Linux Server - Which Software?

Savan_P

Savan_P

Savan_P

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OC Community,

I am currently in the process of making a server for a small-medium office of around 6 workstations. The hardware is now built, all I now need is the software.

Ideally I would have got some form of Windows Server, however the licence costs are ridiculous and I cannot feasibly buy the licence for the relatively small amount of staff I have.

Now I have seen various forms of linux server packages, with my main criteria:
- domain controller
- free / very cheap
- easy to use and set up as I have little to none linux coding knowledge
- be secure and reliable due to the data being stored
- The main data will be stored on another computer so it must be able to let the data computer set permissions for various folders according to the users in the domain

I have seen lots of packages with fancy GUIs accessed from another computer on the network via the browser - is this the kind of thing they all are?

Any kind of feedback is more than appreciated.

Thanks!
SP
 
Linux just won't work well as a domain controller. You won't get group policy or any of the other good stuff, and I doubt kerberos will work properly if you need to do authentication to other services.

Plus, if you have no skills with Linux, you really shouldn't be implementing it on a production business site. If something goes wrong, you'll be left desperately trying to fix things via Google whilst your users are left hanging. You need a proper support agreement in place.

You should look at stretching your budget to buy Windows Server Essentials, or maybe look at cloud services with hosted AD or something. e: looks like Azure AD is free, I doubt you'd need the advanced stuff in the premium offering: http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/active-directory/
 
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I've been looking at Zentyal:
http://www.zentyal.org/

Tempted to set it up in my lab and give it a spin. It seems to be a half decent replacement for AD looking at the screenshots/feature list.

You'll lose the fine grain group policy support but most other things in their basic form should be there.
 
Server 2012 is pretty cheap by all accounts! ~1k should see you an oem license and 10 cals.
You can then use that licence to install 2 virtual instances.

Dont underestimate the cost effectiveness of familiarity, Linux may be free but consultancy certainly isn't and will quickly far outweigh the costs of a Server license :)
 
Thanks for the advice guys.

I think LizardKing has summed it up. 1K does seem like a large amount of money, but could be more cost effective in the long run due to the potential consultancy charges.

I will look into both options and see what I get.
 
Freenas can be a domain controller and uses ZFS which will keep your data safe, providing you don't skimp on the hardware. Hell you can even install crashplan and backup your data to the cloud.

I'd think carefully before using something like that for a business though, it's probably something worth investing in and going for a mainstream solution.
 
about the only reason to have Linux running any domain services (and this required some serious setup) is to take the strain of basic kerberos authentication/offloading. you will run in to problem after problem if you try and implement anything else. RHEL has more features but you need to be a serious Linux super geek to go this route.

Rule of thumb. Linux does Realms, Windows does domains.
Rule of thumb 2. Linux can do Domains badly, Windows can do Realms badly.
Rule of thumb 3. pay close attention to Rule of thumb 1!
 
Windows 2012 R2 Essentials for approx £300 seems like the answer.

No CALS required for Essentials so as long as you have the client OS, you're good to go. Supports up to 25 users/devices.

Just to add to what others have said - if you don't have any Linux experience, don't go there especially if the business relies on it.
 
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PaulB said:
Windows 2012 R2 Essentials for approx £300 seems like the answer.

No CALS required for Essentials so as long as you have the client OS, you're good to go. Supports up to 25 users/devices.

Just to add to what others have said - if you don't have any Linux experience, don't go there especially if the business relies on it.
Click to expand...

WOW! Thanks for letting me know about this. Seems like quite a cheap option actually as there are licences going on ebay for around the £200 mark.

One question - I am currently using Google Drive to backup my data, as the network drives are effectively within the Google Drive folder stored on the "Server". Does this version of Windows Server allow Google Drive to be added as a cloud backup in the same way?
 
Just as an update..

I have been doing some research. It seems that Server Essentials is exactly what I have been looking for. I have also found a licence for £100 :)

Only thing I need to do now is workout how I can get Google Drive installed onto it so that it backs up some folders to it.
 
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