110 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
110 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Using merlin_rmount
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#tags:
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keywords: >-
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transferring data, data transfer, rsync, dav, webdav, sftp, ftp, smb, cifs,
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copy data, copying, mount, file, folder, sharing
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last_updated: 24 August 2023
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#summary: ""
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sidebar: merlin7_sidebar
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permalink: /merlin7/merlin-rmount.html
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---
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## Background
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Merlin provides a command for mounting remote file systems, called `merlin_rmount`. This
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provides a helpful wrapper over the Gnome storage utilities (GIO and GVFS), and provides support for a wide range of remote file formats, including
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- SMB/CIFS (Windows shared folders)
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- WebDav
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- AFP
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- FTP, SFTP
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- [complete list](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/using_the_desktop_environment_in_rhel_8/managing-storage-volumes-in-gnome_using-the-desktop-environment-in-rhel-8#gvfs-back-ends_managing-storage-volumes-in-gnome)
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## Usage
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### Start a session
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First, start a new session. This will start a new bash shell in the current terminal where you can add further commands.
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```
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$ merlin_rmount --init
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[INFO] Starting new D-Bus RMOUNT session
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(RMOUNT STARTED) [bliven_s@login002 ~]$
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```
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Note that behind the scenes this is creating a new dbus daemon. Running multiple daemons on the same login node leads to unpredictable results, so it is best not to initialize multiple sessions in parallel.
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### Standard Endpoints
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Standard endpoints can be mounted using
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```
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merlin_rmount --select-mount
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```
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Select the desired url using the arrow keys.
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From this list any of the standard supported endpoints can be mounted.
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### Other endpoints
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Other endpoints can be mounted using the `merlin_rmount --mount <endpoint>` command.
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### Accessing Files
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After mounting a volume the script will print the mountpoint. It should be of the form
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```
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/run/user/$UID/gvfs/<endpoint>
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```
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where `$UID` gives your unix user id (a 5-digit number, also viewable with `id -u`) and
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`<endpoint>` is some string generated from the mount options.
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For convenience, it may be useful to add a symbolic link for this gvfs directory. For instance, this would allow all volumes to be accessed in ~/mnt/:
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```
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ln -s ~/mnt /run/user/$UID/gvfs
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```
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Files are accessible as long as the `merlin_rmount` shell remains open.
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### Disconnecting
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To disconnect, close the session with one of the following:
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- The exit command
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- CTRL-D
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- Closing the terminal
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Disconnecting will unmount all volumes.
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## Alternatives
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### Thunar
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Users that prefer a GUI file browser may prefer the `thunar` command, which opens the Gnome File Browser. This is also available in NoMachine sessions in the bottom bar (1). Thunar supports the same remote filesystems as `merlin_rmount`; just type the URL in the address bar (2).
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When using thunar within a NoMachine session, file transfers continue after closing NoMachine (as long as the NoMachine session stays active).
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Files can also be accessed at the command line as needed (see 'Accessing Files' above).
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## Resources
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- [BIO docs](https://intranet.psi.ch/en/bio/webdav-data) on using these tools for
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transfering EM data
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- [Redhad docs on GVFS](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/8/html/using_the_desktop_environment_in_rhel_8/managing-storage-volumes-in-gnome_using-the-desktop-environment-in-rhel-8)
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- [gio reference](https://developer-old.gnome.org/gio/stable/gio.html)
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