Remote Drives

Remote Drives is a powerful feature that allows you to connect and mount your external cloud storage services directly within SonicBit, enabling seamless access and management across multiple storage platforms.

What are Remote Drives?

Remote Drives enables you to connect and mount external storage services (like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) directly within your SonicBit interface. This means:

1. You can browse and access files from multiple cloud services in one place
2. Transfer files directly between different cloud services without downloading first
3. Perform operations across services (copy, move, compare)
4. Use SonicBit as a central hub for all your cloud storage needs

This feature eliminates the need to juggle multiple cloud service interfaces and simplifies cross-platform file management.

Key Benefits

• Unified Management: Access all your cloud storage services from a single dashboard
• Cross-Platform Operations: Move or copy files directly between different cloud services
• Bandwidth Efficiency: Transfer files between services without using your local bandwidth
• Persistent Connections: Once configured, drives remain connected for ongoing access
• Enhanced Organization: Compare and manage files across multiple storage platforms
• Streamlined Workflow: Access external files without leaving the SonicBit interface

Supported Cloud Services

SonicBit's Remote Drives feature uses rclone technology to support multiple cloud storage providers:

Cloud Provider	Support Level	Details
Google Drive	Full support	Personal and Team/Shared Drives
OneDrive	Full support	Personal, Business, and SharePoint accounts
Dropbox	Full support	Personal and Business accounts
pCloud	Full support	Global and EU region support
MEGA	Full support	Standard accounts
Box	Full support	Personal and Business accounts
FTP/SFTP	Full support	Standard protocol support with encryption
WebDAV	Full support	Standard WebDAV protocol
S3-compatible	Full support	AWS S3, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, etc.

Premium plan subscription is required to use Remote Drives functionality.

How to Add a Remote Drive

To connect a cloud storage service as a Remote Drive:

1. Navigate to the Remote Drives section from the main menu
2. Click the Add Remote Drive button (+ icon in the sidebar)
3. Select the storage provider you want to connect from the available options
4. Follow the authentication process:
   • For OAuth services (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), you'll be redirected to log in and authorize SonicBit
   • For FTP, SFTP, or S3, you'll need to enter your connection details and credentials
5. Configure additional options:
   • Name your remote drive (e.g., "Personal Google Drive", "Work Dropbox")
   • Set access permissions and other provider-specific settings
   • Configure connection parameters if needed
6. Click Save to complete the connection

Your newly added Remote Drive will appear in the left sidebar of the Remote Drives interface.

Using Remote Drives

Browsing Remote Drives

1. Select a connected Remote Drive from the left sidebar
2. Browse through folders and files in the main content area
3. Navigate through folders by clicking on them
4. Use the breadcrumb navigation at the top to track your location and move back up the folder hierarchy
5. Use the search box to find specific files within the currently selected remote drive

File Operations

You can perform various operations on files in your Remote Drives:

• View/Browse: Browse through the remote drive structure and open/preview files directly in the browser (for supported file types)
• Download: Download files from remote drives to your local device
• Upload: Upload files from SonicBit storage to specific folders in the remote drive (first navigate to the desired destination folder within the remote drive)
• Copy/Move: Transfer files between different Remote Drives or to/from SonicBit storage
• Rename/Delete: Manage files directly without accessing the original service

Cross-Service Operations

While working with different cloud storage services through SonicBit's Remote Drives feature, you have the following capabilities:

1. Browse Multiple Services: Switch between different connected remote drives from the sidebar
2. Mount to My Drive: Mount different remote drives to your SonicBit storage for easier access
3. Upload from SonicBit: Upload files from your SonicBit storage to a connected remote drive
4. Download to SonicBit: Download files from remote drives to your SonicBit storage

To transfer files between different remote drives:

1. Download the file from the source remote drive to your SonicBit storage
2. Navigate to the destination remote drive
3. Upload the file from your SonicBit storage to the destination

note

Direct cross-service transfers (from one remote drive directly to another) require using SonicBit as an intermediary. The system will download the file to SonicBit first, then upload it to the destination service.

Service-Specific Search

Each remote drive can be searched individually:

1. Select the remote drive you want to search
2. Use the search box at the top of the interface
3. Enter keywords to find specific files within the currently selected remote

The search function operates on the currently active remote drive rather than across all services simultaneously.

Advanced Feature: Mounting Remote Drives

SonicBit offers the ability to mount remote drives directly into your My Drive file space:

What is Mounting?

Mounting creates a direct connection between your SonicBit storage and your remote drive, making the remote content accessible directly from your My Drive area.

Benefits of Mounting

• Unified File Space: Access remote files alongside your SonicBit files
• Seamless Integration: Use remote files with SonicBit applications
• Simplified Access: No need to switch between interfaces

How to Mount a Remote Drive

1. Select the remote drive from your list
2. Open the "Drive Actions" section in the sidebar
3. Click "Mount Drive"
4. Once mounted, you'll see a confirmation message
5. Your remote drive content will now be accessible from the My Drive interface

Unmounting a Drive

If you no longer need direct access to a remote drive:

1. Select the remote drive from your list
2. Open the "Drive Actions" section
3. Click "Unmount Drive"
4. The drive will be disconnected from My Drive but remain in your Remote Drives list

Managing Remote Drives

Editing Connection Settings

1. Navigate to the Remote Drives section
2. Select the remote drive you want to modify
3. Click the settings icon or the three dots menu next to the drive
4. Select "Edit Remote" to modify connection settings
5. Update your settings as needed
6. Save your changes

Checking Connection Status

The system monitors the health of your Remote Drive connections:

• Green status indicator: Connection is active and working properly
• Red status indicator: Connection is broken and needs attention

The drive list in the sidebar shows status indicators for each connected drive.

Refreshing Authentication

For services using OAuth (like Google Drive) where tokens may expire:

1. Go to the Remote Drives management page
2. Select the drive having authentication issues
3. Click "Refresh Authentication" or "Reconnect"
4. Follow the authentication process again
5. Confirm to update your connection

Remote Drive Settings

Connection Parameters

Each remote drive type has specific configuration options:

• OAuth Services: Token management, access scope settings
• FTP/SFTP: Server address, port, username, password, encryption settings
• S3-compatible: Endpoint URL, region, access keys, bucket name

Performance Optimization

SonicBit automatically optimizes your remote drive performance based on your subscription plan:

• Cache Management: System automatically configures optimal cache settings for your account tier
• Transfer Speed: Bandwidth allocations are set according to your subscription level
• Storage Allocation: Premium plans receive higher cache storage allocations for improved performance

note

Higher subscription tiers provide better performance with remote drives through increased bandwidth limits and larger cache allocations.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with your Remote Drives, here are some common solutions:

Connection Issues

• Verify your credentials are still valid
• Check if you need to re-authorize the connection (particularly for OAuth services)
• Ensure the remote service is operational
• For FTP connections, verify server address and port settings

Performance Problems

• Large folders with many files may take longer to load
• File operations across different services can be slower than within the same service
• Consider using batch operations for large transfers

Access Errors

• "Permission denied" errors may indicate expired authentication
• "Not found" errors can occur if files were moved or deleted in the original service
• For OAuth services, you may need to reauthorize if you changed permissions

note

Remote Drives is a premium feature available only on paid subscription plans. Performance may vary depending on your plan level and the capabilities of the connected cloud services.