Technique

Integrating Liunx and Unix into Microsoft Windows' Networks.

Recent distributions of free operating systems such as Linux have greatly eased the initial difficulty of installation. As a result, more administrators are trying out open source software. One of the biggest hurdles to deploying open source operating systems is integration with existing office computers. To many people this means integration with a Microsoft Windows environment. While old standbys such as FTP (file transfer protocol) have been used to move data between Windows and UNIX systems for years, they are not very easy to use and do not integrate seamlessly into the desktop environment.

Enter the Samba team (www.samba.org). A loose knit group of people from all over the world working together to teach Windows and UNIX to dance together. The software, Samba, allows Linux/UNIX systems to coexist on the “Network Neighborhood” in a Microsoft Windows environment. This allows, for example, the use of Windows applications such as Microsoft Office to directly access files located on Linux/UNIX servers. In addition to secure file server duties, Samba can act as a print server.

For offices and startup businesses that cannot afford a commercial network operating system, Samba can act as a security authentication source for Windows computers. While this is a viable alternative for small office networks, Samba as yet does not support all of Windows 2000’s functionality when acting as a domain controller.

Like many UNIX programs, configuration of Samba can be done through entering commands into a text file. Samba also includes an easy-to-use graphical configuration program known as SWAT (Samba Web Administration Tool).

This dance is not just for Linux, Samba is available for many different operating systems, including Silicon Graphics Irix, Sun Solaris, BSD, VMS, SCO UNIX and Novell.

Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Hawaii Business Magazine »