>Ive done a few SBS installs, and I might add they cause endless grief is
>something is broken, SBS 4.0 was an absolute shocker, and SBS 4.5 is slighly
>better.......You fix something, and it breaks something else...
I can heartily second that - I even did the MicroScum SBS 4.5 Training
Course (hah ! - some wanna-be geek reading a printed copy of powerpoint
slides does NOT, IMHO, make a trainer - this was Interim Technology, which
used to be MTE, so I shouldn't be surprised).
Thank <deity-of-choice> it only cost me $99, plus another $99 for a dealer
"Not For resale" copy of SBS - after 3 abortive install attempts (wouldn't
install on hardware that was capable of running NT fine) I sold it....
>You could go out and buy MS individual packages, like NT, Exchange, although
>I can see around 4k alone in costs just with those two items with 10 user
>license - im quoting very roughly though, im not a salesman :)
If you want a serious quote on this, contact Bob Spence on (02) 9489 7691
(Computrol), or [EMAIL PROTECTED] - yes, he's a MicroScum dealer, but
I'm slowly converting him to Linux, and he has good hardware prices.
>Ive found MS product to be overpriced, havent we all ?
>For eg. An unlimited version of MS SQL 7.0 will set you back a cool $48,000.
We did a costing for a 100 user SBS system, ignoring all hardware
requirements, and it came to a shade under $100k - I kid you not !! That
was for CAL's, Server, Exchange, Office... And bugger all else... I forget
what the comparitive Linux price was, including licenced copies of things
like StarOffice, BRU, a good mail client, etc. Something like $5k....
>I quoted a similar price to a client, (around 7k) I said I can do it all on
>Linux and the software won't cost you anything, dont we just love saying
>that ?.....they obviously went with Linux....although I kept file and print
>sharing on Netware.
Why did you stay with Netware for file & print ? reason I ask is my
network Australia-wide is about to start dumping Netware in favor of NT for
file & print (NT4 initially, upgrading to 2000 later). I'm trying to
convince the PHB that I can do the same job on a Linux box and get more
bangs-per-buck for the hardware they're going to use ($30k COMPAQ servers).
>Remote admin :
>Linux - SSH or telnet.
>Win2k - install the terminal services add-on (its free) or get something
>like pc anywhere.
Or try VNC - not sure if it works under Win2k, but works fine under 95/NT4
- and it's faster than PCAW, and less "intrusive" to the server.
>If you want accurate pricing of MS stuff, try www.ht.com.au (Harris
>Technology) ; there is a couple vendors around, but the names escape me at
>the moment.
HT tend to be VERY overpriced compared to what some of the smaller
MicroSloth vendors are willing to offer.
To answer your original questions;
>> Firewalls and Internet connectivity. What does M$ need here?
IIS 5.0 and Microsoft Proxy Server - and IIS only if you want to serve web
pages. The MS proxy (or was that "poxy" ??) does a reasonable job, but be
aware that it CAN be broken - something like our IP440 Nokia Firewall
running CheckPoint will be secure, but at a cost starting around $35k.
>> Licence fees. I can get these worked out.
Bugger all for Linux, as you well know...:-)
>> Mail server. Does M$ need Win2K server and M$ Exchange server?
No, not really. SMTP and a POP mail handler, like Eudora's QPOPPER would
work, combined with sendmail / fetchmail. All the MS mail programs (and
almost anything else) will talk to these - Even Lotus Notes !!
>> Internal file & print server. I assume Win2K server will do here.
Yes, but again, WHY ? Linux does the job cheaper, quicker, and more securely.
>> What does it cost for this lot to be set up by a COMPETENT M$ bod?
If you're talking an MCSE (= Must Consult Someone Educated), my guess is
budget for around $120 / hour. Speak to Bob Spence ([EMAIL PROTECTED],
94897691 - this is his bread-and-butter area).
>> Costs of maintenance and support down the line and ease of remote
>> maintenance.
PCAnywhere for remote maintenance (or VNC, but if you're going the EVILWARE
route, I'd go PCAW for reliability), cost of 1 x telephone line, and 1 x
56k modem for said line for you to dial in on. This is our standard setup
for remote sites (factor the cost of the modem / PCAW into the "maintenance
agreement" as a non-negotiable item. Same is required for Linux, sans PCAW.
I know this reply has been long and probably grossly OT, so if you want any
more info contact me directly...
(Hey - I like to eat, so I support MicroSloth networks - that's SUPPORT,
not RECOMMEND or SELL) - and believe me, they need one HELL of a lot ot
that !! -
Regards,
Jon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
It is grossly irresponsible to connect a Windows machine directly to the
net. ;-)
John Wiltshire - SLUG
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User Group Mailing List - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://slug.org.au/lists/listinfo/slug
