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| HowTo Linux Zone | Linux Zone Home | E-Mail Me | The Linux Intranet Server HOWTO Pramod Karnad, karnad@indiamail.com
v2.11, 7 August 1997
This document describes how to setup an Intranet using Linux as the
server which binds Unix, Netware, NT and Windows together. Hence by
just establishing the connection to the Linux box you are provided
transparent access to all the various platforms. Detailed explanations
are provided for setting up HTTP using the NCSA server and connect to
it using TCP/IP clients from Novell, Microsoft under Windows3.1,
WFWG,Win95 and WinNT and MacTCP on the Apple PowerMac.
______________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 What is required
1.2 New versions of this document
1.3 Feedback
2. Install the HTTP server
2.1 Preparation before downloading
2.1.1 The Operating System
2.1.2 Process type (ServerType)
2.1.3 Binding Port (Port)
2.1.4 Server user identity (User)
2.1.5 Server group identity (Group)
2.1.6 Server administrator email address (ServerAdmin)
2.1.7 Location of server directory (ServerRoot)
2.1.8 Location of HTML files (DocumentRoot)
2.2 Compiling HTTPd
3. Testing HTTPd
4. Connecting to the Linux Server
4.1 Setup the Linux server
4.2 Setup the Netware server
4.3 Setup the Netware Client
4.3.1 Windows 3.x
4.3.2 Windows 95
4.4 Setup Microsoft Client
4.4.1 Windows for Workgroups
4.4.2 Windows 95
4.4.3 Windows NT
4.5 Setup TCP/IP on Macintosh
4.5.1 MacTCP
5. Setting up the Intranet
5.1 NCPFS
5.1.1 Installation
5.1.2 Mounting NCPFS
5.2 SMBFS
5.2.1 Installation
5.2.2 Mounting SMBFS
5.3 NFS
6. Accessing the Web
6.1 Accessing the mounted filesystems
6.2 Connecting to the Internet
6.3 Other uses
7. More things to do
8. Credits and Legalities
8.1 Thanks
8.2 Copyright information
______________________________________________________________________
1. Introduction
In simple terms, the Intranet is the descriptive term being used for
the implementation of Internet technologies within a corporate
organisation, rather than for external connection to the global
Internet. This implementation is performed in such a way as to
transparently deliver the immense informational resources of an
organisation to each individuals desktop with minimal cost, time and
effort. This document attempts to explain in simple terms how to setup
an Intranet using tools which are readily available and are generally
costing little or are free.
This document assumes that you already know how to install TCP/IP on
your Linux server and connect it physically to your LAN using an
Ethernet network card. This also assumes you have some basic knowledge
of Netware, WinNT and Mac systems. The configuration of the Netware
server has been shown using version 3.1x as the basis. You can also
use INETCFG to achieve the same result. On the client side the
discussion is with respect to Windows 3.1x, Windows for Workgroups and
Win95, WinNT and the Apple PowerMac.
I am using the private network addresses (RFC-1918) of 172.16.0.0 and
172.17.0.0 only as examples. You may choose suitable addresses
depending on your configuration.
Linux Netware WFWG/WinNT
Server Server Server
172.16.0.1 172.16.0.2 172.16.0.3
| | | 172.16.0.0
------+-----+-----+--------+--+--------------
| | 172.16.0.254
W/S 1 Router
172.16.0.5 | 172.17.0.254
|
----------+-------+--------
172.17.0.0 |
W/S 2
172.17.0.5
1.1. What is required
You will need the following software before attempting the
installation.
o the HTTP server software which can be downloaded from OneStep NCSA
HTTPd Downloader at
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/setup/OneStep.html page.
o The Novell Netware Client available from HTTP://support.novell.com/
(The TCP/IP files are included with the client).
o The Microsoft TCP/IP client available from
HTTP://www.microsoft.com/
o The Apple MacTCP client available from HTTP://www.apple.com/
o WWW Browsers like Netscape at HTTP://home.netscape.com/ or MS
Internet Explorer at HTTP://www.microsoft.com/ or NCSA Mosaic from
http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/SDG/Software/Mosaic/NCSAMosaicHome.html
1.2. New versions of this document
New versions of the Linux Intranet Server HOWTO will be periodically
posted to comp.os.linux.announce and comp.os.linux.help. They will
also be uploaded to various Linux FTP sites, including
sunsite.unc.edu.
