[network-shares-automount] package released

For some reason I don't understand, shares can take time to establish first time, but are fine after that. I always use SMB.

A "defect" of virtual-disk2 is that a USB dialogue pops up on screen each boot. I just keep a cheap UPD plugged in, or some of my machines have a USB HDD permanently connected. Your HDR has two USB ports, so it's hardly a problem.
 
Sweet - and we are there! 2 working nfs shares, dlna filtering so no crashes, and virtual usb. Now all I need do is migrate all the video over from SMB to NFS on the NAS... but at least that should be pain free. Thank you so much for all your help! :)
 
[What follows was posted in response to people reporting difficulty knowing what to put in the automount data fields. Newcomers to this topic should check out post #1.]

Since originally posted, developments (particularly to the samba package) have altered the details. Post last updated: 2014/07/02


USB-Style Auto-Mount Example

For the record, bearing in mind I have Samba* running on the HDR-FOX and I access it using auto-mount and CIFS* on the HD-FOX, my settings (on the HD-FOX - but the same works on another HDR-FOX) look like this:

(* - The samba package is installed on the HDR-FOX, and CIFS support is installed on the HD-FOX by installing the network-shares-automount package.)

Media - Video (select with the yellow button)
USB (select with the blue button - this would be "HDD" if the client is HDR-FOX)
drive1 (my Ext2 UPD containing the custom software - this would be the top level "My Video" if the client is HDR-FOX)
[ModSettings]
smb
HDR-FOX
domain=Domain or Workgroup (leave as is)
folder=My Video (this is the "access point" to the remote device's media folders)
host=192_168_1_68 (the IP address for the HDR-FOX on my network)
mac=ABABABABABAB (leave as is)
password=Password (leave as is)
shareFolder=off (leave as is)
user=User (leave as is)
wakeConstantly? (leave as is)
wakeNow? (leave as is)

I've been trying to get my system sorted as a change of broadband supplier has rendered my settings kaput.

When I get to the point above I get this option.

I'm confused................ again.
 

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I've been trying to get my system sorted as a change of broadband supplier has rendered my settings kaput.

When I get to the point above I get this option.

I'm confused................ again.
They are instructions. If you create a new folder in that location (name it what you want your share to be called) and open the folder, a group of new folders will be created within automatically. You then edit the names of the subfolders to match your system parameters.
 
To add, the folders that are created are described in this link here. This link is also present in the first post in the main Network Shares Automount thread. I have posted a picture of what the settings page looks like in Web-If. In this example the shared folder is called 'Recordings' (I set this up myself by editing the 'smb.conf' file) but the 'standard' mount points are pre-configured: for example, if you want to link to the 'My Video' folder on a networked HDR-FOX you just edit the entry to be 'folder=My Video' and this plus the IP address field 'host=' are all you need to change.
 

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Thanks MontysEvilTwin. I had mixed up my IP addresses so the HD was looking for the HDR in the wrong place.
 
I'm trying to get network-shares-automount to provide a link to the local recordings on a HD-FOX (because I can't get a symbolic link recognised in the media list, unlike the HDR-FOX - see topic HERE).

The local recordings are under /media/drive1/Video (where "drive1" is the name the external drive happens to be showing as).

folder=drive1 works, whether using the actual IP address for the HD-FOX or the loop-back address 127.0.0.1 (samba is installed). folder=drive1_Video does not work, but using folder=drive1 does not achieve the desired result of dropping straight into the recordings folder.
 
The smb mount point for 'media' is included by default in /mod/etc/smb.conf and a mount point for 'drive1' appears in smb-hotplug.conf. If you want to mount the video folder on the HD-FOX you need to define it in smb.conf. Pasting the following at the end of smb.conf should do the trick;
Code:
[Video]
   comment = Video
   path = /media/drive1/Video
   public = yes
   writable = yes
   browsable = yes
   create mask = 0644
   directory mask = 0755
   hide dot files = no
With the above example set 'folder=Video' in the configuration folder on the remote machine to access it.
If you want a 'My Video' folder in the USB section of the HD-FOX GUI, you can do it with a 'network' share. I've done this with NFS. If you call the share 'My Video', set 'folder=_media_drive1_Video' and 'host=' to the units own IP address it will work. You could probably also do this as an smb share once you have made the above modification to smb.conf.
Thanks; so the answer might be just for me to put a leading "_" in? I'll have a play later.
 
