# Using network shares (UNC paths) with Syncplify Server! v7+ on Linux

Since the Linux version of Syncplify Server! is implemented as a `systemd` service, this knowledge base article assumes a basic familiarity with the Linux operating system and with its `systemd` subsystem.

All of the operations below are assumes to be performed as root or via `sudo`.

First of all you need to prepare, ahead of time, a file containing the credentials that will be needed to access the SMB/CIFS shared path. For the sake of this tutorial we will save these credentials in the `/etc/.smbcreds` file, which will have this format and contents (but with your own credentials, of course):

```bash
username=username_to_access_smb_share
password=password_to_access_smb_share
```

Next, you have to create a directory that will be used as local "mount point? for the remote SMB/CIFS share when it's mounted on system boot. For the sake of this example let's call it *sftpdata*:

```bash
mkdir /sftpdata
```

Now you will have to create two files in `systemd`'s configurations directory. It doesn't matter how you call these files, as long as they have the same name, and the exact extensions shown here below:

File: `/etc/systemd/system/smbsftpdata.mount`

```bash
[Mount]
What=//10.0.5.23/your/remote/share
Where=/sftpdata
Options=credentials=/etc/.smbcreds,noperm,vers=2.1,_netdev
Type=cifs
```

File: `/etc/systemd/system/smbsftpdata.automount`

```bash
[Unit]
Requires=remote-fs-pre.target
After=remote-fs-pre.target

[Install]
WantedBy=remote-fs.target
```

The last step is to enable the automount in `systemd`, so that next time the OS boots this shared path will be automatically mounted in your system:

```bash
systemctl enable smbsftpdata.automount
```

Done! Now reboot your operating system, and after the reboot `systemd` services (including Syncplify Server!) will have access to your remote SMB/CIFS shared folder contents via the local mount point `/sftpdata`.