Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!helios.physics.utoronto.ca!ists!gkcl!aronb
From: aronb@gkcl.ists.ca (Aron Burns)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.nfs
Subject: Re: Sun PC-NFS deficiencies
Message-ID: <20305@ists.ists.ca>
Date: 18 Mar 91 17:29:10 GMT
References: <1991Mar15.173934.18700@novell.com>
Sender: news@ists.ists.ca
Reply-To: aronb@gkcl.UUCP (Aron Burns)
Organization: y
Lines: 37

In article <1991Mar15.173934.18700@novell.com> donp@na.excelan.com (don provan) writes:
>In article <20171@ists.ists.ca> aronb@gkcl.UUCP (Aron Burns) writes:
>>so who let him configure his own machine?  Who could expect a user
>>to understand an IP address and pick a machine name?
>
>Exactly his point.  In NetWare the user doesn't have to come up with
>an address or a machine name, so you *can* let him configure his own
>machine.

True.  To expand:  in a large network, systems professionals will
have to be in attendance anyway.  I'd rather have them setup
the user's machine at lunch-hour and allow the user to continue 
with whatever tasks he/she is charged with.  Most data-entry 
clerks couldn't deal with _any_ network setup, and shouldn't 
be expected to.  Their job is to ram lots of information 
into data entry screens.  Similar comments
apply to the bulk of network users in organizations whose 
business is not computing.

In smallish networks, if technically-minded persons are 
using the network resources, individuals may reasonably
take responsibility for configuration.  Here, Novell requires
less administration.  In truly small networks ( someone mentioned
a mechanic's network ), where the owner-operator is also the
administrator, perhaps Novell is easier to deal with.

I don't know how Novell deals with internetworking ( a brief post would
be interesting, Don ); I do know that IP addresses make
internetworking of TCP/IP networks easy to organize.  Consequently,
I don't see selecting addresses entirely as a drawback.



Aaron Burns      	     "Nothing I say on the net is binding
aronb@gkcl.ists.ca         to our corporation"
Toronto, Ontario         "Life is a forge, and the purest metal
(416)392-4310             comes from the hottest fire"