Ubuntu (n00b) Help please

Simian · 4 Aug 2009 at 13:28

I'm relatively new to Linux, and I've started out with Ubuntu64 (v9.04), which I've installed at the sole OS on my Aaaaging Rig as a download server (I've two Laptops, one with Vista64 the other Xubuntu 9.04)..

Anyhew..

The Main rig previously had Windows XP on it but ran like a dog (on an old 20Gb PATA drive). which is the reason for putting Linux on it!.. The other drives in the case (200Gb PATA and 250Gb SATA) are full of crap I want to clear out and start a fresh so I can share their contents over my network (Lunux won't share em as they're 'Not Owned by the System' or summut).

I've looked through the system and a few websites and as I'm still new I can't for the life of me find out how:

1) To Format the Two Drives (200Gb and 250Gb) so they are 'Sharable' to the network.
2) To Join the system to my Workgroup (already set up on my Vista Laptop).

Can anyone give me some pointers on these please?..

Cheers in advance
Sim.

.walls · 4 Aug 2009 at 17:17

OK... so long as you definitely want to kill the data on them....

# fdisk -l
------> this will tell you the device node (e.g. /dev/sdb1). match up the disk geometry and current layout (e.g. NTFS filesystem)
# umount /dev/sdb1
------> need to unmount the filesystem before creating a new one. Also, change the device node to match the disk you want to kill
# mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1
------> doesn't need to be ext4, can use ext3, ext2, vfat, xfs, etc. Also... make sure it's the right disk!
# mount /dev/sdb1 /home/simian/new_mount_point_for_mounted_disk

Now... to make it auto mount on boot with the correct options...

# ls -l /dev/disk/
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2009-07-27 13:56 3d75fdc1-ffe0-4ec2-ada8-241a442f4765 -> ../../sda3
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2009-07-27 13:56 45b045a9-8079-4ab7-ba37-76b33b412ca8 -> ../../sda4
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2009-07-27 13:56 484f0ff1-b997-40f2-80d1-b3d29a1f6dad -> ../../sda2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2009-07-27 13:56 57a54e90-6eb5-4b3c-87bc-c5c90fe8b54f -> ../../sda1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2009-07-27 13:56 67fdfa88-2ee8-400c-87c6-9ca47acd6825 -> ../../sdb1

add the following line to /etc/fstab

UUID=67fdfa88-2ee8-400c-87c6-9ca47acd6825 /home/simian/new_mount_point_for_mounted_disk ext4 defaults 0 1
--------> note the UUID is what we pulled from the above command...

Also, you can add this line by:
# echo "UUID=67fdfa88-2ee8-400c-87c6-9ca47acd6825 /home/simian/new_mount_point_for_mounted_disk ext4 defaults 0 1" >> /etc/fstab
--------> note the double ">>". this appends to the end of the file as opposed to overwriting it!!

If you have problems writing to the disk, then issue this command:

# chown simian:users /home/simian/new_mount_point_for_mounted_disk

Do the same for the other disk

p.s. this assumes that your username is simian and the mount point you've chosen is /home/simian/new_mount_point_for_mounted_disk and the "#" notation means that you're working as root (bugger - just realised ubuntu... replace "#" with "sudo")

As for joining to the workgroup - look into Samba.

manic111 · 4 Aug 2009 at 17:25

To join a workgroup, download Samba

sudo apt-get samba

I tend to use the SMBK4 frontend for it; even though it's KDE it suits my purposes really well.

zinc · 4 Aug 2009 at 18:25

Simple way:

Go to synaptic, add and remove or use sudo apt-get install gparted - to get gparted, (gnome partition editor).

You will also need ntfsprogs so ubuntu can create ntfs partitions so search and install it from synaptic.

Partition your drives as ntfs using gnome partition editor, should be in administration.

Then install samba, this can also be done in synaptic or add and remove, or if your lazy right click a folder in home and go to sharing options then enable it, it should install samba for you automatically.

Now you can just create a folder in your drives and share it by going sharing options like above, make sure you tick "guest access" so windows users can see it.

Any problems let us know

.walls · 5 Aug 2009 at 10:34

zinc said:
snip

Surely it would be better using a native filesystem rather than ntfs which runs in userland?

zinc · 5 Aug 2009 at 15:24

Yea he can use gparted to partition his drives in ext3 or 4 etc, then make sure he uses chown like in your post so that he can write to his drives. Just thought it might be simpler for him (permissions-wise) to use NTFS.

Simian · 5 Aug 2009 at 16:44

zinc said:
Simple way:

Go to synaptic, add and remove or use sudo apt-get install gparted - to get gparted, (gnome partition editor).

You will also need ntfsprogs so ubuntu can create ntfs partitions so search and install it from synaptic.

Partition your drives as ntfs using gnome partition editor, should be in administration.

Then install samba, this can also be done in synaptic or add and remove, or if your lazy right click a folder in home and go to sharing options then enable it, it should install samba for you automatically.

Now you can just create a folder in your drives and share it by going sharing options like above, make sure you tick "guest access" so windows users can see it.

Any problems let us know

Cheers Dood.. I was looking for gparted!.. wondered why I couldn't find it! :rolleyes:

(at me!!)... I'll give it a go on Saturday!

.walls said:
Surely it would be better using a native filesystem rather than ntfs which runs in userland?

zinc said:
Yea he can use gparted to partition his drives in ext3 or 4 etc, then make sure he uses chown like in your post so that he can write to his drives. Just thought it might be simpler for him (permissions-wise) to use NTFS.

Yeah.. Didn't know if my Vista Laptop (on the same workgroup) can access the ext3/4 fs.. so I was gonna do it NTFS

.walls · 5 Aug 2009 at 19:27

Simian said:
Yeah.. Didn't know if my Vista Laptop (on the same workgroup) can access the ext3/4 fs.. so I was gonna do it NTFS

It doesn't have to - the linux box is the only one that has to be able to read the local filesystem. If you were dual booting, then sure.

Whatever's easiest for you

Simian · 5 Aug 2009 at 19:43

But I want to access the contents of the other two drives from my Vista Laptop over the network.. so won't they need to be NTFS?... only the Ubuntu drive (the 20Gb ATA) has to be EXT3 I thought!..

.walls · 5 Aug 2009 at 20:06

Not unless you're running a SAN (which you're not), or you're dual booting (and from what I've read, it doesn't sound like you are).

If you have Box A which is Ubuntu and Box B which is Windows and they talk to each other over the network, the only box that needs to be able to directly read Box A's disks is Box A (and vice-versa).

EDIT: if you want to take the disks out of your ubuntu box, plug them into a caddy and then pop them in your laptop via usb/whatever, then yes - you'll need a filesystem which both OSes can read. If you're sharing via smb/cifs/nfs/etc, then it's only the host OS that needs to read the disk, as the host OS is the one that's dealing with the hardware abstraction.

That said - run with NTFS if it's easier for you, but there is no need to use NTFS unless both OSes require direct access to the filesystem.

Simian · 6 Aug 2009 at 08:54

Stonkin Geeza!!.. Thanks..

I'll probly stick with NTFS as I may Dual Boot with Win7 later