Disk Shares defaulted, data copied over, switch to User Shares without losing data?


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I am moving files from a failing Windows media server to a new (encrypted xfs) Unraid build, one drive at a time. Drive 1 and parity drive are using user shares, as this appeared to be the default. I copied over the files from the Media server drive (now drive 2 in the array), cleared the drive and added it to the Unraid array. Drive 2 was automatically created as a Disk Share (not sure how, it was just there when I started the array), and I foolishly began copying over another drive from my media machine (Drive 2 in the array). 

The result is I have a single disk using User shares, and the other two are using Disk Shares. I understand this is less than desirable (though not exactly why) and have been unable to find details on why this might pose a problem. Before I go any further on my journey of teaching myself Unraid (Thank Goodness for Space Invader one) I want to make sure I do things right in the future. 

 

Should I remove the Disk Shares on disk 2 and 3 and convert them to user shares? Is there a way to retain the data? Is there a video or a help document/thread I was unable to find that might help me understand so I don't have to bother you fine folks?

 

Thank you in advance for any help!

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User shares are simply the top level folders on all disks. So if those disks are allowed in User shares their top level folders will be user shares named the same as the folder. 

 

Normally you will have multiple disks in user shares and their top level folders by the same name will be in the same user share. This is how Unraid allows folders to span disks. 

 

I'm not sure how you got it set up so those other disks aren't already in User shares. 

 

Go to  Settings-Global Share Settings and make sure you don't have any included or excluded. Include means Only, Exclude means Except. If nothing is specified all are included. 

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The data should already be in user shares if the disks are in user shares, assuming all the files are within a folder. All top level folders on any array or cache disk is automatically a user share. If you didn't create it in the webUI it is still a user share but it has default settings.

 

You should never mix disks and user shares when moving or copying data. Linux doesn't realize the source and destination might be the same file so it will try to overwrite what it is trying to read. That is one of the reasons you shouldn't even use disk shares at all. I recommend you turn off disk shares, or set them to auto, which will not share any disk that is in user shares.

 

That just applies to how they are accessed on the network though. Krusader, for example, depending on how you have it configured, will be able to access the user shares and the disks. Don't mix disks and user shares!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The only place you have to be careful with User Shares is if you have two (or more) shares which are named identically like  Movies and movies  In this case, The files in one of the two shares will not be seen under SMB.  The problem is caused because Linux recognizes as two separate items (because Linux is case sensitive) while Windows (which is not case sensitive) only 'sees' one of the them and the one simply disappears.

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