The Linux Intranet Server HOWTO
Pramod Karnad, karnad@indiamail.com
v2.12, 2001-12-03
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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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
* the HTTP server software which can be downloaded from OneStep NCSA HTTPd
Downloader at http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/docs/setup/OneStep.html page.
* The Novell Netware Client available from HTTP://support.novell.com/ (The TCP/
IP files are included with the client).
* The Microsoft TCP/IP client available from HTTP://www.microsoft.com/
* The Apple MacTCP client available from HTTP://www.apple.com/
* 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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
* Setup_Netware_Server if you use a Netware server.
* 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 definition 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.
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).
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
* Windows_for_Workgroups_(WFWG)
* Windows_95
* 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
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 appropriate 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.
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.
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 appropriate 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
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.
* NCP_filesystem_for_Netware
* SMB_filesystem_for_Windows
* 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.
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.
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.
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.
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\HTMLDOCS (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 environment.
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:
* 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
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:-
* 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.
* 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
* 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.
* Simple Groupware applications
With HTML forms support, sites can provide sign-up sheets, surveys and simple
scheduling.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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
* Implement a search engine on your Intranet. Connect to ht://Dig at http://
htdig.sdsu.edu/
* Use CUSeeMe by setting up a local reflector. Refer to their page at Cornell
http://cu-seeme.cornell.edu/
* Setup Web Conferencing. Use COW from http://thecity.sfsu.edu/COW/
* Deploy a SQL database. Refer to the mSQL Home page at http://Hughes.com.au/
* Setup FTP,Gopher,Finger,Bootp servers on the Netware server. Get them at
http://mft.ucs.ed.ac.uk/
* 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 and License
This document is copyrighted © 1996,1997 Pramod Karnad.
This document is distributed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation
License. You should have received a copy along with it. If not, it is available
from http://www.fsf.org/licenses/fdl.html.