Eliezer Figueroa Puello wrote: > > I want to build a small network using Linux as the fileserver and > windows 95 computers as the clients. What I have in mind is something > similar to what novell network do, but using Linux in the place of the > novell server. I want to be able to map a linux partition in the server > to work as a directory in the windows 95 computers. I tried to do that > using the tcp/ip protocol but then I got realized that windows 95 do not > have a client for UNIX networks using the tcp/ip protocol so, I have > been unable to map. >
It is true, Windows 95 does not have a built-in NFS client. NFS is the unix standard for network file sharing. However, Linux *can* act as a "Windows Networking" (aka "Lan Manager") file/print server. For this you would install SAMBA, which is available as a debian package. SAMBA will allow you to create Win95 "shares" and networked printers which your Win95 clients can use. We use this technology heavily here at my office. As a print server, SAMBA is rock-solid. We've never had a problem with it. As a file server, we have had a few problems. I believe, though, that they are isolated to locking issues. Which is to say: you won't run into these problems unless you are put database (Microsoft Access) files in the shares. These problems may have been fixed in a recent release. There may also be work-arounds. I don't know because I didn't have the time to work through the problems. The ideal, of course, would be to put an NFS client on the Win95 box. However, there are no share/free-ware clients available as far as I know and the recent review I read in the June '97 Unix Review article by Steven Baker about commercial implementations indicate that the software out there is not-yet-ready for primetime. To summarize: Try SAMBA. It will most likely provide a reliable and convenient means of running a file/print server for your Win95 clients. As an added benefit, your Linux box can be an Internet firewall/ gateway, a DHCP server, email gateway/server, etc., etc. etc. -- Jens B. Jorgensen [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .