Guest".

Try different mount options on your Debian client:

Open a terminal on your Debian machine and use the following command to mount the Windows share:

sudo mount -t cifs //servername/sharename /media/windowsshare -o guest,iocharset=utf8

If the above command doesn't work, you can try specifying the vers option to force a specific SMB version:

sudo mount -t cifs //servername/sharename /media/windowsshare -o guest,iocharset=utf8,vers=1.0

Verify firewall settings:

Check the Windows 10 firewall settings to ensure they allow incoming connections from your Debian client.

Ensure that any third-party security software or antivirus programs on the Windows machine are not blocking the network access.

If you continue to encounter issues, please provide any error messages or further details so we can help you.

Answer 2

It may be related to Windows's group policy "Network access: Let "Everyone permissions" apply to anonymous users" @ Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Polices\Security Options

It's disabled by default and my be the culprit in your case.