On Wed, 29 Jan 2003, Andy Sy wrote: > In a heterogeneous environment where Windows machines have > to coexist with Linux ones, Samba is almost always the better > choice because it avoids a lot of configuration tediousness > and expense that you would otherwise have to do on the Windows > machines (I'm referring mostly to installing 3rd party > NFS clients/servers). But I've also heard of people using > Samba on an all Linux network. Considering SMB is a pretty > complex protocol [1], is this advisable? I've used NFS > on a mostly Irix network, and the experience was certainly less > painful than setting up Samba[2]. > > So the question is, when should you use Samba and when > should you use NFS? I've also read about some newer > higher performance alternative network file systems that > are available on Linux. Has anyone tried these out and > what's the verdict?
Depends on your security model. NFS has a different model than samba, and has far less options. Samba also has the advantage of the server being totally in userspace. This means you have less interaction with lower level layers of the kernel. Don't mix up the smb protocol in the kernel FS options, as that is purely for SMB clients. Samba is also entirely TCP based, and nfs can use both TCP or UDP. By default it uses UDP, and that could be a problem for long distance mounts. > An experienced sysadmin friend of mine said he would still > use Samba on an all Linux machine 'coz he had a hard time > getting NFS to work across subnets (?).... how true is this? I'd say the reverse is true. Getting samba 'network neighborhood' to work on multiple subnets is not trivial. For NFS, as long as your firewall and routes are in place, and you have the proper security setup, it's very simple. _ Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph To leave: send "unsubscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fully Searchable Archives With Friendly Web Interface at http://marc.free.net.ph To subscribe to the Linux Newbies' List: send "subscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
