|
I think the key issue to keep in mind that whether you migrate from an older
Windows server OS to a new Windows server OS or from Windows to Linux there is always a learning curve. However, if you have a light needs network maybe the answer is you should perhaps "cut a corner" and think about things from the value of your time. You may be much farther ahead just to hire a vendor to install Windows or Linux as your server OS (my vote is obviously for Linux). Or maybe you might want to consider a preconfigured network appliance; my favorite is EmergeCore's IT In A Box. This is a great solution as it include the services you want to run for a small LAN and the EmergeCore solution (which runs Linux) it gives you a very rich easy to use management interface and it takes the learning curve out of configuring services individually by offering a standardized interface. Also, it shouldn't matter if you run Linux or Windows as your desktop operating system.
The IT In A Box offers you the following features which I suspect pretty
adequately cover your needs:
- File and Print sharing
- Firewall
- E-mail
- Networking (including DHCP, DNS, Wireless Access point, NAT)
- SPAM Blocker and Virus
- Web Server
- VPN
- Networking monitoring
- Domain User control (simple alternative to Active Directory)
- And Many more features...
The reason I know this is this is the solution I use for my LAN and it's a
breeze to administer. Also, it's a huge time saver and the price is very
good in relation to licensing all that software on Windows or in comparison
to downloading the Linux packages and configuring them individually as an
inexperienced user. The final advantage is that I have the peace of mind of
knowing I am using my preferred server OS but can inexpensively leverage the
expertise of EmergeCore's staff.
The only limitation is that you have to adhere to the boundaries of a
pre-configured solution in this scenario but solutions like this are the
kind of thing that allow you to save administration time and focus on your
core business, whatever that may be.
|
