I need help with setting up my first samba server.

[Paul E Condon <pecondon@mesanetworks.net>]

I think I have an OK understanding of the 'theory' of samba,
but something is not working in practice.

I have a small home LAN on which there are three Debian i386 boxes,
one Windows laptop running Windows7, and five Macs of various models.
All nine computers have access to the internet through a Netgear
router. The Windows laptop and four of the Macs use an Apple Airport
to get into the LAN via wireless, and then out to the Internet via
the Netgear box. This is non-optimal but has worked quite reliably
for family shared Internet access, but now there is a need for file
sharing all these types of computers Debian/Mac/Windows. For this
new (to me) function, I think making one of my Debian boxes a Samba
server is the easiest way to go. But I am having a problem, or maybe
several problems.

I know how to install Debian packages. I've been doing it for almost
a decade. But something is missing in my understanding of how to
configure Samba for service in this situation. I have choosen to try
to work on the connection of the Windows laptop first as I suppose
it has the most 'authentic' implementation of a smb client. My
problem is I think with smb passwords. I can't seem to get smbpassword
to create records in an smb password database. I think I am supposed
to run smbpassword as root on the Debian box that I want to be the
samba server. Or perhaps as a user of that Debian box.

When I attempt to set a root password I get:

Failed to find entry for user root.

And when I attempt to set a user password I get:

machine 127.0.0.1 rejected the negotiate protocol. Error was : NT_STATUS_INVALID_NETWORK_RESPONSE.

Also, when I restart samba after making changes to /etc/samba/smb.conf I get a notice that the daemon,
smbd, was not found. And when I check the status with /etc/init.d/samba status, I'm told that 
smbd is running but nmbd is NOT running.

/etc/samba/smb.conf is:

[global]
        server string = %h server
        interfaces = 192.168.1.0/8
        obey pam restrictions = Yes
        pam password change = Yes
        passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
        passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
        unix password sync = Yes
        syslog = 0
        log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
        max log size = 1000
        dns proxy = No
        panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
        hosts allow = 192.168.1.

[homes]
        comment = Home Directories
        valid users = %S
        read only = No
        create mask = 0775
        directory mask = 0775
        browseable = No

[profiles]
        comment = Users profiles
        path = /home/samba/profiles
        create mask = 0600
        directory mask = 0700
        browseable = No

[printers]
        comment = All Printers
        path = /var/spool/samba
        create mask = 0700
        printable = Yes
        browseable = No

[print$]
        comment = Printer Drivers
        path = /var/lib/samba/printers


Ideas?
TIA

-- 
Paul E Condon           
pecondon@mesanetworks.net