> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tracy Pierce
>
> I've donwloaded and installed Samba 2.0.10 binaries from sambaix.org
> (thanks, all!), and installed per Lars's instructions.  [...]
> ./docs/BROWSING.txt, where
> I was directed to "see smb.conf(5)".  Does that refer to a
> man page?

Yes.  Generally, "see <subject>(#)" refers to unix "man" pages.  The
"number" refers to a "section", so if a topic appears in multiple sections
(such as smbpasswd), you need to specify the number if you're looking for
the "non-default" section [don't ask how to determine which is the
"default" -- I don't know!] (*)

> So I know I'm looking for a man page, but can't begin to
> figure out how man really works
[you're not alone :) ]
> or how specifically man should work for  smb.conf.

The flat-out easiest way is to install linux on an "old throw-away" computer
(don't bother with "x") and keep it handy as a man-page viewer (does require
that you install the appropriate man pages, however... kind of a
chicken-and-egg problem in some cases...)

Secondly would be "the web" -- specifically,
http://www.samba.org/samba/docs/man/smb.conf.5.html

or as a "top level" for all the samba "man" pages:
http://us6.samba.org/samba/docs/

[note the "us6" above actually refers to a mirror site -- the main page at
www.samba.org lets you select the "closest" mirror...]

But to answer your specific question
> Sure enough I can find ./docs/smb.conf.5 which appears to be a man page,
> but how do I get man to look at it?
the general answer is that during installation, (from "source"), the "make
install" will do this for you, or if not, there is a related "make
install_docs" or similar "target"  [requires knowledge of Makefiles...]

This will place the "man" formatted files in an appropriate location for the
man program to index, retrieve, decipher, and display...

Tom

(*) a little more on multiple sections:

$ man -k smb

returns a list of all "topics" known to the man formatter that contain the
letters "smb" in that order (!) scanning the list you'll see:

smbpasswd     (5) - The Samba encrypted password file
smbpasswd     (8) - change a users SMB password

$ man smbpasswd

defaults (on my machine) to section 8 -- changing the password.  To see the
other topic, you need to type:

$ man 5 smbpasswd

NOTE that the section COMES FIRST...

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