[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:newbie-owner@;linux-mandrake.com> wrote:
> My partner's company is about to upgrade their system from 2 PC peer
> to peer to 4 PCs. All they run is an Accounting/Inventory application
> and the usual wordprocessing/spreadsheet applications. (They access
> the internet for e mail etc on a standalone MD 8.2 PC and will
> continue to do so - I like 8ft air-gap firewalls)
> The questions:-
>
> 1) the first quote includes a monitor, keyboard and mouse for the
> server, are these necessary or can the server be controlled (properly
> and easily) from one of the PCs?
>
You don't need a montitor, mouse or keyboard for the server. You can
setup and run VNCSERVER on it and VNCVIEWER on the workstations. That
way, each person that accesses the server will have their own desktop,
and they don't have to leave the comfort of their own snuggly chair.
> 2) the same quote includes a 16 port dlink switch, do they need this
> and a server ? I thought (probably incorrectly) that for a small
> network that either a server or switch was needed but not both.
>
A 10/100 switch or hub is all you need. You don't need anything special
to have a network - just computers, ethernet cables, a hub/switch and
the properly networking configurations.
> 3) they have also been quoted about £1200 for Win2000 SBS 5 seat
> license, obviously I don't like this idea so would it be a practical
> propostion to have a Linux server which would communicate with
> Windows desktops which are necessary to run the accounting package
> which would also need to be installed on the server.
>
You don't need the WindowsSBS - if you have the linux server setup to
share files with SAMBA, share the printer(s), you have no need for any
version or form of Windows server.
If there are "backend programs" that need to run on the server - those
can be emulated with either WINE or with VMWare.
> 4) I kept referring to "the accounting package" because at the moment
> they use Pastel but this is also under review and is likely to be
> replaced in the near future and at the moment they have no idea which
> way they will go but it is likely to be one of the "mainstream"
> packages. So if 3) is a viable solution it must also present few,
> preferably no, problems when a new package is installed.
>
> Final request - don't spend too much time thinking about 3) & 4)
> because I can't really see them being persuaded in this direction :-(
>
> Thanks
11 10 2002
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