Share drives in a computer through the local network without OS

[ProclaimDragon]

Hi,

I'm currently in the need of something that allows me to share my PC disk partitions through the local network. The thing is, I don't have any OS installed on the PC. I need this so I can access through the network the disk and make some backups (full disk clone through acronis installed on my laptop) and then format the disk and install Windows.

Can anyone help me?

[night_stalker_z]

I dont think you can share the disk without an OS. You can try a Linux live CD like Ubuntu and share from that or put the hard drives into another machine if you have one.

[Colin-uk Veteran]

Yeah i think you need to have an OS so that it knows what shares to connect to, if there is no os then there are no shares as these are set up in the os.

[ProclaimDragon]

I think you misunderstood me or maybe I didn't explain myself... I just don't want to install an OS, I want something like a livecd or a boot cd where I just load it and the network works and I can share the drives, no just folders, I want to backup the whole partition.

I wanted something where minimum configuration is needed to share the drives and they are in NTFS by the way, dunno if that matters...

[Thrawn]

If you're familiar with Linux, then you can probably use a live CD and the ntfs-3g driver to set this up. Otherwise, it will probably be much much easier to install Win XP or Win 2k on an small hard disk so it can handle the network share.

Also! Bare PE claims to enable network shares. THis is a boot CD.

http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/

[ProclaimDragon]

Yes, I know of Bart's PE but I was looking for something else... I just tried Knoppix Live CD but it isn't working. First of all, I couldn't press ENTER to boot the LiveCD, however, after a while, it booted automatically. But now, X server doesn't start and no error message popups up... The screen is black...

[+BudMan MVC]

Sounds like freenas would be what your after

http://www.freenas.org/

Um -- if you going to be writting your images there thru a share from acronis from another machine -- what does it really matter what current format is on them? Is there stuff on this disk you need to keep?

If want to be able to share out these disks without installing any OS onto them -- then the above Freenas is what your after, can install to a USB, etc.

Or almost any linux liveCD can do what your asking as well.. DSL would be a quick easy way to accomplish what you want - very small download, etc. http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/

[ProclaimDragon]

I'm not sure what freenas is, but I think it's not what I'm looking for... And I didn't understood your second paragraph... I just want to share the disk one time only so I can back it up and the format and install windows, that simple.

I already tried Damn Small Linux but I wasn't able to make the network work, it seem way to confusing and also, the partitions I want to backup didn't show up.

[+BudMan MVC]

I dont know what you want to do then, nor do you I think ;)

"the partitions I want to backup didn't show up." ?? :blink:

You have a laptop, you have a PC with some disk in it.. Which disk do you want to backup? The laptop to this disk without the OS, or the disk in the PC to the laptop?

Acronis can not take an image of hte disk in the PC from your laptop? If you want to take a image of the disk in you PC, just boot the Acronis CD.

I assure you DSL will share out your disk, yes even NTFS to the network.

What EXACTLY are you wanting to do???

[ProclaimDragon]

I want to backup one partition on the hard drive that is on the PC to the laptop. The laptop is working, I have an OS installed and it's where I'm posting this from. I want to network to the PC so I can backup the PC's hard drive to the laptop.

I already tried to create a bootable rescue media from Acronis but the cd doesn't boot. I don't know why, it just says "Loading Acronis Setup" but it doesn't do anything else... Well, When I booted DSL, I went into /mnt and I couldn't see any partition there that belonged to the PC's hard drive... Where are they located or am I missing something? And how do I configure the network on DSL to be on the same local network has the laptop and workgroup?

[+BudMan MVC]

Even if you boot DSL an share out the partition on the PC.. how exactly do you plan on taking an image of it from the laptop? Copy files over yes -- not take an image of it.

To take an image of th partition that is on your PC -- boot the acronis CD. Or you could use any of the other FREE image taking softwares out there. http://www.sysresccd.org/Main_Page is one of my fav, or there is http://clonezilla.sourceforge.net/ or PING (partimage is not ghost) http://ping.windowsdream.com/ or g4u http://www.feyrer.de/g4u/ etc.. etc... almost any linux distro I can think of comes with partimage, etc.

As to DSL, what does some partition not being automounted to /mnt have to do with putting it on your network? if you behind a router an your router is running DHCP, booting DSL using dhcp will put in it on your network. If not setup a static IP that is on the same network as your laptop, ie if your 192.168.1.0/24 ie your laptop is 192.168.1.100 255.255.255.0 then make DSL 192.168.1.101 255.255.255.0

Did you not read any of the documentation? Your going to have to mount what partition you want to share/access, rightclick on the screen an pick mount.

If you then want to share a mounted partition out to the windows world -- your going to have to install the server side of Samba -- from the mydsl applications -- pick net, there is the samba server

But once you have mounted your partition -- it might be just easier to copy the files you want to save to your laptop, either by running say a ftp server on your laptop. Or just using the smbclient on DSL an connect to a share on your laptop an copy over the files you want to save.

