Capitalizing on Dfs

July 1997 / Inbox / Capitalizing on Dfs

I have been observing the developments of Microsoft's initiative to achieve "Zero Administration for Windows" ("PCs Strike Back," May). One of the biggest problems that Windows administrators face is software distribution. On Unix machines, this is achieved by installing a package on an NFS file system and letting everyone use it. This just isn't feasible in a Windows/NT environment because most Windows programs must install s ome files under C:\WINDOWS. If this bottleneck is fixed, software installation (i.e., distribution) on Microsoft platforms can be as good as it is on Unix and truly capitalize on the Distributed File System (Dfs).
Satyam Bheemarasetti
Senior distributed systems consultant
Lark Systems
satyam@poboxes.com

There is definitely merit to this i dea, although there might be advantages to storing some files on local disks, including better performance and the ability to do some functions even if the server is down. I say "might" because the fact that some files are stored locally doesn't necessarily guarantee either of these results.--Mike Hurwicz

Go to previous article: Bring on the Alpha Clones

Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it is theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.

more...

BYTE Digest editors every month analyze and evaluate the best articles from Information Week, EE Times, Dr. Dobb's Journal, Network Computing, Sys Admin, and dozens of other CMP publications—bringing you critical news and information about wireless communication, computer security, software development, embedded systems, and more!

Find out more

BYTE CD-ROM

NOW, on one CD-ROM, you can instantly access more than 8 years of BYTE.

The Best of BYTE
Volume 1: Programming Languages

In this issue of Best of BYTE, we bring together some of the leading programming language designers and implementors...

Copyright © 2005 CMP Media LLC, Privacy Policy, Your California Privacy rights, Terms of Service
Site comments: webmaster@byte.com
SDMG Web Sites: BYTE.com, C/C++ Users Journal, Dr. Dobb's Journal, MSDN Magazine, New Architect, SD Expo, SD Magazine, Sys Admin, The Perl Journal, UnixReview.com, Windows Developer Network