The Latest version of this document is available in HTML format at
http://www.inet.co.th/cyberclub/karnadp/http.html
1.3. Feedback
If you have questions or comments about this document, please feel
free to mail Pramod Karnad, at karnad@indiamail.com. Suggestions,
criticism and mail are always welcome. If you find a mistake with this
document, please let me know so I can correct it in the next version.
Thanx.
2. Install the HTTP server
When you download the server you have two options: To get the source
and compile it yourself, or get the precompiled binaries. The
precompiled binaries for Linux (ELF) version are available at NCSA but
not the older versions.
2.1. Preparation before downloading
The server at NCSA will guide you through the steps for configuration
options and prepare the various files for you. But before you attempt
to download HTTPd be prepared with answers to the following questions
2.1.1. The Operating System
First, you must choose whether to download the source or a pre-
compiled version of the software. If your particular system doesn't
appear in the menu, then you will have to get the default source, and
compile it yourself.
To check the version of your Linux go to the command prompt on your
Linux machine and type
linux:~$ uname -a
which will respond with a line which looks similar to this
linux:~$ uname -a
Linux linux 2.0.29 #4 Tue Sep 13 04:05:51 CDT 1994 i586
linux:~$
The version of Linux is 2.0.29.
The remaining parameters can be specified before downloading or
configured later by modifying the file srm.conf in the
/usr/local/etc/httpd/conf directory. The names of the actual
directives that appear in the file httpd.conf are shown in brackets.
The only exception is the directive DocumentRoot which appears in the
file srm.conf
2.1.2. Process type (ServerType)
This specifies how your machine will run your HTTPd server. The
preferred method is "standalone". This makes the HTTP daemon to be
running constantly. If you choose to load HTTPd under "inetd", the
server binary will be reloaded into memory for every request, which
may slow your server down.
2.1.3. Binding Port (Port)
This specifies which port of your machine that the HTTPd daemon will
bind to and listen for HTTP requests. If you can login as "root", use
the default setting of 80. Otherwise choose a setting between 1025
and 65535.
2.1.4. Server user identity (User)
This is the user id the server will change to when answering requests
and acting on files.This question needs to be answered only if you are
running the server as "standalone". If you are someone without root
permissions, just use your own login name. If you are system
administrator, you might want to create a special user so you can
control file permissions.
2.1.5. Server group identity (Group)
This is the group id the server will change to when answering requests
and acting on files. This is similar to Server User identity and is
applicable only if you are running the server as standalone.
If you do not have root permissions, just use the name of your primary
group. You can find out your group by typing groups at the Linux
command prompt.
2.1.6. Server administrator email address (ServerAdmin)
This is the email address that the user should send an email message
to when reporting a problem with the server. You can put your personal
e-mail address.
2.1.7. Location of server directory (ServerRoot)
This is where the server resides on your system. If you have root
permissions leave it in its recommended location /usr/local/etc/httpd.
If you cannot login as root, choose a subdirectory in your home path.
You can find out the path of your home directory with the pwd command.
2.1.8. Location of HTML files (DocumentRoot)
This is where the HTML files to be served are located. The default
location is /usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs. You could however set it to
be the home directory of the special user you chose in Server user
identity, or a subdirectory in your home directory if you can't login
as root.
When in doubt, use the default settings. Now that you have answers to
the above questions you can Download NCSA HTTPd at
http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/setup/OneStep.html. You should read
the HTTPd Documentation at http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/ before
you attempt installation. If you are planning to compile the code then
you need to modify the makefiles in each of the th ree directories
support, src, cgi-src. If your version of Linux is already supported
then you just have to type make linux at the top level directory (i.e.
/usr/local/etc/httpd)
2.2. Compiling HTTPd
Compiling is simple, just type make linux at the prompt in the server
root directory. Note: Users of pre-ELF Linux have to uncomment
#define NO_PASS in file portability.h and set DBM_LIBS= -ldbm in the
Makefile before compiling HTTPd.
3. Testing HTTPd
After you have installed HTTPd, login as root and start it by typing
httpd & . (assuming you have installed as standalone) You should now
be able to see it in the list generated by ps. The simplest way to
test HTTPd is by Telnet. At the Linux command prompt type
linux:~$ telnet 172.16.0.1 80
where 80 is the default port for HTTP. If you have configured "Port"
as something different then type that number instead. You should get a
response which looks like this
Trying 172.16.0.1...
