SUMMARY
When you migrate from UNIX to Windows 2000, you must modify
and carefully transfer some information. Some elements of the two platforms are
compatible. In this document you learn about the elements that are compatible,
about the elements that need attention, and about the tools that are available
to help the migration process.
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File Format Compatibility
You can transfer most binary-format files from UNIX to Windows
without modification. Binary compatibility is the responsibility of the
program. For example, graphics files, movies, and other binary data files are
the same on both platforms. Binary executables are not transferable.
For text-format files, UNIX uses a linefeed character to end each line in the
file, but Windows uses a carriage-return and linefeed-character sequence to end
each line. This difference may cause problems in the following files:
- Text-based data files.
- Script files for Perl, Python, or other
languages.
HTML files are not affected because browsers ignore line
termination.
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Programming Language Support
Windows supports C, C++, and Java languages directly or by means
of Microsoft Visual Studio. Java-based programs do not require any
modifications. You have to rewrite programs that are written in C and C++ if
the programs use libraries other than the standard C and C++ versions. There
are also versions of Perl, Python, PHP, and other languages that are available
for Windows and that work for most scripts.
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Networking Support
Windows 2000 supports the BSD networking standard. Because of
this, you can use standard TCP/IP networking principles. Windows 2000 also
supports standard UNIX services such as DNS, DHCP, HTTP, FTP, and others.
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POSIX Compatibility
Windows 2000 is compliant with the POSIX 1003.1 standard. It is
not compliant with the later POSIX 1003.2 standard.
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Interoperability Support
The Microsoft Services for UNIX product incorporates many tools
and utilities that you can use to migrate between the two platforms. These
tools and utilities also act as conduits between the platforms during general
use. The Windows Services for UNIX product also includes an NFS client and
server, user and group data conduits that you can use to share information
between UNIX and Windows computers, and tools that you can use to migrate
authentication and permission data.
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REFERENCES
For more information about Windows Services for UNIX, visit
the following Microsoft Web site:
For
additional information about how to prepare for a migration from
UNIX-to-Windows, click the article number below to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
324215 How To: Prepare for a UNIX-to-Windows Migration