Yes, I see that, but I have to say I am confused why a folder you want to point to has to be pre-defined when it is already a sub-folder of an existing mount point and the path to it is defined.

Maybe I would be better off using NFS for this bit.
 
I don't know if the reasons are technical (i.e. relating to the network protocols) or just to do with the way the packages were written.
 
Not sure this is the right place for this, but the search ref automount didn't come up with anything better.

I have an HDR T2 with an external HDD plugged into the rear USB. This provides extra storage, appears as a destination on the "option"/move/copy menus, and as a source on the "Blue button"/USB menu - (although if I connect two HDDs they are both labelled as "disc 1".) I have full playback control, i.e. ffwd and reverse, and f and r jump, and also program information. This has worked without problem for several years.

I also have a Zyxel 2 bay NAS on a (wired) LAN with the HDR. I have used the HDR Mod settings menus to link to this. I can playback video from the NAS via "blue button"/LAN" menu, but do not have ffwd and reverse or program info (other than to confirm the file name.)

The LAN does not appear as a destination on the "option"/move/copy menus, so I have to use a pc on the network to move files from the HDR to the NAS. This sounds to me more like streaming that actually mounting a volume. I have read through this entire thread but can't see what I am doing wrong, any suggestions would be welcome.
 
I have an HDR T2 with an external HDD plugged into the rear USB. This provides extra storage, appears as a destination on the "option"/move/copy menus, and as a source on the "Blue button"/USB menu - (although if I connect two HDDs they are both labelled as "disc 1".) I have full playback control, i.e. ffwd and reverse, and f and r jump, and also program information. This has worked without problem for several years.
This isn't anything to do with being a Samba mount is it? Irrelevant.

I also have a Zyxel 2 bay NAS on a (wired) LAN with the HDR. I have used the HDR Mod settings menus to link to this. I can playback video from the NAS via "blue button"/LAN" menu, but do not have ffwd and reverse or program info (other than to confirm the file name.)

The LAN does not appear as a destination on the "option"/move/copy menus, so I have to use a pc on the network to move files from the HDR to the NAS. This sounds to me more like streaming that actually mounting a volume. I have read through this entire thread but can't see what I am doing wrong, any suggestions would be welcome.
If the NAS were mounted via network-shares-automount, you would access it via Media >> Storage (blue) >> USB. Network is (as you say) DLNA. The whole point is to make networked drives appear as if they are connected by USB. If it doesn't show up in the USB list, either your settings in the [Modsettings] folder are incorrect, or you do not have a real USB device plugged in at the same time (this is necessary to trick the Humax firmware into looking for other USB "devices", or can be simulated using the virtual2 package).
 
This isn't anything to do with being a Samba mount is it? Irrelevant.


If the NAS were mounted via network-shares-automount, you would access it via Media >> Storage (blue) >> USB. Network is (as you say) DLNA. The whole point is to make networked drives appear as if they are connected by USB. If it doesn't show up in the USB list, either your settings in the [Modsettings] folder are incorrect, or you do not have a real USB device plugged in at the same time (this is necessary to trick the Humax firmware into looking for other USB "devices", or can be simulated using the virtual2 package).

Thanks BH - problem sorted. Despite checking the Modsettings several times I'd managed to get the IP address wrong for the NAS. :(
 
You need to ensure the NAS is on a fixed IP address. If it receives its address dynamically from the router by DHCP, it can change (unless it is specifically reserved at the router). A Windows machine may not necessarily be affected by this, as it is probably capable of finding the NAS on the network by name regardless of its IP address - but the CF Samba mount can't do that.

