What is Remote Drive Mapping?

The same easy access is available on Macintosh 10.3 and GNU/Linux operating systems.

With Windows 98, software called Samba enables working with files on RCI. With Samba, both individuals and departmental account owners may find Samba a useful collaborating tool for maintaining Web sites, developing lengthy documents or extensive spreadsheets, or for maintaining files in their home accounts.

What Do I Need to Use Samba?

1. A valid RCI or Eden account.
2. For access off-campus, the Cisco VPN software configured to connect to the Rutgers network.
3. A Samba password, which must first be obtained by clicking on the Samba Access link on the Webtools page at http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/webtools/ or for Eden account owners, the Samba Access link on the Webtools page at http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/webtools/ o. The Samba password, separate and distinct from the RCI or Eden password, will be sent to the account owner's e-mail address. The same holds true for RCI departmental accounts and Eden student organization accounts.
   
4. A computer using the Windows 98 Second Edition operating system.
5. The path to connect to the shared folders. There are two Samba paths available:
   • www, the public_html directory in which Web page files are kept.
   • homes, the special directory on the account which users are allowed to access to work with files.
6. The name of the host (such as RCI or Eden) upon which the share is located.

Important Information about Windows 98 and Samba

Obtain a Samba password via the RCI or Eden Webtools page (see What Do I Need To Use Samba?). Then:

1. From the Windows desktop, Right-Click on the My Computer icon and select Map Network Drive:

   

2. The Map Network Drive dialog box will appear.
   
   
3. In that dialog box, select an available drive letter next to Drive
   • In the space provided for Folder enter the desired path for an RCI_drive or EDEN_drive directory. Enter either \\rci.rutgers.edu\homes to mount the home directory of the account or \\rci.rutgers.edu\www or \\eden.rutgers.edu\www to mount the public_html directory of the account:
   
   
   
   
   
4. Click OK and in the Enter Network Password dialog box enter the unique Samba password that was sent by e-mail to your RCI account. The case-sensitive password associated with the Rutgers NetID will not work. Note: the Samba password can be cut and pasted from the e-mail message to the password field.
   
   
   
   
   
5. A Samba folder will be available as a drive on the My Computer:
   
   
   
   
6. Files can now be moved, removed, and accessed as if the files were on the local computer the account owner is using.

Common Errors and Solutions

1. The Network path \\rci.rutgers.edu\www (or \\eden.rutgers.edu\www) could not be found

   That error could mean one of three things:

   1. Your network connection may be unavailable. Try visiting several other web pages both at Rutgers and off-campus.
   2. If you are using a computer off-campus, you may need to connect to the Rutgers Network with the VPN software before trying to map a drive using Samba. Information about VPN can be found at http://oit.rutgers.edu/vpn
   3. The special Samba directories may not yet exist on the account. For example, there may not be a public_html directory on an account so the www share won't be able to connect. A public_html directory can be created by connecting to an RCI or Eden account with SSH and entering the command mkdir public_html. A directory called RCI_drive or EDEN_drive is automatically created for the homes share when remote drive mapping is enabled, and should not be deleted. If that happens, use SSH and re-create the directory using the command mkdir RCI_drive or mkdir EDEN_drive.

Creating a New Windows 98 User Account

1. Click through the Start menu to the Control Panel:
   
   
   
   
2. Double-click on the Users icon to open the User List:
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click the New User button. The Add User dialog box will open:
   
   
   
   
4. Click Next to progress to entering a user name. Enter your RCI or Eden NetID (e.g. jsmith. Windows will automatically capitalize the first letter but that will not impede Samba access):
   
   
   
   
5. Enter a password, if desired. If you decide to use a password, it will allow access only to Windows 98 on the computer and not the RCI account, nor any Samba shares. OIT strongly recommends using a password other than the one associated with the Rutgers NetID:
   
   
   
   
6. Click Next to open the Personalized Items Settings dialog box. Make absolutely sure the option to Create copies of the current items and their content is selected so the new user account will be able to access shortcuts on the desktop, individual files, folders containing important documents, etc. Leave the other boxes unchecked:
   
   
   
   
7. Click Next to continue. The Ready to Finish dialog box will open:
   
   
   
   
8. Click Finish. The personalized settings will be copied to the new user account and the system will return to the User List, and contain the new user name, in this case, "jthomas":
   
   
   
   
   
9. Click Close to complete creating the new user account.
   
   
10. Successful mapping of a network drive with Samba relies upon logging into Windows 98 with the user name that matches the NetID on the computer. Simply log off any other users on the machine:
    
    
    
    
11. Answer Yes to the logoff dialog box prompt, then log into Windows 98 with the new user name/NetID match:
    
    
    
    
    
12. Once the computer completely starts, a connection to a Samba directory on RCI can be established.

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