Re: Concurrent connections on file server

[Kent West <westk@acu.edu>]

Ken Hansen wrote:

> I work in a call center, and support about 350 workstations, all 
> running various versions of Windows. We are using a file server that 
> has Win98. I am working on a proposal to change to a Linux file server.
> At this point, the company standard is Windows. We have one Red Hat 
> print server, and some dialers running either Unix or SCO.
> I've looked at a lot of distros, and have decided to try running 
> Debian. I have a couple of questions. If someone can help me out, it 
> would be greatly appreciated.
>  
> We have a dialer program that was written in Visual Basic. When 
> started on each work station, it reads a config file on the file 
> server and starts the program. At various times during the calls being 
> worked, different amounts of information are written to files on the 
> file server. The file server also houses various spreadsheets and 
> Access databases used by managers throughout the center, which they 
> access and modify frequently throughout the day.

So all you're needing is file storage; you're not running any apps on 
the server? No problem.

> How many concurrent connections would be possible on a file server 
> running Debian? Is it a limited number?

It's limited only by hardware/network capability. If Win98 can handle 
it, the same machine can handle it (and probably about 6 times the load 
(very rough guesstimation) or so more).

> Also, does Debian provide for easy setup and administration of the 
> file server (creating directories and setting up permissions, etc) 
> through the GUI (KDE)?

Finding the command line to be much easier than GUI tools in my 
experience, it's hard for me to say, since I never use such tools. But 
yes, with the new KDE in sid, creating/deleting folders, and changing 
perms on that folder is a pointy-clickety procedure.


> I'm new to Linux, and don't know that I would be able to administer 
> this system from the command line at this point.

30 second lesson:

mkdir = creates a directory
   mkdir /home/hansenk/my_new_folder
   mkdir another_dir

rmdir = removes a directory
   rmdir ~/my_new_folder
   rmdir /home/hansenk/test

chmod = changes access permissions on a file/folder (a folder is just 
another type of file)
   chmod -R go+x /home/hansenk = causes all files/folders in hansenk's 
dir to become eXecutable for the Group and for Others. The "-R" causes 
the change to recurse down the directory tree.
   chmod u+w my_file = causes "my_file" to be writable by the owner (User).
   chmod +w my_file = same as above (the User is assumed)
   chmod -r my_file = removes the owner's capability to read the "my_file"

chown = changes owner/group on a file/folder
   chown -R root.hansenk /usr/local = causes all files in /usr/local to 
be owned by root and to belong to the group "hansenk"
   chown hansenk /usr/mine = causes the directory or file "mine" to be 
owned by the user "hansenk"

touch = creates a file, or updates the modification date on the file
   touch empty_file = creates a file named "empty file", or updates the 
date if the file already exists

rm  = remove a file
   rm empty_file = "empty_file" is now deleted.

ls -l = show listing of files, with permissions, dates, etc


These basic commands will let you do 70% of what you need to do at the 
command line.


--
Kent