I have Ubuntu on both my "newCompaq" and my "oldCompaq" They are both connected to a router which is connected to a cable modem. I want to connect these computers together so I can share files & printers. I just can't make heads or tails of the instructions. Some help would be most appreciated.

Thanks

what are "the instructions"??? what stage are you actually at? setting up NFS or establishingan ethernet connection? if you want help you have to actually tell us something useful about what you want help with, we're not psychic.

OK I have internet connections on both computers. I assume I want NFS. I want to share files both ways. old on the new and new on the old. I have two printers. I want to free one of them up for my Sister. I have looked at "remote places" from the "easy Access" button. At the "Krdc" program. I have a book which talked about IPs etc.
When I configured my hp printers ( 882 & 5740 ) to "share". Somewhere I have set my "home" directories to "share", but nowhere a "do this, then do this " using terms that a computer user ( i am a structural engineer that does some programing, not a software engineer.).

I am using Ubuntu/Kubuntu, a debeian based distro on both boxes.

I hope this helps.

thanks.

well I have no idea what gui's you're using to do this, but it sounds like you're doing stuff related to Samba. If you're only using unix systems, you should NOT use samba. for printers you'd most likely be configuring cups on both systems, one to use a local printer as default, the other to use the first machine as a server, so a cups to cups client/server setup. easiest generic way to setup cups (common unix printing system) is to ensure it's running and go to http://localhost:631 on each machine. as for file sharing, nfs is painfully simple. just have a look at NFS in our wiki here, and it'll tell you anything you'd need to know. unlike samba you can configure nfs with a single line in /etc/exports.

Thanks. My printers are both configured as "cups" . I will leave sharing them to later.
I went to the LQ wiki site. on the "linux" side. I did not find any reference to NFS. the "Networking" info ( being stupid ) made no sense to me!!

In O'Reilly's Running Linux, I found 4 pages of stuff NFS. When modifing the /etc/fstab file as suggested in the example, I got nothing but a bunch of errors.

I don't know why I am having such a problem with this. I have taught myself assembly programming in 2 different ops. PCOS & DOS. written printer drivers for both Okidata and IBM printers. programmed in C, C++, VB, & Qt. ( I'm 80, but not senile yet ). I have found that peple who write instructions obviously know what thay are writing, but somtimes forget to define some of the terms. For example: I have never come across a definition of the terms "client" or "server". The meaning has to be inferred from the text. ( I am sure they are somewhere, but sot where they are used in most instructions ).

Enough of my bitching.

Computer #1 is named "newCompaq" and the only user is "pete" ( that's me )
Computer #2 is named "oldCompaq" and the only user is "pete" ( that's me )

Both run Ubuntu 5.10 breezy.

Each has its own ethernet card connected to the same router which is connected to another router which is connected to a cable modem. This second router has an iMac connected to it. ( I'm not trying to commect to the iMac ).

Both computers connect to internet ok.

All I want to do is:
Mount the oldCompaq's /home/pete directory on the newCompaq.
Mount the newCompaq's /home/pete directory on the oldCompaq.

thanks

ok, that's a doddle. edit /etc/exports on each machine. make them both read "/home/pete 192.168.0.0/24(rw,soft)" assuming you are on that network. Then restart NFS (and portmap and other nfs related servers - should be done automatically for you) then firstly see if it's there from the other box: "showmount -e otherservernamehere" if you can see it, then go nuts and mount it "mount otherservernamehere:/home/pete /mnt/nfssharenameorsomethinglikethat" and that's it. you can then make it a permanent feature editing fstab if you wish, but that's the very last thing, and not actually required at all.

Thanks. I tried to do as you suggested I placed the "#" in front of the last line in the
/etc/export file from compaqNew then added the line you suggested.
The /etc/exports file did not exist in the oldCompaq computer ( i may has destroyed it when I was messing with the fstab file i mentioned above.). I placed the above quotd file in the oldCompaq computer. I restarted both computers and ran the "showemount" on each computer.
from the newCompaq I got:
I ran it as "pete" and again as "root" with the same result.
on the oldCompaq I got:
The "sudo" is ubuntu's way for a root command.
I do not know how to run "NFS"

If I have screwed up the files on the "oldCompaq" I can re-install it if necessary.

nfs is a service, just (re)start it with /etc/init.d/nfs (re)start. if you don't have showmount installed, it's probably in an "nfs-utils" package or something, but you don't need that program exactly, it's just a troubleshooting tool. and erm... you do realise you weren't actually meant to type "otherservernamehere" literally i hope.... the first error there would be a dns lookup error, you can always just use the ip address instead.

Thanks, I will try that.
My Sister has laid out a list of chores for me, so I am going to close down my computer for now

You have beem most helpful. thanks