View Full Version : transfering files in home network

13th June 2009, 10:08 PM
Basically, I want to access/send files to/from another computer in my homenetwork, which are behind the same router as myself

tried looking for something like that but couldnt find, halp
what apps do I need to use?

other computers are behind windows

13th June 2009, 10:41 PM
I'm sorry, I'm not quite clear on this--do you mean, the other computers are running Windows and you wish to transfer between Linux and WIndows?

If so, one quick way is to install winscp


on the Windows machines. Using that, you can set up an sftp (ftp over a secure connection) to a Linux box, the same as you would use ssh between two Linux boxes, with a pretty easy-to-use graphic interface.

The other way is to install samba on the Linux machine, and modify /etc/samba/samba.conf. (In many cases, it will work more or less out of the box on a home network). Then, in Windows Explorer (assuming Vista still has that, or at least in My Network Places, you should be able to connect with something like


(That's assuming your Linux box is at, of course.) :)

You'd first have to add your username to smbpasswd, I believe. There are all sorts of quickie guides on samba, all over the place, which can probably easily walk you through it.

Although, not having used Gnome in awhile, I don't remember, but doesn't Nautilus (its equivalent, more or less, to Windows Explorer), have a go to network thing, where you can browse the Windows machines and access shared files?

13th June 2009, 11:02 PM
the ftp method sounds good, but does that mean I need opened ports?

might go for samba

but about the nautilus and network access thing,

14th June 2009, 01:07 AM
Not having Gnome with anything, I'm afaid I can't help troubleshoot that one. :-(

Probably a firewall or selinux issue, but I don't know if it works with samba, has its own thing or what.

As for winscp, the only port that would have to be opened is ssh, port 22 by default. Note that works from the Windows side--that is, while on the WIndows machine, you can see the Linux machine.

For Linux to see the Windows shares, you will probably have to play with samba.

Doing a quick google search on the error "failed to retrieve share list from server" indicates that it might be a nautilus, as opposed to samba issue.

Here's a thread that might be useful. (No guarantee, I'm talking about something that I know almost nothing about.) :)