[KLUG Members] Re: UNIX, centralized groupware storage and client-server/network-file access -- WAS: Evolution 1.0 is here!

[Bryan-TheBS-Smith]

Tony Gettig wrote:
> Question though: if a user workstation melts for whatever reason,
> their calendar info melts too, right?

Actually, that's more of a Windows issue, not so much on UNIX.  On UNIX,
it depends on their home directory.  Unlike E-mail (where is *NOT*
recommended you access over an NFS mount, especially when the E-mail in
in Mbox**), calandering/contact info is probably not as extensive as far
as disk usage.  So if you NFS mount their home directory, I assume that
info is there.

I need to play with this.  Again, at this point, I'll assume that if you
use IMAP for E-mail -- stored on server, access via client/server
(because Mbox** over NFS is "bad") -- but everything else in user home
directory -- stored on server, access via NFS mount -- the traffic is
not too terribly bad.

Another option would be to store the Evolution data locally and setup a
periodic rsync (or even simple find|cpio script) to send the data to the
server.

[ **Side note:  Mbox is used by Netscape, KMail and many other mail
clients.  NFS locking issues are plenty when Mbox files are in use over
an NFS mount.  I don't know what Evolution uses, but I don't think it is
Mbox (?).  Several people have stated that Mdir and/or Maildir works
much better over NFS, and are used by such clients like Mutt and
Sylpheed. ]

> To me, that's one of the biggest benefits of having all that data on
> a server dedicated to the task of groupware, whether that be Exchange,
> GroupWise, or something else. The server side is usually just a service
> running at some port or another answering requests.

Bynari's newer mail server allows server storage of calendar/contact
info via an IMAP-like interface.  I haven't used it myself, and it might
only be for Outlook clients.  Anyone use it?

> There is no file access required.  If there is no file or workstation
> db to back, how can I recover from disaster at the workstation?
> And in case you haven't heard it lately, many thanks for the intelligent
> and thought-out answers you provide to the list...even to seemingly silly
> questions such is the one above. :)

It's okay.  UNIX is designed for networking, and NFS (as well as
AFS/CODA) is the legacy way of distributing filesystems over the
network.  And since the great majority of UNIX programs are multiuser
aware, and just dump settings and files in the user's home directory, if
it is mounted from a server, you're set!

Although SMB/ActiveDirectory is maturing, the underlying implementation
at the client -- e.g., the use of drive letters, UNCs, roaming profiles
and the multiuser ignorance of the great majority of Windows
applications -- prevents Windows clients from accessing the server so
"transparently."

So, again, this isn't so much of an issue on UNIX.  There are just the
occassional "gotchas" like Mbox access over NFS.

-- TheBS

-- 
Bryan "TheBS" Smith    mailto:b.j.smith@ieee.org   chat:thebs413
Engineer  AbsoluteValue Systems, Inc.  http://www.linux-wlan.org
President     SmithConcepts, Inc.   http://www.SmithConcepts.com
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