[SOLVED] HELP! "The target doesn't support symbolic links."

joint · 09-19-2012, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 414N

It would be useful to know what didn't work and how it didn't work (error messages etc.).
If you really want to go down the samba route (with no Windows machines on the network this is kinda useless, but whatever...), make sure that samba is alive and working well on the server by using, on one of the desktop machines:

Code:

smbclient -L //pos-ubuntu

if pos-ubuntu is the network name of the server. If it asks for a password and you didn't set one on the server, leave it blank and press enter: you should then see a list of samba shares on the server specified. This means that the samba server is working ok.
After this first test, you should try mounting the shares on the server on one of the desktop machines as already written in the previous posts. Make sure that /sbin/mount.cifs and/or /sbin/mount.smbfs exist, as mount relies on them to actually mount a samba share on the filesystem. If they don't exist, then you're missing the smbfs package and you should install it.

Ok, done the

Code:

smbclient -L //pos-ubuntu

and it replied:

Code:

Domain=[LOURI] OS=[Unix] Server=[Samba 3.6.3]

	Sharename       Type      Comment
	---------       ----      -------
	IPC$            IPC       IPC Service (ITX)
	share           Disk      
	print$          Disk      Printer Drivers
	EPSON-TM-P2.01  Printer   EPSON TM-P2.01
	Kyocera-Mita-FS-1118MFP Printer   Kyocera Mita FS-1118MFP

So it seems that samba ir working ok.

414N · 09-19-2012, 09:12 AM

Have you reconfigured samba on the server machine, i.e. have you restored a /etc/samba/smb.conf backup from the previous server? Is samba actually running on the server after the reinstall of the OS? EDIT: written before reading the answer.
As already explained before, the reason you're getting that message is because the file manager you're using (I guess it's nautilus) has associated to the action "Create link" the command "ln -s X", which creates a symbolic link. All is fine if you're inside a directory of the filesystem (i.e. a subdirectory of /), but when you're browsing unmounted network shares via specific URIs (like ftp://, smb://, mtp:// etc.) that action will fail miserably because (<WARNING>figurative explanation ahead</WARNING>) "you're putting the nose in an alien territory unknown to your filesystem, which only knows entities under /". The file manager has access to those shares/protocols via external programs/plugins/libraries, so that's why you can't, for example, directly cd into smb://someShare. I hope this clears any doubt about it permanently.

Now, please make sure you've got all that's needed on the client machines to mount those shares, i.e. check for /sbin/mount.cifs or /sbin/mount.smbfs.

joint · 09-19-2012, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 414N

Have you reconfigured samba on the server machine, i.e. have you restored a /etc/samba/smb.conf backup from the previous server? Is samba actually running on the server after the reinstall of the OS? EDIT: written before reading the answer.
As already explained before, the reason you're getting that message is because the file manager you're using (I guess it's nautilus) has associated to the action "Create link" the command "ln -s X", which creates a symbolic link. All is fine if you're inside a directory of the filesystem (i.e. a subdirectory of /), but when you're browsing unmounted network shares via specific URIs (like ftp://, smb://, mtp:// etc.) that action will fail miserably because (<WARNING>figurative explanation ahead</WARNING>) "you're putting the nose in an alien territory unknown to your filesystem, which only knows entities under /". The file manager has access to those shares/protocols via external programs/plugins/libraries, so that's why you can't, for example, directly cd into smb://someShare. I hope this clears any doubt about it permanently.

Now, please make sure you've got all that's needed on the client machines to mount those shares, i.e. check for /sbin/mount.cifs or /sbin/mount.smbfs.

Got both mount.cifs and mount.smbfs.

414N · 09-19-2012, 09:26 AM

Perfect.
Let's try to mount some shares, then

Code:

sudo mkdir -p /media/pos-ubuntu-share/
sudo mount -t cifs //pos-ubuntu/share /media/pos-ubuntu-share OPTS

This mounts //pos-ubuntu/share in /media/pos-ubuntu-share/ after creating this folder (you can change it anyway you please).
Try first with an empty OPTS. If it doesn't work, we'll figure out the required mount options.
If it works, a simple

Code:

ls -l /media/pos-ubuntu-share/

should list all files contained in that share and

Code:

ln -s /media/pos-ubuntu-share /tmp/share

should create a symbolic link to /media/pos-ubuntu-share/ under /tmp.

joint · 09-19-2012, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 414N

Perfect.
Let's try to mount some shares, then

Code:

sudo mkdir -p /media/pos-ubuntu-share/
sudo mount -t cifs //pos-ubuntu/share /media/pos-ubuntu-share OPTS

This mounts //pos-ubuntu/share in /media/pos-ubuntu-share/ after creating this folder (you can change it anyway you please).
Try first with an empty OPTS. If it doesn't work, we'll figure out the required mount options.
If it works, a simple

Code:

ls -l /media/pos-ubuntu-share/

should list all files contained in that share and

Code:

ln -s /media/pos-ubuntu-share /tmp/share

should create a symbolic link to /media/pos-ubuntu-share/ under /tmp.

