This topic is probally getinng really old...

[Andy Zbikowski]

But inguiring minds want to know. Last night I moved our entire SQL
database to a new, faster server. (Too bad it's still win NT and
MS-SQL...) Mostly because the old database server was overloaded (bad
network design from the admin and consultant group before me, and I
really had to be insistand to the CFO about dropping $20,000 on a new
server to replace one we bought about a year ago. He's eating his foot
this morning)

Anyway, I mentioned before the old database server was overloaded. It
was running MSSQL 6.5, doing WINS and PDC, as well as serving roaming
profiles and user home directories.

With the database off that server, it's somewhat safer to rebuild it.
(One way or another it needs a fresh install due to a bad voltage
regulator on the motherboard, damn NT) 

The kicker is, gotta have a PDC. (and idealy, a BDC...heh.) Is samba-tng
stable enough to handle about 30 clients and 3 NT servers? The clients
are quite hetrogenous. We've got about 5 win95 clients, 5 win98, 20 or
so NT4 workstation, and 10 win2k machines. 

I'm really worried about the issues that would arise using samba as a
pdc with such a mix. standardizing on win2k might help the situation,
but we're also moving tward thin clients so win2k is right now
perminately on the back burner. 

My eventual goal would probally be getting a linux/samba PDC, configure
authentication to go through LDAP services and allow LDAP
authentication through PAM on the Linux machines. 

Seems like a crazy mixed up mess doesn't it? When everything gets to the
point where it is stable enough to handle all that, it would really just
rock. Have a LTSP (http://www.ltsp.org) machine booting a bunch of
diskless workstations, and use Citrix to provide the Windows
applications that just won't go away. This is the eventual goal, and the
CFO is mostly sold on the idea. 

But in the short term, I want to get file serving on Linux, and since
the IT budjet is pretty much maxed for awile, and since I have to
rebuild the current PDC anyway, I wanted to consider all my options. 

Right now, will samba-tng handle simple Domain logins for the 3 some
mixed clients? In the future (or does is it now) stable enough to handle
LDAP authentication services? Will my dreams ever come true? =)

-- 
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Andy Zbikowski, Sys Admin   | http://www.ltiflex.com
LTI Flexible Products, Inc. | "Reality is merely an illusion, 
21801 Industrial Blvd       |  albeit a very persistent one."
Rogers, MN  55374           |  -- Albert Einstein
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