Date: 24 Jun 1998 09:54:20 -0500 From: GLEN.W.MANN@monsanto.com To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Feasibility as Enterprise Server Message-ID: <"0624140818-Feasibility as Enterprise Server"@MHS>
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Hello FreeBSD (Ab)users:
Usually the two choices for a Small company LAN OS are NT or Netware.
Each have advantages and disadvantages. I don't like either very much.
I would like to head toward FreeBSD 2.2.6 as the network OS for a new
network with about 50 DOS, WfW, and Windows NT, and even MAC clients.
I'm looking for answers to the following questions. I apologize there
are so many; I've tried to put the most important ones first. Oh - this
network is not for Monsanto Company.
1) Client Connectivity - we will have DOS clients, as well as WfW,
Win95, NT, and perhaps even MAC. WfW, Win95, and NT are easy. What
about DOS and MAC? Should I use NFS or Samba?
2) Robustness, Reliability - IMO NT doesn't come close to Netware. Can
I realistically put my companies files on a FreeBSD box? (with backups,
of course!) Do I need a HP-9000 with HP-UX?
3) What sort of a machine do I need. "Jordan's picks" seem oriented
toward workstations. RAID? SCSI? Tape backups?
4) What about network administration? Is FreeBSD realistically
usable in the office environment?
5) How does FreeBSD handle open files during automatic backups?
6) Will FreeBSD support typical printers such as HP 5's with JetDirect
software? Or must I connect the printer to the parallel port? Is one
or the other way better then the other?
7) What about virus immunity?
8) What about security, both general security and file isolation to
particular users in my user community?
9) Are there e-mail clients for the WfW, Win95, NT, DOS, and MAC
platforms that can use the FreeBSD server for the mail?
10) Should X be a part of a server's configuration?, or does it consume
too many resources?
11) In Netware, client configurations are "server-based" (via login scripts).
Is this possible using a FreeBSD server? (I think this is a not really.)
12) What's going on with the move toward UNC file locators from drive
mappings? Should I care?
13) Is NDS really necessary to have?
14) In the future, we may require an MRP II manufacturing system. Will my
legs be broken, or should I just get at that time the necessary server for
our chosen MRP software?
15) Can I use DOS, WfW, Win95, NT, MAC clients for MySQL connectivity?
16) Finally, is FreeBSD going away? I hope not. It's what I use most
at home and I've set it up everywhere I go. It's a really great product.
I may have the opportunity to apply it in a new way.
I'll be looking into these, but advice from other users seems to be the
best resource when it comes to FreeBSD.
Thanks.
Glen W Mann
gmann@itw.com
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