[luau] Help with Linux /OSS advocacy opportunity. (involves setting up print server)

shopmmn at hawaii.rr.com shopmmn at hawaii.rr.com
Thu Oct 3 15:02:27 PDT 2002


First some background:
I'm doing an internship at a heavily windows based company. (The 
closest they have to Unix is an imac with Mac OS X). They have a some 
old Gateway 2000 pentiums gathering dust. I managed rig 4 as working 
low end boxes. The head if IT wants to see if the old hardware can be 
used as print servers for their secondary hp laser printer (currently 
connected to a win98 box). The regular IT staff is way too busy fixing 
windows to set up the old hardware with Linux. (I don't think the IT 
staff is unfamiliar with Linux -one systems admin even brought over his 
own Linux tome and CDs for me to use). So the whole thing has landed on 
me.
:) :(
This could be a rare chance for Linux to prove itself. Having spotted a 
Tux anointed IBM Linux demo CD I have a gut feeling that the 
opportunity is some how very big (or maybe I'm reading too many tea 
leaves. Still ...).

Based on what I have read the idea I have is to use CUPS to be managed 
via Samba with a Webmin interface.

The critical factors for this setup to work are
1. Should require minimum (preferably no) configuration on the client 
side aka windows side.
2. work seamlessly with MS Office and other windows applications.
3. Easy to maintain, update, configure without having to edit config 
files. (A functional webmin setup will be a big seller)

I've installed Linux on macs and pcs all of which have been one person 
workstations. I have no experience setting up servers of any kind. I'm 
lost on the exact specifics of how set all these up and I'm getting the 
sick feeling that I might be in way over my head. But it sounds like a 
great learning opportunity.

What I need help on.
1. If this will actually work. If this is not the best solution what 
the alternatives are. I'm specifically looking for a distro / print 
server package / solution that's well documented and simple enough to 
start out on.
2. Would the Linux solution have to be dependent on the spesific type 
of Windows networking setup ?
3. What sort of background info should I know and look for: Samba? 
Webmin? cross platform printing stuff that might be relevant?
4. Is this too loony to try and I'd better wiggle out of it while I 
still can (might already be too late but..) ?

The tech specs:
The three Gateway 2000 boxes have 16 mb ram and 3com Nics
one no name p.c. with 24 mb ram
All of them are pentiums.

The desktop OSs in the office range from w98, NT 4.0 (very few), 
win2000, XP (professional ed) and that solitary imac.

Very much appreciate you wisdom & advice.
Mathisha




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