Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!csn!boulder!chs!danq From: danq@jetson.UUCP (Daniel Quinlan) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.nfs Subject: Is pc-nfs useful to anyone? Summary: Should we use pc-nfs to connect unnetworked pc's and a sun network? Keywords: pc-nfs, unix, sun Message-ID: <123@jetson.UUCP> Date: 13 Mar 91 16:38:34 GMT Organization: CHS, Inc., Boulder Lines: 57 I've been reading the discussion about pc nfs's deficiencies with some interest. Here at CHS we have a network of Sun workstations, and around 100 completely almost completely unconnected pc's. Obviously, this is undesirable. We would like to interconnect all the pc's and the sun system, and perhaps give terminals to those few other people who don't already have pc's, terminals, or workstations. Then we could have an effective email service -- this is really the driving force. We've been looking into pc-nfs a little bit, and were hoping that we would get the benefit of shared files (through an nfs-mounted partition on the sun's), automated backups (at least on the nfs-mounted partitions, and perhaps from disks on pcs also), and shared printers (currently many pc's have their own dedicated laser-jet's.) Our initial impression is that pc-nfs is a bit raw for the average pc user. We recently looked at a package Great Western is trying to market to put menu's on top of it. I don't think we can afford to go that route, and I'm afraid the relative lack of standards in the pc world for networks would doom us to disappointment with the approach anyway. On the other hand, we might be happy just configuring the machines to automatically mount a few partitions at boot, and to always print to a specific printer (this is at least no worse than the current situation). However, I'd like to at least find a mail program which could read the mail from an nfs mounted /usr/spool/mail, and send mail via smtp direct from the dos command line. I realize that we could use the emulator and log into a sun machine and read mail, but that's a bit too complex for many people here, and it's certainly not as nice as a local mail program. So, my questions are: a) Is anyone using pc-nfs in a situation similar to ours and happy with it? b) Has anyone found an inexpensive (or free) mail program which would work on an nfs-mounted /usr/spool/mail? c) Are there any unobvious concerns I should have about adding 100 pc's to an ethernet network with pcnfs? (I was thinking of putting them on a separate subnet to isolate them a bit). d) Given the estimated $30-60k cost of networking 100 pc's, are there other options which would be better in the long term? Any such option must at least provide an effective interface for e-mail between the sun network and the pc network. I am wary of having two different networks. Please reply to me, and I'll summarize. Thanks in advance. danq -- Daniel Quinlan {uunet,boulder}!chs!danq System Administrator chs!danq@boulder.colorado.edu Consumer Health Services 303/442-1111 x3124 5720 Flatirons Parkway Boulder, CO 80301