Set up a shared W11 folder across multiple computers to enable Free File Sync access.
Set up a shared W11 folder across multiple computers to enable Free File Sync access.
I've been tryin a boat load of distros to see if i can use Free File sync (FFS) on the Linux PC to access a shared folder on a W11 Pro PC in my home. In Windows, I just go into the file explorer, and under Network i open that shared folder, and save my credentials (user name in that W11 PC and password). And then FFS offers that network location as an option to browse to. But in Linux, only the more modern distros (mostly the KDE ones using Dolphin explorer, like Debian, Fedora, Suse, and also Ubunto (not using Doplhin) are able to locate the shared folder and let me enter the credentials. but none of them lets me select that shared folder (or any network location from FFS, and drag/drop also doesn't work. Since i tried so many distros, i suspect some additional step is needed. Someone in the FFS forum suggested i need to mount that shared folder with Samba. How do i do that? when i access that folder with Dolphin, it shows me that shared folder within an "SMB" folder. So Dolphin already seems to mount this. But how do I mount it so that FFS also can access it? i currently have Debian 13 KDE stable installed. but i also can try on a live-session if a different distro would work better. And i had googled for this, but came up with contradicting "solutions" and all of them required to at some point enter the shared folder path... ideally i find a GUI way to do that (like in Windows!) since i don't know the path and don't want to enter books of code in the terminal. Especially if that has to be done every time i want to sync. I'm also open to trying a different software than FFS is that automates the mounting. But all the Linux solutions i found seem to "auto-sync". i use FFS as a backup tool and manually initiate a "mirror" operation. thanks in advance
Yes, you're right. The aim is to connect a Windows PC to a Linux system using SMB/Samba. It's usually the simplest method and you can mount it through the command line or set it up automatically at boot using fstab.
I need to understand how to verify the details when mounting from a W11 PC to a Linux machine. I should check if there’s an IP address or password information available through the terminal. On my other W11 device I didn’t see any IP details, which makes me wonder if there’s more happening behind the scenes. I also checked tools like Syncthing, which is already installed on my Linux system, but it’s designed for syncing rather than full mirroring. Perhaps I need to adjust my backup approach. In Windows, simply clicking the option works without needing an IP address. I’m curious if there’s a different software that offers a more transparent GUI for this kind of mirroring. Meanwhile, I’ll experiment with syncing and test mock folders to see how it functions. Right now, I’m unsure if this setup is meant for regular file operations or just a command-line utility.
I dont see why you need FFS. As accessing a shared folder via samba the files are automatically sync'd to the host (the windows share). Linux is the client. Any file you add/remove in the client is updated on the host. Any file you add/remove on the host is seen by the client. No files are kept on the client FFS does not support the smb:// protocol (what Dolphin uses to access the share). FFS only supports regular folder paths. The work around is to mount the shared folder to a folder on the linux filesystem. You configure FFS to read this folder. You can do so by manually mounting the share via mount -t cifs command or by editing the fstab file (will auto mount share on boot). There is no perfect GUI for this. I find it best to use terminal for setting up the samba share
Reverse the direction of file movement. Changes from host to client are not allowed. Only files that differ or are new will be transferred. The mirroring feature checks both locations and updates accordingly, ensuring only necessary files are handled. Version tracking remains intact, allowing you to revert if needed. This setup clearly displays the applied settings without requiring manual command input.
I didn't miss it. Mounting seems tricky, especially with the terminal. The example you saw doesn’t explain how to access shared folders directly. I switched to Suse TW, which offers more built-in mounting options—though I’m still figuring it out. Regarding IP addresses, I don’t have details on the specifics needed for mounting a folder. As for your questions: yes, files from your host PC should appear on your Linux client once mounting is complete. Mounting appears dynamic, so changes on the host should update automatically. Windows can access shared folders easily, while Linux may need a different approach—probably why you’re seeing the difference. It should work once you understand the process.
When sharing files on the local network, your IP will represent the LAN address of your Windows computer. You can verify this via Windows Settings > Network or by executing the "ipconfig /all" command in PowerShell. The output usually appears as 192.168.x.x WIndows using Workgroups. Samba supports workgroups but requires proper setup. https://dev.to/kenjidoom/file-sharing-us...ws-10-1bcm This example applies to Ubuntu and works across various Linux distributions.
Google is your ally. Set up a CIFS with the password you specified. You can use the hostname or assign a fixed IP in your router and reference that. No, it's a network share; the files reside on the winPC but are reachable from the linPC. Since it's a Windows share, it's tailored for Windows environments. There are also user interfaces such as Gigolo (thanks to Gemini) that simplify the process. It's impressive how, instead of spending hours mastering command-line tasks, you can navigate through several Linux options in just a few clicks.
Linux can reach shared files directly without needing manual mounting. Dolphin can open and access the shared folder just like I do in Windows Explorer. So it can. However, Dolphin often crashes. They’re almost there if they could stop those crashes. There are other reasons to try different distros, but all face the same issue—Dolphin being buggy and crashing. Suse appears to offer ways to handle Windows domains and workgroups. If that doesn’t work, the next distro I’ll try is W11.