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Samba

Samba is an open source implementation of the SMB and Active Directory protocols for Linux and UNIX-like systems, developed by the Samba Team. It is free software under the GNU GPL (version 3 or later), with libraries under the LGPL; commercial support comes from independent third parties.

Licensing at a Glance

  • Open source

  1. Samba is free software licensed under the GNU General Public License, and the Samba project is a member of the Software Freedom Conservancy.[1]

  2. Samba uses the GPLv3-or-later and LGPLv3-or-later licences, and copyright in the code is distributed among individual contributors rather than assigned to a single owner.[2]

  3. Contributions made on behalf of an employer that owns the work are accepted after the employer signs off using the Samba Developer's Declaration process.[3]

  4. To avoid licensing issues, the project does not accept patches from anyone who has signed the Microsoft CIFS Royalty Free Agreement, or patches based on that specification.[4]

  5. Commercial Samba support is offered by independent companies and individuals listed on samba.org; the Samba Team gives no assurances about them and the list is not an endorsement.[5]

Products

  • Samba

References

  1. Samba - opening windows to a wider world · samba.org · retrieved 2026-09-27
  2. Samba Copyright Policy · samba.org · retrieved 2026-09-27
  3. Samba Copyright Policy · samba.org · retrieved 2026-09-27
  4. Samba Development · samba.org · retrieved 2026-09-27
  5. Samba Commercial Support Providers · samba.org · retrieved 2026-09-27
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