By doing this:

Code:

sudo mount -t cifs //pos-ubuntu/share /media/pos-ubuntu-share OPTS

I get the usage instructions.
And with this:

Code:

sudo mount -t cifs //pos-ubuntu/share /media/pos-ubuntu-share

I get this:

Code:

mount error(13): Permission denied
Refer to the mount.cifs(8) manual page (e.g. man mount.cifs)

Sorry, m8, for me being such a noob and making you have a hard time...

414N · 09-19-2012, 09:46 AM

OPTS was meant to be a placeholder for other mount options, if needed. You shouldn't use it on the command line.
What is the security level configured on the samba server?
Try first with smbfs instead of cifs, then, if neither works without additional options, try using:

Code:

sudo mount -t cifs //pos-ubuntu/share /media/pos-ubuntu-share -o username="",password=""

if you haven't configured access restrictions on the server.

joint · 09-19-2012, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 414N

OPTS was meant to be a placeholder for other mount options, if needed. You shouldn't use it on the command line.
What is the security level configured on the samba server?
Try first with smbfs instead of cifs, then, if neither works without additional options, try using:

Code:

sudo mount -t cifs //pos-ubuntu/share /media/pos-ubuntu-share -o username="",password=""

if you haven't configured access restrictions on the server.

Whatever I try I always get this:

Code:

mount error(16): Device or resource busy
Refer to the mount.cifs(8) manual page (e.g. man mount.cifs)

The security level is "User" (if it's this what you mean).

414N · 09-19-2012, 10:21 AM

mm, is it already mounted elsewhere?
Try looking at mount output.
Try also using user="" instead of username="" in the mount command.

joint · 09-19-2012, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 414N

mm, is it already mounted elsewhere?
Try looking at mount output.
Try also using user="" instead of username="" in the mount command.

M8, I think that's it!!! WOW!! I tried 'user' instead of 'username'.

Now, how do I create a symb. link. in desktop to these mounted folders?

414N · 09-19-2012, 10:37 AM

Slow down, we have to add that to fstab first

Open up the /etc/fstab file with your favorite text editor using sudo (only root can modify it) and add the following line:

Code:

//pos-ubuntu/share      /media/pos-ubuntu-share      cifs      defaults,auto,user="",password=""  0  0

Note on the "auto" option: using auto makes the system mount the samba share at boot-time. This means that it has to be available at boot or you'll lose some time waiting for the mount process to timeout because it cannot reach the server. Knowing this, make your own decision.
To link that folder on your user desktop simply run:

Code:

cd ~/Desktop
ln -s /media/pos-ubuntu-share WHATEVER_NAME_YOU_LIKE

as your normal user (not root and not using sudo).

joint · 09-19-2012, 10:39 AM

I GOT IT!!!!

I used ln -s and TADAHHH!!

Thank you a million times for your patience and knowkedge, m8!!

Cheers

414N · 09-19-2012, 10:42 AM

Glad it is solved

Please mark the thread as solved, too.

joint · 09-21-2012, 05:41 AM

M8, everything works ok but one thing: After restart all symb links stop to work.

I've created a shortcut folder on my desktop to the mounted folder, everything works perfect. But after restart a locker appears on the icon and it no longer works. It opens the folder, no errors whatsoever, but it's blank with nothing in it.

414N · 09-21-2012, 06:05 AM

It means that the auto-mount doesn't work.
Have you modified the /etc/fstab file as previously suggested?
Does

Code:

sudo mount /media/pos-ubuntu-share

display something?

joint · 09-21-2012, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 414N

It means that the auto-mount doesn't work.
Have you modified the /etc/fstab file as previously suggested?
Does

Code:

sudo mount /media/pos-ubuntu-share

display something?

No, I didn't modify.
Which lines sould I add, then?

My fstab looks like this:

Code:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a
# device; this may be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices
# that works even if disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    nodev,noexec,nosuid 0       0
# / was on /dev/sda5 during installation
UUID=3d7aad7f-be21-4fea-9231-495cca6bb634 /               ext4    errors=remount-ro 0       1
# swap was on /dev/sda6 during installation
UUID=6a66a76d-ed47-4b4b-b38d-c20e2d651469 none            swap    sw              0       0
/dev/sr0        /media/floppy0  auto    rw,user,noauto,exec,utf8 
0       0