Hi All,

I'm running Suze Linux 42.2 on a Dell Optiplex 780 with plenty of everything except connectivity.

2017 and still there's no easy way to share files between Win 10 and Suse LEAP 42.2

Part of the problem is Linux ignorance on my part, (though I do try), and part is Win 10 which will not allow the creation of a work group. ("Try again later" it says helpfully!)

I have various devices, all of which I can ping, but none of which can I otherwise connect to.

Terminology is a difficulty and as I'm using KDE, the KDE Network Folder Information Wizard is a case in point.

It asks me three, seemingly simple questions:

Name
Server
Folder

But KDE gives me no examples of how those questions may be answered.

Is the name important? Does it have to be extant? what is the name for? Is it the name for just this connection or is it for one of the machines I'm trying to link to?

Server, I guess that is the Linux machine but how to enter the data?
Is is //linux-box or linux-box or :linux-box or ://linux-box or @linux-box? Should I give the URL? If so, what form would that take, //123.456.789.1?

Folder. I can work back from its location but the final details are beyond me and I have tried many many combinations.

I'm currently using //123.456.789.1:C:/Myfolder

Not a useful response really.

I also get:

But interestingly enough the URL given is not the URL I had given.

It's confusing for a chap!

Any Help appreciated.

Regards

Chris

tips here, substitute zypper for apt-get commands, otherwise basic linux commands
https://www.howtogeek.com/176471/how...ows-and-linux/
https://www.linux.com/learn/sharing-...ac-and-windows
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/win...ndows-network/

For what its worth this was your lack of understanding and not a problem with Linux or openSUSE/SUSE, openSUSE/SUSE are especially easy to work with Windows, even though you can do it with any Linux distro.

sommetimes it is good to use samba for Windows data exchaange


Let's say that myusername is an user, with working account, i.e. permissions ok.

wait...

enter "unixiscool" if you want as password for your account on samba.

get the ip address of your samba, installed server:

Type into the run command box of Windows 8, 10, and who knows maybe higher versions in some years:
Enter into windows:
myusername
unixiscool

It is very probable that it may work.

I'm not a KDE expert, but looking up documentation on the KDE Network Folder Information Wizard, I can tell that this is designed to connect to other computers, not to create a file share on the Linux computer itself. If you want to do that, install samba.

So basically:

Name = whatever name you want to give this KDE network folder (I think)

Server = the IP address of the Windows computer with the file share. There are various ways to make a user friendly name work instead of a raw IP address, but that will just add extra layers of confusion for you to get things working initially.

Folder = the name of the shared folder

Hi each, thanks for your input.

Chuang Tsu. Lots of interesting info there but I don't remember suggesting this was a Linux problem, only that this connectivity should be easier! Samba was install long ago but the procedures I've studies so far expect me to identify and link to a work group.

Win 10 does not allow that.

Xeratul, win 10 will not allow me to create a workgroup. As far as I have seen, Samba relies on that workgroup to link. Samba is set up but thanks for the tips. I'll try that as soon as I can.

The address form you used "\\192.168.100.101\\myusername " is very useful, thank you.

Isaacs Kuo, I want to connect to other computers, I don't need a share on the Linux box and have only gone down that Samba path because it seemed to offer that connectivity.

Right 'Server' how do I write the ip address?

Is it simply //123.456.789.1?

And when I name the folder, is it C:/dir/folder or something else?

Step 1) On the Windows computer, set up a file share. Create a folder (anywhere is fine, just be aware that if you make it on your Desktop you're going to be stuck looking at that folder on your Desktop forever). Name it "MyShare".

Right click on "MyShare" and select "Properties"; go to "Sharing".

It will ask who you want to share it with. Type in or select "Everyone", and change Permission Level from the default "Read" to "Read/write". This makes the share open to EVERYONE on the LAN, so it's perhaps not how you want to leave things forever. At the very least, use this share only for transferring files; move them to somewhere else when you're done with the transfer.

Step 2) Test out the file share on the Windows computer. In Windows Explorer, navigate to:

\\192.168.100.101\MyShare

(Replace 192.168.100.101 with the IP address of your Windows computer.)

If this works, then great! You have set up a file share on your Windows computer!

