Many people regularly use network shares at their workplace, university or school. Because Windows is commonly used on their workstation, they are familiar with its way of working. The concept of mounting network shares tends to cause new and even experienced users of Linux some consternation.

In Windows, network shares are typically accessed in one of two ways. The first is by using the network browsing functions of your file browser. The other is by mapping a network share to a drive letter. In newer Windows editions, network browsing is also built into the standard “File Open” dialog inside your apps.

In Linux, we also have the ability to access network shares. Depending on your particular flavor of Linux, you may be also be able to browse shares, and you will most certainly be able to set up your shares to be mounted, similar to the Windows mapping function. However, depending on the flavor of Linux you use, the shares may not be browseable from standard “File Open” dialog inside your apps.

Because user choice is a fundamental concept in antiX, it ships with various file browsers installed. When any of these is used together with Connectshares, you can work with network shares in a simple and familiar way.

Connectshares is an easy to use share mounting automation tool, designed with simplicity in mind. It can be set up by a standard user and without the need of deep technical knowledge. Normally, you will set it up once only, and there is a step-by-step user guide to walk you through the process. [1]

It can mount your shares either at boot up or on demand, as you see fit. Your shares will be available to any application, whether the app is network-enabled or not. You can disconnect on demand as well if you wish. You can also choose whether to automatically provide your username and password to access password protected shares.

The table below compares the way network shares are handled in antiX via Connectshares, with its cousin MX via Thunar. It's not intended to show one is any better than the other. It provides information to help you make a choice that suits your way of working and level of skill. One of the benefits of using Linux is that, in the end, it's your choice that matters.




Notes:
[1] The user guide is shipped in the FAQ of antiX-13.2 and later releases. It is also available at

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[2] Table based on antiX 13.2 and MX-14 beta2
[3] dolphin_oracle and SamK are joint authors of this post and table



Edit SamK 2016-02-17
Updated link to online antiX FAQ