Topic: SME as Company Production Server?

[fargo]

I’ve noticed that many SME users use it as home/test server. Any stories about serious use for real companies?!  

[crazybob]

I am using SME on about 16 small offices (3 to 10 users) in server/gateway mode, and they cause such little problems that I have to check my list once in a whail to see how many are out there. (And I am the system administrator for them)

Bob

[pfloor]

I have used an SME server for my business for 3+ years.  10 users with the following services:

Firewall/Gateway
File server - 10 WXP clients.
Mail Server - 200+ emails per day.
Hylafax Server - 50+ faxes per day.
Web Server - 4 low traffic websites.
Scan and store gigabites worth of files in PDF format.
Mortgage software (not designed to run on a linux server) works flawlessly.

The only problems I have had were all hardware related.  The machine (Athlon 1600+, 1 gig ram, 2 X 120 gig software raid1) Has only been re-booted 5 or 6 times and all for hardware replace/upgrades and once to move the server.

I replaced a W2K server that gave me nothing but problems.  Best thing I ever did for my business was to go with SME.

Paul

[thedude]

I have somewhere between 7-10 (I forget as well sometimes because no problems). Different size networks (5-25 users), different load levels, different functions (email w/spam & antivirus, web, file, database, and of course router/firewall) and all perform flawlessly. I have plans for several others as well.

I've only had one crash, and that was a motherboard problem.

All the others are rock solid.

[jmvelez]

Auto parts store (over 15PC), insurance agents (over 30Pc), pharmacy (over 30 PC), had a mortgage banker with 5 offices and 80 PC (business sold), Medical billing (several servers), engineering, construction firms,  In total over 60 or more servers.  Most of them run their own email and are internet gateways.  

Some of this servers were running Novell's Netware.

[MSmith]

Many local offices using as server-only fileserver; several using as router/gateway/fileserver; many standalone mailservers.  Only problems ever experienced were hardware-related, including a test mailserver that worked so well out of the box that I forgot that it had an 850-meg hard drive that filled up six months later.

Several printservers also ... one especially useful setup is making it easy for Windows 9X machines to print to IP-based printers without installing special IP client software on the workstations.

Had one site-to-site VPN spanning half a continent using 5.6 servers ... it ran perfectly for >1 year but I abandoned that in favor of dedicated VPN routers (Snapgear SME 550, for anyone interested ... chosen because they can be PPtP VPN endpoints also) because the VPN became so mission-critical that I didn't want to rely on aging PC hardware and didn't want to dedicate new PCs to the VPN.  And I wasn't spending MY money!  

[Franco]

Using on 01 company with 500 users, 03 SME each providing different services. Can't beat it.

[jumba]

We've been using SME as the ONLY server OS for the company (50 ++ employees) for the last 5 years or so (not true, it was called E-Smith back in earlier days...) and I agree with several other here that it can't be beaten!

Of course, there are moments when external IT-guys complain about "lack of M$-compatibility" such as exchange or advanced LDAP-services, but they usually stop complaining quite soon when they realize how simple and cost effective such a large network actually can be built and managed.

I'm not sure (yes, I'm admin...) but I think we run something like 7 different SME-boxes for various purposes.

I'm really looking forward to "get into" SME 7 in the not-so-far future...

[shanen]

I’ve noticed that many SME users use it as home/test server. Any stories about serious use for real companies?!  

Soooo Fargo, did you get the answers you were after???

[fargo]

I’ve noticed that many SME users use it as home/test server. Any stories about serious use for real companies?!  

Soooo Fargo, did you get the answers you were after???

Sorry for not frequently checking this forum  

Yes, I got the answers I was after. I feel confident now to go and try SME for my office.

Thanks a lot.

 

[shanen]

Well I guess we will see you lurking around the forums more often then