[Samba] Samba "Preferred Platform"

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> I have set up several OpenSuSE 10.3 File Servers...
> These are small environments, 5 - 15 workstations.
> They are purely File (and possibly Application) Servers....
> All are AMD64.
> Since the Servers only purpose in life is to support Samba.
> 1.)  Is there a platform Linux/Unix, where Samba is better supported...?

No.  I run Samba on CentOS, RHEL, SLES, & openSUSE.  The distribution
makes almost no difference at all. Samba is Samba,  like most LINUX/UNIX
services it is the same code regardless on what OS or distribution-of-OS
you run it on.  You can switch around but you won't notice any
difference (including performance, despite what "lite" distributions
claim) unless someone screwed something up rather badly.

> 2.)  Does Samba utilize a 64 bit environment, or is it better to 
> install 32 bit for compatibility..?
> A GUI is nice, I can get around in the CLI, but by no means am I proficient.

Then stick with openSUSE / SLES as YaST is the only remotely complete
system management interface available.  Most of my production servers
are CentOS (entirely for political reasons - enterprise LINUX in the USA
== RedHat, at least in the minds of 99% of vendors) and I *really* miss
YaST when I have to grouse around to find some stupid file to change
some trivial setting.  I've been a UNIX admin for 15 years; the state of
system management in the UNIX world is ridiculous with the exception of
SUSE - the guys at Novell "get it".

> Performance Technology Systems Design
> "Never Promise more than you can deliver...
> Always Deliver more than you promise.."