Need Help with Junction Link Magic

[waffles]

I hope someone can help me with this problem:

I have my media collection stored on one PC which I use as a file server to access files from other PCs over my LAN. This server contains several, individual, “non-raided” HDD. Each HDD contains a shared folder, called “Media_ x” (x being the number of this HDD). In other words, for 8 HDD I have the 8 folders, Media_1, Media_2, …., Media_8.
All has been working fine thus far. However, with my TVIX M4000 on order, I will be limited to only 4 shared folders… I learned that Junction Link Magic would allow me to generate junction points and therefore overcome this issue. I have been trying to get it to work but so far without real success.

I have created a new folder, called Media_Consolidated, which I want to use as the folder, where all media files will be visible. Therefore I have set up in Junction Link Magic multiple junction points:

Junction Point => Destination
D:\Media_1\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
E:\Media_2\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
F:\Media_3\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
…………………
J:\Media_8\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated

I must be doing something wrong, as I can see only the content of one Media folder (Media_3) and not only in the Media_Consolidated, but also in the other Media_x folders.

What am I missing?

Thanks!
_____
Axel

[Hi-Jack]

I haven't used it yet...
Must do so some day and see how good it is :-)

Anyone using it and help this guy a hand?

[Phosgene]

My reading of it was the same as waffles. Then I tried to use it and it suddenly did the reverse.
What I did:
Create a new folder called test1
Highlight this in the left menu thing. find any old NTFS directory in the right menu and create the link.
Repeat with a second folder called test2 to the same NTFS folder.

Noe if I go to the original NTFS folder, test1 or test2 I will see the contents of the NTFS folder.

Also, I am not able to create a link when the test1 folder has any contents. So, I am confused as to why your folders were able to be mapped in the first place.

Can you cope with having it as a load of subdirectories..? D:\MediaA-E, D:\MediaF-L, D:\MediaM-R, D:\MediaS-Z should be do-able with mounting the extra partitions into NTFS folders. Failing that you need some kind of DFS and I'm not even starting that conversation.

[vit]

Junction Point => Destination
D:\Media_1\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
E:\Media_2\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
F:\Media_3\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
…………………
J:\Media_8\ => D:\ Media_Consolidated
I think you must have it the wrong way around. The Junction point should be the new subfolder, and the Destination should be the original Media_x folder.

With your setup it could be easier to just run these commands to create the new shared folder and the junction points inside it:

mkdir d:\Media_Consolidated
linkd d:\Media_Consolidated\Media_1 D:\Media_1
linkd d:\Media_Consolidated\Media_2 E:\Media_2
linkd d:\Media_Consolidated\Media_3 F:\Media_3
linkd d:\Media_Consolidated\Media_4 G:\Media_4
linkd d:\Media_Consolidated\Media_5 H:\Media_5
...etc, etc.

I didn't finish the list: I don't know how you got from D: to J: and got 8 drives (it's only 7).

EDIT: Oops, I just realised that linkd.exe is in the Windows Resource Kit, not included with Windows. You can download the resource kit though.

[waffles]

Thanks much, guys!

I'll try it the "other way around". If this does not work, I'll give linkd a shot. Would I need to always run those commands after a reboot?

Thanks again!
____
Axel

[vit]

Would I need to always run those commands after a reboot?No, the junction points are persistent in the NTFS file system.

[waffles]

Darn - no luck:

I tried the reverse order - did not work. Then just for giggles I tried my initial order once again - still no luck.

Then I downloaded the Resource Kit to get linkd.exe and also tried it in both directions. It seemed to execute the little batch file I created just fine. but those files still did not show up in the Consolidated folder....

What am I missing?
____
Axel

[vit]

Darn - no luck:

I tried the reverse order - did not work. Then just for giggles I tried my initial order once again - still no luck.

Then I downloaded the Resource Kit to get linkd.exe and also tried it in both directions. It seemed to execute the little batch file I created just fine. but those files still did not show up in the Consolidated folder....

What am I missing?
____
Axel
I don't get it. The script ran with no errors, and d:\Media_Consolidated is still empty after that? No new subdirectories? And D: is NTFS? Are the other drives NTFS too? (I don't think they need to be actually, but D: must be.)
Weird!

[waffles]

I contacted Rekenwonder (makers of JLM). I basically sent them my initial post. This is their reply:

"Hi Axel,

I think you misunderstood the use of junction links.

The idea is that you can access a single folder >from different locations.
It's not possible to access different locations >from a single folder.

The latter can be done by using DFS (Distributed File System).
It's built in in Windows Server, but maybe you can also use it on your pc. Just use Google to find out.

I hope this helps...

Thanks for your appreciation,

--

Jos Branders
Rekenwonder Software"

If I understand this correctly, JLM is a no-starter for what I need (as well as several others, who recommended this utility exactly for this purpose).
I am puzzled....

____
Axel

[Phosgene]

That is what I thought.
[Bad analogy alert]
The Junction Link is like post redirection: You get two address in Alaska and Florida to redirect to an address in New York. What happens is that if anything goes to the Alaska address it ends up in new York and the same is true for the Florida Address.
What you want is some way of opening your front door and seeing both a Grizzly bear and an Alligator at the same time.
If you use DFS then you don't quite get what you want but you end up with an address in New York with a view of the Everglades from the dining room and one of the Yukon from the bedroom. I think this will be as close as you are going to get.
[/Bad analogy alert]

If you want, I have made a set of screenshots of how I would do it and put them in a Word document. I'll message it to you unless Hi-Jack wants to read it and host it for me...

[vit]

If I understand this correctly, JLM is a no-starter for what I need
Well, you can't have all the Media_x folder overlaid in d:\Media_Consolidated, but you can have individual subdirectories of d:\Media_Consolidated pointing to the original Media_x folders. That's what my script is supposed to create.

[waffles]

That is what I thought.
[Bad analogy alert]
The Junction Link is like post redirection: You get two address in Alaska and Florida to redirect to an address in New York. What happens is that if anything goes to the Alaska address it ends up in new York and the same is true for the Florida Address.
What you want is some way of opening your front door and seeing both a Grizzly bear and an Alligator at the same time.
If you use DFS then you don't quite get what you want but you end up with an address in New York with a view of the Everglades from the dining room and one of the Yukon from the bedroom. I think this will be as close as you are going to get.
[/Bad analogy alert]

If you want, I have made a set of screenshots of how I would do it and put them in a Word document. I'll message it to you unless Hi-Jack wants to read it and host it for me...

Got it, thanks!
I would suggest you post it here for the benefit of others who may have a similar issue. I believe this one key benefits for having a public forum.
____
Axel

[waffles]

If I understand this correctly, JLM is a no-starter for what I need
Well, you can't have all the Media_x folder overlaid in d:\Media_Consolidated, but you can have individual subdirectories of d:\Media_Consolidated pointing to the original Media_x folders. That's what my script is supposed to create.

I see. Thanks. Now could I not just achieve the same by placing shortcuts in the Media_Consolidated folder pointing to the individual Media_x folders?
_____
Axel

[vit]

If I understand this correctly, JLM is a no-starter for what I need
Well, you can't have all the Media_x folder overlaid in d:\Media_Consolidated, but you can have individual subdirectories of d:\Media_Consolidated pointing to the original Media_x folders. That's what my script is supposed to create.

I see. Thanks. Now could I not just achieve the same by placing shortcuts in the Media_Consolidated folder pointing to the individual Media_x folders?
That depends on the server software - whether it follows shortcuts.