[Samba] Re: General Samba question

[Matthew McCarty]

In my opinion a good answer to your problems is K12LTSP.

However if you go with your current strategy then you should stick with 
Redhat or Suse.  Use Samba as a PDC.  It isn't difficult at all to 
adminsiter such a domain with a network no bigger than what you are 
describing.  THe advantage of doing it this way is that you are able to 
also run K12LTSP  and migrate to a full Linux shop in due time.

jzemanek at sas.upenn.edu wrote:
> Greetings to all.
> 
> I am currently a bit of a newbie in regards using Linux and Samba. I have 
> worked for several years in the IT/digital divide sector of the nonprofit world 
> (particularly in regards to utilizing used and refurbished hardware). I am have 
> a couple of CompTIA certs. (A+ and N+) and some experience administering 
> Windows 2000 Advanced Server. 
> 
> Anyway to my question....
> 
> I am currently working with a teacher at an inner city public high school. 
> Recently the school allocated a significant portion of its budget to building a 
> state-of-the-art computer lab. The room contains 30 machines (Gateway Pentium 4)
> loaded with Windows XP. 
> 
> However, the school did not a purchase a server for the classroom. The teacher 
> desperately wants a server in the classroom to centrally hold all student 
> classwork. He also wants to implement user level security on this server as 
> well as centralized domain security for all the work stations. I have procured 
> a Pentium III computer (500 mhz, 256 MB RAM) to be used as a server. Right now, 
> I have the choice of purchasing a copy of Windows 2000 Advanced Server or 
> loading it with Linux. My choice will be based price, ease of set up, and ease 
> of administration. 
> 
> So the question...can a Linux machine loaded with SAMBA be used as a domain 
> controller for a group of Windows-based workstations? If so, how difficult is 
> the set up and maintenance of the domain? 
> 
> Any thought and comments would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Regrards,
> 
> Jon
>