Chapter 6: UNIX and Windows Interoperability

Introduction

The UNIX and Microsoft Windows operating systems are very different. (For detailed information on the differences, see Chapter 2, Windows and UNIX Compared. ) Despite the differences, UNIX- and Windows-based systems must communicate or interoperate during a migration project.

This chapter presents the issues of Windows and UNIX interoperability and the tools available to address the issues.

Three categories of interoperability issues and the tools to address them are presented in the following sections:

• Windows to UNIX Connectivity discusses how a user on one operating system can connect to and use the other operating system over a network.

• User Authentication and Authorization discusses the UNIX and Windows security models and how to integrate them so that users on one operating system can securely use resources on the other.

• Resource and Data Sharing discusses how to provide access to UNIX- and Windows-based resources ( specifically networked file systems) across the two operating systems.

The fourth section, Choosing Interoperability Solutions, presents strategic considerations presented by Microsoft Win32 and Interix environments and by cross-platform support for interoperability.

For information about interoperability in general, see Further Reading later in this chapter.

For specific advice about choosing solutions for the development and live environments, see Chapter 7, Creating the Development Environment, and Chapter 13, Creating the Live Environment.