CompuServe Messages

Now I can tell you all about Samba. I'd heard about it before, and found the source code (but not binaries) for the SGI before I had the C compiler for the SGI, so I couldn't use it. It's a NetBEUI-based system for mounting the SGI's file system on a PC running any form of LAN Manager, including the simple DOS version, the straight Windows for Workgroups version, or WinNT. You also need the TCP/IP stack in there, too. Interestingly, most of these components are now handed out *for free* from Microsoft. (I.e., you can get LAN Manager client software for DOS, the Windows TCP/IP stack, etc. on ftp.microsoft.com, and I know I've seen most of these things in Microsoft's libraries here on CIS, too.) I compiled it for the SGI, configured a few files, and presto, now I've got a K: drive under WinNT that's actually my SGI's filesystem. (I've yet to try it under straight Windows or DOS, but I suspect it will still work.) I was exploring alternatives to buying PC-NFS and updating the SGI's license to include an NSF server. Samba has saved me a lot of money, not to mention the time and hassle of shopping for and configuring PC-NFS. Samba is also available for Linux, among many other Unix variants, making it an easy way to connect your Linux box to your PCs. It also does printer sharing. I'm going to pass this info along to Autodesk for anyone else who's beta-testing any sort of PC-and-SGI-based product that might happen to be in testing and under non-disclosure. 🙂