Debian as a File Server to Win98

Hello, I'm a newbie to Linux and I have the following question:

I've built a Debian Linux box and wish to set it up as a file server
for my several Win 98 PCs. Basically so the Win 98 PCs can map a drive
to the Linux box and save documents. Can I do this? There seems to be
a question as to what type of file system I can use on Debian that Win
98 can access.

Much thanks, Bill

I think you need Samba to be installed (by default it installs,
otherwise check by this command "rpm -qa smb" whether installed or
not), so that you can map Linux drive and save your Win 98 files back
to Debian server.

Good luck.

Bill wrote:

> Hello, I'm a newbie to Linux and I have the following question:
>
> I've built a Debian Linux box and wish to set it up as a file server
> for my several Win 98 PCs. Basically so the Win 98 PCs can map a drive
> to the Linux box and save documents. Can I do this? There seems to be
> a question as to what type of file system I can use on Debian that Win
> 98 can access.

The file system on the Linux box is irelevant, as far as the clients are
concerned. For example, I can share ext3 file systems to XP.

Bill wrote:
> Hello, I'm a newbie to Linux and I have the following question:
>
> I've built a Debian Linux box and wish to set it up as a file server
> for my several Win 98 PCs. Basically so the Win 98 PCs can map a
drive
> to the Linux box and save documents. Can I do this? There seems to
be
> a question as to what type of file system I can use on Debian that
Win
> 98 can access.
>
> Much thanks, Bill

Samba is probably what you want to use, but you could use ftp or nfs.
Especially with W98 I would recommend Samba.

As J.K. said, your Win machines need only a network protocol that
connects them to the Debian machine -- eg., Samba -- and services their
request to read or write files. The protocol will deliver the _file_
format needed by your W98 apps no matter what file_system_ it is stored
on. So the Debian box can/should use whatever is most appropriate for
it -- ext2/3, rieserfs, etc.

In a sense, the network protocol acts as middleware translating between
the W98 PCs and the Debian box.

Samba is here (and on your Debian CDs):
http://www.samba.org

prg
email above disabled

Bill schreef:
> Hello, I'm a newbie to Linux and I have the following question:
>
> I've built a Debian Linux box and wish to set it up as a file server
> for my several Win 98 PCs. Basically so the Win 98 PCs can map a drive
> to the Linux box and save documents. Can I do this? There seems to be
> a question as to what type of file system I can use on Debian that Win
> 98 can access.
>
> Much thanks, Bill
>
Yes SAMBA it is.

Be sure you've loaded TCP/IP on the Win 98 PCs and install samba on
you're debian box with:

apt-get install samba

You'll have to add user accounts with smbpasswd and shares in the
/etc/samba/smb.conf file. For extra instructions you could look at the
official HOWTO on http://www.samba.org

Good luck

--
Max

Open Source is an ode to common sense

On 16 Jan 2005 18:30:59 -0800, (E-Mail Removed)
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I think you need Samba to be installed (by default it installs,
> otherwise check by this command "rpm -qa smb" whether installed or
> not), so that you can map Linux drive and save your Win 98 files back
> to Debian server.
>
"rpm -qa" won't work in Debian, try "apt-cache show samba".


--
BOFH excuse #270:
Someone has messed up the kernel pointers