how to use client devices on server

Hello there,

first of all - I've been trying to find information on this matter on
google for a while now, but to no avail... So I decided to post here.
Hipe it's kind of the right group for this type of question... anyway,
I'd be glad if you could point me in the right direction somehow. TIA.

So, what I have is a server and a Client, both running Mandrake Linux
10.0 Official. From the Client (amongst other Terminals) I log into my
little "Application Server" via X -query, which turned out to be a
grand solution for my purposes.

Now, what I'm trying to do is use devices from the client machine (on
my desk) like the DVD-ROM Drive, a card reader or USB-Devices like a
USB-Flashdrive while logged in on my server.

For example, I'd like to insert a CD into the client`s Drive, but
mount the drive device somehow via network, so that I can access it
like a local drive situated in the server. But I would not have to
stand up and go to the server anytime I want to chance a CD or
Memory-Stick.

I know there are several ways to do this as filesharing via
nfs/smb/ssh, but I'd really like to be able to directly attach the
device (file) somehow, so that I can attach the same devices to
VMware-machines and use bootable CDs for example, which would not work
over filesharing protocols.

I in fact tried to fiddle with nbd a bit, following a German SelfLinux
Tutorial about "Swapping over Network", which uses a remote file over
nbd as a swapfile. But nbd-serving the /dev/cdrom/ - file ended up in
errors like this

"Error: Can not open NBD: No such device or address"

Now this is where I'm stuck. Does anybody have an idea?

Thanks, Floyd