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Connecting to the Media Vault from a Linux System

This topic provides general guidelines and instructions on how to access the shared folders and configuration screens on the HP Media Vault from a Linux system. The particular steps needed to configure a Linux system for connection to the server may vary depending on the particular Linux installation.

Connecting to HP Media Vault using Samba

Samba provides a simple and secure way of connecting a Linux computer to the server using the SMB (server Message Block) and CIFS (Common Internet File System) protocols. The SMB network protocol is the native file-sharing protocol for Windows. CIFS defines a standard remote file-system access protocol for use over a network.

To use Samba, the Linux system must have Samba installed. For information about how to install Samba, see the documentation or main pages included with the Linux distribution.

Using a Linux graphical interface to connect

Linux distributions have numerous versions and graphical interfaces. Consequently, it is not possible to provide specific steps when using a graphical interface to connect a Linux system to the server. General steps for connection include using a network browser to find the server.

Note
 

If a firewall is running, turn it off or configure the system to allow Samba to connect to the SMB Shares.

The path to the server is as follows:

  • Domain - default, Windows Network
  • Workgroup - default, WORKGROUP
  • Machines - default, HPMediaVault

If any of these default names have changed, use the new name.

Using an IP Address or NetBIOS name to access the HP Media Vault

Connecting to the server requires either the server's IP address or NetBIOS name. NetBIOS is an acronym for Network Basic Input/Output System. The advantage of using the NetBIOS name is that even if the server's IP address changes, the Linux system can find the server. The following two sections describe each method.

Obtaining the HP Media Vault’s IP address

The IP address for the server can be found on the router's configuration screens, usually under DHCP Client Table or Show Connected Devices.

Using the NetBIOS name instead of the IP address

Some Linux installations, such as Ubuntu, may not be able to find the server by name without additional configuration. The default NetBIOS name for the HP Media Vault is HPMediaVault. To use the NetBIOS name, take the following steps:

  1. First, check if the Linux system can already resolve the NetBIOS name of the server.
    1. Open a terminal session.
    2. Type ping HPMediaVault.
  2. If pinging fails, edit the nsswitch.conf file, as follows:
    1. Become root.
    2. In a terminal session, edit the /etc/nsswitch.conf file.
    3. In the nsswitch.conf file, add wins to the following line:
    4. hosts: files dnsso it readshosts: wins files dns
  3. Install winbind, which provides Name Service Switch capability.
  4. To ensure that the installation works, ping the server:
  5. ping HPMediaVault
  6. It is now much easier to mount volumes or access configuration screens because the IP address does not have to be known.

Connecting to HP Media Vault using Samba command lines

The method described here is not persistent. To have the Linux system automatically connect to the server every time it is rebooted, see the documentation or main pages for the Linux distribution.

Take the following steps to connect a Linux system to the server:

  1. Open a Terminal session.
  2. Become root.
  3. If necessary install the Samba plug-in.
  4. Create a directory for the shared files.
  5. Example: mkdir /mnt/sharefiles
  6. Mount the server shared folder to the Linux computer, using the following syntax:
  7. mount -t smbfs //HPMediaVault/sharename /mountpoint/sharedirectory
  8. NetBIOS name example: mount -t smbfs //HPMediaVault/Documents /mnt/sharefiles
  9. IP address example: mount -t smbfs //192.168.1.102/Documents /mnt/sharefiles
    10. Note
     

    Documents is one of the default shared folders on the server.

Accessing the HP Media Vault’s Administration Console

To access the server's configuration screen, use a browser such as FireFox or Konqueror.

  1. Open the web browser.
  2. In the Location box, enter the IP address or name of the server.
  3. IP address example: http://192.168.1.100
  4. NetBIOS name example: http://HPMediaVault
    5. Note
     

    If the web browser cannot find the server with the NetBIOS name, the firewall may be blocking the request. If the Linux system has just been configured to use the NetBIOS name, the web browser may require restarting.

  5. The web browser displays The Welcome Page of the Administration Console.
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