Connection to UNIX via NFS

When you like to connect to a UNIX system ( the "grand-pa" of all Multi-User/ Multi-tasking/ Network- operating systems, which was already well established when Bill Gates wrote his first line of code), you have to decide:
UNIX and MS Windows (in all versions) are NOT compatible and cannot directly communicate with each other:

To have these system communicate with each other, one system needs to be adapted to support the "Communications Language" of the other system:

Make UNIX understand Microsoft Windows Networking

This is possible by installing on the UNIX system:

I am NOT covering this, because this site is covering MS Windows and I will therefore not go into the details of the UNIX-commands to install and configure SAMBA (which you get for free as source-code and which you have to compile YOURSELF on tour UNIX system).
For more details on SAMBA: http://samba.anu.edu.au/samba/

Make Microsoft Windows understand UNIX Networking

you need to use:
- TCP/IP protocol
- NFS Client (Network File System)
NFS is the standard method for UNIX systems to connect to each other, and now you need a PC/ Windows version to establish a connection from a Windows95/WindowsNT system.

While TCP/IP is included in both Windows95/WindowsNT4 (otherwise Microsoft would have serious marketing/sales problems in this new world of the "Internet" connectivity, which is based on TCP/IP), there is NO "Client for NFS" included with Windows95 or Windows NT4, nor does Microsoft offer any such NFS-client as additional product.

There are several companies offering NFS-client (have a look at shareware sites like http://www.shareware.com or http://www.windows95.com for more details).
I am covering here the NFS-client, which I have used already myself (other client use similar setup-parameters, because they all need to do the same job: use NFS, so the following information may be also helpful , if you are using a different NFS Client):

"Sun Microsystems" (http://www.sun.com) is a major player in the UNIX workstation market and played the major role with NFS ( actually NFS was originally developed by Sun).
"SunSoft" , a subsidiary of Sun (http://www.sun.com/software/index.html) offers a full suite of connectivity software, which includes:
- Solstice Network Client (NFS Client) (www.sun.com/netclient/overview)
A 30-day evaluation copy can be downloaded:

http://www.sun.com/netclient/overview/download

The following pages cover the installation of the Solstice NFS Client for both Windows95 and WindowsNT4, because the setup/configuration is mostly identical, exceptions are shown separately.

Start: I assume, that the network-board has already been installed and configured and that the TCP/IP protocol is installed.

Editing the HOSTS-file
In my examples, the UNIX system does NOT include a DNS server( so it is required to edit the "hosts"-file on the Windows-system ,location of "hosts"-file is covered below) and does NOT include a DHCP-server (so it is required to manually assign the IP-addresses):

example of Editing Hosts:
- name/ip of the UNIX-server: ggtbel00
- name/ip of the Windows-PC: am01

NOTE: the "hosts"-file is a simple TEXT-file. When adding a new line, make sure that you press the <ENTER>-key at the end of each line (which is sometimes missed-out when using the NOTEPAD-editor), otherwise the system will NOT read that line properly, i.e. it will NOT be able to translate that name into the IP-address !

Lets verify (and TEST) the network-setup BEFORE installing the NFS-Client:
In the "Control-Panel", select the Network-applet:

	On a Windows95 system, make sure, that you have installed: - Client for Microsoft Networks - your Network-Adapter - TCP/IP-protocol Verify the TCP/IP-properties: tab "IP-address": define the IP-address of the Windows-PC, subnet-mask should be the default (255.255.255.0) tab "Gateway": define (and ADD) the IP-address of the UNIX-server as Gateway address

Verify, that the connection to the UNIX-server is 'valid' (that the TCP/IP setup is correct and that the network-board and cables work properly) by 'Pinging' the UNIX-server:

On Windows95, a sample of a "hosts" file
called "hosts.sam" is created during the
installation of TCP/IP in your
WINDOWS-directory, just make a copy
to the name "hosts", then edit hosts.

make a "ping" to the UNIX-server,
first using the IP-address and then also
using the UNIX-server name (to verify,
the the name-resolution via "hosts" is
working properly).

Once you have installed on a WindowsNT4
system the network-adapter, all required
Network- "Services" are installed.

make sure, that TCP/IP-protocol is
installed and configured properly with:
- IP-address of the Windows NT system
- Subnet-mask (default: 255.255.255.0)
- as "Gateway", enter the IP-address of
the Unix-server

Verify under the tab:"Bindings",
that all components are active and
have a "binding"

Make sure, that you located the "hosts"-file (installed during TCP/IP-setup in the
DRIVERS/ETC directory of the WindowsNT Systems32 directory) and that Hosts has been edited to define the names of the UNIX-server and Windows NT system.
Verify, that the connection to the UNIX-server is 'valid' (that the TCP/IP setup is correct and that the network-board and cables work properly) by 'Pinging' the UNIX-server:

"ping" using the IP-address and also using the UNIX-server name (testing, that the name-resolution via "hosts" is working properly).