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    #1

    Need some help with a fileserver

    What I would like to do is have a computer on my small home network that I can store files (documents, music, etc) and have any computer on the network access it. I have Kubuntu 6.06 LTS installed on a computer in my basement. It is configured to use DHCP, which is obtained from my Smoothwall internet server. My problem is I do not know anything about setting up servers and making them work with windows computers. I tried search and everything was too broad to what I need.

    Computer specs (off the top of my head, not home now):
    -Pentium 3 at 450Mhz
    -512MB RAM
    -10Gb main HD (for system)
    -20Gb secondary HD (what I want to use for network file storage)

    I tried to format the secondary drive to several different types of file systems (from withing kubuntu) and it could not mount any of them. My problem is that, and also I do not know how to set the entire second HD as a shared folder.

    If anyone would be kind enough to either walk me through the steps, or could point me in the direction of some documentation I would really appreciate it. Thanks.
    -Erick
    Tags: None
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    #2
    Re: Need some help with a fileserver

    Hi,

    To share your filesystem, you should use samba, I don't remember how to configure it as I'm using only linux now (so don't need this) but you should be able to find a lot of howto for ubuntu (or kubuntu) maybe even in the wiki.

    For access to your drive, you should help me to give you advices how to mount it.
    Can you give me the way you're formatting it ?

    Cheers
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      #3
      Re: Need some help with a fileserver

      I am formating it from within Kubuntu using Disk and Filesystems in System Settings. I tried vfat, ntfs, nfs, windows file sharing, and all would not mount after it was done. Is the problem that I need to reboot after reformating the drive? Also, how can I make one folder span the entire drive? I want to use the entire drive as a share. Initially I formatted the drive as ext3 and made the mount point as /share. This worked, but from there I did not know what to do. I suppose that windows cannot write to ext3, so I am guessing that I need a partition that is either vfat or ntfs.
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        #4
        Re: Need some help with a fileserver

        Hi,

        In fact, there's a driver available for windows to write in ext3, it should be safer than to read and write for windows and linux to vfat (Once I did it and after 1 month of using this, I've almost lost my partition). And in nfts linux can't write (or can but it's really experimental)
        This driver is available there :
        http://www.fs-driver.org/download.html

        Anaway, if you're able to mount it, if you want to share this folder to other computer, you can use samba, no need to create a second folder inside as samba will see it as a folder of "/"

        Hope it helps.
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          #5
          Re: Need some help with a fileserver

          If you're using Samba, it doesn't matter what FS you format to so long as it ends up mountable.

          Initially I formatted the drive as ext3 and made the mount point as /share. This worked, but from there I did not know what to do
          OK, that's a good place to be - only a few steps to getting the share set up.

          Check you have the package "samba" installed.

          Run "kcontrol" and go to "Internet & Network" -> Samba
          Go into administrator mode

          In the tab "Base Settings":

          Set "Workgroup" to be whatever workgroup the Windows machines on your LAN are set to (the default for most Windows machines is MSHOME). Also give your computer a NetBIOS name (say, "Fileshare").

          Setting the security level to "share" is the most insecure, but solved a lot of problems for me.

          In the tab "Shares":

          Click Add New Share
          Put in the path (in the case you give, /share)
          Uncheck "Read only" if you want people to be able to save files to it
          Check "Public", "Browsable" and "Available"

          OK everything.

          That's it; you've set up the server! Your Windows machines should be able to find it through Network Neighbourhood or whatever they call it these days.
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            #6
            Re: Need some help with a fileserver

            Very good, seems easy enough. I will try this when I get home tonight. I'll post back when its done.
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              #7
              Re: Need some help with a fileserver

              Take a read through this:
              https://www.hentzenwerke.com/wp/file...inuteguide.pdf

              I used it to set up my first samba server and have had no problems yet.
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                #8
                Re: Need some help with a fileserver

                Sorry for the long absence. I did exactly what JamesM said to do, and my windows computers don't see the shared folder on the Kubuntu machine. The workgroups are the same, I gave it a NetBIOS name "FileShare", I set the security level to Share, and I added the new share. I even restarted all computers on the network including the Kubuntu box, but they still don't see it. I even installed NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol on one windows machine (because the Kubuntu box has a NetBIOS name), but that did not work. Can someone tell me what's wrong?
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                  #9
                  Re: Need some help with a fileserver

                  Wondering if anyone has any pointers still. I would like to store stuff on this so I can free some space up on my external drive. Thanks.
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                    #10
                    Re: Need some help with a fileserver

                    Nevermind, thanks for the help. I followed a walkthrough from an online magazine article, and it helped greatly.
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