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In the office I work for, the situation is as follows:

  • There are ~20 PCs running Windows 7 (mostly) and Windows XP. No domain.
  • There are four network-capable Ricoh printers, currently shared over a Windows 2000 Server machine. It will be retired.
  • There is Lotus Domino running on a virtualized Windows Server 2003.

Now, it's time to move Lotus Domino to a real server, which is why we will buy a new machine. The main problem is deciding which software to buy.

Given that there is no real need for a domain, and we only share printers and host Lotus Domino, is there really any reason for buying Windows Server? We obviously don't need Client Access Licenses, since the PCs operate without server interaction, and we don't need any Exchange or Domain functionality.

Are there any possible disadvantages from not using Windows Server in such a scenario? What kind of services/applications would we not be able to run? Would a normal Windows installation suffice? Would some Linux server installation also do the job here?

I am more experienced in managing Linux than Windows, so therefore, using Linux wouldn't be the issue.

slhck
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3 Answers3

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The non-server versions of MSWindows are limited in the number of concurrent socket connections / number of listening sockets they will allow - sorry I don't know what that limit is nor whether it will affect a network of your size.

You shouldn't need any server for printers directly attached to the network (unless you want to implement accounting / quotas / authentication).

Having a dedicated server available presents the opportunity of sharing a lot more functionality (file sharing, backups, internet access, authentication) but it doesn't have to be MSWindows. Indeed it doesn't actually have to cost you anything for licencing. Linux is a very obvious choice - but that doesn't mean you shouldn't spend anything on it - if you get the machine properly set up from day one, it will save you a lot of problems later - and if you've not got good Linux skills in house, then I'd recommend considering getting some some help with this or going for a re-packaged Linux solution.

A lot of Linux rollouts fail because they are badly thought out. Linux will save you a lot of money in the long run - but not if you don't invest in the change upfront.

pjc50
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symcbean
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You need DNS, and probably DHCP running somewhere - preferably not on the same hardware as your Domino server. You could use Linux or Windows for that.

It depends on what you are familiar with, and what your goals are. If you know how to do the essentials in Linux then fine. If you only know how on Windows, then you may make any cost saving using Linux as you will need to learn those aspects of it.

But maybe you want to learn Linux :-)

dunxd
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I am more experienced in managing Linux than Windows

I think that's the most important sentence in your question. I also think you underestimate the benefits a Windows domain will give you for your Windows PCs, but you should go with what you know and can administer well.

it's time to move Lotus Domino to a real server

Why? Virtualization isn't a crutch you use because you can't get real hardware. It has some real benefits, such as better management, easier high availability, better continuity during hardware refreshes, reduced cumulative hardware costs, etc. If you're trying to run that VM under hardware that was intended for and shared with your Windows 2000 server I could understand, but a decent real server should have no problem hosting your VM. This will also make your migration much easier... if you use the same VM platform you should be able to jsut about shut the machine down on the old host, move a few files over, and start it up again as if nothing ever changed.

Joel Coel
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