driver for LAN access

[David McDivitt]

We are writing an application to copy TIF files from a Windows workstation
that receives faxes, convert to jpg, and store in a database. To get the
files from the workstation we must either install an FTP server on the
workstation, or find a java driver that provides LAN access. We would like
to find a driver for LAN access.

If running a web/app server on a Windows workstation, of course LAN access
is present, but the web/app server is a Sun Solaris box. We want to read and
write files peer-to-peer on Windows workstations, NT servers, and Novell
servers. Surely drivers exist for this. Thanks

 

[Rogan Dawes]

We are writing an application to copy TIF files from a Windows workstation
that receives faxes, convert to jpg, and store in a database. To get the
files from the workstation we must either install an FTP server on the
workstation, or find a java driver that provides LAN access. We would like
to find a driver for LAN access.

If running a web/app server on a Windows workstation, of course LAN access
is present, but the web/app server is a Sun Solaris box. We want to read and
write files peer-to-peer on Windows workstations, NT servers, and Novell
servers. Surely drivers exist for this. Thanks

Sounds like you want jCIFS . . .

Rogan

 

[Chris Uppal]

Sounds like you want jCIFS . . .

Another possibility would be install SAMBA on the non-Windows boxes and access
the files directly from Java using the normal file-based API.

There are also NTFS server implementations for Windows, but I don't know of any
that are free, or even cheap...

-- chris

 

[David McDivitt]

Date: Thu, 25 May 2006 19:21:42 +0100
Lines: 13



Another possibility would be install SAMBA on the non-Windows boxes and access
the files directly from Java using the normal file-based API.

There are also NTFS server implementations for Windows, but I don't know of any
that are free, or even cheap...

-- chris

I looked up jCIFS which Roger mentioned. On that page I saw SAMBA mentioned,
which also looks like it would work. Which is easier/quicker?

Which of the two, jCIFS or SAMBA, provides access to Novell servers? For the
application I'm doing I will probably share a folder on the workstation and
access peer-to-peer, but I would like to have Novell functionality for other
applications.

 

[Rogan Dawes]

I looked up jCIFS which Roger mentioned. On that page I saw SAMBA mentioned,
which also looks like it would work. Which is easier/quicker?

Which of the two, jCIFS or SAMBA, provides access to Novell servers? For the
application I'm doing I will probably share a folder on the workstation and
access peer-to-peer, but I would like to have Novell functionality for other
applications.

As far as I know, neither. Unless Novell servers also use the SMB file
transfer protocol (which I think they don't - AFAIK, they use NCP)

Note the differences between Samba and jCIFS:

jCIFS is a mainly CLIENT side implementation of the SMB protocol. Samba
is a mainly SERVER side implementation of the SMB protocol.

i.e. jCIFS provides an API that allows you (or your application) to
connect over the network to an SMB shared folder, and access resources
on it.

Samba on the other hand, allows you to share a folder on e.g. a Unix
server to SMB clients (Windows workstations, jCIFS apps, etc)

There are two ways you can approach this, I think.

If your fax server is dropping files in a Windows Shared Folder, and
your app running on e.g. a Unix server wants to retrieve those files,
wherever they are, I'd say you want to use jCIFS.

If your fax server can drop files onto a network share (which there is
no real reason why it shouldn't, I guess), you may want to use Samba on
your Unix server to provide that network share, and then simply access
the files in the underlying disk/directory using the standard Java File API

Personally, I'd probably lean towards using jCIFS, because it means that
there is less configuration required on your Windows host. Samba is not
always the most trivial application to get working.

Good luck.

Rogan

 

[Chris Uppal]

I looked up jCIFS which Roger mentioned. On that page I saw SAMBA
mentioned, which also looks like it would work. Which is easier/quicker?

I suppose that depends on whether you are happier installing and configuring
standard network packages (which may well already be installed), or hacking out
Java code ;-)

Which of the two, jCIFS or SAMBA, provides access to Novell servers?

I have no idea what Novell do these days -- I haven't touched Novell since the
days when they used their own proprietary network protocol. I'd guess -- since
Novell haven't actually gone bankrupt -- that their kit already has all the
networking options built in to be able to talk to Windows boxes, and probably
Sun boxes too.


BTW, it has just occurred to me. If all these boxes are on the same LAN, then
why can they not talk to each other already ?

-- chris

 

[David McDivitt]

Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 11:42:36 +0100
Lines: 26



I suppose that depends on whether you are happier installing and configuring
standard network packages (which may well already be installed), or hacking out
Java code ;-)



I have no idea what Novell do these days -- I haven't touched Novell since the
days when they used their own proprietary network protocol. I'd guess -- since
Novell haven't actually gone bankrupt -- that their kit already has all the
networking options built in to be able to talk to Windows boxes, and probably
Sun boxes too.


BTW, it has just occurred to me. If all these boxes are on the same LAN, then
why can they not talk to each other already ?

Anything can be done via FTP to the many NT, Novell, Sun, and AIX servers we
have, as well as the mainframe. The problem is getting to a workstation. I
plan to share needed folders on the fax workstation and access with jCIFS. A
few java applications read and write to Novell servers. It would be nice to
have direct file and folder functionality instead of using FTP.