Arch Linux

Description: While it is possible to mount cifs remote-filesystems with autofs with appropriate map-definitions and also mount shares of a SPECIFIC SINGLE host with the auto.smb program-map, it is not possible to browse and access all SMB-servers in the same fashion as the Windows network-neighbourhood. Existing options (file-managers, smbnetfs, etc.) are unsatisfactory as they by-pass autofs and cifs sacrificing performance and scalability (e.g. with the multiuser-feature of cifs).


Additional info:
* package version(s): Current repo-versions (synced yesterday
* config and/or log files etc.

Feature-request: Arch-Linux as cutting-edge distribution should offer a solution - and I offer to contribute a system I have spun off from auto.smb which works briefly as follows:
- 3 new program-maps map a single smb-share ("smbshare"), shares of a given server ("smbhost", referencing the previous map), or a complete neighbourhood tree ("smbtree", again referencing the first map). This last one actually creates and updates file-maps for the whole tree.
- a special "smbroots" file-map activates the third program-map mentioned in last bullet. In principle it (or similar "activation-maps") could also provide a single host, single share, single domain, or flat list of all servers (all domains) in browsable form.
- these maps are added to auto.master appropriately
Result: Under the autofs mount-point of the "smbroots" map one can browse and then access the complete neighbourhood (in configurable form, e.g. with/without all servers on same level as domains) - but lazy mounting assures that any one share is mounted just once and only on demand.

If you are interested in adopting/supporting this I can provide as-is/unsupported - I lack the time myself to package or support it for broader use.

Regards, Martin