This is an information how it it possible to share files in MCL and ACL/W
2.0 w/out duplicating code!!
Our group develops SW for both platforms and is strongly dependent on the
same source code to keep the versions at the same level.
Developing acts simultaniously on both platforms and often we'are getting
in trouble, if people are changing code on both sides in the same time, to
keep the two source code repositories updated :-(( .
In the last years I tested I few 'solutions' which were more or less
worthless as the additional steps were not at all easy.
I should mention that dependent on our financial and technical equipment
only peer-to-peer solutions are acceptable (i.e no UNIX-NFS or Novell
server architecture)
Starting from the existing MAC peer-to-peer ethernet, I tested the
Farallon Apple Share Client package.
+ : direct access to any mac file server
+ : support of mac printers
- : often problem with accessing/copying files usinf extended macintosh
filename format (to get acces the folder has to follow the DOS
conventions)
- : printing often crashes with larger document (more than 5 pages in word ....)
- : a lot of drivers and TSR are loaded under DOS. DOS memory is filled up
- : it uses the ODI paradigm, so when using WfW (which is necessary to
share the code within WINDOZE) you can't use the package any longer
- : file conversion is between MAC ans DOS not MAC and WINDOWS (DOS is
ASCII, Windows is ANSI)
- : no access from the MAC to a WINDOZE
Next try was (and is) direct TCP access.
I installed an ftp server SW (thanks to Peter Lewis and his incredible
good sw tools) on our mac file server and exchanged files over ftp.
+ : fast access possible
+ : file format conversion is included !!!
+ : I only know of ftp programs which copy one file or files of the same folder;
copying whole folder hierarchies could last a while ....
- : no printer access from WINDOZE
- : file name conversion to 8.3 had to be done in a first step on the mac
- : no two-way access
Nevertheless, I think that this is the best way for little money to
exchange data.
NOW THE GOOD WAY!!!
I installed Windows NT 3.5 server SW on one of our PCs
+ : full Apple file server capabilities to the MACs
+ : seemless integration of all WFW clients to the same disk partition
than the MACs
+ : full access of the Mac net printers from the WFW clients
+ : really good performance
+ : smoothly integration in the existing peer-tp-peer net w/out further costs
+ : no additional ressources (SW and HW) are necessary for the WFW clients
- : no direct file format conversion
As ACL/W 2.0 runs under WIN32s, it runs directly under NT - even better!!
To overcome the file conversion problem I wrote a FRED extension to the
MAC editor, that every time I open a DOS file, the conversion is made.
Saving the file will reconvert the file in the background.
Programming FRED is much easier than everything else - i.e. programming
the ACL/W editor - so the decision to keep the files on the server in
WINDOWS format is no disadvantage.
Also wating a moment before opening and after saving the file because of
the conversion is acceptable, comparing the time and effort using the
former solutions.
Two things are still open:
a.) ACL/W initially can't work with long file names.
--> There should be a patch to accept NT format which is an superset
of the MAC format
b.) ACL/W editor only works with files < 32kb :-((((((
--> Using WinEmacs is possible, but I don't know, whether it can
handle long file names or not (does anybody knows this and / or have a
solution if not???)
If anybody wants to built a similiar solution I would provide my FRED code
to get the transparent access to WINDOZE files.
BTW, I heared of a brand new SW tool (from APPLE?) which implements an
Apple share client for WINDOZE. That would be great, unfortunately it
still isn't available in Germany. Does anybody has any experience with it?
--> does it transform the files on the fly?
--> do I have printer access??
--> how does it handle the long filenames??
ANY comments are welcome,
- stefan
_____________________________________________________________________
*** Support bacteria -- it's the only culture some people have! ****
_____________________________________________________________________
Stefan K. Bamberger email: ·····@informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de
Lehrstuhl f"ur Informatik VI voice : ++49 931 7056114
Universit"at W"urzburg / Germany Fax : ++49 931 7056120
_____________________________________________________________________
In article <······················@wi6a66.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de>,
·····@informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de (Stefan K. Bamberger) wrote:
> This is an information how it it possible to share files in MCL and ACL/W
> 2.0 w/out duplicating code!!
[...]
> Two things are still open:
>
> a.) ACL/W initially can't work with long file names.
> --> There should be a patch to accept NT format which is an superset
> of the MAC format
There is a patch. Send a request to ··········@franz.com.
>
> b.) ACL/W editor only works with files < 32kb :-((((((
> --> Using WinEmacs is possible, but I don't know, whether it can
> handle long file names or not (does anybody knows this and / or have a
> solution if not???)
The current version of WinEmacs (1.35, I think) *does not* support long
file names. Pearl Software has been talking about a new release to
provide long filename support later this summer. When this appears, the
ACL <-> Emacs functionality will be useful on NT. For now, I just keep a
copy of PFE (programmer's file editor, a freeware text editor) running to
handle the occasional file > 32K. I've also written an :around method for
ACL's editor to check the file size and complain to the toploop window
rather than putting up that annoying pop-up dialog when file size is >
32K.
Dave
---
CPU Cycles: Use them now or lose them forever...
http://www.teleport.com/~dlamkins