| Goals for this chapter: | rpm packages covered in this chapter:
|
The System Integrator, or Network Administrator starts to appears in companies and Universities together with the UNIX Operating System, about 20 years ago. However, in these VMWARE days, runs another operating system contemporarily to the main operating present a new and innovative way to integrate systems each other.
Linux offers the necessary performance and tools to
The System Integrator is the person on the technical staff who works exclusively in those jobs related to network. These jobs are use the MS Windows printer from the Linux system, or use Adobe Illustrator on the Mac and copy the new files to a Linux system, download files from remote FTP servers with cut-and-paste mouse operations.
Today, these operations are more and more simple, like we can obtain
with the konqueror:
 |
 |
| We can "Split View Left/Right" in the Windows Menu, and then on the
right menu
we can write the command: "ftp://root@world" The system world, must belong to the "/etc/hosts" file, otherwise is
necessary
|
Then, you can drag for example the file: "xkey.c" from the local dir
to the remote ...
This is possible also with Internet sites! |
What means integrate systems ? Integrate systems is uses the remote systems resources and share with the actual system.
Linux is a UNIX clone. It includes software developed by the "millenary" AT & T: SysV init services as well as the BSD (Berkeley Software Distributions): finger, rcp. The Mach for example is a new UNIX written from scratch following the original ideas included in the Design of BSD.
UNIX is everywhere on the Web. For example the
[root@ftosx1 /root]# telnet nyplgate.nypl.org
Trying 149.123.1.11...
Connected to nyplgate.nypl.org (149.123.1.11).
Escape character is '^]'.
Welcome to The New York Public Library
=====================================
Login as leo to access LEO
Login as nypl to access CATNYP
login:
Also, is possible between UNIX (or Linux), mount the remote system in a specific directory, using Network File System services.
[root@ftosx1 /]# mkdir /mnt/heaven
[root@ftosx1 /]# mount -t nfs heaven:/ /mnt/heaven/
[root@ftosx1 /root]# ls /mnt/heaven/
System.map bin cdrom en
floppy kernel lost+found opt rescue.dat
sbin so tmp var
vmlinuz.old
System.old boot dev etc
home lib mnt
proc root shlib tcp
usr vmlinuz
[root@ftosx1 /root]#
[root@ftosx1 /root]# mount
/dev/hda2 on / type reiserfs (rw,notail)
none on /proc type proc (rw)
none on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)
automount(pid453) on /misc type autofs (rw,fd=5,pgrp=453,minproto=2,maxproto=3)
heaven:/ on /mnt/heaven type nfs
(rw,addr=192.168.1.66)
[root@ftosx1 /root]#
Of course, you also copy files between these remote system with the simple "cp" command.
[root@ftosx1 /root]# cp /root/net30.doc /mnt/heaven/tmp/
and of course you also remove files in the remote system, running simply
"rm".
[root@ftosx1 /root]# rm /mnt/heaven/tmp/net30.doc
rm: remove `/mnt/heaven/tmp/net30.doc'? y
[root@ftosx1 /root]#
Generally, today programs like Midnight Commander (including its GNOME version: gmc), as well as konqueror, offers the same functions, without to load the NFS service and therefore have a workload more light.
All these operations are "also" possible with FTP. WIth FTP is also
possible create a "automatic" session writing a ".netrc file. All these
functions are available for more than ten years ago.
A great news is that the latest MacOSX is a UNIX system. For example
we can see in the figure a "Terminal" that runs "/bin/tcsh" a "soft" bash
similar to the OLD Xenix (that was a Microsoft Investment in Santa Cruz
Operation), that help new users, to match the right UNIX command easy.
From these terminal session we can connect to a Linux system a runs for example, the "Midnight Commander".
The same is valid for FTP services and other normal FTP services.
Therefore integrate Linux with UNIX system is equivalent to integrate the similar systems "clones"; different but similar in comparison with other systems like MS Windows.
Integration Linux withMS-Windows
MS Windows continues to be the more used OS actually. Based on a proprietary graphical user interface developed at the first on MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), from 2.11, then 3.0 then 95 and today NT and Windows 2000, with its bundle package, MS Windows continue to be the normal choice.
Following all the investments in Microsoft technology: MS Windows, MS Office, and other commercial and common package is simple to understand how important is to integrate MS Windows with an OpenSource OS like may be: Linux.
The most important project from this point of view is the Samba Project (actual version 2.2).
With SAMBA is possible to
The SAMBA and Linux-Windows sharing resources is so present that products like KDE KControl as well as "konqueror" (See Windows-> Show Sidebar -> Windows Shares)
Also Mac OS X includes SAMBA !
However, you can transfer directly DOS or Windows (VFAT) files, from Linux without SAMBA services, if your mount these partitions on the remote Linux-Windows machine, at boot time!
With the Midnight Commander or konqueror you can transfer from and to,
any DOS/Windows file without problems.
Integration Linux with Apple Systems
The Integration between Linux and previous Apple OS technology is handled by the netatalk RPM package and its updates.
Using this package is possible to install a Apple Atalk protocol on Linux, that "automatically" search the remote Apple systems present on the Internal Net (IntraNet). After installed is necessary to activate the service.
After the service is running you can run from the Mac, the "Chooser" and search your Linux system:
Then, you will enter in the Linux system entering the "Linux" password:
... and will appears a new Icon with the World, where you can see all the Linux home directory for orlando's users, where you can copy from and to any Linux or Apple Mac file.
About the integration between the UNIX MacOS X and the MacOS (9.1 or previous), is important to explain that the new Apple OS, Version X (10), is capable to run "any" MacOS 9.X program.
Actually, the 90% of the "old" Mac Applications like Macromedia DreamWeaver and others are running in this mode (You can check: Dreamweaver 4's compatibility with Mac OS X)
Integrating Linux with IBM AS/400 systems
The AS/400 are the classical IBM Servers.
With Linux is possible to open a telnet session to an AS/400 system.
We includes here an image that we obtain from the Web, using the Windows 32 emulator developed by Mocha. Linux includes the "x3270" a similar X Window terminal that connects your Linux box to the AS/400 system.
The Integration between AS/400 and Linux will be covered in the Chapter
N7.
Plan B: Use native software on a UNIX system
In this course we will explain and cover all the possibilities to integrate Linux with non-Linux systems. However, based on our experience we can advice that is better to use, if possible a native binary in the "strange" OS.
For example:
UNIX Network services: TCP/IP, NFS or UNIX utilities: telnet, ftp are "famous" to be the more stable and the better software to be used in a networked environment. Different software house ports this UNIX tools to MS Windows and the Mac.
Now, while Linux is for free or at low cost, these software are not for free. In other words is better to have Linux everywhere with a stable and high performance network with X Window System, that invest money to maintain non-Linux systems. Of course, if the software is not available for Linux is necessary to use the actual software.
For example, IBM at LinuxWorld Expo NY 2001, present its Linux porting on its IBM Server Z900 serie.
In other words, is possible to integrate the AS/400 with a Linux system,
but like IBM teachs us is better if the AS/400 have Linux!
Check the Interactive Exam Cram Networking: 
Internet Resources for this Chapter.