[Samba] Samba benefits.

[Meli Marco]

Thanks a lot for your help, I would like to ask you also if we need a
license per user to connect clients to samba that grab users via winbind to
Windows Server 2003?
Marco.

  _____  

From: ch4os [mailto:chaosworldwide at gmail.com] 
Sent: domenica 27 novembre 2005 18.17
To: Meli Marco
Cc: samba at lists.samba.org
Subject: Re: [Samba] Samba benefits.




Actually someone start a challenge between Ms and Samba, so I have report
benefits about it and I'm asking you if you have some links where I can find

technical informations about performance benefints and any others stuff to
confirm that Samba is better than W3K.



Marco, 

Businesses only care about 1 thing. MONEY.  If you can show that the
DownTime, Cost, Admin, Maintenance, and 3rd Party Apps of a Standard MS
Server Operation will cost $X and the LINUX/SAMBA will Cost $Y, and X > Y,
you win. 

MS  has more administration issues, with timely patching, being a concern,
one should really test the patch prior to implementing, because the
vulnerabilities are exploited rapidly, this must be done rapidly.  With
multiple reboots, usually. 
Samba, patching and reverting back is done much more rapidly. without
reboot.

Samba is a much more simple, and easy to understand service, for Logical
Thinkers. (Usually a couple of Config Files)
MS has a very matrix like configuration, making it much more complex to
diagnose issues, and understand. (Usually Clicking and Checking Boxes on
many screens) 

Samba is much easier to HARDEN, and maintain a Hardened OS & Service. It is
actually detached from the OS Layer.
MS is still struggling with HARDENING, and fully attached to the OS Layer,
thus all patching effects the all Services. 

Upgrades, Consolidation, and Migration is very simple with Samba File
Serving, seeing its a separate package.
""                                             ""  is all inclusive with MS,
and more complex, less forgiving. 

In my experience it is much more cost effective to administer and maintain a
Linux/Samba Server then a MS Server.
Requiring a Reboot, or a OnLocation maintenance procedure more frequently.
My Samba/Linux will run for Years without needing a reboot, or to be
physically touched. 

Disaster Recovery is simply backing up no more that a CD worth of Config's,
with a full rebuild in no more than 2 hours & max 2 reboots, plus data
restore.  with Linux/Samba you can have an old 486 system take over very
rapidly costing nothing. 
MS will require calling MS to activate, and many reboots. then a "pray the
tapes work" scenario, as most don't really test with out before hand, plus
ThirdParty Software to get it all back the way it was...

Run a Test using the Disaster Recovery Benefit, and see that the added
Downtime of the MS system, or the cost of the ThirdParty App, will cost your
company.  1 extra hour of downtime will most likely cost your company a lot
of money! 


Things Like RSYNC, HPC  are all free and can run on an old 486 system to
keep them going. with no cost. And are fairly easy to understand, learn and
implement.
Disaster Recovery on MS, lets just say is costs. 


Marco, can you please post your final Report to the List.

Good Luck.