KDE @lemmy.kde.social ian @feddit.uk 10 mo. ago

Sync to Samba Share via GUI [ unsolved ]

I’m looking for a way in Plasma to backup and sync my data from PC to a LAN Samba share on my NAS, using a GUI program.

The many sync apps (Grsync, Unison, Lucky, RealTime, Kup etc.) I’ve tried over many years, don’t let me set a remote/samba target. Most navigate locally only. I would mount the share, but nobody I’ve found knows of a GUI way to permanently mount it.

Everything else I need on Plasma has a GUI solution. Just a sync fails. I’d be grateful to hear of a GUI solution

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38 comments

try Smb4K
- Thanks. I already tried Smb4K. It finds the LAN shares and mounts them. But they are only mounted when Smb4K is running. I need them permanently mounted.
  
  You should be able to access SMB shares in Dolphin by typing smb://[ip address] in the location bar. If needed you can also set default username and password in System Settings->Network->Settings->Windows Shares.
  
  Also, you can make Smb4K start automatically with Plasma by adding it in System Settings -> Workspace -> Startup and Shutdown -> Autostart.
  
  I've never really used SMB, so maybe there are better solutions.
  
  @ian @leopold
  I believe you can add a mount in fstab with the nofail flag, so the pc still boots even if the share is not accessible
  
  //192.168.0.5/storage /mnt/data cifs guest,uid=myuser,iocharset=utf8,file_mode=0777,dir_mode=0777,noperm,nofail 0 0
  
  Thanks. I'm sure that is technically possible. However I'm looking for an easy GUI way to do this for non IT specialists. Plasma fails badly here. Unless I'm missing a trick...
  
  @ian
  You only do it 1 time, then you can access it via dolphin.
  Also, do you really need it mounted? You can always access your share in dolphin directly via network -> smb shares.
  Another option is to add smb4k to autostart.
  And to conclude, I don't think any de specifically allows you to to that, so that's not a kdes' fault
  
  Typing magic spells is not something I want to explain to my kids. Bad usability is bad usability, even if they have to do it just once. Also it's not always worked for me. Maybe I got just 1 letter wrong? That is the weakness with a hack. Some time ago I did autostart smb4k. But after a while it no longer mounted any shares. Also I suspect running an app just to mount the share seems like an iffy workaround. Does everyone do it? And no I don't really want to mount the share at all. Yes I can already access it via Dolphin easily. But then I'd have to manually copy any new files and navigate to folders every time. More poor usability compared to 1 click in a sync app. I think Plasma is better than this.
  
  You're right, there probably should be a GUI way to do this but the GUI is literally going to do exactly what you described as a 'magic spell'. All GUIs in Linux just run commands like the one above in the background. Everything starts out as a command and sometimes people make a GUI that run it. Naturally not every command has a GUI yet.
  
  Framing this as a hack or magic spell is the wrong way to think about it.
  
  For what I use Linux for, Inkscape, Blender, web browser etc. do you think they send text commands from the GUI to another UI, the CLI? Sounds like an inefficient, legacy irrelevance to the user.
  
  Remember this a usability issue, so for non IT users, incoherent text strings or commands are indeed magic spells. Any inappropriate UI is bad usability. They have put a lot of effort into usability on Plasma. So it's quite a shame that they got this so wrong.
  
  @ian @Lem453
  
  > do you think they send text commands from the GUI to another UI, the CLI? Sounds like an inefficient, legacy irrelevance to the user.
  
  This is literally what programs do in one way or another.
  
  @ian
  I still don't get how this is a plasma issue. It's more of a "linux mindset" issue.
  
  I just meant that, as a Plasma user, there is a missing function. And backing up is quite important too.
  
  @ian @Lem453
  
  They didn't get it "wrong". There's a million ways to do it, no matter what system you're using and none of them is zero effort. If you don't test your backups somewhat regularly, you don't have backups.
  
  Your kids shouldn't need to worry about backups. Script them.
  
  If you're scared of a cli and you're not willing to step out of your comfort zone, go for MacOS with Time Capsule, which is the only fully integrated solution that brings you zero involvement.
  
  It doesn't have to be zero effort. But it's good to have commands available for non IT specialists too. Where they don't have to learn IT or memorise complex commands or use an unfamiliar type of UI. Usability.
  
  My kids need to learn about backups. Backups should be easy. They are easy on Windows or Android. It could be easy on Plasma too.
  
  Script them? That sound like a lot of IT skills are needed for that. I've never seen or used a script. Nor have my kids. Telling non IT users to do that is going to scare people back to Windows.
  
  You might be into IT tools, and not in to usability. But this is a usability issue. If I can find a GUI way that you haven't heard about because you are not interested in the GUI, then that is a benefit to Plasma non IT users, as I can share it around. Telling Plasma users to use another OS because Plasma can't do it is quite bad. Especially if it turns out Plasma 'can' do it.
  
  I'm not 'scared of the cli'. I'm scared of wasting my time. I'm scared other people being told to use inappropriate tools and end up dropping Linux thinking it's a nerds OS. I'm prepared to put effort in, to try out lots of methods to find appropriate solutions. And share the results.
  
  @ian
  
  > That sounds like a lot of IT skills are needed for that. I’ve never seen or used a script. Nor have my kids. Telling non IT users to do that is going to scare people back to Windows.
  
  You might be surprised, but you could have both learned scripting and already have a working solution in the time you spent replying to this thread.
  
  Windows is a good solution to people who don't care how something works.
  
  > I’m scared of wasting my time.
  Learning something useful is never a waste of time
  
  Also it seems like this app allows windows shares as the remote location
  
  https://flathub.org/apps/org.gnome.DejaDup
  
  Thanks. Yes Gnome is better for apps accessing the LAN. And Deja Dup does connect as I'd expect. But it creates special files that can't be accessed on the LAN itself. Only via restore, that cant be used by other PCs or if you change your distro. So yes there is almost a way with Plasma. But if that is totally useless, it's still a fail.
  
  @ian
  > Also I suspect running an app just to mount the share seems like an iffy workaround.
  
  There is always some process mounting the shares, be it graphical or not, even on windows
  
  > And no I don’t really want to mount the share at all.
  
  Ah, yes, then you can try freefilesync, it supports a bunch of clouds and ftp, smb, etc
  There is also rclone
  
  There is always some process mounting the shares, be it graphical or not, even on windows
  
  OK. Thanks. I thought the fstab entry looked a lot less involved, process wise.
  
  Ah, yes, then you can try freefilesync, it supports a bunch of clouds and ftp, smb, etc There is also rclone
  
  Freefile sync Files mode, can't navigate to the LAN and Cloud mode only has SFTP, FTP and Google Drive. I tried anyway and it did not like it. Maybe there is a trick.
  
  Rclone command line tool has a web GUI mode. I'll try that next. Edit: No go. It seems the command line is needed to launch the rclone Web interface.
  
  @ian
  For rclone I use this: https://kapitainsky.github.io/RcloneBrowser/
  
  As for freefilesync, I mixed it up with something, sorry. You are right, it doesn't support smb sadly
  
  Yes I tried the RcloneBrowser. But there is no way to create a new Sync in the GUI. Only manage already configured ones. Unless it's well hidden.
  
  @ian
  Yes, but doing it in terminal doesn't require any obscure commands, it will guide you through and ask questions for everything

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