Mount Remote Folders in Windows
Feb 9

Mount Remote Folders in Windows

How to Create and Manipulate NTFS Junction Points: This is awfully handy. It allows you to map a drive, but map it to a local folder, instead of using a drive letter. So as you traverse your directory tree, you could drop into a remote folder that appears it be local. Very Linux-ish.

You can surpass the 26 drive letter limitation by using NTFS junction points. By using junction points, you can graft a target folder onto another NTFS folder or “mount” a volume onto an NTFS junction point. Junction points are transparent to programs.

Via asymptomatic.net, the author of which I still haven’t forgiven for dissing Firebird (but, he did get me to subscribe to his blog, so I’ve been skillfully manipulated nonetheless…)

by Deane   February 9, 2004 10:18 AM   |

Comments

by Deane,   February 9, 2004 10:42 AM  

This works great with local folders -- mapping a local folder to another local folder, but I can't seem to get it to map a local folder to a remote folder. Without that, what's the point, really?

by Owen,   February 9, 2004 1:00 PM  

Yeah, actually, some of the tools only work within NTFS volumes, so it wouldn't even work between two drives.

You can use Junctions as a faster alternative to virtual directories when serving from NT. Rather than having the HTTP/FTP server resolve virtual directories, it can traverse the filesystem normally. It makes centralizing the ACL for directories that are shared between users easier.

I'm sure there are a few other administration tasks that could be simplifies using this little-known feature.

by Zarius,   February 23, 2004 5:09 PM  

There's a handy program called 'Junction Link Magic' that allows you to manipulate JP's in a similar fashion to symbolic links.

I've used them to set up jp's on c: that link to main folders on my other drives... saving space, but keeping things simplified for use (don't have to remember what drive things are on... just go to c:) and updating (if I change the drive I want a certain folder on, I don't have to update anything but the JP). Handy for other things too... see "http://wikipedia.com/wiki/NTFS junction point".

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