> I have to get samba running so I can use it for a file server. I
> wonder if our mac users can use the linux as a file server. As it is
> now there is some problem for mac users on the NT.
most versions of Linux have an AppleTalk module available in the
source. build that into your kernel, fill in the appropriate network
settings, and you have a linux box that can be mounted by any normal
Mac.
granted, the AppleTalk protocol is less efficient than TCP/IP.. it
uses a 64-byte packet to transfer data, and has some query/response
overhead.. but it's still good enough for a mid-sized network, and you
get the advantage of a network file sharing model which is built
directly into the Mac OS. pretty bulletproof.
one of the areas where linux (and almost any other form of unix)
excels is working and playing nicely with other types of OS. the Mac
is moving towards a multi-platform future, so it's willing to work
with anyone who will meet it half way.
> Anyhow, my big question is if I can use this linux as a mail machine?
email is so fundamental to the unix mindset that you have to work hard
to *keep* a linux box from doing email. as a matter of fact, there
are so many low-level utilities that report error messages by sending
email to root that killing email might just kill the machine.
of course, there's a difference between local mail and network mail..
sending a message to another user on the same machine only involves
the action of the local MTA (Mail Transfer Agent.. the 'mail'
program). 'mail' does the work of formatting, delivering, and
reading a text message according to the rules set up in RFC822. it
doesn't talk to the network at all, but that's okay, because that's
what sendmail is for.
sendmail is one of the great, hairy, fanged monsters of the unixverse.
it takes quite a while to get used it, and even longer to remember
what all the blasted hooks and command-line options do, but it's also
the best solution to a very ugly problem.
the big secret of sendmail is that it really isn't an email program.
it's a program that decides which email program is best capable of
handling a given message, and passing the data along accordingly.
it's the universal adapter that glues all the other delivery agents
together.
if you want to learn to run sendmail, go get the O'R&A manual. it's
the only rerefence i've ever seen that's worth using, and is
absolutely indespensable in day-to-day operation.
if you're looking to use the linux box as the mail server for an
intranet, i'd suggest setting up user accounts for all the people who
need email addresses on the box itself, and using it as the SMTP host
for all the users' mail clients. the messages will be stored on the
linux box until the users retrieve them, which is how 99.9% of the
rest of the world's email works.
the biggest problem with getting email working is getting used to it.
there are a whole bunch of little things that have to be set up to make
it work, and trying to list them all would be like writing VCR instructions.
the good news is that once everything is properly tweaked, you don't have
to mess with it any more.
feel free to ask questions.. there's nothing a sendmail administrator
likes more than helping someone else get used to it. misery loves
company. ;-)
mike stone <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 'net geek..
been there, done that, have network, will travel.
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