Connected to linux.mydomain.
Escape character is '^]'.
Now if you type in any character and press Enter you should get a
response similar to the one shown below.
HTTP/1.0 400 Bad Request
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 1996 10:24:37 GMT
Server: NCSA/1.5
Content-type: text/html
<HEAD><TITLE>400 Bad Request < /TITLE> < /HEAD>
<BODY><H1>400 Bad Request < /H1>
Your client sent a query that this server could
not understand.<P>
Reason: Invalid or unsupported method.<P>
< /BODY>
Now we are ready to connect to this server using another PC and a WWW
Browser.
4. Connecting to the Linux Server
Please refer to the diagram shown in the chapter ``Introduction'' for
the addressing scheme used. Workstation 1 (W/S1) is on network
172.16.0.0 and can access the Linux server directly whereas
Workstation 2 (W/S2) is on network 172.17.0.0 and needs to use the
gateway (router) 172.17.0.254 to access the Linux box. This gateway
information needs to be provided while configuring the clients only on
W/S2. Netware refers to the gateway as 'ip_router'.
I am using W/S2 to illustrate the client setup. To setup W/S1 just
change the address 172.17.0.5 to 172.16.0.5 and ignore all references
to the gateway/router.
If you do not have a router you can skip the next section and proceed
to
o ``Setup Netware Server'' if you use a Netware server.
o ``Setup MS Windows Client'' if you use the Microsoft Client.
4.1. Setup the Linux server
You may skip this section if you do not have a router.
You have to configure the Linux server to recognise the router thus
allowing Workstation 2 to connect to the Web server. In order to setup
the Linux server you should login as root. At the server prompt type
route add gw default 172.16.0.254
To use this gateway everytime you boot the Linux server edit the file
/etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 and change the line containing the gateway defini-
tion to GATEWAY = "172.16.0.254". Make sure the line for adding the
gateway is not commented out.
ALT: You can add routes to the networks on the other side of the
router. This would be done as
route add -net 172.17.0.0 gw 172.16.0.254
To add this route everytime you boot Linux add the command to your
/etc/rc.d/rc.local file.
4.2. Setup the Netware server
In order to setup the Netware server you should have Supervisor
permissions or atleast Console operator permissions. If these cannot
be got, try asking your Network Administrator to help you with the
setup. At the Server enable the Ethernet_II frame type on the LAN by
typing these commands or include them in the AUTOEXEC.ncf file.
load NE2000 frame=Ethernet_II name=IPNET
load TCPIP
bind IP to IPNET addr=172.16.0.2 mask=FF.FF.FF.0
You might have to specify the slot or board number while loading the
NE2000 driver depending on your machine configuration. (eg: load
NE2000 slot=3 frame=.....)
4.3. Setup the Netware Client
On the PC you have the choice of Win3.1,WFWG or Win95. The
installation procedure differs between Win95 and the older windows if
you are using the 32bit client from Microsoft or Novell. If you are
going to use the 16bit client, the procedure is the same and you can
refer to the Windows 3.x installation instructions. For installing the
32bit client for Win95 skip to ``Windows 95 installation''.
