Coexisting with UNIX Systems
Published: October 15, 2001
For me and for many of us who use Windows XP in our daily work, Windows XP coexists in a network that includes both Windows– and UNIX–based servers. For most of my work, the files and resources I need are on other Window–based computers, but that isn't always the case. So I definitely appreciate the new features in Windows XP that help it work better with UNIX–based servers, and I'm going to suggest a couple of additional tools that will help even more.
Although there are a number of changes to Windows XP that improve how it works in a mixed environment, most of the enhancements are pretty much invisible to the average user—things like an improved TCP/IP stack and better support for DNS aren't going to wow the average user, but they do help when you live in a mixed UNIX and Windows world. Other features, however, are more visible in our daily lives—integrated FTP, a telnet client that's actually useable, a telnet server built into Windows XP Professional, and support for using UNIX–based printers.
Integrated File Transfer Protocol
The first, and for most users, the most obvious change is an FTP client that is seamlessly integrated into Windows Explorer. To use it, simply type the address of the FTP server you want to access in the address bar, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Windows Explorer FTP window
You can navigate to the directory where the files you need are stored just as if they were sitting on a Windows–based server somewhere. And if you need a user name and password to access the particular FTP server, Windows XP is smart enough to automatically display a logon prompt as shown in Figure 2—and then remember the password for next time, if you specify that option.
Figure 2. Log On As prompt
Excellent Telnet Client
Sooner or later, if your work requires you to regularly work with UNIX, you'll need to actually log on to the UNIX server. Now, in theory, you could get permission from the UNIX system administrator to go into the computer room where the server resides and log on at the server, but that isn't realistic. And not even possible in many cases, because the server may be many buildings or even miles away. The answer is Telnet, which stands for Telecommunications Network, and is a terminal–emulation protocol that allows two dissimilar machines to communicate using a command line. In the old days there was a limited, semi–graphical telnet client program included with Windows, but as anyone who ever had to use it will happily tell you, it was awful. But Windows XP includes an excellent, non–graphical, telnet client that works well in a mixed environment and will let you get your work done in a most satisfactory manner. Instructions for using Telnet are beyond the scope of this column, but if you want more information, see the excellent "Using Telnet Client" article in the Help and Support Center.
Support for UNIX–Based Printers
Windows XP includes support for printing to TCP/IP printers directly, enabling you to print to most UNIX–based network printers without a problem. To add a TCP/IP printer:
1. | On the Start menu, click Printers and Faxes. |
2. | Click Add a printer from the Printer Tasks to open the Add a Printer Wizard. |
3. | Click Next, click the Local printer attached to this computer radio button, and click Next again. |
4. | Click the Create a new port radio button, and select Standard TCP/IP Port as the type of port, as shown in Figure 3.  Figure 3. Add Printer Wizard |
5. | Click Next and you're taken to the Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port wizard. Make sure that the printer is turned on and that you have connectivity to it before proceeding. |
6. | Click Next again and type in either the IP address or the DNS name of the printer you need to connect to, and Windows XP will provide a port name for you. |
7. | Click Next and you may need to specify which port to use if there is more than one connected to the same IP address. |
8. | Finally, click Next one more time, and you'll see a summary of the printer port you just added. |
From here, you follow the usual steps to add a printer, select the printer manufacturer and model, and print a test page.
Two Tools to Add
Finally, two suggestions for tools that will make your life even easier if you need to connect regularly to UNIX–based servers. The first is a Microsoft product—Windows Services for UNIX or SFU for short. This collection of programs and interoperability components includes a variety of tools to make life easier if you work in a mixed environment. One of the most notable tools is an excellent Network File System (NFS) client. NFS is the most common way for files to be shared on a UNIX– or Linux–based server and the client in SFU integrates well with Windows Explorer, making it easy to connect to resources that are stored on your UNIX–based servers.
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The second suggested add–on is WinZip, a shareware program for file compression. Although Windows XP includes a new built–in file compression feature, Compressed (zipped) Folders, this feature does not support the compression algorithms that are used by UNIX and Linux. That's why I suggest you acquire WinZip, which not only supports all the file compression mechanisms used by Windows XP, but also supports the different compression mechanisms that are used by UNIX– and Linux–based computers. And it does an excellent job of integrating with Windows XP. If you regularly need to use files that are stored on a UNIX–based server, I highly recommend WinZip.
