Local area networking/file sharing over wireless?

edit: "The "trash computer" is for my step-son. His room is upstairs. The files I want to share are the files he has accumulated in his own directory, files such as pictures and songs."

This should read "The "trash computer" is for my step-son. His room is upstairs. The files I want to share are the files he has accumulated on the Dell Optiplex in his own directory, files such as pictures and songs."

hello george_rutkay,

pls take a look at

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SSHHowto

hope this will help you.

regards,
peter b

I installed openssh-server and putty on both machines. I can see one from the other (both ways) but only by terminal login through the Putty SSH client.

The 12 year old is not going to understand a terminal window or typing commands just to access his files over the network, this is a problem for him. He is not technologically or computer literate at all - he judges the advancement of a computer's technology by the fanciness of the artwork used for the desktop icons - seriously!

For him to be able to use this solution he has to be able to access his music and picture files over the wireless network as transparently as double-clicking an icon and opening up a graphical window to the directory as if it were all located on his local drive.

The graphical access to his files as seamlessly and transparently as possible simply isn't negotiable, he just cannot understand messy logins, terminal screens or any such thing - it has to be a transparent automatic wireless and totally graphical access to his home directory on the main computer.

Can you please advise me on what other possibilities there are with this software? Is there any other way to accomplish what I have to do here with Linux?

@george_rutkay,

that's great that you managed to get to this point. re your last post-->pls follow further down the page the same url indicated above and you'll find the following heading (excerpt from same url) --> beginning with .....

Transferring Files Remotely With SSH
Graphically
From Gnome

Nautilus can access remote computers via SSH, and browse and transfer files. Click Places -> Connect to Server. Select SSH for Service Type, write the name or IP address of the computer you're connecting to in Server, the user you'd like to connect as in User Name, and a name for the connection if you wish.

Files can be copied by dragging and dropping between this window and other windows.

..... end of excerpt.

now, one have to be cognizant of the fact that a minimum of input is required on the client side for the simple reason that a session has to be established first with the device where the repository is (that is another device that the client has to have/is permitted access to) then as you could see above, nautilus can be used to transfer files. In your kid's/client side the input required is just to enter the IP or PC name and the user name, that's about it then through nautilus the transfer can be made. There are no terminals, commands etc that must be used, it is just a matter of navigating through menus and perform a simple identification of the resource to be accessed and client. Please do not forget, the resources of every device in linux are subject to well established and proven rules of ownership/access/security --> that is the key that makes linux so secure; these rules cannot be bent or circumvented.

hope this helps. regards,

peter b

@george_rutkay,

and further to the last post,

if you wish to give your son FULL unrestricted access to HIS files that currently are on ANOTHER device on the LAN then you can do either

- copy/transfer all folders/files from your pc to his or
- acquire another hd be it internal or external and attach it to his pc and copy his files/folders to this device

in both situations he'll have total control over them.

peter b

The destination computer in this issue runs Xubuntu - I don't have a "Places/Connect to Server" menu listing. There is no apparent graphical interface to this Xubuntu server connection (I sure cannot find it)!

The source computer (the Dell Optiplex GX260) runs Ubuntu 7.10. The destination computer runs Xubuntu 8.04 because it's a very old computer and it's all we have to give him.

I can only connect using PuTTY SSH Client, and even then, only on command-line (yuck!!!) and even then I don't know how to copy all of his songs from the source computer to this destination computer via the command line.

Imagine the kid trying to do this? He'd just throw a fit without the simplicity of the graphical click-and-drag interface.

Please advise? I'd like to make this as painless for the boy as possible?

@george_rutkay,

- I do not have any experience with Xubuntu so I cannot comment on the existence of Connect to server menu item or the existence of nautilus on this distro; however

- you said that SSH can see and access - both ways - the other pc on LAN, then is just a matter of you creating from your pc (where your son's folders/files reside currently) folders on your son's pc (probably in his home folder) --> open those folders on your pc and with nautilus open drag/drop the files from your pc into his pc folders --> it's just a simple exercise of copy/paste or cut/paste.

- it depends on the space available on your son's pc --> if it is at least = with space occupied on your pc there should be no problem whatsoever and he'll end up with his files always at his fingertips (see my last post). obviously, you'd have to have all necessary permissions GRANTED/CREATED on your son's pc in order to create new folders and write anything on his pc devices. however

- if there is no adequate space available on his pc then his pc must be provided with the necessary/adequate storage or, copy/paste selectively function of space available.