4.3.1. Windows 3.x
If you are using Win3.1 or WFWG you can install the Netware Client
(VLMs) and some additional files which are provided with the TCP/IP
diskette, namely
TCPIP.exe, VTCPIP.386, WINSOCK.dll and WLIBSOCK.dll
Note that the WINSOCK.dll file is different from the ones provided
with Win95 and Trumpet. Install the Netware Client with the support
for windows. Copy VTCPIP.386, WINSOCK.dll and WLIBSOCK.dll to the
SYSTEM directory and TCPIP.exe to the NWCLIENT directory. Now modify
the STARTNET.bat in the NWCLIENT directory to
lsl
ne2000 ---> your network card driver
c:\windows\odihlp.exe ---->if you are using WFWG
ipxodi
tcpip ---> add this line
nwip ---> if you use Netware/IP
vlm
Create a subdirectory (say) \NET\TCP and copy the files HOSTS,
NETWORKS, PROTOCOLS and SERVICES from /etc on your Linux server or the
directory SYS:ETC on your Netware server. Edit the copied HOSTS file
to add the line for your new Linux server. This will enable you to
refer to the Linux server as http://linux.mydomain/ instead of
http://172.16.0.1/in your WWW browser
127.0.0.1 localhost
172.16.0.1 linux.mydomain
Edit the NET.cfg file in NWCLIENT directory
Link Driver NE2000
port 300
int 3
MEM D0000
FRAME Ethernet_802.2
; ---- add these lines ----
FRAME Ethernet_II
Protocol TCPIP
PATH TCP_CFG C:\NET\TCP
ip_address 172.17.0.5
ip_netmask 255.255.255.0
ip_router 172.17.0.254 ---> add the address of your gateway only
---> if you have to use this
---> gateway to reach your HTTP server
Link Support
MemPool 6192 ---> the minimum is 1024. Try with different values
Buffers 10 1580 ---> this again can be fine tuned
;---------------------------------
; You may need to add lines like these if you are using Netware/IP
;
NWIP
NWIP_DOMAIN_NAME mydomain
NSQ_BROADCAST ON
NWIP1_1 COMPATIBILITY OFF
AUTORETRIES 1
AUTORETRY SECS 10
Edit the SYSTEM.ini file in the WINDOWS directory and add this entry
for VTCPIP.386
[386Enh]
.....
network=*vnetbios, vipx.386, vnetware.386, VTCPIP.386
.....
Reboot your PC, run STARTNET.bat and you can now use your favorite WWW
browser to access your Web pages. You need not login to Netware and
you don't have to run TCPMAN (if you use Trumpet Winsock).
4.3.2. Windows 95
This section explains how to install the 32bit client on Win95.
Firstly you must install the following
Client for Netware Networks (from Microsoft or Novell)
Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol
Network Adapter
To install these items, click on My Computer, Control Panel, Networks.
Click Add. You will now be in a window that displays Client, Adapter,
Protocol and Service. To install the Client for Netware Networks:
1. DoubleClick on Client
2. Click on Microsoft or Novell
3. DoubleClick on Client for Netware Networks
To install the TCP/IP Protocol:
1. DoubleClick on Protocol
2. Click on Microsoft
3. DoubleClick on TCP/IP
Windows 95 by default installs several other protocols automatically.
Remove them by clicking on them and clicking the Remove button.
Typically Win95 installs the Microsoft NetBeui protocol, and IPX/SPX
compatible protocol. You can delete the NetBEUI protocol, but you will
need the IPX/SPX protocol if you wish to login to the Netware Server.
To setup TCP/IP click on TCP/IP, click on Properties, click on the tab
IP address
Enter your IP address in the "Specify an IP address "
box as 172.17.0.5
In the Subnet Mask box enter 255.255.255.0
select the tab Gateway
Enter your gateway (router) address in the box New gateway
as 172.17.0.254
Click the Add button
The gateway address should now appear under the installed gateways
box. Now Click OK.
You should get a message to reboot. Do so. You should now be able to
use the Browser to connect to your HTTP Server.
4.4. Setup Microsoft Client
If you are using the Microsoft Client for accessing your network, then
this section details how to install TCP/IP for
o ``Windows for Workgroups (WFWG)''
o ``Windows 95''
o ``Windows NT 4.0''
Note: To enable you to refer to the Linux server as
http://linux.mydomain/ instead of http://172.16.0.1/ in the WWW
browser and all your intranet commands you need to edit the hosts
file. You can add more entries for each of your other hosts
(Netware, Unix, WinNT) as well. The Windows family keeps its HOSTS
file in \WINDOWS or in \WINDOWS\SYSTEM depending on the version.
Edit this file and add a line for your Linux server as:
127.0.0.1 localhost
172.16.0.1 linux.mydomain
172.16.0.2 netware.mydomain
172.16.0.3 winNT.mydomain
172.16.0.5 ws_1
4.4.1. Windows for Workgroups
This section explains how to install the 32bit client on WFWG. Firstly
you must download the TCP/IP drivers for Windows from Microsoft. The
current version is 3.11b and is available at ftp://ftp.microsoft.com
or other sites as tcp32b.exe. Make sure that you have load Win32s
before trying to load the TCP/IP-32bit driver.
Having expanded the TCP/IP files into a temporary directory (say
C:\TEMP), check your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory for copies of
OEMSETUP.INF. If there are any, rename them. Now copy the OEMSETUP.INF
file from the TEMP directory to the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. If you
have loaded any other TCP/IP stacks on your system, please remove them
before you proceed.
