[Samba] Quick Question

Sylvestre Taburet staburet at mandrakesoft.com
Tue Jun 18 02:30:03 GMT 2002


Le Mardi 18 Juin 2002 05:49, Don Williams a écrit :
> Hi,
>
> I'm wondering whether there is an existing compiled and installable version
> of Samba or some components of Samba which will allow me to move files
> between a Win XP (NTFS) partition and a UNIX partition on the same drive on
> the same computer.
>

samba is a client/server application. As the 2 partitions are on the same 
computer, you won't be able to access either NTFS and EXT2/3/REiserfs... at 
the same time using samba. NTFS access from linux is built in the kernel.

You will be able to access a NTFS4/5 partition from linux (Mandrake Linux 
allows it since 8.0), but you won't be able to access your linux partition 
from XP (depending on what kind of FS you're using, you might be able to find 
a software for windows to do it). For SCO, that's a different story.

> I do independent support for a major medical practice management software
> system and most of the installations (some 30,000 in the U.S.) run on UNIX
> servers.  For that reason I boot into UNIX (SCO Open Server 5.0.6) for
> program development and generally email the result, in zipped form, using a
> Windows email system running on a cable modem.
>
> For many years my Windows drives were set as FAT partitions and the
> standard UNIX Commands of dosdir and docsp worked just fine.  Then I
> changed to FAT32 and these commands became non-functional.  I was able to
> generate and install some Mtools components, mdir and mcopy and read and
> write to the C: drive from UNIX.
>

right, mtools are designed for FAT16/32, not for NTFS.

> Now I have a NTFS system on the first partition of my first drive and UNIX
> on the second partition.  When I am in UNIX there seems to be no capability
> to see these NTFS drives.  I notice that when I run fdisk from UNIX the
> UNIX operating system recognizes the first partition as OS2, which is
> clearly an anomaly.
>
> For small files I can use the floppy drive to move files back and forth,
> but am of course limited to 1.44 MB by this method.
>
> I now have the task of downloading over a modem some rather large files
> from a remote UNIX system, moving them to Windows, and then transferring
> them by Internet to a client who will do further work with them.
>
> I'm look for some replacement for the mdir and mcopy commands, and when I
> presented my question to the mtools group the answer was "Samba".
>

well, then you'll need 2 computers. The XP computer, running XP and sharing 
the NTFS partition/directory you're looking for, and another computer running 
linux, with samba-client. You will then be able to mount the NTFS partition 
on the linux machine using smbmount. You won't be able to use samba from a 
linux computer to read a NTFS partition located on the same computer.

> That's fine and I have looked at the Samba websites, but it's been so long
> since I compiled code and made executable programs under UNIX that my
> deadline will be long gone before I get that done.
>
> Hence the question.  Is there something out there which will allow me to
> communicate between the first two partitions on my first drive, C: for
> Windows XP and /u which is the UNIX boot partition on that same drive?
>

you can create a small FAT32 partition for the data, but you won't have the 
NT/XP ACLs/security anymore... but then you'll be able to use the mtools 
again.

> Right now I have a bootable floppy to change the active partition from
> Windows to UNIX, and use the UNIX fdisk program to change back to a Windows
> active partition.   Alternatively if I want to work mostly in UNIX I simply
> execute at the boot: prompt
>
> bootos 4
>
> and it boots into windows, however the active boot partition remains UNIX.
>
> If this is too much to deal with please don't bother.  If it's something
> straightforward I would surely appreciate some help.
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>      Don Williams
>      La Jolla, CA
>      If not the best city in the world, which one is?
A: Paris.

Salut!
-- 
Sylvestre Taburet - Project Manager
Mandrakesoft S.A. - 43, rue d'Aboukir, 75002 Paris - FRANCE
+33 (1) 40 41 00 41 - http://www.linux-mandrake.com




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