- the simplest way is pure and simple burn to a cd or copy/paste to a usb pendrive his files and then use them on his pc to copy/paste them to his pc hd or, pure and simple leave the cd or the pendrive connected to his pc --> no copy to hd, direct access to the cd or pendrive at his leisure.

peter b

@george_rutkay,

here's a url that shows how to get nautilus functionality under xubuntu; apparently, even the pendrives cannot be seen in xubuntu without nautilus.

http://ubuntuforums.org/archive/index.php/t-98692.html

in your son's situation I would strongly recommend having nautilus available on his pc, it helps a lot.

hope this helps. best of luck.

peter b

It's odd but SSH on the stronger computer doesn't allow me to use a graphical window either - it's the arcane text-based terminal window that works, PuTTY SSH Client.

Is there a better bit of software that replaces PuTTY and lets a person administer and manipulate files, directories with a graphical approach?

I did give up on trying to hope to wirelessly transfer all of his files over to the new computer, so I ended up going back and forth for about an hour with a memory stick.

Ideally I want to let the Dell act as a server and let his connection to it seamlessly share his files only with his computer, giving him the option of going into his directories on the Dell via wireless link and moving/adding/deleting files as he needs. But the command-line approach would never work for him, heck even I find it very tiresome to plod away at silly commands for just moving and copying files. Feels like 1975.

I'll mark this as "problem solved" but only because I did it with a memory stick, not because the software solved my issue.

Oh, Nautilus is a strange bit of software....I sure don't understand how to use it.

Why? I'll explain what is installed on the Xubuntu machine.....

When I run "Applications/Settings/Nautilus Actions Configuration" it doesn't give me any tools to administer or manipulate the network.

Nautilus Actions Configuration has an Add and an Import button. I have nothing to import and clicking the Add button presents me with another menu which appears to be as useful as Snake mittens (to rob from Dilbert).

@george_rutkay,

- is nautilus installed and functional in xubuntu pc ? --> I mean with the 'drawback' that it brings some gnome with it that slows it down ?

- is your son's repository folder/s//files on your pc made shareable ? did you do that already ?

what makes me ask these questions is the fact that IF YOUR PC RESOURCES CAN BE SEEN from xubuntu pc (as I understand) there should be no reason why a resource THAT IS MADE SHAREABLE ON YOUR PC cannot be accessed by your son.

peter b

I finally managed to get SSH working properly. I ended up having to re-install Xubuntu on the other machine, something in the updates it received corrupted the only-3 day old installation.

I can log-in to the Xubuntu machine from the Dell (running Ubuntu 7.10) and use the graphical interface to manipulate the files and folders, just as I needed.

I also discovered today a utility called "Unison" which has proven to be useful.

Unfortunately I still cannot browse a network from within Xubuntu as I can from within Ubuntu - the contents of it's "places" pull-down menu doesn't include a network browser or a "connect to server..." choice so presenting the contents of a network directory in a graphical way is not a simple option within Xubuntu.

hello george_rutkay,

Yesterday I installed xubuntu on one of my pc's --> it bothered me deeply that you could not get an easy transfer, over LAN, of files from your main pc to your son's or his easy access to your pc; so I installed xubuntu 804 and just followed (I wanted also to check its validity) the howto re SSH that helped you up to a point, less transfer using nautilus gui.

well, to make it as concise as possible --> after finishing xubuntu install --> nautilus was installed via synaptic NOTE -- there were obviously marked automatically quite a few other packages/dependencies -- something like over 20 but all v v small in range of 400-500kB --> so there is not a big overload on xubuntu, next

nautilus was fired up and ... guess what ? --> the Connect to server option was there on the left panel , next

I just installed, again via synaptic, SSH package and editted /etc/ssh/ssh_config --> ServerAliveInterval 120 line added and saved. next

I started nautilus as root --> gksu nautilus

then using connect to server option --> ssh option --> entered IP of a heron gnome pc --> entered my name and .... voila ! there I was prompted for a password and saw the gnome desktop on xubuntu --> then I just opened a new nautilus window and dragged and dropped folders into xubuntu home folder at my leisure, no muss no fuss.

give it a try, it works with no problems whatsoever. I forgot, after xubuntu install and first boot, BEFORE NAUTILUS INSTALL, I did in a terminal

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

there were something like 70 packages that were updated.

hope this helps.

peter b

I found that on this old bit of computer, I have to be careful and not allow too many updates - it throws the wireless USB device out and there's no reconnecting.

I'll look at this sometime this week, thanks!

I've given up trying to make this software work.....it's written for people who are experts or who see this stuff on a daily basis. I can't even get it to install.