On Using ExpanDrive to Work on Remote File Systems
My main computer is a Mac, but I do a fair amount of work on several remote hosts. SSH in Terminal is great for running commands, but what about working with files?
I could use the standard Unix tools on the remote host (possibly running the X11 server locally), but I bought a Mac precisely to get away from these. And the “standard” Unix tools have subtle (and not so subtle) differences on the remote hosts I use.
I could use CyberDuck, or another SFTP client, but I then would have to download files, work on them locally, and upload them again.
I could use some application-specific partial solutions, for example, using TextWrangler to edit remote files using SFTP, but application-specific partial solutions are not general solution; TextWrangler can’t help me open a remote PDF file in Preview.
I’m now using ExpanDrive to mount the remote filesystem and use my standard Mac OS tools. ExpanDrive accesses the remote file system using SFTP rather than AFS, NFS, or SAMBA and presents the remote filesystem as a standard device that can be seen by the Finder and all of the local Mac OS applications.
ExpanDrive works seamlessly with the Keychain to provide password-less authentication and does not drop the connections when my computer sleeps. As far as accessing my remote files is concerned, it is tantamount to a light-weight and easily configurable VLAN.
ExpanDrive costs $29 and is available with a 30-day trial period.