The Drobo problem [Done]

[rodgoslin]

I've used a Drobo storage unit, for a long time, for long term storage, and general access to all machines. However, despite the Drobo being Linux powered, it's use by a Linux user, has always been fraught with problems. My first installation, of the 2nd generation of Drobo unit, initially by USB, and later by their LAN adaptor, has enamoured me of the devices. They are certainly well designed and built. A pity the Drobo Inc. have specifically excluded Linux from their supported user base. However, I persisted and all went well, although, in my mind not very tidily. I've now graduated to the DroboFS. Nicer, larger capacity, and has built in Ethernet function. The big snag, is that whilst mounting it as a shared drive is simple enough, the OS of the Drobo has no users, and the entire box is owned by root. So, from my machine, I can read files and navigate, but not create directories add or delete files. I get around that by using a Windows enabled laptop , which automatically mounts the Drobo, to FTP files from my machine. with a destination of the required place on the Drobo. It works, but it's a faff. The other day, I had a thought. I opened a terminal window, su'ed to root, navigated to an unimportant directory and tried copying a file from my machine to the Drobo. To my surprise, it worked. I could add delete, rename and all the other functions by command line instructions. This was all very well, but long winded. Another thought. Open a File manager as root, from the terminal window. Konqueror is my File Manager of choice. So typed in 'konqueror'. This heralded a mini avalanche of text. The upshot of this was, as it were , a Linux version of "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that". But this being nice Linux, added "But you can try first entering 'export $(debus-launch)' which might work" I tried it, and it did!. When I then typed in 'kfmclient openProfile filemanagement'' since I wanted the File Manager, a Konqueror window opened and the Drobo was mine.
Has anyone anything better than this? It still seems a little kludgy, and not a 'proper' use of root. But it's fairly simple and it does work (and it does not involve Windows), and it does not iinvolve an intermediary machine. Too, it would appear, you can close the terminal window, and Konqueror sails on alone.I'm totally open to ideas for a better way, if anyone has any ideas. At b the moment, I'm using Back_in_Time for backups, and it would be nice to be able to usee the Drobo for the backup directory, sine, in itself it is fierproof to disk failure. Well, the way mine is set up, one disk at a time failure.

[rodgoslin]

As an addendum to my previous post, I note that right clicking on the terminal brings up a menu with the option for File Manager. This I note brings up Dolphin. Is there any way, short of deleting dolphin from the system, of altering this to invoke Kpnqueror. Or adding an item to the menu to invoke Konqueror in File Manager mode?

[doktor5000]

Open a File manager as root, from the terminal window. Konqueror is my File Manager of choice. So typed in 'konqueror'. This heralded a mini avalanche of text. The upshot of this was, as it were , a Linux version of "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that". But this being nice Linux, added "But you can try first entering 'export $(debus-launch)' which might work" I tried it, and it did!. When I then typed in 'kfmclient openProfile filemanagement'' since I wanted the File Manager, a Konqueror window opened and the Drobo was mine.
Has anyone anything better than this? It still seems a little kludgy, and not a 'proper' use of root.

Why don't you run konqueror via kdesu or pkexec?

As an addendum to my previous post, I note that right clicking on the terminal brings up a menu with the option for File Manager. This I note brings up Dolphin. Is there any way, short of deleting dolphin from the system, of altering this to invoke Kpnqueror.

Change the default file manager to konqueror via systemsettings -> https://userbase.kde.org/System_Setting ... plications

[rodgoslin]

kdesu returns 'command not found', and pkexec returns 'konqueror: cannot connect to X server'. Otherwise they would seem to be the best solution to the problem The other suggestion to change the default has left the updating 'system configuration' box seemingly running through the percentage of completion running continuously from 0% to 100% and back again.

[rodgoslin]

Checking again, on changing the default File Manager, I note that in fact, the display does not reach 100%. It reaches 90% and shortly after starts again at 0%. Also every time it reverts to 0%, it takes longer and longer to progress through the range, until it is to all extents, static. It does not change the default value, which stays at Dolphin. I've tried removing Dolphin (I never use it), but the menu does not change. Simply noting that Dolphin cannot be found.

[rodgoslin]

The kdesu,problem, I found was that kdesu is not in the PATH, so by specifying the whole address, it worked. I've now created a desktop icon, which calls up konqueror under root, and this will do very nicely. But there still remains the problem of calling up konqueror as the File Manager from the terminal window. Surely there is somewhere an rc file in which Dolphin is called, that I could change to konqueror. I've looked, but been unable to locate it. I'll leave the topic open for another day, and then post it as Done.

[doktor5000]

For the results with kdesu and pkexec, I'd suggest fixing your system first before you continue, but that's probably useless.

But there still remains the problem of calling up konqueror as the File Manager from the terminal window. Surely there is somewhere an rc file in which Dolphin is called, that I could change to konqueror.

There is no rc file, this is handled via MIME definitions, which are changed by selecting default application.

Please show the output as normal user of

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xdg-mime query default inode/directory

When konqueror is chosen, it should show:

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┌─[doktor5000@Mageia4]─[10:22:23]─[~]
└──╼ xdg-mime query default inode/directory
kfmclient_dir.desktop

When dolphin is chosen, it should show:

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┌─[doktor5000@Mageia4]─[10:24:25]─[~]
└──╼ xdg-mime query default inode/directory
dolphin.desktop

To set it to konqueror, run as normal user:

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xdg-mime default kfmclient_dir.desktop inode/directory

[rodgoslin]

Re- your first point. I had, in my earlier post, pointed out that I had resolved the "command not found" problem with kdesu, and on that basis constructed a reasonably elegant way of using Konqueror as root. For the suggestion of kdesu, I thank you. I note from Google searches, that the "cannot connect to X server" has appeared on forums for Ubuntu, Debian and Open Susie, with no apparent solution. Having solved my problemm with kdesu, I am content. For you second point, re File Manager from a termiinal window, I note that your solution does work, but that the view version of Konqueror that it brings up, is the File Size View option which I find of little utility. Since I have what I want, an elegant way of having Konquror under root. I consider this query complete