As you can see here - DSL booted dchp an got an IP address from my dhcp server -- see the 192.168.1.186 address, after you have mounted your partition you want to copy files from.. You can then just access a share off your laptop using the smbclient.. As you see here I connected to my kidsdell C (adminshare) an now I could put files from my locally mounted ntfs drive to the their machine.

Or you could mount a share on your laptop to the DSL as well.

[ProclaimDragon]

First, thank you for all the help your providing... Second, why not an image? And I would boot the acronis cd if I could, but the cd doesn't boot. I already told you that on my previous post.

I didn't read the documentation because I don't have time to do it, I rather use some other distro where I'm more comfortable using like Ubuntu. DSL seems to confusing for me and I don't want to waste my time learning how to use it... And I think I got closer and maybe I'll be able to back up the files the way I want. I'll just try it out in a few minutes, right now I'm busy!

[+BudMan MVC]

An how exactly do you plan on taking a image of a share? from your laptop? Do you even know what take an image means?

Users wonder why they can not get any thing to work, an why stuff never works the way they want it to, etc..

"I didn't read the documentation because I don't have time to do it"

There's the reason right there! If your so familiar using Ubuntu?? WTF you having to ask questions for - or looking for some other liveCD? Ubuntu has a liveCD -- an btw, using smbclient or samba is exactly the same in whatever distro your using ;) Same would go with the use of partimage, etc.

Here's a hint -- spending a few minutes to RTFM is only going to save you headaches an issues, an will SAVE YOU TIME in the long run!

Good luck -- I have given you everything you need to either take an image of your hard drive using one of the many FREE tools available since your Acronis CD will not boot.. An I guess can not be bothered with figuring out why :rolleyes:

Or how to use DSL to connect to your laptop an copy your files over, the use of SMBclient would be the same in any distro.

[ProclaimDragon]

Yes from the laptop and I know exactly what take an image means...

No, that's not the reason, DSL is too confusing and there are simpler distros out there that I rather use. Distros that also have more documentation available and more organized, easier to read then DSL. And I never said I was so familiar with Ubuntu, but I'm more familiar with Ubuntu then with DSL and I rather use Ubuntu over DSL.

The problem is not exactly choosing a LiveCD and/or using. It's configuring the share so I can access it from Windows on the network. That's the issue.

I'm currently booted into Ubuntu LiveCD and I've already mounted the partition I want to access and configured the network the same way every other PC/Laptop I have at home is configured and they all (included the LiveCD) can access the web. Meaning everything (network wise) is correctly configured.

The problem now, is to share a specific folder on the Ubuntu LiveCD and browse it in Windows (Vista by the way) so I can access that shared folder. The problem is here, I'm not able to share a folder in the LiveCD with Windows, I've searched and found a few guides but I must be doing something wrong because I just can't access. Sometimes I could see the Ubuntu computer in the network list on Vista, but I'm not able to access it. It asks for a password and I don't know which is the root password on the Ubuntu LiveCD. I tried to change the root password but it didn't work out... Once again, I must be doing something wrong...

I appreciate the many free tools you recommended but I rather use Acronis.

Edited November 18, 2007 by Nazgulled

[ProclaimDragon]

Ok, nevermind... I managed to configure Samba somehow... I can now access the partition I want to backup and I'm currently backing up.

Thanks everyone for their support.

[+BudMan MVC]

Backing up -- or taking an image?

Again I ask if you know what take an image means?? There is quite a bit of a difference between making a copy of some files from your share, an take an image.

Using acronis to backup some files is not a "full disk clone through acronis installed on my laptop"

From your OP it would seem you wanted to take an image of your laptop -- an store it on the PC without an OS's installed on that disk...

Do not confuse acronis taking some files an placing them in a file as an "image" of the hard drive using the "my data" option for the source of the backup. It's nothing more than their version of your files in a zip ;)

[ProclaimDragon]

Making a backup or making an image is almost the same thing. It's just a matter of perspective. And in my perspective, what I exactly wanted to do it's basically the same thing. Either way would do it but what I really wanted was to create an image from Acronis (I have my reasons). For some reason (using "my data") I wasn't able to backup with Acronis, it popped up a bunch of errors saying it couldn't read the files from the network... Whatever, I just copied all folders and files.

You want to know what's even stupid? All this time I've been searching google, posting here, testing this and that I didn't realized one little thing that would save me much time. I have an external USB disk which I just plugged in while running Ubuntu LiveCD and backed up everything. That easy... I only remembered that when I finally got the networking and sharing working. :/

[Joel]

  Nazgulled said:

Making a backup or making an image is almost the same thing.

They're not even close to being the same thing. I can backup an entire Unix server using the cpio command, but that's not an image.