SOLVED: Why is sharing so hard when it's supposed to work out of the box?

[revhead]

I thought the whole idea of Amahi was to make it easy. To make it work out of the box.
Now after at least 6 reinstalls I am finally up and running having gained internet access only by manually entering the settings in Fedora during the setup process.
I've even got as far as installing apps and I've even paid for one.
BUT
I'm beginning to think Fedora and Amahi have a bit of a disconnect. I don't think they are communicating the way they should be, at least not in full . . .
The generic shares that are supposed to work out of the box (that is the idea isn't it?) DON''T and I find myself back on the Linux merry-go-round AGAIN. Linux always promises so much and delivers it all piece by piece begrudgingly - nothing ever works the way it is supposed to.
Here I am trying to copy files from my Kubuntu box to the generic shares in Amahi so I can SHARE them (that is the idea isn't it?) and I keep getting access denied messages no matter what I do.
Talk about deja-vu. I had the exact same thing happen the other week with Kubuntu/Samba and just like then you want me to spend hours slaving over the command line to enable the permissions that should be there in the the first place (that is the idea isn't it?)
Amahi looked really promising and I really really wanted to like it - but I'm not feeling the love.
Now I feel better.

[bigfoot65]

Understand you are frustrated, but we need the facts.

Now after at least 6 reinstalls I am finally up and running having gained internet access only by manually entering the settings in Fedora during the setup process.

What guidance did you following for installation? Why did you have to manually enter settings for internet access? Can you elaborate?

The generic shares that are supposed to work out of the box (that is the idea isn't it?) DON''T

Again, need specifics here. Did you consult the Amahi wiki for guidance on connecting Linux clients with shares? If you are not an advanced Linux user, that might be necessary.

just like then you want me to spend hours slaving over the command line to enable the permissions that should be there in the the first place (that is the idea isn't it?)

Command line for basic capabilities should be rarely needed. However, Linux is not Windows so there is a bit more command line required that many are used to performing. Remember Linux is FREE, Windows is not. It still has it's shortcomings, but getting better over time.

Amahi looked really promising and I really really wanted to like it - but I'm not feeling the love.

To best help you, we need to address the specific issues and what steps you have taken with each. It would also be helpful if you could provide the URL for the following:

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apaste --sysinfo

We try our best to accommodate users and want you to have a good experience. Over the years, we have found most have little or no difficulty with Amahi. For those that do, it's often a user error or failure to follow documented guidance. Not saying that is the case with your experience.

[revhead]

Thanks for your prompt reply. Yes I'm frustrated. Sorry.
Followed the installation guide. At last install I thought I'd try entering network settings under Network and Host Name, reason being that instead of eth0 my network adapter is indentified as emp2s0. I read that Amahi only works with eth0. So I renamed it eth0 and gave it the fixed IP that I chose ie. 192.162.1.250. That and disabling DHCP finally got me connected.
At this stage I'm reluctant to disable DHCP in my router, a Fritz!box 7490, which sits behind a bridged TP-Link W8950N because the modem in the Fritz has problems with ADSL exchange. Maybe later.
With DHCP disabled in HDA I was able to connect, download and install apps but the apps don't work - I get the server not found error.
Apart from this I can see HDA shares from my Kubuntu box, but if I try to access them it asks for username and password - this doesn't work. Shares are set to access all users, writeable and visible. I tried creating new user and giving them access - this doesn't work either. So here I am where I started trying to change permissions for a share with Linux, this time with Fedora instead of Kubuntu.
Happy days.
https://paste.fedoraproject.org/449787/39657214/

[bigfoot65]

At last install I thought I'd try entering network settings under Network and Host Name, reason being that instead of eth0 my network adapter is indentified as emp2s0. I read that Amahi only works with eth0.

That's quite not correct. Amahi only works with a single network card enabled. You should follow the install guidance exactly and not deviate from it. That is the tested install that works for most.

The connectivity issue is likely the root cause to all your problems. Recommend you do a complete install from scratch and follow the install guidance without deviation. If after the Amahi install and reboot, you don't have connectivity then stop. From here you should try one or two more reboots to see if network connectivity is present.

