transparent way by just using special URLs like ssh://, smb://, fish://, gphoto://, 

usb://, etc.

What the user also has to understand is that his home directory may not be 

locally available, but has been NFS mounted, so he has to synchronize some 

data when he wants to use them on the road with a mobile system (if this is 

possible) by using simple 

rsync

 mechanisms, special file systems like 

InterMezzo 

(

http://www.inter mezzo.org

), or commercial programs like the 

Novell iFolder (the iFolder client is bundled with the Novell Linux desktop). If all 

data are kept locally (with regular backups to a central place) it could still be the 

case that e mail data is stored on an IMAP server, so you have to make sure that 

your clients are supporting disconnected IMAP mode (for example, the Kolab 

client). 

Synchronizing calendaring and other data with PDAs, Palms, or Smartphones is 

an another issue a system administrator has to consider. Programs available for 

this purpose are jPilot, kPilot, and gPilot. Also, USB sticks, bluetooth devices, 

and external firewire hard drives are becoming very popular these days, but from 

a security point of view one has to make careful decisions as to whether these 

devices will be allowed or deactivated, which is quite easy with Linux by 

uninstalling the corresponding drivers or making driver loading impossible. 

4.4  Migrating applications

A migration path needs to be determined for each application that will be 

migrated to a Linux based equivalent. Different migration paths will be 

necessary, as not all MS Windows based applications have Linux based 

equivalents. Some example scenarios include:

Bridging

 applications: These have native equivalents for both MS Windows 

and Linux. See 3.2.1,  Bridging applications  on page 30, for the definition 

and importance of using bridging applications if possible.)

Similar applications: Providing same funtionality and data import capabilities, 

that is, OpenOffice.org provides Word, spreadsheet, and presentation 

capabilities and can import Microsoft office files. See 3.2.2,  Functionally 

equivalent utility applications  on page 31.

Server based applications: For an application that has no Linux based 

equivalent. In this case, application servers provide some type of remote 

terminal service, and the Linux client then runs the application using a local 

remote desktop application interface. See 3.2.4,  Building bridges to the 

server  on page 32.

New ISV application: This could be replacing an application with a new one, 

such as SAP replacing Navision.

 Chapter 4. Technical planning 

63