File Management
Now that your network and keyboard are set up, you an now configure your systems so that data is available between the two. We will be doing most of this through hidden Windows shares and mapped drives.
Shares and Mapped Drive
Since you are going to want to have the same access to all files from both machines, it is going to be important to set up network shares for all of your drives. By default, a hidden share is created for each drive. If Computer2 has only a C: drive (which is what I recommend), then you should be able to map all of the drives and resources for each system so that it looks almost identical.
The only issue will be the C: drive since both systems will have a C: drive. What I recommend is using the R: (for remote) drive to refer to the C: drive on the other machine.
I also suggest that you set up a hidden share for your My Documents on Computer1 and then redirect your My Documents on Computer2 to Computer1.
So, for example, this is how your systems could look:
USB Drive Issue
The one issue that you can have with this approach is when you are using USB drives. Since USB drives do not recognize mapped network drives, they can attempt to usea drive letter that is already mapped. What you would need to do is go into the Disk Manager in Windows and change the drive letter to a letter that is not being used. The next time that you put this USB drive into the system, Windows will recognize it and give it the same drive letter. But remember, each time you put a new USB drive into the system, you will have to go through the process again.
Mapping Drives
To map a drive letter, simply follow these steps:
- Open My Computer
- Go to Tools → Map Network Drive…
- Select the drive letter that you want to use
- Type in the network share for the folder
- Make sure that Reconnect at logon is checked off
- Click Finish
The following example will map R: to \\Computer1\C$ (Computer 1’s C: drive):
Redirecting My Documents
To redirect your My Documents, simply follow these steps (using the example given):
- Right click on your My Documents on Computer2
- In the Target tab, use \\Computer1\MyDocuments$ for the target
- Click OK
Tips
Some useful tips when setting up your file shares:
- Make sure that Reconnect at logon is checked off when mapping drives or else have some other way of mapping the drives perminantly (i.e. a startup script)
- Make all of the hidden network shared read only with the exception of the My Documents share which should be read/write. This way you will be able to easily access data but minimize data access conflicts.
- Try to limit accessing DVD drives by both systems at the same time. This can really slow down performance of the drive.
- If you are not certain how to create a hidden share, see HowTo Create Hidden Windows Shares.
System Backups
Since you have two systems running, it is a really good idea to backup information between systems. You can use a program such as Cobian Backup to mirror your files between systems. Another option would be to use DeltaCopy.
Conclusion
I have been working on this systm for some time now and I am really happy with how this setup performs. It is flexible and allows me to work seemlessly between the two systems.
But, there are always things that can be improved. Give me your thoughts about how I could make this system even better.
If you found this post useful, why don't you buy me a cup of coffee to show your gratitude?
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February 19th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
So my question is how well does Synergy work with Beryl and AIGLX? My desktops are Windows XP and Ubuntu… so I haven’t tried Synergy yet.
February 19th, 2007 at 5:27 pm
ChamPro: It should work fine at Synergy works independent of the desktop interface and hooks into the mouse, keyboard and clipboard. I have two Synergy setups, one at home and one at work.
My home is Ubuntu Edgy with Beryl/Nvidia/OpenGL(Desktop) with Ubuntu Feisty (laptop) and it works lovely.
February 19th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I’ve used synergy with ubuntu (but not beryl) I would expect it to work as faultlessly as described in this article.
February 19th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
If you use Windows in the main computer you can also use WIN2VNC. It’s a VNC client that works like Synergy but you can connect to whatever other machine that has a VNC server installed. Ideal if your other machines already have VNC server running. Everything works fine, any OS is ok, because it only needs a VNC install.
Anyway, Synergy is superior, IMHO.
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:53 pm
That’s real cool. I assume each computer needs a dedicated local IP?
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
This is very interesting. Pardon my ignorance, but what type of connection cable is needed between the pc’s then?
And once its hooked up, its just a matter of using the synergy software?
Thanks.
April 5th, 2008 at 3:14 am
Thank you so much. If I set up USA operations, you´ll be someone I have to look up. I´ve seldom seen such an intelligent and thought through description with added information and exactly what I was looking for (I have several KVM´s). Great job! Since I´m in Germany it´s hard for me to buy you a cup of coffee. If I have a project in the USA I´ll be happy to ask you to join in.