Linux question: (possibly Redhat specific) How to serve network files via FTP?

[BatmanNate]

Hi,

I am currently using e-smith's SME server v5.5 (based on the Redhat 7.2 Kernel I believe) as a Web, Mail, and FTP server, in addition to it being my gateway/router. I am relatively inexperienced in the *nix world, I've had some past Redhat experience and a decent amount of FreeBSD tinkering, but nothing significant. (mainly just setting up simple routers)

My question is this: Is it possible to share a drive on an NT machine (XP Pro) on the local network, and serve this content via FTP from the SME (linux) machine? From what I understand, there is a way to mount the network drive (using SMB or some such thing, I don't know how) but from what I understand of the nature of FTP in linux, it will create a home directory of each user account on the system, and give FTP access to that. Now, how could I mount this share into either all of the home directories respectively, or make them a part of a group and mount the drive in a common directory if that is even possible?

Here are what look to be my other options:

1. Move the content onto the server itself. Problem: No drivers for my RAID-5 card, and no space for 4 drives in the server.
2. Keep the FTP server on the existing Windows machine, and forward the correct ports to this machine. Problem: From what I understand, this is difficult and it will not be accessible to everyone. Also a dire security risk.
3. Have the server send all FTP requests to the local IP of the Windows machine, similar to the above. Problem: I believe this does not work with SME, unless the windows machine in question also has an external IP.

Any input and ideas would be greatly appreciated. I have been mulling over this for sometime, and seaching a variety of web forums and documention for a solution.

 

[Nothinman]

Well you could mount the share via smbfs and then in all the users home directories create a symlink to the mount point, that way they'd just have to go 1 directory below their home dir to get to the files.

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Well you could mount the share via smbfs and then in all the users home directories create a symlink to the mount point, that way they'd just have to go 1 directory below their home dir to get to the files.

Can somebody help me out with that? I don't know how to do either of those things.

 

[Nothinman]

in /etc/fstab:

//server/share /mnt/some/directory smbfs auto,username=bob,workgroup=workgroupd,password=password

Then in the user's homedirectory run:

ln -s /mnt/some/directory ./smbmounted-directory

Obviously replace them with the appropriate directories and you should be fine.

 

[BatmanNate]

I will try it and report back. Thank you very much for your help!