Start Network Setup or Windows Setup/Change Network settings
Click the Networks button
Click Install Microsoft Windows Network.
Choose support for additional networks (if required)
Click OK
You should be prompted for your network adapter - select the appropri-
ate one. If you are not prompted, then
Click the Adapter button
select an adapter (say NE2000)
Click OK
Click the Protocol button
select the MS TCP/IP-32 protocol
click OK
You will now be prompted to configure the TCP/IP protocol stack. You
can always reconfigure this by highlighting the TCP/IP protocol shown
in the box Adapters and clicking the Setup button.
In the IP address box enter 172.17.0.5
In the Subnet Mask box enter 255.255.255.0
Enter your gateway (router) address in the box default gateway
as 172.17.0.254
Click OK. The computer will ask you to restart. Do so. You should now
be able to use the Browser to connect to your HTTP Server.
4.4.2. Windows 95
This section explains how to install the 32bit client for Microsoft on
Win95. Firstly you must install the following
Client for Microsoft Networks
Microsoft TCP/IP Protocol
Network Adapter
To install these items, click on My Computer, Control Panel, Networks.
Click Add. You will now be in a window that displays Client, Adapter,
Protocol and Service. To install the Client for Microsoft Networks:
1. DoubleClick on Client
2. Click on Microsoft
3. DoubleClick on Client for Microsoft Networks
To install the TCP/IP Protocol:
1. DoubleClick on Protocol
2. Click on Microsoft
3. DoubleClick on TCP/IP
Windows 95 by default installs several protocols automatically. Remove
them by clicking on them and clicking the Remove button. Typically
Win95 installs the Microsoft NetBeui protocol.
To setup TCP/IP click on TCP/IP, click on Properties, click on the tab
IP address
Enter your IP address in the "Specify an IP address "
box as 172.17.0.5
In the Subnet Mask box enter 255.255.255.0
select the tab Gateway
Enter your gateway (router) address in the box New gateway
as 172.17.0.254
Click the Add button
The gateway address should now appear under the installed gateways
box. Now Click OK.
You should get a message to reboot. Do so. You should now be able to
use the Browser to connect to your HTTP Server.
4.4.3. Windows NT
This section details how to Install the TCP/IP client for WinNT 4.0.
Start Control Panel/ Network
Select the Adapter tab.
Click Add to add a new adapter (if you don't have one)
You should be prompted for your network adapter - select the appropri-
ate one. To add the protocols.
Select the Protocols tab
Click Add
Select the TCP/IP protocol
Click OK
You will now be prompted to configure the TCP/IP protocol stack. You
can always reconfigure this by highlighting the TCP/IP protocol and
clicking the Properties button.
Select the tab IP Address
Mark the checkbox 'Specify an IP address'
In the IP address box enter 172.17.0.5
In the Subnet Mask box enter 255.255.255.0
Enter your gateway (router) address in the box Default Gateway
as 172.17.0.254
Click OK. The computer will ask you to restart. You can now use any
Browser to connect to your HTTP Server.
4.5. Setup TCP/IP on Macintosh
If you are using the Macintosh for accessing your network, then this
section details how to install MacTCP for the PowerMacs.
Note: To enable you to refer to the Linux server as
http://linux.mydomain/ instead of http://172.16.0.1/ in the WWW
browser and all your intranet commands you need to edit the hosts
file. The format of the hosts file is different from the one used in
Unix. The Mac hosts file is based on RFC-1035. You can add more
entries for each of your other hosts (Netware, Unix, WinNT) as well.
The MacOS keeps its HOSTS file in the Preferences folder under the
System folder. Edit this file and add a line for your Linux server as:
linux.mydomain A 172.16.0.1
netware.mydomain A 172.16.0.2
winNT.mydomain A 172.16.0.3
ws_1 A 172.16.0.5
4.5.1. MacTCP
This section explains how to install MacTCP. Firstly you must download
the MacTCP files from Apple or install it from the Internet Connection
CD. To configure MacTCP, click the Apple Menu/ Control Panels/
TCP/IP. In the screen change the setting for 'Connect via:' to
'Ethernet'
Change the 'Configure' setting to 'Manually'
In the IP address box enter 172.17.0.5
In the Subnet Mask box enter 255.255.255.0
Enter your gateway (router) address in the box
Router address as 172.17.0.254
Click OK. You should now be able to use the Browser to connect to your
HTTP Server.
