Samba steps up to do Netware’s work It’s evident that Novell’s fortunes haven’t prospered under the explosion of Internet access, but more evidence has surfaced for HP 3000 customers. HP pulled Netware/iX from the 3000 product line on February 1, and it wants customers to replace Netware functionality with Samba/iX, the freeware file and resource sharing software that’s been available from CSY Web sites and the Interex FREEWARE tape. It’s proof enough that included networking services like Samba continue to trample the turf proprietary solutions like Netware used to own. Whether new, free stuff is as robust as the solutions it displaces is a question asked often, usually after the bundled stuff is in place. Samba’s still not bullet-proof in its 0.7 version. Users report a problem with Samba omitting data on a transfer if the file is on the 3000 and is not a byte-stream file. When a PC application inquires about the size of the file, it gets the wrong answer. If the PC application then reads that number of bytes (instead of reading until the end of the file), it may not get the entire file. HP intends to bundle Samba and support it with the 6.0 version of MPE/iX, which customers and prophets are forecasting for a release in late summer. In the meantime, diligent HP engineer Lars Appel of HP’s German Response Center was introducing a new 0.8 version of Samba/iX for alpha testing as we went to press. The new version improves file modification timestamp capabilities, so they can now be controlled by the client. NewsWire subscriber Appel explains, “The MPE/iX Posix utime() related restriction has been relaxed. For example, if you copy a PC file to or on a Samba/iX share now, the copy will retain the original modification date instead of switching to ‘now.’ Keep in mind that you should keep your PC clock in reasonable sync with your 3000 clock.” Appel also reports that the setuid()/setgid() related limitations in smbrun() have been relaxed to make non-guest printing, non-guest preexec/postexec, message command and dfree commands work properly. You can get the 0.8 version at the HP Jazz Web site, or at the 3k Associates FTP site. Copyright 1998 The 3000 NewsWire. All rights reserved