Topic: RH vs. SME: Which is better?

[Jason Graver]

I know this has been probably talked to death, but I have been wondering which one is more suited to be a firewall, proxy server with content filtering, and a possible cache server? I know that SME is a RH 7.x variant, but I was wondering which one had the better administration tools for the tasks listed above and which one would be easier to set up, configure, and maintain. All input is welcomed and appreciated.

[Andy MacDonald]

e-smith is infinitely easier to set up .
All you have to do is read the manual and search the forums and the internet for most of what you want to do.
Not hard at all.

[Ray Mitchell]

Jason
I would suggest you just download either sme v5.6 or 6.0b3 and instal on a spare machine and have a play with it. It's easy to setup & use. I'm sure you will be impressed.

After the initial configuration is done (a very easy hand held walk through a series of screens) all further admin management & configuration is done via a GUI server manager screen. You only need the command line for non standard settings or situation specific modifications. There are lots of add on rpms contribs that even avoid using the command line.

The sme server has been designed to do what you want with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of security. Perhaps just add Dansguardian for content filtering, Clamav for virus scanning and Spamassassin for spam filtering.

Regs
Ray

[dave]

I agree with everyone else here, SME is the better way to go.  It's based on RH and though RH may have many other tools to handle configuration, SME's interface is very specific to the tasks of administrating a simple web/mail server with excellent firewall capabilities.  It's hard to say which service it's most designed for but I can say it does all of what I want with ease.  

If you want a firewall only, you should try IPCop, if you want an excellent all-in-one setup, I think you should stick with SME.

[Jason Graver]

Thanks everyone for your comments. Here is the reasoning behind my question as to which one would be better:

I am looking for something that is:
easy to administer,
easy to configure,
router / NAT
web content filtering (squidguard and/or dansguardian)
web caching (squid)
can log which Novell user account went where on the internet without forcing a user to log into a proxy server (done through identd);
being able to deny / allow internet access based on Novell user account (done through identd also)

 I work for a school district in the States and we're trying to keep costs down while at the same time making sure the network is as bulletproof as possible. We have a strong need for content filtering, and in fact, this is THE driving factor behind all this. Dansguardian looks to be the best option over Squidguard due to it's content filtering abilities (not just relying on blacklists).

 Through the help of others, I think we've nailed most of the other necessities above, but I still need something that is easy to configure and administer. I have basically a beginner's working knowledge of RH Linux and SME 5.6 /6.0b3, so perhaps that's where my issues are. I've also given IPCop a look, but I'm not sure it can be configured to do the items listed above, specifically work with Dansguardian or some other content filter. Can anyone give me some feedback on these issues / questions I have? All suggestions welcomed! Thanks in advance!