5. Setting up the Intranet
An Intranet cannot be complete without sharing the resources on the
different platforms. You will need support for other filesystems, so
that you can access the data available on them. This document provides
instructions to connect Linux to the following popular filesystems.
o ``NCP filesystem for Netware''
o ``SMB filesystem for Windows''
o ``NFS filesystem for Unix''
These filesystems can be compiled into the Linux kernel or added as
modules, depending on the version of Linux. If you are not familiar
with compiling the kernel you can refer to the Kernel HOWTO
http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/Kernel-HOWTO.html and the Module
HOWTO http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/Module-HOWTO.html for compiling
the kernel with modules.
5.1. NCPFS
To share the files on the Netware server you will need support for NCP
(ncpfs). NCPFS works with kernel version 1.2.x and 1.3.71 upwards. It
does not work with any earlier 1.3.x kernel. It cannot access the NDS
database in Netware 4.x, but can make use of the bindery. If you are
using Netware 4.x you can enable bindery support for specific
containers using the command Set Bindery Context at the console as:
set Bindery Context = CORP.MYDOM;WEBUSER.MYDOM
In the above example two containers have bindery support enabled.
You will need to download the NCP filesystem utilities using the URL
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/filesystems/ncpfs/ncpfs.tgz
(currently ncpfs-2.0.10) from Sunsite.
5.1.1. Installation
To install the ncpfs utilities, type
zcat ncpfs.tgz | tar xvf -
to expand the files into its own directory. In this case you will get
a directory ncpfs-2.0.10 Change your directory to this ncpfs directory
before proceeding with the installation. Read the README and edit the
Makefile if necessary.
The installation of ncpfs depends on the kernel version you are using.
For kernel 1.2, you should simply type 'make'. Subsequently typing
'make install' will install the executables and man pages.
If you use Kernel 1.3.71 or later, you might have to recompile your
kernel. With these kernels, the kernel part of ncpfs is already
included in the main source tree. To check if the kernel needs to be
recompiled type
cat /proc/filesystems
It should show you a line saying that the kernel knows ncpfs.
If ncpfs is not there, you can either recompile the kernel or add
ncpfs as a module. For recompiling the kernel you should type 'make
config' and when it asks you for
The IPX protocol (CONFIG_IPX) [N/y/?]
simply answer 'y'. Probably you do not need the full internal net that
you are asked for next. Once the kernel is successfully installed,
reboot, check /proc/filesystems and if everything is OK proceed with
the installation of the ncpfs utilities. Change directory to the
location holding your downloaded ncpfs files, and type 'make'. After
the compilation is finished type 'make install' to install the various
utilities and man pages.
5.1.2. Mounting NCPFS
To check the installation type
ipx_configure --auto_interface=on --auto_primary=on
....wait for 10 seconds and type
slist
You should be able to see a list of your Netware servers. Now we are
ready to share files from the Netware server.
Suppose we need to access HTML files from directory \home\htmldocs on
volume VOL1: on the server MYDOM_NW, I recommend that you create a new
user (say) 'EXPORT' with password 'EXP123' on this server to whom you
grant appropriate access rights to this directory using SYSCON or
NWADMIN.
On the Linux machine create a new directory /mnt/MYDOM_NW. Now type
the command
ncpmount -S MYDOM_NW -U EXPORT -P EXP123 /mnt/MYDOM_NW
to mount the netware file system. Typing the command
ls /mnt/MYDOM_NW/vol1/home/htmldocs
will show you a list of all the files in MYDOM_NW/VOL1:\HOME\HTMLDOCS
(using Netware file notation). If you have any problems please read
the IPX HOWTO at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/IPX-HOWTO.html for
more insights into the IPX system.
5.2. SMBFS
To share the files on the Windows server you will need support for SMB
(smbfs).
You will need to download the SMB filesystem utilities from
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/filesystems/smbfs/smbfs.tgz
(currently smbfs-2.0.1) from Sunsite.
5.2.1. Installation
To install the smbfs utilities, type
zcat smbfs.tgz | tar xvf -
to expand the files into its own directory. In this case you will get
a directory smbfs-2.0.1 Change your directory to this smbfs directory
before proceeding with the installation. Read the README and edit the
Makefile if necessary.
