Since the computer is running Windows NT 4 and doesn't support USB drives out of the box, and I'm a bit worried about installing new software (e.g. old versions of filezilla via oldapps) on a computer on which a lot of people rely, I have two options:
* use SMB i.e. a windows share
or
* use ftp
I'm having all sorts of trouble getting my samba to work well at work -- my computers are sitting on a 192.168.2.0/24 LAN behind a router connected to the corporate network which has proper IP addresses (i.e. not using a reserved private network address space). I haven't managed to get my computer behind the router to 'see' the other computers and their shares at work beyond my router . I can, however, connect directly to the computers using e.g. smbclient -- they just won't show up in e.g. nautilus under windows network or using nmblookup. At any rate, connection directly to the target computer prompts me for a password and it seems that there are no open, accessible shares on that computer, only password protected ones.
Win NT has a DOS ftp client, so I finally decided to set up a quick and dirty ftp server on my workstation in my office so that I could transfer a couple of data files to figure out my other issue -- whether I have any piece of software that can actually open the masslynx .raw files. Turns out that neither wsearch32 nor openchrom can, so the exercise has been somewhat futile, although it has to be said that I'd like to be in charge of any raw data that leads to publications, and so I should be able to manage the storage of it myself.
Note: ftp is an inherently unsafe method since it doesn't use encryption. Use a separate user for this with no privileges, change the password of that user regularly, and close port 21 whenever you aren't using it in order to not advertise that you are running an ftp server. Use ssh/sftp if at all possible.
Anyway, setting up an ftp server was easy.
This method follows this post, http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=79588, almost verbatim.
First install proftpd
sudo apt-get install proftpd
Edit /etc/shells:
# /etc/shells: valid login shells /bin/csh /bin/sh #/usr/bin/es #/usr/bin/ksh #/bin/ksh #/usr/bin/rc #/usr/bin/esh /bin/dash /bin/bash /bin/rbash #/usr/bin/screen #/bin/tcsh #/usr/bin/tcsh #/bin/ksh93 /bin/false
sudo adduser ftpuser
su ftpuser cd ~ mkdir download mkdir upload exit
Edit /etc/proftpd/proftpd.conf. In addition to what was already there, I added
UserAliasOnly on UserAlias spinebill ftpuser ExtendedLog /var/log/ftp.log TransferLog /var/log/xferlog SystemLog /var/log/syslog.log AllowStoreRestart on <Directory /home/ftpuser> Umask 022 022 AllowOverwrite off <Limit MKD STOR DELE XMKD RNRF RNTO RMD XRMD> DenyAll </Limit> </Directory> <Directory /home/ftpuser/download/*> Umask 022 022 AllowOverwrite off <Limit MKD STOR DELE XMKD RNEF RNTO RMD XRMD> DenyAll </Limit> </Directory> <Directory /home/ftpuser/upload/> Umask 022 022 AllowOverwrite on <Limit READ RMD DELE> DenyAll </Limit> <Limit STOR CWD MKD> AllowAll </Limit> </Directory> Include /etc/proftpd/conf.d/
su ftpuser chsh -s /bin/false exit
Check the syntax:
sudo proftpd -td5
Test:
ftp `hostname`I have since tested this from the Win NT 4 computer and everything is working well. I had to familiarise myself with the windows ftp client first: http://www.nsftools.com/tips/MSFTP.htmConnected to beryllium. 220 ProFTPD 1.3.4a Server (Debian) [192.168.1.1] Name (beryllium:me): spinebill 331 Password required for spinebill Password: 230 User spinebill logged in Remote system type is UNIX. Using binary mode to transfer files. ftp>
