AC-RT3100 - Sharing External HD via Samba... confusing

[JaimeZX]

Been searching for a while; seems like the best place to ask the question since I can't find anything.
AC-RT3100, Merlin 384.3, Windows 10

Trying to share an external via the router. I don't understand why this is so difficult. Possibly making this harder than it needs to be.

Most logical place to look would be USB Tools > Media Services and Servers > Network Place (Samba)

* Enable share - ON
* Guest login - OFF
* Connections - 5 (default)
* Device name - ASUS
* Workgroup - WORKGROUP

The drive will show up in the bottom window, I can create a user and see folders in the router GUI.

In Windows, however, no luck.

The Asus guide suggests I should see the router in Explorer > Computer, or Explorer > Network... but I do not.

I can open the drive by typing \\192.168.x.1... which is GREAT, but I cannot create any shortcuts or call that a drive letter because Windows sees that as a server and not a drive. I'm hoping I don't need to try and move 5TB of stuff into a single folder on the external just so I can Map Network Drive.

Help? Suggestions? Glad I found this forum, I've picked up several useful tips so far while searching for an answer to this.

 

[RMerlin]

A network drive can only be mapped to a share, regardless of whether you access it through the Network Browser or directly by its URI. Once you're inside the server, simply right-click on the shares you wish to map to a network drive.

 

[JaimeZX]

A network drive can only be mapped to a share, regardless of whether you access it through the Network Browser or directly by its URI. Once you're inside the server, simply right-click on the shares you wish to map to a network drive.

Yes. What I'm trying to avoid is having 84 drive letters, one for each folder on the external HDD plugged into the router. If necessary I will drag everything into a single folder, so that I can make that folder a drive letter... even though that will be weird when the external is plugged directly into the computer.

Would be nice if /tmp/mnt/ would be the \\192.168.x.1\ and then the /tmp/mnt/DroboMedia/ would be available for assigning a letter...

 

[RMerlin]

Yes. What I'm trying to avoid is having 84 drive letters, one for each folder on the external HDD plugged into the router. If necessary I will drag everything into a single folder, so that I can make that folder a drive letter... even though that will be weird when the external is plugged directly into the computer.

That's how it's done on any NAS, it's not specific to using a router for USB disk sharing. You create one or two shares that you map to network drives, and all the sub-folders containing your data is stored within those few shares. They never put many folders at the root.

 

[JaimeZX]

Sure, I guess that makes sense. Just not something (I think) most [Windows] users think about when they get a new external... putting everything inside a folder in the root of the drive, because it's not what you do with an internal HD. :dunno: Anyway, guess I'll make those changes.