Networking / Beginners

Unix/Linux client software

Unix/Linux systems are actually hybrid systems in that such a system can act as either a client or a server or both. In the Unix/Linux world, every machine is called a host, and a host can perform as either a client or a server or both.

Unix and Linux utilize the Network File System (NFS) protocol to provide filesharing capabilities between computers. NFS, like TCP/IP, is actually a suite of protocols, and many people refer to NFS as an application. The most widely used version of NFS is version 2, which is based on RFC 1094. Version 3, which is documented in RFC 1813, exists but has not been widely implemented at the present time. You can find more information on NFS at the Sun Microsystems Web site, www.sun.com.

NFS is a popular system for sharing files between Linux and Unix systems; however, it does little to allow Windows-based clients to access the same shares (although NFS software is available for Windows). To get around this limitation, Windows clients use the Samba (SMB) service. Samba allows Windows-based clients to access resources such as files and printers on a Linux server. The smbd daemon provides the Samba service to the network.

[Previous] [Contents]

In this tutorial:

  1. Network Operating Systems and Clients
  2. Network operating systems
  3. Windows NT 4
  4. Domains and workgroups
  5. Windows NT 4 authentication
  6. Windows NT 4 file and print services
  7. Windows NT 4 application support
  8. Windows NT 4 security
  9. Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000 file system security
  10. Windows 2000
  11. Windows 2000 Active Directory and domains
  12. Windows 2000 authentication
  13. Windows 2000 file and print services
  14. Windows 2000 application support
  15. Novell NetWare
  16. NDS (Novell Directory Services)
  17. NetWare authentication
  18. NetWare file and print services
  19. NetWare application support
  20. NetWare security
  21. Linux
  22. Linux file and print services
  23. Linux application support
  24. Linux security
  25. Operating system interoperability
  26. Using Windows with NetWare
  27. Using Windows and Linux servers
  28. Using NetWare and Linux servers
  29. Operating system client support
  30. NetWare server client support
  31. Linux server client support
  32. Client operating systems
  33. Local security mechanisms for Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me
  34. Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional
  35. Client connectivity for Windows NT Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Professional
  36. Applications for Linux
  37. Local security mechanisms for Linux
  38. Macintosh
  39. Application support for Macintosh
  40. Selecting a NIC and network configuration settings
  41. Connecting the PC to the network
  42. Testing and troubleshooting the NIC
  43. Configuring the NIC settings
  44. Configuring client systems for TCP/IP
  45. Configuring DNS server information
  46. Configuring WINS server information
  47. Using DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol)
  48. Configuring clients to access servers
  49. Client software for Microsoft networks on Windows 95/98/Me
  50. Novell client software
  51. Unix/Linux client software