sharing files between windows and linux?

I just downloaded and installed Parallels Workstation on Windows Vista (host). I then installed Ubuntu 7.10 as a guest.

How do I share files between Windows and Linux?

(p.s. - sorry if this has been covered a million times before - I really did search these forums and the parallels knowledge base and such before posting here).

 

Hello,

unfortunately you can use shared files options only when you have Windows as Guest OS.
Sorry for inconvenience.

Best regards,
Stacey

 

Thank you for your reply!

Unfortunately, that greatly limits the usefulness of this product for me. Hopefully this will be addressed in the near future?

 

You can set up samba to share a shared folder between windows and linux. Since Vista is the host, set up a folder to share on the Vista side and then in linux use an smb browser like linneighborhood or smbbrowser to attach to the shared folder and you can swap files through that share. Works much better than shared folders feature in parallels tools which has a tendency to corrupt the timestamps of the files and folders anyway.

Tested using linux vm on linux host. Windows vm on linux host set up the same way and both work pretty much the same.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I've attempted that just using nautilus (via samba) in Ubuntu. I was easily able to connect to shares (NTFS) on a different Vista computer on the network, but while I am able to see my own computer on the network (within Ubuntu), I was unable to see or access shares on my own Vista computer - I get a connection error.

I will double check share permissions and such, but can anyone suggest what I might be missing here? Has anyone successfully used this technique to share a folder with Vista as host and linux as guest?

Thanks!

 

At the end of my reply, I've already said I've tested both scenarios. Perhaps your username/password in your linux guest is different from your Vista host's username/password?

 

I appreciate you taking the time to try and help out. Sorry if I misunderstood you - in your previous post, you indicated that you had tested a linux vm on linux host and windows vm on linux host. I'm trying to set up a linux vm on a windows host - but maybe I have my terminology confused?

Anyway, I am using the same user name/password for both the windows host and the linux vm. When I connect to my other Vista computer on the network (from within the linux vm), I'm asked for my user name and password and then the shares appear (as SMB folder icons). I'm even able to create and save files. When I try to connect to my Windows host from within the linux vm, it's just blank - it doesn't ask for name/password and no shares are displayed. I know my Vista host has shares that are accessible by any user (guest) on the network - it's just not visible from within the linux vm.

I thought I might have discovered the problem when I realized that both my Vista host and the linux vm had the same host name. But I changed the host name of the linux vm (and rebooted) and now both show up in the linux vm, but still the same problem.

 

Vista host firewall on? Is it set to pass packets from the guest vm? Are they on the same network/subnet with different ip addresses?

 

Vista host firewall is off.

Regarding the network, spurred on my your question, I investigated and find I'm a bit confused now.

The vista host has a static IP address and connects to the network (and internet) through my router. I first checked the linux vm which was set to use DHCP but didn't seem to be using a unique IP address (only the loopback of 127.0.0.1). Then I checked the vista host's virtual NIC for Parallels and it's IP was off the map - so I set it to a unique static IP within my subnet. I also noticed it was set to Public network, so I changed it to Private (which is actually less restrictive as far a network discovery goes).

Then back within the linux vm, I tried all sorts of network settings - DCHP, static IP set to the same as the vista host virtual NIC, different static IP address - always the same - I can navigate to the workgroup - see all the computers listed, but when I click on the vista host, it thinks for a while and then get an error message : "folder contents could not be displayed".

Seems like there's either a network configuration conflict between the vista host and linux vm or there's some kind of folder sharing permission issue between the vista host and linux vm.

 

titetanium, may I ask how you configured your network settings both within your windows host and your linux vm?

 

Let's see, l'll post my linux guest vm/linux host machine config to help guide you.

In host based networking, you set it up as follows:

Linux host: ip address: 192.168.x.y (static is preferred)
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.x.z

Parallels vnic0: ip address is 10.37.x.y (typically already set up for you by default)
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 10.37.x.z (typically already set up for you by default)

Linux guest: ip address is 10.37.x.a (static is preferred)
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 10.37.x.y <--- this is the vnic0 ip address

This allows communication between guest vm and host machine at all times whether you have connectivity or not through your wired/wireless card. To grant guest vm internet access, you need to enable ICS on your Vista host, and configure NAT between vnic0 and your host ip address. Additionally, you may have to enable ip forwarding (done by modifying the registry, take care) to vnic0 so you can reach your guest vm shares from your host if desired.

In Bridged networking mode, you set it up as follows:

Linux host: ip address: 192.168.x.y (static is preferred)
netmask: 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.x.z

Parallels vnic0: ip address is 10.37.x.y (typically already set up for you by default)
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 10.37.x.z (typically already set up for you by default)

Linux guest: ip address: 192.168.x.v (static is preferred)
netmask: 255.255.255.0
gateway: 192.168.x.z

No additional tweak is necessary but it does depend on your wired/wireless card. If either is down, you can't share nor see between guest and host at all until you have connectivity on your wired/wireless card. A workaround for this is the shared folders feature in the parallels tools but this isn't provided with linux guests though.

Notes: I don't use dhcp; too many problems.

HTH,

Titetanium

 

Thanks again... I really appreciate your help.

I'll keep working on it.

 

did you find a solution? I hit that same wall

 

Quite unfortunately, no. My trial ran out and I gave up. Hopefully they'll support this product a little more actively in the future (like they currently do for the Mac version) and I'll be able to give it another shot.