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Windows Filesharing
Windows File Sharing allows you to map a Windows network drive to your Virtual
Server home directory across the Internet. Once you have mapped the Windows
network drive to your Virtual Server you can "drag-and-drop" files to and
from your Virtual Server as if it were a local drive.
Overview
The
Windows File Sharing feature for Virtual Servers is made possible by
Samba, an SMB client
and server for the UNIX O/S. SMB is the protocol by which PCs running the
Windows O/S share files and other information such as lists of available
files.
IMPORTANT:
Because UNIX uses a different EOL (End Of Line) scheme*
than DOS/Windows you will need to translate any text (html, perl
script, etc.) files before copying them up to your Virtual Server.
We have a very useful utility, fixcrlf,
that you can install on your Windows machine to help convert DOS
files to UNIX and UNIX files to DOS. With fixcrlf you simply
drag-and-drop your file on to the fixcrlf dialog. It automatically
detects the ASCII file type and makes the proper conversion. Please
note that binary files do not need to be converted.
Tip:
Use an editor that is "UNIX aware" like HotDog
Pro from Sausage Software or TextPad
so you don't have to worry about converting the file before uploading
your content. You can then edit your content right on your Virtual
Server volume directly over the Internet.
* UNIX
text files have lines delimited by a single line-feed character
(0A hex), whereas DOS text-mode files are delimited with a carriage-return/linefeed
pair (0D/OA hex). |
Configuration
Once you complete this setup, you can have your PC automatically reconnect
each time you log in. Therefore, you only need to set up Windows File Sharing
once. Instructions for Windows NT are listed in parentheses.
- Install network protocol software on your Windows PC
Be sure "Client for Microsoft Networks" and the "TCP/IP" protocol stack
are installed on your computer. Check Control Panel>Network>Configuration
(Control Panel>Network>Services). TCP/IP is probably already installed
since it is necessary in order to connect to the Internet.
- Create or update your Windows "lmhosts" file
Locate and modify a file titled "lmhosts" in your "C:\Windows" (c:\WINNT)
directory, assuming that your operating system is installed on the C
drive. If the file does not exist then you will need to create it. In
some revisions of Windows 95/98 a sample "lmhosts" file is included
with the software installation.
You can search for the existence of this sample file by using one of
two methods. One way to find the file is simply by using your Windows
Explorer to review the contents of your "C:\Windows" (c:\WINNT) directory,
looking specifically for a filename like "Lmhosts.sam". You can also
search for the file by using the file search capability in your "Start
-> Find -> Files or Folders…" menu.

Open a text editor like TextPad
and open the lmhosts.sam file there or create one. In a new line at
the bottom of the file you have just opened, add the IP address of your
Virtual Server and a nickname with which you would like to identify
the IP addresw. Please consider the following examples:
1.2.3.4 nickname
192.41.255.255 "Virtual Server"
If the nickname you choose includes a space or other special
characters, you must enclose the nickname with quotation marks. If you
are administering multiple Virtual Server accounts, then you will need
to specify a unique nickname for each IP address you include.
Also, please make sure that each host entry ends with a line feed. Press
your enter key a couple of times after the last entry in your lmhosts
file just to be "safe".
After you have finished adding the lines to your lmhosts file, save
the file to your "C:\Windows" (c:\WINNT) directory under the name "lmhosts".
Most windows editors will want you to specify a file extension like
".txt" or ".doc". You can prevent this from happening by enclosing the
filename in quotation marks.
- Enable plain text passwords
Depending upon the version of Windows you are running, you may need
to update your system registry in order to enable plain text passwords.
Windows 2000
The system registry must be updated. Download and run the following
program, which will automatically update the registry for you.
Win2000_PlainPassword.reg
Windows 98/NT
The system registry must be updated. In the "Start Menu" select "Run...".
This will bring up a Run window with a text entry field. Input "regedit"
and hit "Ok". This will bring up the Registry Editor. Select the following
folders:
Windows 98
expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
then expand System
then expand CurrentControlSet
then expand Services
then expand VxD
then select VNETSUP
Windows NT
expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
then expand
System
then expand CurrentControlSet
then expand Services
then expand Rdr
then select Parameters
On the right hand side you will see a collection of name:data pairs.
To add a new entry here for EnablePlainTextPassword,
select the "Edit" menu, then select "New", then "DWORD Value". This
will create a new name:data
pair. Change the name from the default "New
Value #1" to "EnablePlainTextPassword".
The name:data pair
should now look like:
EnablePlainTextPassword
0x00000000 (0)
Highlight the "EnablePlainTextPassword"
and then select the "Edit" menu and the "Modify" menu item (it should
be the first menu item). In the "Edit DWORD Value" dialog box change
the "Value data" value form "0" to "1" and make sure the "Hexadecimal"
Base radio button is selected. Then select the "Ok" dialog. Exit the
Registry Editor.
Windows 95
Plain text passwords are enabled by default. No action is necessary.
- Restart your Windows PC.
Do not merely logoff then logon. Shut down and restart your computer.
- Map a Windows network drive to your Virtual Server
Now that you have included IP address/nickname pairs in your lmhosts
file, you are reading to establish network connections using the File
Sharing capability.
Right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop and select "Map
Network Drive." This will open up the "Map Network Drive" dialog
box.
Using this dialog, you will map a specific drive letter to the File
Sharing Connection. Select an available drive letter from the 'Drive:'
drop-down box. The value for the 'Path:' definition should be of the
form "\\NICKNAME\LOGIN" where NICKNAME is one of the nicknames you defined
for a specific IP address in your lmhosts file and LOGIN is the login
id for the Virtual Server at that IP address.
Example: If you defined the nickname "Virtual Server" for the
IP address of your Virtual Server account and the login id for your
account was "biff", then you would enter "\\Virtual Server\biff" as
the value in the 'Path:' text entry field. If you would like the drive
mapped each time you logon to your computer then select the "Reconnect
at logon" check box.
Select the "OK" button after you have selected a Drive letter and specified
a path. Your computer will then attempt to map the drive to the home
directory of your Virtual Server. This process can take several minutes
so please be patient. If a connection is established, you will be prompted
for your login password. After you enter your password and successfully
authenticate, your Windows Explorer will display the drive letter on
the left-hand side along with your local drives. You can now double-click
on directories to expand paths and double-click on files to open them
locally. If you need to upload files to a specific directory, you need
only drag the file from your local folder to your Virtual Server folder.
Likewise, if you want to download a file to your local machine, you
would select the file in your Virtual Server folder and drag it to your
desktop or a local file folder. It's that easy!
| NOTE:
Samba will not work if you are behind a firewall unless
port 139TCP is opened. If you are using a cable internet connection,
you may also want to check with your Internet access provider to ensure
there is no firewall set up for your high-speed access account. |
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