Chapter 1 Networked Operating Systems: What They Are and What You Need to Run Them In This Chapter l What system integration and mixed networking are all about l Major operating systems l Hardware requirements If you’ve ever spent part of your day trying to get machines with two different NOSes (network operating systems) to talk to each other, you’ve already performed some type of system integration. What’s more, you know the challenge that system integration represents. (If not, well, aren’t you in for a treat.) In this chapter, you get a quick dose of various network operating system terminology to make sure that you know what integration and mixed networks are all about. We also go over the various popular and widely used operating systems that are available. And you find out why knowing more about these operating systems is important and how it enables you to build a diverse but well- rounded set of servers. Finally, we provide you with a handy list of the kinds of hardware that you need to run each operating system on your network. Understanding System Integration (and Its Pains) Webster’s dictionary describes integration as "the act of bringing together parts into a whole." We’re certainly not going to argue with Mr. Webster. In fact, that definition is a pretty good description of what you must do if you have a dozen or so machines -- some running Linux, others running Windows, and perhaps another with the odd NetWare server thrown in for good measure. As an administrator, you probably must do at least two of the following things: l Make sure that all machines can communicate with each other. l Make files available to all machines. l Make sure that users can print from each machine. l Connect to the Internet from each machine. l Perform administration tasks from each machine. l Do anything else that those higher up in the chain of command at your company request. Because each operating system has its own way of doing things, integration can prove the highlight (okay, the real pain) in an administrator’s day. The reason is that, after you start throwing all sorts of software and hardware together, you end up with what’s known as a mixed network. Mixing Up Your Network So what exactly is mixed networking? When we first heard about it, we envisioned some kind of pub for computer professionals, where you could saunter up and place your order for a mixed network. "Network-tender, I need a pair of Ethernet cards on the rocks, a couple of Linux servers, and something running the latest version of NetWare. And I’d like it shaken, not stirred." Ah, if things were only that easy. Mixing networks isn’t like ordering straight up from a menu. Often, you have little choice about what you get off the bat, because you’re often inheriting a network (some may call it a patchwork) of computers that grew out of your organization’s needs. By definition, any group of machines that includes more than one operating system is mixed. A simple mixed network can consist of, say, four computers where three run Windows and one runs Unix. A more complex one can include a couple dozen computers running NetWare and five running Linux, with a bunch of nonstandard printers thrown in for spice. A really complex one may span hundreds of machines and include six versions of Windows, two versions of Linux, and the latest version of NetWare, all running on everything from state-of- the-art computers to an antique TRS-80 to an empty gumball machine. If you prefer analogies, you can think of a mixed network as similar to what you see on a freeway: You see lots of different cars -- some fast, some big, some luxurious, and some limping along smoking out the tail pipe (rather like one of our old jalopies, now that we mention it). A mixed network is similar in that it’s a conglomeration of different operating systems with completely different capabilities. What’s more, a similar network (the freeway) ties it all together -- and today, that network normally consists of Ethernet computer cabling. Following are a couple general tidbits to keep in mind: l Almost all interactions between computers are really some form of communication. Whether it’s just asking "Who’s out there?" or sharing files or sending a print job to a printer -- or even delivering a piece of electronic mail -- the interaction/communication consists of sending information via cable or wire from one machine to another. We grant you that this idea may not seem like a mind-blower today, but back 20 or 30 years ago, it was an amazing idea. l Purchasing the right software and hardware to make sure that everything in a mixed network runs together takes time, effort, research, more research, reading, more reading, and a fair amount of shopping around. The Hands-Down Easiest Solution to System Integration Although the statement probably sounds like heresy coming from the authors of a book telling you how to hook up different operating systems, you need to know a secret: The hands-down easiest solution to system integration as you’re designing a network from scratch is to avoid the problem entirely. Yes, it’s true. No matter how many tips and techniques you employ to enable one OS (operating system) to talk to another, you simplify matters to no end if you stick with using only one operating system and stay faithful to it. But here’s the reality: Ninety-nine percent of the time you don’t have that option because you inherit a mixed network from a prior administrator. And besides, if you focus on only one OS, your users may miss out on software that they need to fulfill their tasks in your organization. Many high-end server programs, for example, run only on Unix. On the other hand, good luck finding a copy of your typical shoot-’em-up video game that works on NetWare. The gratuitous history lesson on network operating systems Truth be told, NOS is an old acronym that Novell coined years ago to define its OS (operating system). The term NOS was a marketing ploy to differentiate Novell’s operating system from the current competition, which at the time was Unix and DOS (for Disk Operating System, the precursor to Microsoft Windows). But the overall idea was to point out that Novell’s operating system enabled groups of computers running NetWare to easily communicate among themselves. Back then, NetWare was the behemoth of server-oriented operating systems and still commanded a large share of the server operating systems. None of the other operating systems call themselves network operating systems anymore, because an operating system that can’t interface with other machines by default doesn’t sell in today’s computing environment. For that matter, Novell’s moved away from the phrase itself. Slogging Through the Different Operating Systems Choosing an operating system is a lot like choosing a car. But the difference for most people is that you can drive more than one operating system at a time and glean the benefits of each of them to your advantage. As long as you have the right hardware, you can mix up the operating systems you use to get the best features of each and to deliver reasonably fast performance to your end users at a reasonable cost. One of your first questions may concern which operating systems to use. (We use the term may here, because you may be stepping into an administration position where you inherit someone’s prior work and network design. Although given the haphazard structure of many networks we’ve seen, design is a pretty loose term to use.) To make your selection, you need to understand a little about the major operating systems on the market today and what each was originally designed for. Microsoft Windows: The 800-pound gorilla At the time of this writing, Microsoft is embroiled in enough legal rough and tumble to make an entire legion of attorneys run out and place down payments on that fleet of yachts they’ve always wanted. The Windows operating system is in for a split from its close family members -- Microsoft Office and the many other programs that Microsoft has produced over the years. But make no mistake: The Microsoft world is still a powerful force and is likely to remain so for a long time. Microsoft first began development of a piece of software known as the Interface Manager(subsequently renamed Microsoft Windows) in September 1981. Although the first prototypes used menus at the bottom of the screen, Microsoft changed the interface in 1982 to use drop-down menus and dialog boxes, as the Xerox Star computer used. These prototypes were the first in the line of GUI-based operating systems that soon came to dominate the software marketplace. GUI is an acronym for graphical user interface. At one time the Holy Grail of operating systems, providing a user with a virtual desktop made of computer graphics, the graphical user interface became the sure-fire key to selling millions of copies of software. Although the GUI took a little while to catch on, those who bet on this stack of chips (such as one William Gates) hit the jackpot. At the time, other GUI-based operating systems were in development and in direct competition with Microsoft -- for example, the just-released VisiOn and impending TopView. Apple Computer had just released its Lisa model (but not the mind- bending Macintosh).