Step 2) On the Linux computer, connect up with this file share in KDE. Use the following settings:

Name = MyShare

Server = 192.168.100.101

Folder = MyShare

There is two parts to samba i.e. the client and the server. The server part allows windows computers to see linux shares. The client part allows linux to connect to windows shares. What file browser are you using? Many file browsers have built in SMB/CIFS client and can browse windows networks. You can also connect directly to a specific computer using:

smb://IP_address_or_netbios_name/share_name

Have you shared "myfolder" on your windows computer? You can set permissions per user with password protection. The share name is not necessarily the same as the folder name and samba is not compatible with windows home group.

http://www.geeksquad.co.uk/articles/...-on-windows-10

The information Xeratul posted was how to access a linux computer from Windows. Typically on a LAN all computers have the same workgroup name.

As an alternative method you can use a GUI application (WinSCP or Filezilla )on your windows PC to connect to the linux box and transfer files using ssh protocol.

IsaacKuo Michaelk thanks for your input. Lots of information there for me to absorb.

Sharing on the windows files I'm interested in was set up a long time ago.

If I could, I would never use Windows again but sadly I use software that I can't run in Linux. I tried using the wine environment but it was not successful in the areas I need and so have abandoned it.

I have the url of several machines locally but suspect it may be the form of address which I do not yet understand which prevents me connecting.

I use and prefer Mozilla on both machines and am familiar with filezilla and Firefox, (though I still miss Netscape!)

On win I have explorer and on Linux it is dolphin in kde.

You've both given me specific information which I shall use and read, thank you.

And there was the answer! Thank you IsaacKuo Michaelk!

"Name = MyShare

Server = 192.168.100.101

Folder = MyShare"

No need for // or \\ or @ or :, in fact none of the normal appendages associated with either windows or Linux are required.

Thank you again

Regards

Chris

If you better understand Windows networking, this becomes a complete non-issue. All that matters is machine-to-machine communication. Period. A Workgroup is nothing more than a sort of "chat room" for your computers (not your users, mind you, your computers). When the computer starts up, it begins sending special packets out to the network. When there is no Domain (which is normal in home networks), a Workgroup is used instead. When those special packets are sent out from the computer, they contain information that says "I'm part of Workgroup X" (X being your workgroup name). When there is more than one computer on a subnet that belongs to the same Workgroup, they have what is known as an "Election" to determine which machine will be the Master Browser for the workgroup. They compare notes of things like the version of the Operating System, patch level, and even some details about the hardware. The machine with the best stats is determined to be the one best-suited to keep all of the information about the group and is elected as the "Master".

From here out, all of the machines that purport to be in the same Workgroup will send their information over to the Master server. This information includes the name of the computer, the shares that are available, the IP Address, etc.

When ANY other machine on the subnet attempts to "browse" the network, it contacts this Master computer to get the details. All you're doing by "joining" a workgroup is identifying how to share out the information about your computer to others, and how to GET sharing information ABOUT others. That's IT.

When it comes time to actually make a connection to a machine, you need to know the IP address and the Share Name to connect to. Being in a workgroup allows the computer to do -some- of this for you. But, if you know the details already, it's completely unnecessary.

Thanks ember1205. Interesting information there.

I now have the connections I want but it was the way those connections were addressed that led to many of the difficulties.

I did all of this and made copies notes but my disk crashed and I had to replace it and start from scratch. I lost everything, notes as well.

The rebuild was more considered and I now have raid mirrored so I don't lose everything again.

Thanks again.

Regards

Chris

Sort of. If the hosts files on the various machines contain the IPs and hostnames of other machines on the LAN, one only need remember to use the hostname, not the normally less memorable IP.

BTW, the workgroup name by default on both Windows and openSUSE is "WORKGROUP".

Crb999, my Optiplex 780 has both Win10 and openSUSE 42.2, so that connection doesn't require any workgroup. You should mark this thread SOLVED if you are satisfied.

Hi mrmazda,
My Linux and win are on different machines but the issue I was persuing was the creation of a Samba link an the creation of a workgroup on Windows 10.

Win 10 refuses to allow a workgroup to be created but as I have managed to connect thanks to isaackuo, it no longer matters.

BTW having a better understanding of the addressing method allowed me to connect to my D-Link dns320 as well.

Thanks all.

Regards

Chris

You missed my point.

Names don't matter. IP's do. Having names in a hosts file simplifies things for -US- because we remember names more easily than numbers. But, in the end, if you don't have (or can't get) the IP, you're done. The name is irrelevant when it comes time to make the connection.

Browse lists, hosts file, LMHOSTS (on Windows) files, DNS entries, NIS/NIS+ entries... These are all methods to convert names to numbers. They make life easier for the user by ultimately turning everything into numbers (which is all the system cares about).

Did not.

Making life easier for the user was precisely my point. I made no suggestion that IP was never needed, only that it would be needed by a human as little as once, to put it into the hosts file, after which, hostnames make life easier on humans.