I need to impliment a multi-platform filesharing network with nfs and samba from a central server running linux. it needs to share files over both samba to windows and nfs to linux. This will be a multi-user environment with several stations, sometimes many stations might try to access the same file (autocad) currently with only a windows machine acting as a server with windows sharing autocad will lock a file when it is opened and unlock it when it closes this way we don't have several people modifying the file at once. I need t make sure the same thing will happen w/ samba and nfs, cause if autocad opens a file over samba and someone else tries to open the file it needs to prevent it.

so I guess my question is this, is file locking handled universally so that any program can lock a file and any other program will be prevented from using the locked file?

also does nfs recognise file locks and allow files to be locked when opened remotely
same question but for samba witht he addition of windows programs being able to request a file lock so that the linux system will nto allow use of the file by another party.

Thank you.

I think it's a mistake to mix the NFS and SAMBA protocols. If I were you I'd either use samba to share between the linux boxes or install a NFS client on the windows machines. This solve the problem nicely as you wouldn't have to worry about having two different servers trying to lock and unlock files.

Personally I would favor the Samba solution, simply because I haven't found a windows NFS client that I like much.

I was asking about both partially to see about mixing them, but mainly it was fo rocmparison and questioning weather eather or both would lock files, say if samba did not lock files I would need nfs, and vice versa.

Oh, I mis-understood you. I'm not sure about NFS locking files, becuase I don't have much experiance with it. Samba however does provide for locking files . Let me dig around real quick and I'll post some thinks about Sambas file locking....

Oreilly has a free version of the Samba book online. You can check out locking and op-locking here.

thanx you :-D