The installation of smbfs depends on the kernel version you are using.
For kernel 1.2, you should simply type 'make'. Subsequently typing
'make install' will install the executables and man pages.
If you use Kernel 2.0 or later, you might have to recompile your
kernel. With these kernels, the kernel part of smbfs is already
included in the main source tree. To check if the kernel needs to be
recompiled type
cat /proc/filesystems
It should show you a line saying that the kernel knows smbfs.
If smbfs is not there, you can either recompile the kernel or add
smbfs as a module. For recompiling the kernel you should type 'make
config' and when it asks you for adding SMB filesystem support simply
answer yes. Once the kernel is successfully installed, reboot, check
/proc/filesystems and if everything is OK proceed with the
installation of the smbfs utilities. Change directory to the location
holding your downloaded smbfs files, and type 'make'. After the
compilation is finished type 'make install' to install the various
utilities and man pages.
5.2.2. Mounting SMBFS
In our example let us assume that the WinNT server is called
'MYDOM_NT' and is sharing its directory C:\PUB\HTMLDOCS with a share
name of 'HTMLDOCS' without a password. On the Linux machine create a
new directory /mnt/MYDOM_NT. Now type the command
smbmount //MYDOM_NT/HTMLDOCS /mnt/MYDOM_NT -n
to mount the SMB (windows share) file system. If this does not work
try
smbmount //MYDOM_NT/COMMON /mnt/MYDOM_NT -n -I 172.16.0.3
Typing the command
ls /mnt/MYDOM_NT
will show you a list of all the files in bsol;bsol;MYDOM_NT\PUB\HTML-
DOCS (using Windows file notation).
5.3. NFS
First you will need a kernel with the NFS file system either compiled
in or available as a module.
Suppose you have a Unix host running NFS with the name MYDOM_UNIX and
an IP address of 172.16.0.4. You can check the directories that are
being exported (shared) by this host by typing the command
showmount -e 172.16.0.4
Once we know the exported directories you can mount them by entering a
appropriate mount command. I recommend that you create a subdirectory
under '/mnt' (say) 'MYDOM_UNIX' and use that as your mount point.
mount -o rsize=1024,wsize=1024 172.16.0.4:/pub/htmldocs /mnt/MYDOM_UNIX
The rsize and wsize may have to be changed depending on your environ-
ment.
If you have any problems please read the NFS HOWTO at
http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/NFS-HOWTO.html for more insights into
the NFS system.
6. Accessing the Web
Now that we have setup the HTTP server, the clients and interconnected
the Linux server with the other servers, we need to make some small
adjustments on the Linux server to be able to access these mounted
filesystems from the Web Browser.
6.1. Accessing the mounted filesystems
To access the mounted directories in your HTML pages you have two
methods:
o Create a link in DocumentRoot (/usr/local/etc/httpd/htdocs) to
refer to the mounted directory as
ln -s /mnt/MYDOM_NW/vol1/home/htmldocs netware
or
ln -s /mnt/MYDOM_NT winNT
or
ln -s /mnt/MYDOM_UNIX unix
o to edit the file srm.conf in your /usr/local/etc/httpd/conf
directory and add a new alias.
# Alias fakename realname
Alias /icons/ /usr/local/etc/httpd/icons/
# alias for netware server
Alias /netware/ /mnt/MYDOM_NW/vol1/home/htmldocs/
Alias /winNT/ /mnt/MYDOM_NT/
Alias /unix/ /mnt/MYDOM_UNIX
And restart your HTTPd. You can access the documents on the netware
server by referring to them as http://linux.mydomain/netware/index.htm
for the netware files and similar notations for the others.
6.2. Connecting to the Internet
You can finally connect your Intranet to the Internet to access E-Mail
and all the wonderful information out there. I propose to write a
brief note on how to do this in a future revision. Detailed
explanations are available in the ISP Hookup HOWTO from
http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/ISP-Hookup-HOWTO.html and Diald mini
HOWTO at http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/mini/Diald for setting up
these connections.
6.3. Other uses
The HTTP server can be used in the office to provide transparent
access to information residing on different servers, at several
locations and directories. The data can be simple documents in Word,
Lotus spreadsheets, or complex databases.
