Access & Share Network Files With SmbMate

Posted By: Ryan Thursday, September 11, 2003 11:47:25 AM

SmbMate is a new application that allows Palm OS handhelds to access and share files with computers and network servers. SmbMate uses the popular SMB/CIFS protocol for sharing files and even printers across a network.

SmbMate is a freeware client that implements SMB over TCP/IP transport. SMB (Server Message Block) client/server protocol was designed primary for sharing resources (files, printers, devices) across networks. Now SMB protocol as well as its inheritor CIFS (Common Internet File System) is used on many platforms and operating systems. The most popular implementation of SMB protocol is the Microsoft's implementation. The Microsoft Windows OS family uses SMB/CIFS for sharing their files and printers across network. There are SMB implementations for UNIX, MAC and other systems.

SmbMate By using SmbMate you can:

Establish connection between your PDA and SMB servers;
List files,shares,accounts on server;
Copy/move files from server to PDA's external memory card;
Copy/move files from PDA's memory and external memory card to server;
Delete/Rename files on server;
Change file attributes on server;
Post messages to server;
Shutdown/reboot server;

The program also allows some limited use with shared printers. You can print pre-prepared files on a storage card to a shared printer by connecting to the printer as if were a disk and copying the file from the handheld to the printer.

The developer notes the application is currently 1.0.alpha.3, and there are some bugs and features still to be implemented. It has successfully been tested with server running windows 98 to windows server 2003. It works best with high speed wi-fi connections. SmbMate can be downloaded here.

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Awesome

Fammy @ 9/11/2003 1:07:52 PM #

This is awesome. Congrats to the developer for making it happen.

I wish a had a network enabled PDA to use it. Tungsten C owners, I am jealous.

-- Fammy

RE: Awesome

Fuzzillogic @ 9/11/2003 1:37:44 PM #

T|C? Why, it works just fine on my T|T with bluetooth :)

But indeed an excellent job. Would be great if it could be accessed by VFS. Imagine, streaming MP3's directly from your PC.. :)

RE: Awesome

Keithos @ 9/11/2003 5:09:19 PM #

Try it with Softick PPP (http://softick.com/)...

RE: Awesome

dm @ 9/11/2003 10:29:31 PM #

>But indeed an excellent job. Would be great if it >could be accessed by VFS. Imagine, streaming MP3's >directly from your PC.. :)

Yes. If we could mount remote file systems to any directory of the local VFS file system that would be an excellent feature

RE: Awesome

msd @ 9/16/2003 4:13:57 PM #

Just bought bluetooth USB adapter to connect tungsten t and win xp to use smbmate but having difficulty understanding how to set up the network connection between the two. I do have them recognizing each other. Any advice on where to go for these setup instructions?
msd

RE: Awesome

JackandJohn @ 3/15/2004 2:30:25 PM #

Since purchase, the program is a commercial app pcalled "WiFile"

Quote: "A corporate user with WiFile and a Tungsten C by palmOne can wirelessly access spreadsheets that are on his or her personal computer in the office. And after a hard day at work, a Sony CLIÉ UX50 owner can relax on the sofa and wirelessly listen to MP3 music files, straight from a home computer without having to go to the computer nor synchronize."

Maybe this means streaming? :)

If so, I hope they followed advice on making a share mountable as a VFS device.. Every app I've seen allows selection of the VFS device which means the OS supports multiples simultaneously

Excellent!

Strider_mt2k @ 9/11/2003 1:38:34 PM #

We need more applications like this.

Kudos to the developer!

Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

pdouglas12 @ 9/11/2003 2:02:14 PM #

This just makes it even more unfortunate that there still is no 802.11b SD card for the Palm. Bluetooth just doesn't cut it, even with a BT access point. BT just wasn't made for this kind of networking. We need a Wi-Fi card!

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

2bfree @ 9/11/2003 2:18:34 PM #

Isn't the SDIO interface limited in the amount of bandwith that can be pushed through it? Does anybody know the real world limits to SDIO bandwith on current Palm handhelds?

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

anthonysjennings @ 9/11/2003 2:45:16 PM #

Even if, say, the Tungsten W (or other non-WIFI Palm handhelds with an SD slot) had a SD 802.11b card in it, you couldn't pull any files off an SMB-connected server because it sounds as though you'd be forced to save the files onto an SD card, not into the Palm's internal memory.

...of course, thats not counting any forthcoming 802.11b cards with on-board memory...

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

OrionNE @ 9/11/2003 4:48:10 PM #

I am able to save to my palm or SD card.

OrionNE

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

cbowers @ 9/11/2003 4:56:29 PM #

I guess if they're .pdb's or .prc's but not native formats. Regardless, at least on my T-C I have no option but to save to SD.

Now some will see the reason for rants about dual slots.

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

OrionNE @ 9/11/2003 5:28:08 PM #

Sorry, I was wrong. I just tried it again. I saw the Palm pic and thought you save to palm and the card pic was save to card. You cannot save to palm.

