1<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"><title>Foreword</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="samba.css" type="text/css"><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.66.1"><link rel="start" href="index.html" title="Samba-3 by Example"><link rel="up" href="index.html" title="Samba-3 by Example"><link rel="prev" href="pr02.html" title="Acknowledgments"><link rel="next" href="preface.html" title="Preface"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Foreword</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="pr02.html">Prev</a>�</td><th width="60%" align="center">�</th><td width="20%" align="right">�<a accesskey="n" href="preface.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="preface" lang="en-US"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title"><a name="id2464447"></a>Foreword</h2></div></div></div><div class="toc"><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p><dl><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="pr03.html#id2464455">By Dan Kusnetzky, IDC</a></span></dt><dt><span class="sect1"><a href="pr03.html#id2464553">By Andrew Tridgell, Samba Team</a></span></dt></dl></div><div class="sect1" lang="en-US"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2464455"></a>By Dan Kusnetzky, IDC</h2></div></div></div><div class="blockquote"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="blockquote" summary="Block quote"><tr><td width="10%" valign="top">�</td><td width="80%" valign="top"><p> 2IDC's software research group has been conducting research on the market for software, 3including operating environments, for over twenty years. In 1994, the system software 4research team started to field questions from its subscribers on Linux. We had very 5little empirical data to offer when these queries first were heard, so IDC added Linux 6to its operating environment research agenda. The first demand and supply side research 7containing IDC's findings on Linux started to appear in early 1995. 8</p><p> 9IDC has watched as Linux marched from being software for computer hobbyists to being 10a mainstream choice in many markets worldwide. This march is very similar to the adoption 11cycle UNIX experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. Windows repeated this pattern of adoption 12during the 1980s and 1990s. IDC has long projected that Linux would be a mainstream 13choice in nearly all markets by the end of 2005. The software is well down that path 14now and just might beat IDC's projections. 15</p><p> 16As of the end of 2002, Linux was the number three desktop or client operating environment, 17responsible for nearly 3% of the worldwide shipments of client operating environment 18software. Linux was the number two server operating environment, responsible for nearly 1925% of the worldwide shipments of server operating environment software. This is an amazing 20level of growth from its rather humble beginnings of holding less than 1% share of either 21client or server operating environment market when IDC first started publishing its findings 22on Linux. 23</p><p> 24IDC's demand-side studies have indicated that Linux is most often utilized as a platform 25for basic infrastructure services, such as supporting access to shared files and printers 26or supporting basic networking functions. IDC's most recent survey, conducted in late 2003, 27indicated that supporting file and print services was the most common use of Linux. Samba 28and NFS are the most commonly mentioned approaches to offering file and print services on 29Linux. 30</p><p> 31Nearly all of IDC's operating environment studies have shown that Linux is being added 32into organizational networks that already include Windows, UNIX, and mainframe operating 33environments. This, of course, means that interoperability with these operating environments 34is a crucial success factor for Linux. 35</p><p> 36All of this leads to the book in hand, <span class="emphasis"><em>Samba-3 By Example</em></span>, by John H. Terpstra, It addresses 37the most commonly heard questions about bringing Linux and Samba into a Windows or UNIX 38focused environment. Namely, organizations voice concerns about staff having sufficient 39levels of expertise to facilitate development, administration, operations and support activities 40around the adoption of Linux and Samba. I expect <span class="emphasis"><em>Samba-3</em></span> by Example will be of enormous help 41to Windows or UNIX administrators hoping to gain a level of comfort and familiarity with both 42Linux and Samba. 43</p><p> 44Samba is a mature open source software product that is well established as a leading Windows 45file and print technology in use on large-scale UNIX systems. Its stability and scalability 46appears to be well respected. This book demonstrates easy approaches to implementing Samba-3 47no matter whether your network is large or small. It is a book that would make a fine addition 48to the network administrators' library! 49</p></td><td width="10%" valign="top">�</td></tr><tr><td width="10%" valign="top">�</td><td colspan="2" align="right" valign="top">--<span class="attribution"> 50Dan Kusnetzky, Vice President System Software Research, International Data Corporation 51</span></td></tr></table></div></div><div class="sect1" lang="en-US"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="id2464553"></a>By Andrew Tridgell, Samba Team</h2></div></div></div><div class="blockquote"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="blockquote" summary="Block quote"><tr><td width="10%" valign="top">�</td><td width="80%" valign="top"><p> 52I've always been the sort of computer user that learns best by 53example. Seeing a complete example matching a real-world use of a 54piece of software gives me an understanding of that software far 55better than reading detailed manuals. If, like me, you are the sort of 56computer user that learns best by example then this book is for you. 57</p><p> 58I was also delighted to see the use of ethereal to illustrate the 59network protocols used by Samba. Ethereal has developed into a very 60sophisticated network analysis tool, and familiarity with using 61ethereal is a very useful skill for any system administrator. 62</p><p> 63Enjoy this book, and make the most of Samba! 64</p></td><td width="10%" valign="top">�</td></tr><tr><td width="10%" valign="top">�</td><td colspan="2" align="right" valign="top">--<span class="attribution"> 65Andrew Tridgell, President, Samba Team 66</span></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="pr02.html">Prev</a>�</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="index.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right">�<a accesskey="n" href="preface.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Acknowledgments�</td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top">�Preface</td></tr></table></div></body></html> 67