Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 13:03:12 -0400 From: "Jerry Bell" <jerry@reillyplating.com> To: <gmann@itw.com> Cc: <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Feasibility as Enterprise Server Message-ID: <199806241703.NAA27734@reillyplating.com>
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---------- > From: > To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG > Subject: Feasibility as Enterprise Server > Date: Wednesday, June 24, 1998 10:54 AM > > > Hello FreeBSD (Ab)users: > > 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? > I've found Samba to work very well and very reliably. NFS would require 3rd part client software on the client side. > 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? > As you probably know, everything on the server can be managed via telnet. The great thing about FreeBSD/Samba is that there is almost no upkeep, aside from new additions. My FreeBSD server ran for 300 days straight serving 30 windows 95 PCs, without any intervention, though I just took it down to add a few new hard drives. > 5) How does FreeBSD handle open files during automatic backups? > I have not had any problems here. The biggest problem is going to be with large database files that may partly change during the backup process. Smaller files are copied very quickly (onto a scsi tape) and typically present little or no problems with file corruption. > 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? I use lpr/lpd to communicate with a jetdirect box, and it works very well. Samba will let you share the printer (through lpr) to the client boxes. > > 7) What about virus immunity? > I've personally not ever seen a virus on a unix system. The biggest problem is probably crackers, or disgruntled employees. > 8) What about security, both general security and file isolation to > particular users in my user community? > You can pretty much lock access any way you want it between unix permissions and the Samba configuration. > 9) Are there e-mail clients for the WfW, Win95, NT, DOS, and MAC > platforms that can use the FreeBSD server for the mail? > I use the pop3 server for users to retrieve e-mail and sendmail for users to send outgoing mail. (both come with FreeBSD) > 10) Should X be a part of a server's configuration?, or does it consume > too many resources? > Probably not, unless you have a use for it. > 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.) > Samba has quite extensive support for login scripts by user, by server, by client, or any combination, and supports Windows95 and NT roaming profiles very nicely. I have profiles set up so no matter what pc they login to, they get all of their settings and programs. This can also be done by server. > 12) What's going on with the move toward UNC file locators from drive > mappings? Should I care? > Not for a while. > 13) Is NDS really necessary to have? > Probably not, many companies get by just fine without it. > 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? > May or may not be a problem. It really depends on the backend DBMS that the mrp uses. Otherwise, get a server specifically for serving mrp clients. > 15) Can I use DOS, WfW, Win95, NT, MAC clients for MySQL connectivity? > I'm not sure about the 16 bit os's, but Windows95 and NT work very well with MySQL. (I'm writing a windows based manufaturing system for our company using mysql on freebsd as the database server. > 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 certainly hope not too. > I'll be looking into these, but advice from other users seems to be the > best resource when it comes to FreeBSD. > I think you (and your company) will be pleased with how well it works. It does take an investment in time and learning to get everything set up, but it is rock solid once it's going. > Thanks. > Glen W Mann > gmann@itw.com > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message > Jerry Bell jerrybell@acm.org jerrybell@computer.org To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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