I would have to agree a dual SD slot Palm would be nice. Kinda like what TapWave is doing.

OrionNE

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

cbowers @ 9/11/2003 6:29:36 PM #

"I would have to agree a dual SD slot Palm would be nice. Kinda like what TapWave is doing."

... and before that, Alphasmart Dana, HandEra 330, (Sony gets very little credit yet in that department, but a smidgeon), and still the majority of PocketPC's.

2 memory slots, 128 MB RAM, monster screen, solid case, and

The Ugly Truth @ 9/12/2003 12:25:14 AM #

"I would have to agree a dual SD slot Palm would be nice. Kinda like what TapWave is doing."

... and before that, Alphasmart Dana, HandEra 330, (Sony gets very little credit yet in that department, but a smidgeon), and still the majority of PocketPC's.

You might be very satisfied with Sony's next release.

Sometimes the truth just isn't pretty™

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

ganoe @ 9/12/2003 2:32:18 AM #

> Bluetooth just doesn't cut it, even with a BT access point.
> BT just wasn't made for this kind of networking.

Huh? This should work just fine with Bluetooth.

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

helf @ 9/12/2003 10:11:31 AM #

"You might be very satisfied with Sony's next release."

Will it have a fully supported cf type 2 slot? If not, then I wouldnt be :)

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

murYk @ 9/12/2003 1:50:43 PM #

People,
SmbMate allows to download files (pdb,prc) directly in RAM since version 1.0.a.6 (now in testing, will be published tomorrow (Sep 13) for subscribers of smbmate-announce maillist). Please wait a little.

Murad Kakabayev
SmbMate's author

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

murYk @ 9/12/2003 1:50:43 PM #

> Bluetooth just doesn't cut it, even with a BT access point.
> BT just wasn't made for this kind of networking.

The only real device I have is TT with bluetooth connection to PC. Be sure, SmbMate works via Bluetooth :-) 1.0.a.6 version slightly faster that 1.0.a.3 (which was published on PalmGear). I got cps 17.5k-18.5k download-to-MMC speed.

Murad Kakabayev
SmbMate's author

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

Rhauer @ 9/12/2003 3:29:09 PM #

This sounds great for getting word or excel files. However, its only helpful for me If I can do it on the road. Can I dial in. I use a TT with Nokia 6310i and have no trouble surfing the web and getting email. Will I now be able to see my server while on the road?

RE: Great accomplishment but where's the 802.11b SD card?

cbowers @ 9/12/2003 7:06:06 PM #

"Huh? This should work just fine with Bluetooth."

Indeed. Bluetooth is what, in the 720Kbps neighborhood? My Tungsten C can copy a 10MB file from SD to my desktop (lightly loaded AP and Desktop each on managed 10/100 switch ports) at about 837 Kbps. Unless Bluetooth has a lot of overhead (unlikely), performance shouldn't be substantially different.

"SmbMate allows to download files (pdb,prc) directly in RAM since version 1.0.a.6 (now in testing, will be published tomorrow (Sep 13) for subscribers of smbmate-announce maillist)."

1.0.a.3 does allow copying *from* RAM of course, just not apparently *to* RAM.

"Can I dial in. I use a TT with Nokia 6310i and have no trouble surfing the web and getting email. Will I now be able to see my server while on the road?"

That's up to your implementation, but one would hope not. Your "server" should be behind a firewall. Normally you would traverse the firewall via VPN, and then yes it works (The Tungsten C for example has a PPTP client built in for remotely joining corporate networks, other flavors are pending). You could also direct dial in, if your PC/workstation/Server is setup to listen on a phone line for incoming connections and then authenticate them onto the local machine (RAS on a Windows Box).

Fun With Shares

edyaw @ 9/12/2003 8:59:10 AM #

Sounds like this app will put palm folders/files on the network with about as much protection as other Micro$oft shares. Keep your *secret* data elsewhere!

RE: Fun With Shares

chilimost @ 9/12/2003 9:24:07 AM #

This is a bit mis-stated. SMBmate does *not* share anything on your palm itself. It only allows your palm to access SMB/CIFS shares on other systems. Then, you can copy files from or to (maybe this is what they were meaning?) these shares.

Text Editor

OrionNE @ 9/12/2003 4:37:34 PM #

Now that I can connect to my servers easy anyone know of a text editor for .ini .bat .txt files for the PalmOS? I can use TealDoc to read them but can't seem to find one that will let me edit them.

OrionNE

RE: Text Editor

cbowers @ 9/14/2003 2:41:48 AM #

Yep. A great free one is VFSi. Comes with plugin's for .jpg .txt .bmp

You can register any extention you like and associate it with a plug-in. I've registered .txt .htm .rtf, .csv with the text plugin. So I can view and edit SD based files with the text plugin.

http://www.freewarepalm.com/graphics/vfsi.shtml