SAMBA digest 2457

[KSmith at bartoninsurance.com]

Ken Smith
Network Systems Administrator
Barton Insurance Brokers Ltd
TEL:(604)824-5006
FAX (604)858-4063




                                                                                                                   
                    samba at samba.o                                                                                  
                    rg                   To:     Multiple recipients of list SAMBA <samba at samba.org>               
                                         cc:                                                                       
                    03/21/00             Subject:     SAMBA digest 2457                                            
                    10:09 PM                                                                                       
                    Please                                                                                         
                    respond to                                                                                     
                    samba                                                                                          
                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                   




>                  SAMBA Digest 2457
>
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:   Mon, 20 Mar 2000 10:15:54 -0600
>From:   "George, Michael" <Michael.George at ps.net>
>To:     samba at samba.org
>Subject: Looking for Large Scale SAMBA Install Success / Failure Stories
>Message-ID: <4301290F32BFD2119FE300805F6F766301325134 at ABHEXCH01>
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain;
>    charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>Samba Users,
>
>I am looking for a Large Scale SAMBA success or failure story.  I have
been
>using Samba for a long time without any issues, however replacing many
>Netware servers with Linux/Solaris running Samba is a different story.
Here
>is what is running through my mind
>
>1. Novell 4.x causes a never ending stream of problems, including
attacking
>and flooding the network with NDS tree fragments.  Essentially a DoS
attack.
>Not to mention to go to Novell V 5.0 and possibly get software that works,
>Novell want hundreds of thousands to to upgrade.
>
>2. Do I really want to take on the headaches of file and print services
for
>the PC community? Sure I could grow my team, but how robust is samba?  The
>big three of user complaints are 1) I can't login, 2) I can't print, and
3)
>The server is down.  This would expose me to all 3.  Wouldn't it be
>better/easier to form a new Windows2000 team and give them the cash from
the
>Novell upgrade and do a migration?>
>
>3. How well does Samba work with things like Micro$oft access?  Will Samba
>do all the locking properly?  We already have an Access Database
corruption
>problem. Will it get worse, stay the same, or get better?
>
>4. Samba = MicroSoft Networking = spam the network with NetBeui traffic.
>What is the network impact?  Not to say that IPX is a network lightweight
by
>any means, especially with the recent Novell NDS spams.
>
>5. I trust UNIX (Linux / Solaris).  UNIX to date has not failed me.  It
has
>hosted databases, applications, webservers, faxservers, served disks, and
>printers and basically runs SOLID.
>
>Please help me take the plunge or stop me before I make a big mistake!  I
am
>typically a UNIX/OpenSource biggot, but I have learned the "using the
right
>tool for the right job" usually is the right thing to do.
>
>Keep up the great work! Samba rocks!
>
>Michael George III
>
>perotsystems Corporation / Rouge Steel Account
>Office: 313.317.6724
>email1: mgeorge3 at rougesteel.com
>email2: Michael.George at ps.net
>
>
>------------------------------



Michael,
     Our company has made a large commitment to RedHat Linux and Samba.  We
presently have 21 Linux/Samba servers in production use and for the most
part have not had any difficulties.  I see a lot of the problems which are
reported on the SAMBA Digest but, with the exception of the slow samba
access of large directories, we haven't had any problems which we were not
able to solve by studying the documentation.  We have the systems installed
in many different configurations including: standalone sharemode,
standalone servermode, domain servermode and in the near future we are
installing a domain controller.  Our eventual goal is to eliminate all
traces of WinNT from our net (only 2 more to go).  If you are a Unix buff
then Samba is the way to go.  The SaMBa team has done a great job!
     I cannot comment on the use of Access because we don't use it.
However, the database apps that we do use have not experienced any
difficulty under Samba.
     The only problem which we have been experiencing with Samba is the
occassional going to sleep of the nmbd half of the program.  The solution
is simple....restart samba (about 10 secs at the most) and up it comes.  We
have solved this by putting it in the cron for about 4 in the morning to
restart the samba.  This has for the most part solved the problem.
     I have found Samba to be a very stable platform under RedHat Linux.
Others will have to comment on how it works under other versions of Linux
and Unix.  I do have one suggestion....set up a trial system and install
Samba on it first, then make it work properly, and once you have it the way
you want it...then you can turn on the different security aspects of Unix.

Ken Smith
Network Systems Administrator
Barton Insurance Brokers Ltd
TEL:(604)824-5006
FAX (604)858-4063