Safe way to access linux file server from a linux laptop

[erikr]

Hi, 

 

After several years of stationed linux deskotp I now have a laptop. I still have a server though, and I still like to access files on the server.

 

Problem is that with a Laptop I will go in and out of home network/server coverage. If I NFS-mount directories from the server and leave home with the laptop I may lose information or simply hang the laptop big time. 

 

So what options do I have to access the server safely? Are there any alternatives to NFS that is better? Does it exist a file-system-layer based on FTP or can I access files similar way as with a mobile phone? Or do I set the write cache to 0 to enforce continuous flush? 

 

I use BTRFS on the server but can consider moving to ZFS if that would simplify things. 

 

BR

Erik

 

[Peje]

Hi to connect to home you can setup vpn, I prefer openvpn. To automagically mount have a look at autofs.

Greets peje

[j-g-]

SFTP, you do know ssh right? man 1 sftp, and a web search should give you the info you need to use it, many graphical file explorers will even accept:

Ctrl+L -> sftp://[user@]host:[$PATH]

And have to the option to add it as a 'bookmark', and give you and interface that works just like a normal directory on a graphical file explorer, if you setup public key authentication for sshd on the server, it works with just a click after you have 'bookmarked' it.

[erikr]

Thanks Peje.

 

Problem is that when I move from out of home range I do not expect to have network connectivity. That is the core of the problem, how do I mount file systems from server so I can safely lose network and everything related to it.

 

It is a bit sad, I am living just 35km from where the mobile phone was invented (Ericsson Lund, Sweden) and where my former colleagues  researched 4G/LTE some years back, and still I have to use 2G/GSM to maintain working call connection here. I just cannot rely on connectivity, I rather have to relay on semiconnectivity. I have developed a desktop wiki with a text file backend managed by any SCM (git, mecurial) instead of using an online service. I use OSMAnd on my mobile where I can download maps in advance. 

 

Now I have to find out how to deal with my laptop in same way, semi-connectivity.

 

 

BR
Erik

[nrc]

Sounds like a sync solution might be better than a file system mount for what you're talking about.  Lots of options but I don't have experience with them to recommend.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_synchronization_software

[poliakov]

if you go to a sync solution, seafile is a great soft

[erikr]

if you go to a sync solution, seafile is a great soft

This is a judgement for the community edition I suppose?

 

Anyone also tried Syncthing (which is in portage)? Perhaps compared the two?

 

Sounds like it also would also solve backup of home directories on our devices as well. And the problem with music files I have created on .waw, they are a bit to large for Mercurial  SCM that I use for things I like to save otherwise :)

[poliakov]

Yes seafile community edition , i didn't try syncthing. Before seafile i used owcloud sync client who doesn't work so well

[Havis]

You can use "net-fs/sshfs" to safely connect to your server.

All you need is publicly accessible IP on your server & opened SSH port

 

syntax is something like this:

sshfs username@host:/   local_directory/

(local_directory is a directory in your home-dir)

 

You can also try "net-misc/unison" for two-way synchronization, or unison + rsync, once you have remote dir mounted.

 

If you need single software that does it all try BORG (e.g. app-backup/borgbackup), but this is usually only used on servers to make differential backups.