[Samba] Re: samba on distro...

Wed Apr 14 14:41:23 GMT 2004

> Are there certain extra's for payed distros if they run as server, or 
> are the distro's only extra featured in terms of configuration.
> In other words: are free versions as stable as their costly 
> counterparts? 

Sometimes.  Usually they have better support.  Sometimes they have specially
patched kernels.

> Can they handle the same Samba-loads of 200 users. Will 
> free versions go on their knees if those 200 log in in the same minute? 

No way.  Three samba servers here, all RedHat 9 with SGI's XFS kernels.  Handle
~250 users with a load average of 0.20 (thats the peak on the PDC while everyone
is logging in and loading their roaming profiles at 8-9am).  The PDC is also the
OpenLDAP master.

> (if hardware is ideal -> gigabit backbone, hp proliant server 3GHz, 1Gig 
> RAM)
> Why should I want to buy a server-version if I can get a distro for free...

Do you want the support?  Some shops use support, others don't.  For a mere 200
users I certainly wouldn't bother.

P.S. My samba boxes are all less powerful hardware than yours.