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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

CachyOS File Sharing Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to file sharing on CachyOS, including Samba (Windows file sharing), NFS, and network file sharing setup.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding File Sharing
  2. Samba Setup
  3. NFS Setup
  4. Accessing Shared Files
  5. Troubleshooting

Understanding File Sharing

What is File Sharing?

File sharing allows accessing files over network.

What it does:

  • Network access: Access files from other computers
  • Centralized storage: Share files from one location
  • Cross-platform: Works with Windows, Linux, macOS
  • Convenience: Easy file access

Why use file sharing:

  • Network storage: Central file storage
  • Backup: Network backups
  • Collaboration: Share files with others
  • Convenience: Access files from anywhere

Samba Setup

What is Samba?

Samba provides Windows-compatible file sharing.

What it does:

  • Windows compatibility: Works with Windows
  • SMB/CIFS protocol: Windows file sharing protocol
  • Cross-platform: Linux, Windows, macOS
  • Easy setup: Simple configuration

Installing Samba

Install Samba:

sudo pacman -S samba

What this does:

  • Installs Samba server
  • Provides file sharing
  • Makes sharing available

Start Samba:

sudo systemctl enable --now smb.service nmb.service

What this does:

  • Enables Samba at boot
  • Starts Samba services
  • Makes shares available

Configuring Samba

Edit Samba config:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Add share:

[myshare]
   path = /path/to/share
   valid users = username
   writable = yes
   browseable = yes

What this means:

  • [myshare]: Share name
  • path: Directory to share
  • valid users: Allowed users
  • writable: Allow writing
  • browseable: Visible in network

Create Samba user:

sudo smbpasswd -a username

What this does:

  • Adds user to Samba
  • Sets Samba password
  • Required for access

Restart Samba:

sudo systemctl restart smb.service nmb.service

What this does:

  • Applies configuration
  • Makes shares available
  • Updates Samba

NFS Setup

What is NFS?

NFS (Network File System) is Linux file sharing.

What it does:

  • Linux-native: Native Linux file sharing
  • Fast: Good performance
  • Unix-like: Works well on Linux/Unix
  • Simple: Easy configuration

Installing NFS

Install NFS:

sudo pacman -S nfs-utils

What this does:

  • Installs NFS server
  • Provides NFS sharing
  • Makes sharing available

Start NFS:

sudo systemctl enable --now nfs-server.service

What this does:

  • Enables NFS at boot
  • Starts NFS server
  • Makes shares available

Configuring NFS

Edit exports:

sudo nano /etc/exports

Add export:

/path/to/share 192.168.1.0/24(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)

What this means:

  • /path/to/share: Directory to share
  • 192.168.1.0/24: Allowed network
  • rw: Read-write access
  • sync: Synchronous writes

Export shares:

sudo exportfs -ra

What this does:

  • Exports all shares
  • Applies exports file
  • Makes shares available

Accessing Shared Files

Accessing Samba Shares

From file manager:

  1. Open file manager
  2. Go to "Network" or "Browse Network"
  3. Find Samba server
  4. Enter credentials
  5. Access shares

From command line:

smbclient //server/share -U username

What this does:

  • Connects to Samba share
  • Prompts for password
  • Access share

Mount Samba share:

sudo mount -t cifs //server/share /mnt -o username=user

What this does:

  • Mounts Samba share
  • Makes accessible at /mnt
  • Requires credentials

Accessing NFS Shares

Mount NFS share:

sudo mount -t nfs server:/path/to/share /mnt

What this does:

  • Mounts NFS share
  • Makes accessible at /mnt
  • Network file access

Permanent mount:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add:

server:/path/to/share /mnt nfs defaults 0 0

What this does:

  • Mounts at boot
  • Permanent access
  • Auto-mounts

Troubleshooting

Samba Not Working

Check Samba status:

sudo systemctl status smb

What this does:

  • Shows Samba status
  • Verifies it's running
  • Helps troubleshoot

Check firewall:

sudo firewall-cmd --list-services

What this does:

  • Lists allowed services
  • Samba may be blocked
  • Allow Samba if needed

Allow Samba:

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=samba --permanent
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

What this does:

  • Allows Samba through firewall
  • Makes shares accessible
  • Fixes firewall issues

NFS Not Working

Check NFS status:

sudo systemctl status nfs-server

What this does:

  • Shows NFS status
  • Verifies it's running
  • Helps troubleshoot

Check exports:

sudo exportfs -v

What this does:

  • Shows exported shares
  • Verifies exports
  • Helps troubleshoot

Additional Resources

Summary

This guide covered:

  1. Understanding file sharing - What it is and why use it
  2. Samba setup - Windows-compatible file sharing
  3. NFS setup - Linux file sharing
  4. Accessing shares - How to access shared files
  5. Troubleshooting - Common file sharing issues

Key Takeaways:

  • Samba for Windows compatibility
  • NFS for Linux-native sharing
  • Configure shares in config files
  • Set up users and permissions
  • Allow through firewall
  • Mount shares for easy access
  • Test connectivity if issues occur

This guide is based on the CachyOS Wiki and Arch Linux Wiki and expanded with detailed explanations for beginners. For the most up-to-date file sharing information, always refer to the official documentation.

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