[plug] On and off topic - Fedora working with Win2003 SBS? Backup software recommendations for a DDS4 tape drive under 2003 SBS

[Kev]

Hi Ari

Ari Finander wrote:
> Hi again all,
>
> Hope you are well. Obviously I haven't shuffled off yet and it appears 
> I've achieved something resembling a remission (for serious lack of a 
> better word - motorised wheelchair is now a permanent feature but I 
> get around a lot on my crutches pretty well for short distances 
> still). Anyway, I've gone back to uni to do the degree I should have 
> done instead of a PhD in the degree I did do and I've also started 
> back at work, in a field I'm not so qualified in: network and server 
> administration. Hence, I've come back here to the experts.
>
> Firstly, the on topic bits. My employer really hates windows, but 
> feels forced into it. He wants to start using a multi OS compatible 
> office and productivity software, particularly a new thing coming out 
> from IBM (if they'd ever bother replying to his repeated queries by 
> email and phone!!). He also wants to know if it's worth buying a 
> commercial distribution such as RedHat or Suse. I suggested we turn 
> his old Dell server (running win2000 server) into a Fedora server to 
> test the waters first. It'll go online alongside the Win2003 SBS 
> server which will continue to act as the PDC. Are there network 
> disasters waiting for me in the near future? I should reiterate that 
> I'm learning all of this as quickly as I can, as I have never been 
> exposed to Active Directory or Sharepoint or Exchange and am learning 
> as I fix them and turn his windows server into what he wanted in the 
> first place...
>
> Now this brings me to my off topic bit. His current backup strategy 
> consists of a rotating set of DDS4 tapes and Tapeware software. I hate 
> this software. It is not intuitive and it does not generate logs and, 
> apparently, if a folder gets moved it just freezes until I get back 
> into the office and manually stop it - sometimes days later. This 
> business really really needs a better backup software. I really like 
> this place, and they help a lot of people, so I'm really trying to do 
> the absolute best I can with them. Can any of you recommend a good 
> piece of backup software that'll run on Win2003 SBS that will work 
> with their DDS4 tapes and provide good error messages and logs? 
> Preferably one that is not too expensive, they've had to pay a lot 
> recently already for other things, and that has a user base that I can 
> turn to for support?
>
> Thanks all, I appreciate your help.
>
> Regards,
>
> Ari
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> PLUG discussion list: plug at plug.org.au
> http://www.plug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/plug
> Committee e-mail: committee at plug.linux.org.au
>   

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, go and have a look at 
http://www.xandros.com/   They have a full range of Debian based 
products and their specialty is making it easy for POWs (prisoners of 
Windows) to move over to Linux.  All their OSes are fully DCC 
(http://www.dccalliance.org/) compliant.  I can show you their server 
version, their business desktop version3 and their latest desktop 
version4, all running here. 

The server version has BRU Server 
(http://www.xandros.com/products/business/server/services/bru.html) plus 
6 client licences included, off the shelf.

These is a "pay-for" Linux distro, but it is much cheaper than Windows 
and is FULL featured off the shelf.  Btw, Crossover Office  5.0.3 is 
also included in all their desktop products.

Cheers
Kev

-- 
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Kev Downes
kdownes at tpg.com.au  ph 0404 7 0808 2
We use and recommend Xandros 3.0.2
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There are 10 types of people ...
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"Jesus Christ is the centre of everything and the object of everything;
He who does not know him, knows nothing of the order of the world
and nothing of himself."             Blaise Pascal
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