If you have the address manually set in the NAS config, you need to ensure the address chosen does not and will not conflict with anything else on the network by maintaining your own registration system and choosing an address outside the DHCP pool for the router (or reserving the address at the router).

Configuring IP Address (click)
 
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I have since gone into the router setup and reset all the IP addresses to remain constant, ie infinite lease time. Not sure what the difference is between this and using fixed addresses (even after reading BH's link,) but it is working fine.

Now that I've been using my NAS for a while to archive video from the HDR and locally attached USB HDDs I have noticed that the mounted NAS doesn't quite behave the same as the local drives. I can copy video from the HDR to the USB local disk either as a single file or as a hirearcical series folder containing multiple files. If I copy to the NAS it will only copy one level, ie. the series folder will be created but empty, although single files can be copied alright.
 
Hi BH. The network shares automount is a massive topic and I've read the stuff above! Can you point me to something showing the configuration for two HDR's sharing each others HDDs to each other successfully. I saw one post which said only one could be server and one client, but that's not the case is it? Thanks
<sigh>

Post 1 in the NSA topic directs you to specific implementation examples. Sharing between HDR-FOXes is no different than sharing between an HDR-FOX and an HD-FOX (although, in the latter case, the HD-FOX is likely to be a client only).

(This conversation seems to be split over two topics)
<yawn..>.. seen that with the link to post #244, doesn't work otherwise I wouldn't have asked.... In fact I've realised that the actual solution that does work is a variation on jsrobo's instructions. Here's what works for me which is not what Blackhole posted in his post. This is up and running on my two HDR-Fox T2's "Lounge Humax and "Bedroom Humax", feeding and receiving both ways:

Install SMB and automount on both machines.

On "Lounge Humax"
[ModSettings]
smb
domain=(leave alone)
folder=media
host=192_168_1_120 (the IP address for the HDR-FOX in my bedroom)
mac=ABABABABABAB (Leave alone)
password=0000 (the Humax default password)
shareFolder=off
user=humaxftp
wakeUp=off (Leave alone)

On "Bedroom Humax"
[ModSettings]
smb
domain=(leave alone)
folder=media
host=192_168_1_100 (the IP address for the HDR-FOX in my lounge )
mac=ABABABABABAB (Leave alone)
password=0000 (the Humax default password)
shareFolder=off
user=humaxftp
wakeUp=off (Leave alone)

Stick a USB drive in each and the mount is visible and playable. I also have a mount on each to my NAS.

The differences between your configuration and the one in post 244 seems to be folder, user, and password. This leads me to suspect you are using NFS, not SMB, because my SMB mounts do not require user and password. Am I correct? Using folder = media on an SMB mount results in what I call a "deadly embrace" when set up on both ends - the mount can see the other mount, which can see the other mount...

An advantage of using folder = media (on an SMB mount, not an NFS mount) is that the remote end will also see any USB drives on the server (including any mounts). I use this facility, but only at one end of the link (the other end has only folder = My Video, so that there is not the recursive loop). NFS mounts at folder = media do not share USB drives unless specifically configured to do so (which is another way to break the loop: have SMB at one end and NFS at the other).
 
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The differences between your configuration and the one in post 244 seems to be folder, user, and password. This leads me to suspect you are using NFS, not SMB, because my SMB mounts do not require user and password. Am I correct? Using folder = media on an SMB mount results in what I call a "deadly embrace" when set up on both ends - the mount can see the other mount, which can see the other mount...

An advantage of using folder = media (on an SMB mount, not an NFS mount) is that the remote end will also see any USB drives on the server (including any mounts). I use this facility, but only at one end of the link (the other end has only folder = My Video, so that there is not the recursive loop). NFS mounts at folder = media do not share USB drives unless specifically configured to do so (which is another way to break the loop: have SMB at one end and NFS at the other).

Nup, SMB all the way between the two humax's. I see what you say about the deadly embrace but it doesn't seem to bother the machines, I just don't choose the mirrored mount.
 
SMB does not require password and user fields to be set. Try restoring them to default and it should still work. Try returning folder = My Video and it should still work.
 
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