[KLUG Members] Re:Re: Re:Samba reprocess config file questions

[Adam Williams]

>>>The windows clients who own the shared files are routinely and massively
>>>massaging those files all day long with no errors. I don't understand why
>>>sharing them in a common directory via a logical link in another samba
>>>share should cause a networking error.
>>Possibly the file is changing "beneath" the read-only client?  This will
>>be
>>*BAD*.  IMHO, you need to look at a somewhat more sophisticated technique
>>for "publishing" the files.  Dealing with file-locking issues is tricky,
>>and
>>due to partial writes performed by the read-write clients I don't think
>>you can
>>arbitrarily just copy the files.  You need to test for locks,  and copy
> unlocked files periodically.
>>Not to be a pin head, but it sort of sounds like your trying to use a
>>spreadsheet to do the job of a database.
>BINGO!!!
>The company locked onto Lotus 123 v5 for a macro application that runs the
>production department. The designer and maintainer started working on this
>shortly after I started working here eight years ago when we had about 12
>stand alone DOS computers and one Mac. I suggested Foxpro for the production
>application, but the developer was a chemist (like me) and former math
>teacher who understood spreadsheet functions a lot better than database
>fundamentals like full normalization. Most everybody around here knows how
>to use Lotus, and we get lots of great reports from custom macros massaging
>all the lotus files. BUT sharing that data has turned into a nightmare.

DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about your application.

I might be beneficial to at least look into storing raw data in a database 
accessible via ODBC.  Lotus can draw information from such a database.  
Spreadsheets can be used to generate reports, etc... from a database.  A 
user could open a "template" spreadsheet,  hit recalc, database is 
queried, pretty results appear.  

Just something to consider.
  
>Another of the projects I am working on is to come up with a workgroup
>server function for all these M$ clients.
>I am trying to figure out how to setup more apache virtual servers (I setup
>one) then give key people the correct permissions to the publishing
>directories so they can use the M$ "Publish to web wizard" to dump the info
>to be shared to the correct directories to have them show up on a webpage.
>Then there is the minor task of letting the appropriate people know what
>information is where and finally sticking links on our intranet home page.

It is pretty simple with Samba to create a "bogus" printer that produces 
PDF files in some directory.  Lay a web page over that and you may have a 
simpler and less expensive solution.

Simply create a printable service with a print command pointing to a 
shell script using ps2pdf and install an Apple Laserwriter driver (nice 
clean postscript) on the WinXX client.

The toughest part is comeing up with a filename that means something to 
you based upon the knowledge Samba posseses.  I'd recommend a timestamp 
and a print queue for each destination page.

>I think everything is do-able, all it takes is time, time, time. And it is
>time for me to go home to my wife and have some lunch .... or I guess it is
>supper time.