Re: Linux and Windows on the Same Network

[Rafael <raffi@ark.linwin.com>]

On Wed, Jan 23, 2002 at 02:26:34PM -0600, John J. Boyer wrote:
> Hello,
> I've been told that Linux and Windows systems on the same local area
> network can't communicate. They can share a broadband connection, though,

Whoever told you that is at least clueless if not a digital teleban! I
don't know if this is a flamebait or not but it definately sound like one.

> as I have found out. Is there software for either Windows or Linux that
> would enable them to communicate?

Communicate how? Interactive session or exchange files? In either case
it's doable. To exchange files between windows and Unix systems over
primitive netBUI protocol you can use Samba, NFS, and sharity. Samba is
free, open source software that comes with every Linux distribution. Samba
allows you to map a drive to a shared directory on Unix server, act as a
printer server and PDC (Primary Domain Controller) so no expensive windows
server is needed for user authentication over the network. Samba can 
manipulate files that are exchanged between windows and Unix. For example, 
I setup "print service" which converts documents to PDF format. As far as 
windows goes, it sends a file to a printer but Samba converts it to PDF 
format.

To connect to Linux box and run a terminal session I recommend Putty. It
comes with ssh like terminal connection to Unix systems and scp for secure
file copy.

There is another tool for copying files between windows and Linux, Winscp. 
It's GUI based so you depend on that.

One important tool is VNC which allows you to share workspace between
different platforms regardless of their specific implementaton. For
example, you can run VNC server on Linux machine inside X-windows and send
that to Windows or Mac to get the same work environment. Or you can
install VNC server on windows and connect to it from Linux machine.  
Everything looks the same and you have complete control over the remote
machine if setup that way. I was able to see what a guy was doing on his
windows machine in Arizona from my Linux box in California. We both were
able to control windows machine. That was over VPN. Again, it's GUI based
and only effective on fast networks.

Besides there are commercial applications and tools that allow you to do 
similar if not the same things.

We use all of the above at work extensively.

> John
> 
> 
> -- 
> Computers to Help People, Inc.
> http://www.chpi.org
> 825 East Johnson; Madison, WI 53703
> 

So who says, Linux cannot communicate to windows?

-- 
Rafael