Once you have connectivity, you can then proceed with the transitioning to your Amahi server steps. Until this is all complete, recommend you don't try installing any apps or changing any other settings.

Then if not, follow the network troubleshooting guidance. If you still have problems, report back here and await further guidance. Please don't proceed with trying other things until we can determine the root cause for your issue. Otherwise it further complicates diagnosis.

Try this and please report back. We have found most issues users have with the initial install is from not following the documented guidance or trying to fix a problem without verifying the solution is proper.

[revhead]

I've tried reinstalling AGAIN.
Before doing so I deleted and created a new profile with a new install code and I did not deviate from the install instructions.
So, here I am back where I started once AGAIN.
My HDA box has connectivity. It can ping the router, Google and the Kubuntu box that I am writing this on from the CLI.
But that's it.
There are no apps available to install.
And if I try to access any of the shares over the network it asks for a password. My administrator username and password that I log into the HDA box from the CLI does not work.
What next?

[bigfoot65]

Please try rebooting the server a few times:

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sudo reboot

Sometimes the network does not start properly after Amahi install. Rebooting often fixes it.

Also check if you can access the Dashboard via IP address.

Report back before proceeding so we can determine the next step.

[revhead]

So . . . I'm getting closer to making this work.
After numerous reinstalls I have now have my HDA up and running and have been able to install some apps.
Along the way I discovered that bypassing my router and connecting directly to the modem solved most of my connectivity issues.
Once the HDA found a connection it remembered the correct path when I reverted to using the router and now shows the HDA's correct IP under DNS aliases ie. 192.168.1.* instead of 10.0.0.* which it was showing before.
After this I still had problems writing to shares, but there seems to be two issues here:
1. after editing smb.conf on the HDA I can navigate to and write to the shares (they do not work out of the box)
2. for some reason using Dolphin to browse and copy files to and from my Kubuntu box does not work - Thunar however does.
At this stage I have DHCP turned off in HDA but I have the DNS server in my router set to the HDA's IP address.
At this stage my one remaining problem (I think as I write this) is that the symbolic links to the apps I installed in dashboard don't work - they take me to amahi.net? in the case of Extplorer to Extplorer.amahi.net. I thought pointing the router to the HDA for DNS might help this?

[bigfoot65]

1. after editing smb.conf on the HDA I can navigate to and write to the shares (they do not work out of the box)

The do work out of the box, but not for you for some reason. You should not edit the smb.conf file. Amahi autogenerates that file and will overwrite any changes you make. What are you changing in the smb.conf file that cannot be done with the dashboard shares tab?

2. for some reason using Dolphin to browse and copy files to and from my Kubuntu box does not work - Thunar however does.

Not sure what the issue would be here.

At this stage my one remaining problem (I think as I write this) is that the symbolic links to the apps I installed in dashboard don't work - they take me to amahi.net? in the case of Extplorer to Extplorer.amahi.net. I thought pointing the router to the HDA for DNS might help this?

You say symbolic links, but do you mean favorites or bookmarks? Symbolic links are to files on a file system. Yes having the router use the HDA DNS should fix that
issue.

If you are making manual modifications or not following the install instructions as documented, you will have issues.

It seems many of your issues are the result of your network configuration as indicated by the comment regarding your router. There are many different routers and configurations, so Amahi is designed to work with the basic router setup. We cannot cover all scenarios and router brands as well as accommodate for router configurations made by the users.

[revhead]

I install an app from available apps list, for example eXtplorer and it adds a launch icon, symbolic link or whatever you want to call it to my dashboard.
BUT if I click on it to the launch the app it doesn't work. I takes me to the address extplorer.amahi.net instead - with the message If you arrived here after a fresh Amahi install, your network may need a few adjustments in order to make your Amahi HDA fully functional.
Uninstalling and reinstalling doesn't help?
This has got something to do with DNS and name resolving doesn't it?

[bigfoot65]

This has got something to do with DNS and name resolving doesn't it?

Yes. If your client machine is not using the HDA DNS, then apps will not work.

See the FAQ for more info.