I doubt this is possible, but it?s worth asking. I know that many drives today connect to a computer through a USB device and that I can include the path to that device as a Samba share. I just want to clarify this is NOT what I?m talking about. I have several devices that are controlled through USB connections on one side of my workshop and the workstation on the other side - behind a curtain where it?s protected from sawdust in the air. The distance is too long for a USB cable. I?ve tried USB-over-Ethernet, but that doesn?t work. (The two locations are joined by fiber running over the ceiling, since we?ve had equipment damage in the past from lightning blowing out whatever is connected to the ethernet cables!) Also note that I know there is a project, USB/IP, that lets you share a USB port over a network, but it works for Linux and Windows. Within the next year my Linux workstation in the workshop will be replaced with a Mac, and there?s no support for a Mac with USB/IP. There seems to be a few developers who have created new versions of this and are selling it. I?m still trying to get a few answers from one that supports Mac. That may work, but I won?t know it for a while. I?m wondering if I can put a Raspberry Pi, running Linux, near the devices, in a screened box (to protect it from sawdust), connect my USB devices (including things like a CNC system and a 3D printer, but also other items), and then share the device node file in /dev over Samba. While I have done a lot of programming, I?ve never had to handle that kind of IO on Linux. My understanding (which could be seriously wrong!) is that IO with many devices is handled by reading and writing to the device node in /dev. If so, I would think sharing that node through Samba would allow me to mount it on another system and read and write to it from that other remote system. Has anything like this been done with Samba or is it possible to make this work? Hal
On 09.02.2022 19:13, Hal Vaughan via samba wrote:> I doubt this is possible, but it?s worth asking. > > I know that many drives today connect to a computer through a USB device and that I can include the path to that device as a Samba share. I just want to clarify this is NOT what I?m talking about. > > I have several devices that are controlled through USB connections on one side of my workshop and the workstation on the other side - behind a curtain where it?s protected from sawdust in the air. The distance is too long for a USB cable. I?ve tried USB-over-Ethernet, but that doesn?t work. (The two locations are joined by fiber running over the ceiling, since we?ve had equipment damage in the past from lightning blowing out whatever is connected to the ethernet cables!) > > Also note that I know there is a project, USB/IP, that lets you share a USB port over a network, but it works for Linux and Windows. Within the next year my Linux workstation in the workshop will be replaced with a Mac, and there?s no support for a Mac with USB/IP. There seems to be a few developers who have created new versions of this and are selling it. I?m still trying to get a few answers from one that supports Mac. That may work, but I won?t know it for a while. > > I?m wondering if I can put a Raspberry Pi, running Linux, near the devices, in a screened box (to protect it from sawdust), connect my USB devices (including things like a CNC system and a 3D printer, but also other items), and then share the device node file in /dev over Samba. > > While I have done a lot of programming, I?ve never had to handle that kind of IO on Linux. My understanding (which could be seriously wrong!) is that IO with many devices is handled by reading and writing to the device node in /dev. If so, I would think sharing that node through Samba would allow me to mount it on another system and read and write to it from that other remote system. > > Has anything like this been done with Samba or is it possible to make this work? > > > > > HalHi Hal, Get some Intel NUCs instead. There is an enormous choice of different models, with different capabilities, all with Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB. Just install a small NVMe SSD, RAM, install and configure your favorite Linux distribution with Samba, or what you need. Everything in one small box. Ready to use. It's not worth the hazzle working with remote USB. Too fickle, and too non standard. Been there, done that. Good luck, Peter
On Wed, 2022-02-09 at 13:13 -0500, Hal Vaughan via samba wrote:> I doubt this is possible, but it?s worth asking. > > I know that many drives today connect to a computer through a USB > device and that I can include the path to that device as a Samba > share. I just want to clarify this is NOT what I?m talking about. > > I have several devices that are controlled through USB connections on > one side of my workshop and the workstation on the other side - > behind a curtain where it?s protected from sawdust in the air. The > distance is too long for a USB cable. I?ve tried USB-over-Ethernet, > but that doesn?t work. (The two locations are joined by fiber running > over the ceiling, since we?ve had equipment damage in the past from > lightning blowing out whatever is connected to the ethernet cables!)Can a linux computer control your CNC machine etc ? If so, you could consider VNC, x2go etc and remote desktop into the computer instead of trying to share the USB port. Rowland
Am Wed, 9 Feb 2022 13:13:01 -0500 schrieb Hal Vaughan via samba <samba at lists.samba.org>:> and then share the device node file in /dev over Samba.Linux device nodes are just some kind of links that tell the system to talk to the device of major number x and minor y. If you share such as simple file over the network, it would translate to your client (if it also works that way, at all) looking for device x:y _locally_. AFAIR the Plan 9 project with the associated network protocol intended to do more network transparency also of devices in the manner you desire, but that's not what Samba does. So I second the recommendations to set up a system that offers remote desktop and file sharing on the dirty side and have the client with display and human input on the other side. Alrighty then, Thomas -- Dr. Thomas Orgis HPC @ Universit?t Hamburg