The application of this technology is being typically used as
follows:-
o Publishing corporate documents
These documents can include newsletters, annual reports, maps,
company facilities, price lists, product information literature,
and any document which is of value within the corporate entity.
o Access into searchable directories
Rapid access to corporate phone books and the like. This data can
be mirrored at a Web site or, via CGI scripts, the Web server can
serve as a gateway to back-end pre-existing or new applications.
This means that, using the same standard access mechanisms,
information can be made more widely available and in a simpler
manner. This means that it can be used to create an interface with
RDBMS like ORACLE and SYBASE for generating real-time information.
Here is a list of links to such sites on the Web.
- Web Access -
http://cscsun1.larc.nasa.gov/~beowulf/db/web_access.html - CGI
gateways - HTTP://www.w3.org/hypertext/WWW/RDBGate/Overview.html
o Corporate/Department/Individual pages
As cultures change within organistions to the point where even each
department moves towards their own individual mission statements,
the Intranet technology provides the ideal medium to communicate
current information to the Department or Individual. Powerful
search engines provide the means for people to find the group or
individual who has the answers to the continuous questions which
arise in the normal day-to-day course of doing business.
o Simple Groupware applications
With HTML forms support, sites can provide sign-up sheets, surveys
and simple scheduling.
o Software distribution
Administrators can use the Intranet to deliver software and up-
dates on-demand to users across the corporate network . This can be
done with 'Java' which allows the creation and transparent
distribution of objects on-demand rather than just data or
applications. This is indeed possible more easily with the newer
versions of Linux which has builtin support for Java.
o Mail
With the move to the use of Intranet mail products with standard
and simple methods for attachment of documents, sound, vision and
other multimedia between individuals, mail is being pushed further
forward as a simple, de facto communications method. Mail is
essentially individual to individual, or individual to small group,
communication. Several utilities are available on the Linux
platform to setup an E-mail system like sendmail, pop3d, imapd.
o User Interface
The Intranet technology is evolving so rapidly that the tools
available, in particular HTML, can be used to dramatically change
the way we interface with systems. With HTML you can build an
Interface which is only limited by the creators imagination. The
beauty about using Intranet technologies for this is that it is so
simple. Clicking a hyperlink from HTML can take you to another
page, it could ring an alarm, run a yearend procedure or anything
else that a computer program can do.
7. More things to do
Here is a list of other interesting things to do with your Linux
Intranet server. All the software mentioned below is freeware or
shareware.
o Browse the Linux server using Network Neighbourhood in Win95/ NT;
Setup a WINS like NBT server. Check out the SAMBA Web page at
http://lake.canberra.edu.au/pub/samba/samba.html
o Implement a search engine on your Intranet. Connect to ht://Dig at
http://htdig.sdsu.edu/
o Use CUSeeMe by setting up a local reflector. Refer to their page at
Cornell http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu/
o Setup Web Conferencing. Use COW from http://thecity.sfsu.edu/COW/
o Deploy a SQL database. Refer to the mSQL Home page at
http://Hughes.com.au/
o Setup FTP,Gopher,Finger,Bootp servers on the Netware server. Get
them at http://mft.ucs.ed.ac.uk/
o Emulate a Netware server. Check out the NCP Utilities at
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/filesystems/ncpfs/
If you find other interesting things to do with your Linux Intranet
server, please feel free to mail me.
8. Credits and Legalities
8.1. Thanks
Thanks to the people at NCSA for providing such excellent
documentation, David Anderson and all others for trying out this HOWTO
and sending in their comments. The details on Netware/IP are courtesy
Romel Flores (rom@mnl.sequel.net).
8.2. Copyright information
This document is copyrighted (C) 1996,1997 Pramod Karnad and
distributed under the following terms:
o Linux HOWTO documents may be reproduced and distributed in whole or
in part, in any medium physical or electronic, as long as this
copyright notice is retained on all copies. Commercial
redistribution is allowed and encouraged; however, the author would
like to be notified of any such distributions.
o All translations, derivative works, or aggregate works
incorporating any Linux HOWTO documents must be covered under this
copyright notice. That is, you may not produce a derivative work
from a HOWTO and impose additional restrictions on its
distribution. Exceptions to these rules may be granted under
certain conditions; please contact the Linux HOWTO coordinator at
the address given below.
o If you have questions, please contact Tim Bynum, the Linux HOWTO
coordinator, at linux-howto@sunsite.unc.edu Finger for phone
number and snail mail address.
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