I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

[mhumm2]

I'm amazed at how many threads I've read contradict each other so I'm hoping posting this will help me solicit some coherent processes that will help.

- I have a very basic home network setup with a 4 port router that includes wireless access.
- I have two desktop computers (Kubuntu 9.10 and 10.04) wired into the router. My wife uses her Netbook running Windoze 7 to access our network wirelessly.

Wish List:
1. I would like to boot up both desktop computers and from my primary desktop (Kubuntu 10.04), be able to see / access / and transfer data to and from all the folders on my other desktop computer.

2. I would like to know when my wife is online and I would also like to be able to display text messages on her screen just to freak her out a little bit from time to time.

My wife does NOT like to use AIM or any kind of messaging program like that on her netbook so it will have to be a pure network solution on her end.

I will provide any and all config file print-outs as necessary. Please advise.

[oshunluvr]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

1. This has several parts:

boot up both desktop computers and from my primary desktop

See package named "wakeonlan". Your computer needs to have wake-on-lan capability in the bios and it doesn't work via wireless.

be able to see / access / and transfer data to and from all the folders on my other desktop computer.

File transferring is done with NFS (linux), SAMBA (windows and linux), or FTP (slow, but all OS's). File "seeing" (browsing, viewing) can be done via the above file sharing ways or via SSH or VNC or many other ways. It all depends on how much work you want to do and how much access you really need.

2. knowing when she's on line is easy enough,

nmap -sP 192.168.1.1-254

substitute your own local network address. This will show all active ip's on your local network and their hostnames if they have one.

Putting messages on her screen without a specific piece of software installed is virtually impossible. Any IM software or VNC or SSH and a pop-up window script could do it.

[skunk]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

2. I would like to know when my wife is online and I would also like to be able to display text messages on her screen just to freak her out a little bit from time to time.

My wife does NOT like to use AIM or any kind of messaging program like that on her netbook so it will have to be a pure network solution on her end.

If you install samba for file sharing then will be able to pop up a message on her machine by typing

smbclient -M <wifenetbiosname>

(press control+D when finished)

This is the equivalent of running

net send <wifenetbiosname> message

in windows

[Ole Juul]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

My better half has her computer upstairs from mine and I'm usually logged in with telnet. We don't have dialup so there is no actual off-line. I can see the router lights if there is any activity but otherwise I could use "top" if I wanted to see what programs she was running. I doubt that she wouldn't have a browser going though - even if she wasn't using it. Anyway, I only do maintenance and certainly don't snoop.

I like things simple and old fashioned. To send her files I just FTP from her machine to mine and pick up the files. Things like notes and links we usually leave in a file called "notes" or something like that in her home directory. Since we run a home server it is also convenient to put notes and links on a web page. Come to think of it, you don't even need a home server for that, you can do it on shared hosting which probably comes free with your internet account anyway. We just use whatever suits our fancy at the time. Actually, we've even used e-mail on occasion. Functional networking can be pretty simple, but you may want something more newfangled.

[Ole Juul]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

2. knowing when she's on line is easy enough,

nmap -sP 192.168.1.1-254

substitute your own local network address. This will show all active ip's on your local network and their hostnames if they have one.

When would she not be online? What kind of configuration has some people on the lan online and others not? I guess you could check to see what kinds of packets are moving. If it is a matter of checking if the computer is on or not, then I guess nmap is OK but I'd use ping.

[Ole Juul]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

2. . . . and I would also like to be able to display text messages on her screen just to freak her out a little bit from time to time.

OK, here's the freak out. (giggle) Put a "notable audio selection" on her computer. Then, while logged in, run alsamixer and make sure the sliders are up. Then type "aplay nameofsong". Voila! I know this works because I did it by mistake one day when I was setting up sound. It wasn't until I heard the scream of surprise from upstairs that I realized the real potential.

[skunk]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

Ummm I believe his wife is running windows

[mhumm2]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

Thanks for all the responses.

oshunluvr: I'm sorry for not making my self more clear. I meant that I'll boot both of my computers manually. I'm not looking for an automated way of doing that. Again, my mistake.

File transferring is done with NFS (linux), SAMBA (windows and linux), or FTP (slow, but all OS's). File "seeing" (browsing, viewing) can be done via the above file sharing ways or via SSH or VNC or many other ways. It all depends on how much work you want to do and how much access you really need.

Okay, I believe I'd like to use NFS for xfering files. What exactly do I have to do, and please remember, there's a router between both computers. They are not directly networked to each other and are, of course, sharing the DSL line for internet access.

Putting messages on her screen without a specific piece of software installed is virtually impossible. Any IM software or VNC or SSH and a pop-up window script could do it.

Okay what specific VNC or SSH would you suggest? I remember at Boeing (using Windoze servers of course), we could all send pop-up messages to any computer on the network. I also seem to remember Kubuntu having something like a window pop-up message applet back around version 8 I think.

Ole Juul: Thank you too and your right, I'm not trying to snoop. I would just like to have the ability to pop-up a little window on her netbook with a text message inside and have it come up on her desktop for about 15 seconds then disappear. Oh and yes, my wife uses Windoze 7, not Linux.

To all: Better yet, is there any way I can activate her built in web cam while she is using her computer? I remember that scandal a while back where the high school was able to that on the laptops they lent to their students. If the computer was on, the web cams could be activated and whoever turned them on would be able to actually see whatever the web cam was able to pick up. I'm always telling my wife about Kubuntu. Being able to do this kind of stuff would really impress her with Kubuntu's abilities... and my ability to use it let's not forget to mention that point too

[Detonate]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

NFS only works with Windows 7 Professional, I think. I don't think MS included support for NFS in the Home edition. I stand to be corrected on this if anyone has better info.

[mhumm2]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

Okay Detonate, thanks for that info because she has the Windoze 7 Starter on her netbook right now.

Does anyone know of and can explain to me an effective way to transfer files from my two Kubuntu computers with the router in between? This is actually the more important need right now.

[dibl]

Re: I Need Some "How To" Instructions For My Network Wish List Please

Does anyone know of and can explain to me an effective way to transfer files from my two Kubuntu computers with the router in between? This is actually the more important need right now.

Probably the simplest, if not the most elegant, approach would be to install samba and start the samba service. (BTW, this would allow file sharing with the Win 7 box too). You'll need to set sharing on whichever folders you intend to have shared files in (typically a common user's /home/username folder).

#8 on the link in my signature has links to more guidance, including NFS which is the typical Linux-to-Linux method. But, as I say, set up samba, use Dolphin to browse to the network group where the Kubuntu and Windows boxes are members, and you should be able to see and share. On the Windows box, you'll have to disable the firewalling before it will let you see anything from Linux.

Hope this helps.