Microsoft small business server

[LightningGSX]

Anyone know of a cheaper alternative to Microsoft SBS? I need something to run internet access, intra-office email, an intra-office homepage, and basic file/resource sharing for about 30 or so computers running XP.

[howslowcanyougo]

SBS is pretty cheap when you consider you get a file, print, Nat, Exchange, Sharepoint, RRAS, Radias, RDP, ISA proxy/Firewall, Shadow copy & IIS services all on a single box!

Wish I could say linux, samba and squid but if you want to run the REAL potential out of your Outlook 2003 clientsides, your going to need Exchange 2003!

And I have seen just too many buggy issues coming out of crossplatform systems that it gets pretty hard to nail down all of the querks.


I've run SBS om many a box for years, and overall for the buck it's a great deal as you only need ONE Cal per cleint machine for all of the server services.

It does suck that under SBS you can NOT setup another DC on the same network/domain, so you had beter have yourself a solid backup solution?

Also you can't "breakout" the services to different boxes, so again always have a GOOD backup setup, and pull regular images.

<DDS5 autoloaders with Backup Exec is pretty Phat!>

If you must you could go with Suse/redhat and sendmail <which is a nightmare imho>, or look around for a deal on a OEM server from Dell with SBS 2003 already loaded up in a raid 5 setup and never look back!

Or you could just buy a Nat router, use a XP Pro box as a file/print server, and sign onto monthly web services from yahoo buisness, they have 2.5 GB mailboxes, allow backups, have calander, and contact sharing, and give you your own web space and allow it all on your exisiting domain name. If you want real low maint this is the way to go.

Set the boxes to redirect their my docs dir over to the Xp file server, then setup offline files on the Xp boxes, and run NT backup on the Xp file server, it will create shadow copies of live data and allow open files <like the clients open pst email files> to get backed up everyday, then just burn your NT backup files to DVD or what have you, and store offsite.

This system works great for a low maint/budget shop!

Good luck.......

[scheides]

linux.