Linux Server Hacks, Volume Two

Hack #15. Run Windows over the Network

Stop deploying Windows systems and software for people who only need occasional access to a few applications.

Regardless of how you feel about Microsoft, you can't escape the Windows operating system and the applications that require it. Even companies that live on Linux for development and testing still need to provide developers with access to Windows systems so that they can share various types of documents with management in formats that management can understand. This quickly gets expensive, and it's generally a hassle for the system administrators who have to deploy and manage these machines, set up the Windows shares de jour on each computer or in user profiles, install the right software packages, and so on.

Many companies take a first stab at saving money by putting two computers under many desks, and sharing a monitor, keyboard, and mouse between them using a KVM switch. That's fine, except that your company pays for the extra systems, Windows licenses, and KVM switches and has to deal with the administrative and security hassles inherent in deploying two desktops per user. As an alternative, some companies use the open source WINE project or its commercial variant Crossover Office (which is a great package, by the way), to run Windows applications natively on Linux machines.

If you need to give users occasional access to Windows-only applications but want to minimize costs and administrative hassles, a good solution is to install ...