Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Connecting to a USB hard drive that's attached to a network router

Connecting to any storage media in linux is called "mounting".

Many home routers have a USB port where a hard drive can be connected. This creates a simple network attached storage (NAS) device that can be shared by the other computers/devices on the same network.

This is an example of how puppy linux can mount (connect to) this kind of NAS. Exact instructions on how to set it up for all routers isn't possible since there is no standard router interface. Hopefully this example will serve as a guide for the steps that may be required.

For this example:
-Router = Cisco/Linksys E1550 (works for many other Cisco models)
-Router GUI interface IP address = 192.168.1.50
-username = admin
-password = admin

-When a USB drive is plugged into this router, the entire drive is shared by default.
This can be changed by using the routers GUI interface if desired.

-The USB drive's IP address is the same as the GUI interface = 192.168.1.50

Use your browser to log into the Router GUI interface IP address, this router has a Storage tab that shows the drive has a single partition named NTFS.
<image router.jpg>

In puppy, open menu>network>yassm samba share mounter>setup and enter the data into the fields, depending on your hardware you may have to use different vers= values, like 2.0, 2.1 or 3.0.
<image yassm.jpg>

Click the test button and the NAS should open in a rox file manager window.
<image nas_mount.jpg>

If all went well you can now click the set button and save the configuration.

This was tested on fossapup64-9.5, dpup stretch 7.5, and bionicpup64-8 and should work on most modern puppies.

wizard

Thanks for that setup. It happens I do use the E1550 router.

Useful info, wizard. Thanks for that.

Our old BT (British Telecom) router used to have TWO of these USB ports, though only one was for the 'user'; the other was for their technicians to connect their company-provided "ToughBook" lappies with their own diagnostic software installed. That port wouldn't recognise anything else....

I used to have a 500 GB Seagate USB 3.0 HDD connected to the BT router, and it worked well for some years. Ever since we switched ISPs to TalkTalk.....no more USB port. You want to connect a NAS hard-drive, it CAN be done; but you have to use a wireless-enabled HDD. I've heard quite a few horror stories about these things..!

Shan't be investing in one, I don't think.

Mike.

@mikewalsh
Was setting one up for my daughter, really a quick and painless, low hardware required, low maintenance way to get a shared drive on the network. When I couldn't find any easy instructions for mounting with puppy (or linux in general) I decided to do the "how to". Tried several different ways of mounting and thought that using yassm was the easiest to explain.
To bad you lost your usb router connection, you could always just connect another router (with usb port) to your talktalk box. Here in the US they can be inexpensive on ebay.
Never had any experience with wireless drives, but would think it would be easier and/or cheaper to just set up an old computer running puppy as a file server. Certainly adequate for home or small office use.

wizard

you know what works really well is a set up running a LAMP or LHMP and owncloud. Local cloud and NAS and easy to access from all across the home net.

https://owncloud.com/