Samba is software that can be run on a platform other than Microsoft Windows, for example, UNIX, Linux, IBM System 390, OpenVMS, and other operating systems. Samba uses the TCP/IP protocol that is installed on the host server. When correctly configured, it allows that host to interact with a Microsoft Windows client or server as if it is a Windows file and print server.

Secure Shell or SSH is a network protocoll that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channelbetween two networked devices. Used primarily on Linux and Unix based systems to access shell accounts, SSH was designed as a replacement for Telnet and other insicure remote shells, which send information, notably passwords, in plaintext, leaving them open for interception. The encryption used by SSH provides confidentiality and integrity of data over an insecure network, such as the Internet.