topic Re: Can't find shared folders in SAS Programming

Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:17:41 GMT

Hi,

I've been using SAS for about 6 months without any issues. Today I tried to launch SAS and was asked to update the virtualbox software and now SAS can't find shared folders. I've tried everything includeing doing a full install from scratch but still keep getting this message:

A shared folder named "myfolders" was not found on the virtual machine. See the FAQ for details.

Things I have tried:

- Doing a full install with updated VirtualBox and SAS

- Using different browsers

- Changing the location of the shared folders from a network drive to the C drive.

TIA

I'm assuming I can still run SAS it just won't save any of my work.... All help is appreciated (b/c of course I'm on a dealine!)

Piyusha

Re: Can't find shared folders

Reeza — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:24:38 GMT

Restart your VM.

Check the shared folder setting in the VM - post a snapshot and when setting it up make sure to check the box that says its connected automatically everytime you restart.

Navigate to the Servers Files Folders Pane

Find the myfolders folder

Right click it, select Properties

Copy the path

Then do:

libname test '/folders/myfolders/';

If it doesn't work post the log and the screenshots of your VM setting and properties in SAS UE.

Re: Can't find shared folders

mcg — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:32:26 GMT

I had the same problem this AM. Tried the remap of the drive and everything else I could think of.

I rolled my VirtualBox install back to 5.2.6 and the problem went away.

Not sure why, but the VirtualBox upgrade to 5.2.8 created the problem with the shared drive for me.

Mike

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:37:10 GMT

Path for myfolders in Server Files Pane

OPTIONS NONOTES NOSTIMER NOSOURCE NOSYNTAXCHECK;

73 libname test '/folders/myfolders';

NOTE: Libref TEST was successfully assigned as follows:

Engine: V9

Physical Name: /folders/myfolders

74 run;

76 OPTIONS NONOTES NOSTIMER NOSOURCE NOSYNTAXCHECK;

It works but the Folder Shortcuts do not find my existing SAS files and input data that were in myfolders

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:37:34 GMT

about to try this.

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:39:31 GMT

Where did you find 5.2.6?

Re: Can't find shared folders

mcg — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:41:55 GMT

The VirtualBox guest has a /folders/myfolders, so the libname will work.
But the guest machine's folder is not connected to the associated host
machines folder, so there is none of the host content in that location.
Mike

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:46:06 GMT

Thanks!

Does it still save my files between sessions?

Re: Can't find shared folders

Reeza — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:48:10 GMT

Is the folder/path the same one you used before?

If not, either set it there or move the files into the new myfolders location.

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:54:34 GMT

@Reeza wrote:
Is the folder/path the same one you used before?

If not, either set it there or move the files into the new myfolders location.

For my shared folders? Yes.

But I moved it to my c drive from my i: incase the network drive was the issue. Didnt' work then either.

>>If not, either set it there or move the files into the new myfolders location.

not sure I understand...?

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 18:57:07 GMT

Went back to VirtualBox 5.2.4

still get the message about not being able to find folders, but if I go ahead and launch SAS, I do see my files in the shared location.

Am going to go ahead and work with this now and will try and figure out whey 5.2.8 is not working for me after I meet my deadline.

Are you on 5.2.8 and not having issues?

Re: Can't find shared folders

mcg — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 19:00:51 GMT

you may need to manually set the myfolders shared file back on in the 5.2.6
'settings', but that myfolders on your host should have a .sasstudio,
.images, .uestart and .fontconfig to preserve all your prior settings and
preferences.

I'm on 5.2.6 and will check back in a month.
5.2.4 will work fine too.

I think you folder error message will disappear if you refresh your
session... that error message went away for me.

Mike

Re: Can't find shared folders

piyushas — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 19:01:15 GMT

Ugh.

It's still not working... It can't find my data:

Re: Can't find shared folders

mcg — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 19:03:58 GMT

suggest you shutdown your virtual guest on 5.2.4 and then make sure to go to the Setting --> Shared Folders and verify the mapping....

Then startup your guest again and open a new SAS Studio session?

Hope this helps.

Mike

Re: Can't find shared folders

RandyMullis — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 19:26:48 GMT

Hi, @piyushas and @mcg and @Reeza. I can verify that there's a problem with VirtualBox 5.2.8 and Shared Folders. Reverting back to 5.2.4 does appear to fix the issue. Hoping that Oracle will rush out a fix for this soon!

Here's the page for downloading version 5.2.4:

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Download_Old_Builds_5_2

Regards,

Randy

Re: Can't find shared folders

SuryaKiran — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 02:41:06 GMT

Today I tested upgrading VirtualBox to 5.2.8 from 5.2.6 and run my SAS Studio. To my surprise the shared location is no longer the same as previous (/folders/myfolders), it changed to (/folders/myshortcuts/sf_myfolders).

I have a test file in my local machine and tried to access it through SAS Studio from VirtualBox 5.2.8 and also 5.2.6 aslo.

In VirtualBox 5.2.8 its not the same physical path, we need to change from '/folders/myfolders' to '/folders/myshortcuts/sf_myfolders'.

'sf_myfolders' Folder is added additionally, See my screenshots below.

Re: Can't find shared folders

Tom — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 03:24:38 GMT

@SuryaKiran

Not sure what you are trying to show in these screen shots. It looks like your /folders/myfolders is mapped and working.

What you are showing is that inside that folder is another folder named sf_folders. You should see that same sub folder when you look on your real machine at the physical directory that you setup your VM to use as myfolders.

Are you saying that your old data has been moved into these subfolders? If so then why not just move them back up to where you want them?

Re: Can't find shared folders

SuryaKiran — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 14:01:12 GMT

@Tom Let me make it clear.

My data was not moved anywhere when using VB 5.2.6 and VB 5.2.8.

For example: I have a test file called Test_File.txt in physical location "D:\SASUniversityEdition\myfolders\Test_File.txt" and I mapped "D:\SASUniversityEdition\myfolders" in my VirtualBox 5.2.6 and same in VirtualBox 5.2.8.

So, now in SAS Studio I should see this Test_File.txt in "/folders/myfolders" location. In VirtualBox 5.2.6 this test file can be accessed in "/folders/myfolders", but when updating VirtualBox to 5.2.8 files in "D:\SASUniversityEdition\myfolders\Test_File.txt" location are reflected in "/folders/myshortcuts/sf_myfolders" instead of "/folders/myfolders"

Physically there is no "sf_myfolders" created anywhere.

Re: Can't find shared folders

Tom — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 14:39:31 GMT

So you have provided an very good description of the problem with the new version of Virtual Box.

There is another thread about this problem that has a link to how to revert back to a working version.

https://communities.sas.com/t5/SAS-Analytics-U/SAS-Studio-having-problems-finding-shared-folder/m-p/317328#M4965