[Cialug] tips for sharing files inside a VM

[Matthew Nuzum]

I use Virtual Box on my laptop to run Ubuntu Server for testing the web apps
I write. My plan is to be able to modify my code and refresh my browser to
see the change immediately.

I'm experimenting with an IDE that runs on my desktop (not in the VM) so I'm
exploring ways to share my code from my local dev to the virtualized server.
The only hitch is that there is a sub directory in my branch that is a link
to a place in the virtualized file system. This folder is used for uploaded
and system generated data and we like to keep it out of the branch.

What I've tried that doesn't work:

Sharing the folder with the virtual machine, mounting it in the machine as a
remote filesystem and then trying to create a symlink from the mounted file
system. However, virtual box does not support creating symlinks. :-(

I've got a head full of ideas but I'm a bit frustrated because they all seem
like messy or insecure hacks. I was wondering if anyone has a suggestions
for a good way to do things. The host OS is sometimes Ubuntu sometimes Mac
OS.

The obvious solution that works is to use version control or sftp. I'm
trying to think of something that just works so that I just hit save and
then refresh.

-- 
Matthew Nuzum
newz2000 on freenode, skype, linkedin, identi.ca and twitter

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." -Benjamin Franklin
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