Upgrading and Repairing Networks

Key Differences Between Unix/Linux and NetWare

The most obvious difference that should come to mind when looking at NetWare and Unix/Linux is that the latter systems are computer operating systems and NetWare is a network operating system. NetWare clients can include many different platforms, usually ones that have their roots in MS-DOS or Windows of some kind. Yet, no matter on which platform you use NetWare, it basically only provides support for network resource sharing. You can use native NetWare servers, or you can use Windows servers in the same network to offer application, print, and other services to users. Authentication services are provided, as are mechanisms for granting or denying access to data. This is especially the case when using the eDirectory. Or the underlying server operating system (such as Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003) can also be used to enforce access permissions and user authentication.

File Sharing

NetWare excels at providing file servers on the network. Either the bindery-based NetWare 3.x or the directory services versions can be used to exercise a great deal of control over file and directory access for one or more servers on the network. By using directory services, you can distribute files throughout the network on multiple servers. Clients can be authenticated by bindery-based servers or directory services and access the resources they need. Using a bindery-based system of servers works best when local users need access to only one or two servers. In a larger network this might not be a good idea if resources are spread out among many servers. This is because the bindery servers require a user account/password on each server, and keeping these synchronized on a lot of servers can be a headache for the user. If you need to manage a large number of servers, which has users needing resources on different servers, then directory services is a better choice because it allows the user to log on to the network using directory services and gives management a single place to manage users and resources.

Unix and Linux do not come with file shares or directory services. Instead, you must substitute NFS, the Network File System, which was originally developed by Sun. Access permissions can be controlled using the standard mechanisms provided by Linux. You can set up NFS so that users must log on to each server to mount the exported file system, or you can hide the authentication process from users by using proxy mechanisms built in to most NFS implementations.

	For more information about NFS, see Chapter 31, "File Server Protocols." To learn more about how Linux and Unix systems use resource access permissions, see Chapter 39, "Rights and Permissions."

Printer Sharing

NetWare is capable of providing support for many kinds of printing technologies and protocols, including the lpr/lpd and TCP stream printing protocols used by Unix and Linux. Novell Distributed Print Services enables printing from Unix to NetWare, as well as from NetWare to Unix, by using a generic NetWare gateway. Additionally, third-party printer manufacturers can develop gateways that can provide additional features for their printers.

User Authentication

If the NetWare version you currently employ uses bindery-based authentication services, you are familiar with having to log on to each server when you need to access a resource. Similarly, Unix and Linux use a file called /etc/passwrd that resides on each system. Users must have an entry in this file that can be used when they log on to the server. Linux does not natively support a directory service yet (though an open source directory service is available on the Web), so providing a single logon for the network will not be something you get out of the box. Most Unix operating systems, however, support NIS (Network Information System) for small LANs or NIS+ for larger networks. This software was originally called Yellow Pages, but the name was changed to NIS due to trademark reasons. NIS coordinates password and other information on the network between Unix servers. There are several open-source versions of NIS that can be found on the Web, some of which are intended for use with Unix, and others for Linux.