Linux + How can I use it as a file server in a mixed enviromwnt

---

Hi,

I just watched the Linux + GUI episode and it was very exciting. So far everything has just been the server, but users won't be on the server. Up to now nothing has connected to the server. Until this episode. You showed through Xming or XQuartz you can login and launch apps. For me this is very exciting because it shows real world application, but it came short.

Is there a way to automate the logon and application launch so the average user can use it?
Sadly even typing ssh -y user@x.x.x.x and then planner & can be a stumbling block. Especially if it's many apps.

Is there a way to map drives to a linux server from a windows machine?

In other words is there a way to make a Linux server look and feel like a Windows server from an end users view point. For example. I have a login. Once logged in I have my apps as icons, network printers, and network drives with security by user name?

I'm sorry if I'm jumping the gun. I'm an old Novell guy and Linux reminds me allot of the way Novel was back in the day.

Thank you

Marc,

I'm out of town at a conference right now, but I'll take a quick stab at your questions. I can go into more detail later on if you need it.

You mentioned not showing the client side in our show. The main reason for that is the exam is not based on the client side and those topics are "assumed knowledge" for the certification. Instead, the exam focuses on the server technologies and technician responsibilities. I do think it would be a good idea for us to make an end-user show so we may do that in the future, but that is why the content was excluded from this show.

As for making the Linux transparent to Windows users, the technology you need is called Samba. With Samba, you can setup a Microsoft Active Directory compatible directory server for your clients to authenticate against. You can also setup SMB/CIFS shares that you can map to right inside of Windows. Be sure to checkout the Samba website as it has a lot of great information to get you started.

Hope that helps,

Don Pezet
Host, ITProTV

Don,

Thank you so much for replying. I had a feeling it was considered assumed knowledge. In my case, I never touch Linux until this week. So as I watched the shows I was seeing all the possibilities of the server, but I couldn't find the resource on how to connect to it. Everywhere I looked it was assumed that the connection was already made.

I realize that there isn't a certification for it, but it would really tie things together if you ever did some multi platform client side shows.