Baslinux mailing list

[qwms-avib AT dea.spamcon.org]

James Miller wrote:
> 
> Having gotten a bit more comfortable with networking 
> now, I've begun to wonder how I can transfer files 
> between computers on my network.  

BasicLinux (ramdisk) has a built-in ability to transfer 
files across a network.  I use it a lot (even for shifting 
files from one DOS system to another).  First you establish 
the network (insmod, ifconfig). Then you enter "receive" 
on one system (after cd-ing to the directory where you want 
the transfer to go) and "send" on the other.  It's a rough 
technique, but it works.

> Can anyone suggest other ways of transferring files/
> data on my network?  

NFS is probably the most convenient.  It enables you to 
mount a remote server on your directory tree and copy/
save/delete/execute just like an ordinary sub-directory.  
No dedicated client is required.  The mount command in 
BasicLinux is able to do this.  All you need is an NFS
server running on the remote system.  It is part of the
tcpip1.tgz package (n6).  

> It seems ftp would work, given the right settings and 
> software.  

Yes, but it is less flexible than NFS and not as easy to
use.  You need an FTP client on one machine and an FTP
server on the other.  Both are part of the tcpip1.tgz
package (n6).

> Telnet should allow this as well, but I have yet
> to discover how that would work.  

Ordinary telnet is not designed for this (although
in some cases you can use "script" or other tricks 
to get a local copy of a remote file).  

HTTP is an option.  By running an HTTP server on the 
remote system, links (or other browser) can be used 
to access it.  BL1 has a small HTTP server add-on 
(there's even room for it on the first BL1 floppy 
-- so you can carry an HTTP server in your pocket).

> Anyway, please offer any suggestions you can think 
> of for file transfer/sharing on my small home network.

For raw, one-off transfers:  "send"/"receive"
For permanent, regular use:  NFS

NFS requires a server running on one system.  This
increases the load on that system and (if the network
is exposed to the internet) opens up the possibility
of malicious intrusion.  It is wise to use a recent
Linux distribution (with the latest security fixes) 
to run the NFS server.  BasicLinux was not designed 
for this purpose (although it is possible to run an 
NFS server on BasicLinux).

Personally, I sometimes run an NFS server on BasicLinux. 
However, I always kill it when I am finished using it, 
and I *never* go online with the NFS server running.

Cheers,
Steven