[Samba] Drive letter map to Samba using ssh or scp?

[Jonathan Johnson]

OK, what I want to do is access files on my Samba server remotely.

Currently, I can use WinSCP, but this isn't ideal because it is more like an
FTP client, where you have to download a file, edit it, upload it. I could
set up a VPN (using open source software), but these can be kind of a
headache to get working (I've done it before) and they don't necessarily
support multiple simultaneous connections.

I could set up an SSH tunnel, but this is awkward and I don't want to teach
(l)users how to do this (getting them to type anything from a command line
-- correctly -- is like herding cats or pushing a rope).

I want "realtime" access -- that is, open/save files from an application
using the standard API's but have the files on the remote system instead of
my local workstation.

Shouldn't there be someway of using SSH or SCP to transparently connect to a
Samba share, and have the share appear as a drive letter?

I envision a GUI that prompts for an internet hostname, an SSH user/pass; a
Samba server name and Samba user/pass. Done properly, the SSH server could
be on the LAN, and allow you to connect to ANY smb server (Window inc.) on
the LAN. Logging in using this UI sets up an SSH tunnel automatically,
presents a list of available shares; you can then select one and a drive
letter to map it to. A configuration could be saved so that the connection
is made automatically when the user logs in to his own workstation.
Basically, I guess, this would be a GUI for SSH tunnels.

OK, so maybe this is getting awfully close to VPN. But since SSH is already
there and would require no additional setup, wouldn't there be easy way to
take advantage of it?

Anyone done anything like this? I don't want to reinvent the wheel if I
don't have to.

--Jon