Here’s how you share files between two Linux machines, using NFS.

Installation

• Go to the Synaptic Package Manager
• Find nfs-kernel-server and install

Configuration in machine 1 (where the shared folder is)

• Define the shares you want to provide

sudo vi /etc/exports

• Add your shares to the file

/home/mach1user/Public *(ro,sync)
/home/mach1user/Documents 100.000.00.01(ro,sync,no_subtree_check)
/home/mach1user/Share 100.000.00.01/20(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

• Make your changes be known

sudo exportfs -a

Configuration in machine 2 (where the shared folder are going to be accessed)

• Create a folder, where the share will be mounted

mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public
mkdir /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents
mkdir  /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share

• Mount the shares (the IP is from machine 1)

sudo mount 100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Public /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public
sudo mount 100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Documents /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents
sudo mount 100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Share /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share

• Make the shares available after rebooting

sudo vi /etc/fstab

• Add to the file (the IP is from machine 1)

100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Public /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Public nfs ro,hard,intr 0 0
100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Documents /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Documents nfs ro,hard,intr 0 0
100.000.0.05:/home/mach1user/Share /home/mach2user/HomeNetwork/Share nfs ro,hard,intr 0 0

And that should do it.

Further reading

• Easy-Peasy Ubuntu Linux NFS File Sharing
• Network File System (NFS) : Ubuntu (6.06 / 6.10)

last updated: 01-05-2008

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For sharing files with Windows you just have to follow this steps:

Got to System > Administration > Shared Folders

• in the Shared Folders tab add the folders you wish to share
• in the General Properties tab type the Workgroup of your Network (as in Windows)

In the Terminal add yourself as a Samba user:

sudo smbpasswd -a yourusername

That’s it. You can now access your shared folder using you Linux user.

Further reading

• Ubuntu Forum post

• Ubuntu Documentation

last updated: 21-03-2008

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