1. Set Up the Remote in rclone
Install rclone from rclone.org. For a storage box with a password (rclone stores it obscured, not in plain text):
rclone config create box sftp host=bend.storage.virteche.com port=23 user=sb123456 pass=YOUR_PASSWORD
With an SSH key instead, use key_file=~/.ssh/id_ed25519 in place of pass. For an S3 bucket, create the remote as in Using object storage and mount virteche:my-bucket instead of box: below. Check the remote works:
rclone lsd box:
2. Windows
Install WinFsp, then in PowerShell:
rclone mount box: S: --network-mode --vfs-cache-mode full --vfs-cache-max-size 10G
S: appears in File Explorer as a network drive for as long as the window stays open. To mount it at every sign-in, create a task in Task Scheduler that runs the same command At log on, with --no-console added so no window stays open.
3. macOS
Use the rclone download from rclone.org: the Homebrew build does not include mount support. Then mount over rclone's built-in NFS server, which needs no kernel extension:
mkdir -p ~/StorageBox rclone nfsmount box: ~/StorageBox --vfs-cache-mode full --vfs-cache-max-size 10G
Unmount with umount ~/StorageBox.
4. Linux
For a storage box, sshfs is the simplest:
sudo apt install -y sshfs mkdir -p ~/box sshfs -p 23 [email protected]: ~/box fusermount -u ~/box # to unmount
Or use rclone, which also works for S3, in the background:
sudo apt install -y fuse3 rclone mount box: ~/box --vfs-cache-mode full --vfs-cache-max-size 10G --daemon
The Cache Setting Explained
--vfs-cache-mode offsends reads and writes straight through. Many apps cannot save files this way.writeskeeps files being written on local disk until they are uploaded. Enough for most saving.fullalso caches what you read, so opening a file twice downloads it once. Best for documents and media;--vfs-cache-max-sizecaps the local space it uses.
Files saved through the cache are uploaded in the background. Wait for uploads to finish before unmounting or shutting down; rclone logs each one.
Other Ways In
For copying rather than working in place, WinSCP, Cyberduck and FileZilla connect over SFTP on port 23, and rsync or rclone copy only what changed. See Connecting to a storage box.