Koozali.org: home of the SME Server
Legacy Forums => Experienced User Forum => Topic started by: Walter Padgett on June 06, 2003, 11:32:53 PM
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Good Afternoon,
This posting is in regards to my plans for the schools I do contract work for. I'm looking for stability that will last for a long time. What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to schedule minor and/or major software upgrades and/or maintenance outside of the unforseen emergencies.
My perception, based upon the messages posted here, is that it seems that SME 5.5 is more stable out of the box. It also seems that it retains that stability after installing or uninstalling contribs that have been perfected. Is this the general consensus out in the SME community?
I guess where this comes from is the fact that I used to work for a parts manufacturer that supplied GM. They required that we be online 24/7 with contingency plans in place. If we shut their plant down, it cost GM around $20,000 per minute and I'm sure they charged us more. I like things that are as rock solid as anything can be in I.T.
My plans right now are to separate the email/web server from the firewall/gateway function. I want to connect the email/web server to the outside world or in a DMZ, I'd prefer to the outside world directly since SME has firewall capabilities. The firewall/gateway would allow Internet access complete with logs, filter, and any other contrib that might be helpful. I'm planning on purchasing the complete package from dungog.net to install on the firewall/gateway and possibly on the email/web server.
One question remains, if I setup the email/web server as a server only, will it support two nics so that people can access the email/web server from the LAN as well as allow public access in their respective/restrictive ways. I would like to stop all NAT services on this box so that no one can gate through it to the outside world to get around the filter and logging. A DMZ would be the best solution for this but I want my email/web services to be up regardless of the firewally/gateway but yet keep it protected if that makes sense.
After all this, would SME 5.5 or 5.6u? be the best solution?
A penny for your thoughts.
Wally
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5.6 seems pretty reliable in my school. We are talking rock reliable on a machine that serves up http, cgi and php on the intranet. Students use it, and haven't broken it yet.
I read the posts too, but all I know is that my e-smith server with its 300 mHz K6-2 and 128 megs of ram is the energizer bunny of servers
YMMV, but I claim you should go with 5.6. Don't install too many things and leave it alone.