On Sun, 2006-10-08 at 13:04 +1300, Andy Leach wrote: > >>On Sun, 08 Oct 2006 11:03, Chris Hellyar wrote: > >> > >>>You missed an important detail... > > So I did! It's LAPP web dev, with very little of the front end and no
Got a bit more time to respond this time around, I was going out ealier... :-). This is assuming it is a 'current' windows lan with sensible corporate structure.. If it's a stuck together by a geek, for the geeks sorta lan, ignore most of this.. If they use a secure web proxy such as Web Marshall or MS's own one (ISA?) you may have trouble with the integrated security not recognising your your *ix box when you point at it, particularly if they use a windows 2003 ADS setup. You can setup machine exceptions or separate validation steps, on the server. If they are not using a single proxy for the lan, and allow free egress from the LAN, suggest they put in a squid box, and firewall their outbound traffic! If they've got exchange and you want to use an IMAP client against it you'll need to get your account alias on the exchange/ADS setup to be set to something short. There is a niggly 'it sometimes works' bug/feature with Exchange and non windows authenticated clients using the IMAP connections where if your username for the imap login is too long (8 chars I think) it will fall off occasionally. Same goes if you want to pop your email. Note that by default exchange 2003 will not allow IMAP/POP connections, you have to enable the services.. For sending email you may find your PC can't relay (actually, shouldn't be able to if the LAN admin is worth his wages), the Exchange box will have to be told to allow relaying from your PC specifically as you wont be a validated ADS participant as far as exchange is concerned. Use outlook on a remote/virtual PC and this problem goes away, also ignore the zealots who claim that outlook is evil... With good virus /malware/ perimeter protection it is a damn good mail/groupware tool when it's got exchange behind it. You might want to look at evolution and the exchange connector, it makes most things just work. If you're having to work with shared office documents, go for the latest OpenOffice available for your setup. There are some little differences when you save back files for other people to open which can get really annoying, but it's been getting better all the time. If there is a requirement for reverse DNS lookups of workstation names for any functionality, and they use the windows DNS/DHCP you may find you don't have a reverse record in the DNS. Windows Dynamic DNS works from validated client queries to the DNS, not the DHCP lease as with Linux. There's probably a workaround for that, google it.. Going the other way around, the windows DHCP may return a domain something like bob.iworkhere.co.nz as the domain that gets stuck in the search line of your /etc/resolv.conf (bob is the ads realm/domain). Depending on how things have been set up, this might be an issue. Some admins use '<machinename>.iworkhere.co.nz' and others use '<machinename>.bob.iworkhere.co.nz for workstation names. If the former, your search line will need to be edited.. There is an override in the dhcp client config to stop it being overwritten from memory.... Doing web work you'll need native access to a windows browser or two to test css/html compatibility. Use rdesktop to a terminal server if they've got one, qemu/vmware, vnc.. What ever. You'll need this as if you write a whole lot of wonderful code that only displays correctly in Firefox on Linux your boss might not think too much of it. I'd assume that the company will have a 'target browser' list... And my final gem would be to avoid being a zealot yourself. Use Linux as your tool of choice, suggest it to others when it can do a job better or faster, but never spend time 'on the clock' trying to make something work on your Linux desktop when you could just log in to a windows PC and do the same thing immediately. Also don't think that using a single Linux desktop is in any way saving the company money. If you're accessing their windows servers they still need to pay for CAL's (Client Access License) and if you use outlook/office on a remote session they have to own an license for that as well. In any medium sized business the cost of the software on a PC is such a small part of the real cost of doing that business it's not worth arguing about. As always, just my 2c worth.
