Sharing CD over linux network

PR0T0N · 12-11-2003, 08:30 AM

I have a small network with 5 computers running Mandrake 9.1, and just one of them has CD ROM.
How could I share CD drive so it can be accessed by all 5 machines?

vladkrack · 12-11-2003, 11:26 AM

Try to export it using nfs:
http://nfs.sourceforge.net/nfs-howto/

PR0T0N · 12-12-2003, 04:27 PM

I set sharing of directories using NFS and that works fine.
I tried to use NFS to share CD but i have encoutered a problem. I tried something like this: First I mount CD on local machine, say in directory /mnt/cdrom, and then I share that directory over network using NFS (by listing it in /etc/exports). Then on some other machine in network I remote mount that directory (/mnt/cdrom) using NFS. That works for now, I can access files from CD from the remote machine, but the problem is that after that I can't take out CD from CD-ROM drive. When I try to umount CD-ROM from local machine I get message "Device is busy". Even when I remote umount that directory from all machines in network that mounted it previously, I still get the same message "Device is busy" and I cant take CD out of drive, until reboot. All console and file manager windows pointing to /mnt/cdrom are also closed.
Lazy umount doesn't help either.

Any solutions how to get CD out of drive after NFS exporting?

PS. fuser -v /mnt/cdrom command on local machine gives me this output:
...............................................USER...................PID.........................AC CESS.....................COMMAND
/mnt/cdrom........................ROOT.................kernel........................mount............... ......../mnt/cdrom

vladkrack · 12-12-2003, 04:54 PM

Hi,

You must stop the nfs first, or remove the /mnt/cdrom from the exports list and use exportfs to atualize the nfs list ...

PR0T0N · 12-14-2003, 04:37 PM

thanx for posting vladkrack
hm.. you say I have to edit /etc/exports and then use exportfs in order to get out CD out of drive..?
I will try it and see if that helps.... anyway even if that works, it seems very ugly and indirect way of doing simply task such as getting CD out of drive..

my network is in public use, so it is practically impossible for ordinary users to do tasks like that just to use CD drive.

Is there maybe any other way of sharing CD over linux network?
Maybe SAMBA is more convinient for this task?

PR0T0N · 12-15-2003, 07:00 PM

I tried it, and it works.... in order to get CD out of drive after exporting I have to remote umount it from all machines in network that mounted it previously, and to remove line /mnt/cdrom from /etc/exports on the local machine and execute command exportfs.

It works, but it is very ugly way.... anything better?

sidmark-2850 · 12-15-2003, 10:51 PM

What you should do is dd the cdrom and create an ISO image. dd if=/dev/cdrom[or whatever your drive is] of=/tmp/cdrom.iso. That way, you can mount the iso image just like a cdrom drive and have your drive free. You can share the mounted area instead of the physical drive. I have done this and it works great. You just need space on your hd for the image.

ezra143 · 12-15-2003, 10:57 PM

what about sharing an iso of the CD via NFS, that should free up your cd-rom. And depending on the capacity of your dirve, make it easy in the future as well..

PR0T0N · 12-17-2003, 07:28 PM

Yes... I thought of that, dumping CD on HD is like copying contents of CD onto HD... but it is silly to me to dump whole CD onto HD every time I just want to acces some part of CD or just to browse it for 3 minutes...
I hope there is better (simplier and faster) way of sharing CD over linux network.