Simplest method of sharing files?

[lesliek]

My computer runs with Fedora Core 3.

A friend recently gave me an ancient laptop (working) and I got it running with Damn Small Linux v 2.2b. (It didn't have enough RAM to run Fedora.)

I bought an Ethernet switch and, by plugging into it my ADSL modem and the two computers, I'm able to connect to the Internet via both computers simultaneously.

What is the simplest method by which I can transfer files between the two computers via the switch?

I've been trying to find via googling some basic information which would answer that question, but haven't succeeded.

[GrayFox]

Ftp is fairly simple , Install a client/server on each box and have at it. Fedora even
supports a drag and drop "connect to server" interface.

Jerry

[Zigzagcom]

If you have sshd running on both machines, you have connectivity out of the box.
In a graphical environment open up the file browser, click on File-->Connect to Server and select SSH from the "Service type:" dropdown box. Enter the IP address of the machine, the port number (22) to connect to, the username of the account on the machine you are connecting to, and then hit "Connect ". Keep in mind, you need port 22 open on both firewalls.

You should be prompted for a password. There will be a bit of overhead for the traffic, since it is encrypted, but what the heck.
You may have also noticed a slew of other protocols/services you could have used from the dropdown box,
but you'd have to set up the environment.

[pparks1]

SCP is the easiest. It starts for secure copy and it uses SSH

The generic syntax is :
scp source destination (just like copy)

Example:
Machine1=Your FC box
Machine2=DSL box

To copy a file called /etc/file.txt from Machine 1 to machine2
From the console of Machine1: scp /etc/file.txt user@machine2:/etc/file.txt
From the console of Machien2: scp user@machine1:/etc/file.txt /etc/file.txt

Hope that helps.

[lesliek]

Thank you to the three of you for replying to my question.

I tried what seemed to me to be the simplest suggestion of all, using scp, but even that was beyond me and I therefore assume the two other suggestions are as well. Here's the situation so far:

First, each computer does have scp on it.

Secondly, I have no difficulty opening port 22 in my FC3 firewall (Firestarter).

Thirdly, editing the DSL firewall is beyond me. I did ask earlier in a DSL forum how to do it, but got no answer.

Fourthly, I therefore turned off the DSL firewall to try the experiment.

Fifthly, I issued the following command on the DSL computer:

sudo /usr/bin/scp /ramdisk/home/dsl/.filetool.lst leslie@10.1.1.1:/home/leslie/.filetool.lst

The output I got was:

ssh : connect to host 10.1.1.1 port 22: Connection refused
lost connection

I know that that result was not caused by the FC3 firewall, because it doesn't show that it refused a connection, whether from 10.1.1.7 or at all.

If anyone has any suggestion as to how I establish what's going wrong, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks again to the three who replied to my original question,

Leslie

[Zigzagcom]

Yeah, I tried finding info on the firewall and iptables in DSL, but came up with nothing.
The documentation is not that good. I'll try a few more ideas...

I went to this link and searched for the terms firewall, iptables and netfilter with no results.
http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/distros/dsl/
There is a command called "sudo /etc/init.d/ssh start", so try and figure out if sshd is running on the dsl machine. It certainly is a different animal. It actually refers to the program "ssh start", so maybe it is only the ssh client you have on it.

[lesliek]

What I found was that there were two files, iptables.dsl and rcfirewall.dsl, which together were needed. I understand that they're compressed files. Whether one can uncompress them, edit them and then recompress them, I don't know.

[Zigzagcom]

Strange...but interesting. Trying to get a distro onto 50 Mb cannot be easy. What is the extension on those files? (.tar/.gz)

[lesliek]

When I ask for the properties of each of the two files with the extension ".dsl", I'm told the following:

"File Type: gzip compressed data, from Unix".

[hcaglar]

Hello Lesliek ,

On FC3, sshd service may be down.
You can test it by opening console and type:

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sshd status

if it is not running, please try:

/etc/rc.d/init.d/sshd start

If it was not running, you can enable it on console again:

chkconfig sshd on

As an alternative to DSL, you may also give a try to Puppy Linux which is being developed by an Australian :-)
You can try it as a live CD. If you like it. it has an option to install onto HD.

[pparks1]

Your problem is here

ssh : connect to host 10.1.1.1 port 22: Connection refused
lost connection

Since scp uses ssh, just try this

ssh leslie@10.1.1.1

see what happens. If it says denied you got something in the way. You can stop the Fedora firewall with service iptables stop.

[lesliek]

Thank you to those who've replied to my latest confession of ignorance.

hcaglar was correct to wonder whether sshd was really running on my FC3 machine. It wasn't. I've now turned it on by default, at least while I'm trying to get this file-transferring going.

As to trying Puppy Linux, just like I chose FC3 when I decided to try to use Linux on my "real" computer, I chose DSL when I decided to try to use Linux on an ancient laptop. I thought I'd be best to "get with the strength". I'm happy I chose DSL, because, even though I don't have an adequate understanding of these things, I do understand enough to know that it's marvellously ingenious. I think it's a privilege just to see it in operation.

As to pparks1's latest message, here's what happened when I typed "ssh leslie@10.1.1.1" at my prompt on my FC3 computer:

"ssh: connect to host 10.1.1.1 port 22: Connection refused"

As I sat there looking at that output, I looked at my prompt and wondered what would happen if, instead of typing "leslie@10.1.1.1", I typed "leslie@localhost".

The following is what I got:

"[leslie@localhost ~]$ ssh leslie@localhost
The authenticity of host 'localhost (127.0.0.1)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is [16 sets of 2 alphanumeric characters separated by colons, the whole followed by a full stop]
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'localhost' (RSA) to the list of known hosts.
leslie@localhost's password:
Last login: Tue Apr 4 07:43:17 2006"

I don't know what, if anything, the above output signifies.

Given that, when I started this, sshd wasn't running on the FC3 computer, I tried to find out whether it was running on the DSL computer. I found the man page for sshd, which seemed to me to suggest I would get useful information if I issued the command "sshd --test", so I did.

Here's what I got:

"Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key
Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key
Disabling protocol version 1. Could not load host key
Disabling protocol version 2. Could not load host key
sshd: no hostkeys available --exiting."

Finally, as to my Fedora firewall, I made an inbound traffic policy rule, which allows the service SSH on port 22 for 10.1.1.7.

I'd be grateful for any further advice.

Thanks again,

Leslie

[Firewing1]

You have to forward the ports on your router as well
Firewing1

[lesliek]

Gee, I'm glad I didn't ask about the hardest method of sharing files!

Thank you, Firewing1, for alerting me to the need for a port forwarding rule, which I created.

I've now reached the following stage: I can transfer a file from my DSL computer to my FC3 computer, but not vice versa. I assume that's because my DSL firewall is set up to permit outbound connections, but not inbound ones.

Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, I don't know how to edit the DSL firewall and had no success in getting an answer when I asked earlier how to do that in the DSL forums. I think I'll have to return to the DSL forums and see if I can find an answer by reading other threads.

Thank you again to all who've replied to my queries.

[pparks1]

You have to forward the ports on your router as well

Not it both machines are on the same subnet behind the router. You only have forward ports in a router if you need external internet hosts to be able to hit inside hosts.

Lesliak, I didn't even think to suggest making sure that SSHD was running. With a default installation of Fedora it is turned on. You do have to set the local firewall rule to allow traffic on port 22....which I know you have now done.

Wish I knew more about DSL so I could help you with that firewall setup, but I don't use it myself, so I don't have anything helpful to add.