Xref: utzoo comp.sys.ibm.pc:16269 comp.unix.questions:7515
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!esosun!cogen!alen
From: alen@cogen.UUCP (Alen Shapiro)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Network (ftp) access to ms-dos hard disks ??
Keywords: remote access to msdos disk, ethernet, polling
Message-ID: <518@cogen.UUCP>
Date: 10 Jun 88 17:42:26 GMT
References: <179@focsys.UUCP>
Reply-To: alen@cogen.UUCP (Alen Shapiro)
Distribution: na
Organization: Cogensys, LaJolla, Calf.
Lines: 56

In article <179@focsys.UUCP> larry@focsys.UUCP (Larry Williamson) writes:
>
> [ details of DOS<->UNIX file transfer ]

Sorry not to be able to answer your questions directly, I'm going to
commit the most serious net-related crime and ask you if you are really
asking the right question - or rather you seem to be making an assumption
that to manipulate DOS files under MSDOS you have to be on a different
shared disk than the one on the UNIX system.
 
You may be locked into this because of existing hardware so please excuse me if
the following is inappropriate.   
 
Have you considered the following 3 hardware organisations which neatly bypass
the technical questions you raised. 
 
1) Sun 386i connected via NFS to the Unix environment
2) Sun server with IPC (internal PC) card (faked internal Ethernet with NFS)
3) Native DOS running PC connected via ethernet to a >= 4.2BSD UNIX via NFS 
 
Note: if you run an ethernet/NFS network all the above configurations
make data transfer a native copy or cp command (depending on who initiates
them). If you target the Unix data-generation at the DOS-mounted partition - no
copy is needed. Getting the data back for processing (printing or other
manipulation) on the Unix side is just a matter of calling the relevant Unix
utility and targetting the relevant file - also visible as a Unix file.
You also gain Unix "dump" incremental backup of all dos files placed on the
NFS partition.
 
1 above) gives you many DOS machines on one bitmap screen, integrated
into a UNIX workstation, together with a shared filestore accessible from both
DOS and UNIX simultaneously - all from the same screen (different windows) and
on a single piece of hardware.
 
    cost about $10000 including local disk, screen and keyboard
 
 
2 above) If you already have a Sun server - < $2000 gives you a
single DOS window on any of the connected Sun machines.
 
3 above) If you already have a PC $890 buys you PC-NFS including an
ethernet card for the PC. You may then mount files from an existing NFS
server on the ethernet (a number of Unix's other than Sun have
implemented NFS capability)
 
We have a Novell here as well as NFS and are seriously considering scrapping
the Novell due to lack of utility when coupled with a Unix development
environment.  
 
Hope this is of some help
 
--alen the Lisa slayer (it's a long story)
 
...my opinions only
I have no connection with Sun except as a happy customer (if anyone
at Sun reads this I expect our discount rate to increase!! :-))