How to connect your own Google Drive as a Linux network drive
Technologies / / December 19, 2019
Ever since the launch of the cloud storage service from Google called Google Drive in the company promised to release the official client for Linux-distributions. But it's already December and the situation is not too moved forward, so that the promise of "Google Drive for Linux", it seems, will have to wait, as in the proverb - "three years".
If you want to use the service Google Drive as a mapped network drive in Linux today, then you will approach one of the two solutions, which will be discussed in this post. These customers are unofficial, but they are already working, and quite successfully cope with their tasks. A seasoned geek Chris Hoffman described how to connect them.
Synchronization using Insync
Insync - is a tool to synchronize files tried Google Drive account that supports the Linux OS, Windows, and Mac. He has a number of features that are not available in the official Google Drive client for other operating systems, such as the ability download documents from the service Google Docs documents in Open Document format for editing and use in offline mode.
Insync better made and filled with different "chips" in comparison with the second client of our collections called grive. He is currently working in the status of a free beta version, but in the future Insync developers say will go to paid version can only hope that by that time will be presented to a full-fledged official Google Drive client linux; and yet still be satisfied with possibilities of free (as yet) Insync client.
To get started, download Insync-package for your Linux distribution Insync from the official site. You can also add Insync repository in your OS or just download one package to install. If you're using Ubuntu, add the repository and download the .deb package, double click on it to install.
Insync-client add to your top panel and starts automatically sync to your Google Drive files from your computer. Installation is quite simple: just run Insync, and it will add itself to the plate and show a number of tips for further installation and configuration.
Access to your files in Google Drive, you can get the service Insync folder that will be created within your "home" directory. Quite convenient, though - alas - will not be a free way sync in the future.
Synchronization using Grive
Grive - this is the second open-source client for Google Drive, which will be discussed in this post. It supports two-way sync with Google Drive. Unfortunately, there are a number of limitations grive. He can not keep track of changes in the file versions and automatically perform a background sync, so you'll have to run it from the terminal to perform the synchronization. Also, it does not sync Google documents, spreadsheets, and other Google Docs service files: it can be used to synchronize only the rest of the files stored in the "cloud" Google Drive.
To use Grive need to run the sync command to your account to Google Drive. All files added recently will be downloaded, modified files are updated to the latest version, and the files will be deleted at the same time in the basket. For re-synchronization must be run again manually synchronization command.
If, despite these drawbacks, you still want to try to Grive of Ubuntu, you can install it by opening the console and typing the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa: nilarimogard / webupd8
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install grive
Next, create a folder called grive in your home directory:
mkdir ~ / grive
Go to the folder you created:
cd ~ / grive
Run grive attribute -a authorization to Google Drive account:
grive -a
Copy the address displayed in the console. in the address bar of your Web browser to launch the program. You will receive an authorization code to be copied and pasted into the console application to access your Google account account. Now you are ready to synchronize your files for the first time in the "cloud" with the computer:
To perform the synchronization in the future, use these 2 teams:
cd ~ / grive
grive
Note that grive synchronizes the files in the current folder, so whenever it is necessary to first replace the current folder, which you use at the time of synchronization of your folder for grive client.
Disable access when needed
If in the future you stop using these customers to synchronize the files, and Grive, and Insync can be disabled by revoking access to your Google Account page Connected Sites, Apps, and Services. On the same page, you can prevent access to your account, all those applications and services that you are no longer using.