Samba beats Windows

Subject: [bytesforall_readers] Samba beats Windows
Date: 18 Oct 2003 07:52:27 +0530
From: Sunil Abraham <sunil@mahiti.org>
Reply-To: bytesforall_readers@yahoogroups.com
To: Bytesforall Readers <bytesforall_readers@yahoogroups.com>

http://www.vnunet.com/News/1144289
Samba beats Windows
By Roger Howorth [13-10-2003]
Samba 3 runs rings around Windows Server 2003 in file serving
performance

Tests by IT Week Labs show the latest version of the open-source Samba
file and print server software is 2.5 times faster than Windows Server
2003 in the same role.

The news comes as many firms are grappling with the consequences of
Microsoft ending support for NT4, coupled with uncertainty about when
Microsoft will next update Windows. The performance difference between
Windows Server 2003 and Samba 3 has increased dramatically compared with
Samba 2 and Windows 2000 Server.

Samba provides file and print services to Windows PCs. It enables a
Linux or Unix server to work as a file server for client PCs running
Windows software. The new version also introduces support for
Microsoft's Active Directory for allocating and controlling user access
rights.

Samba 3's scalability is as impressive as its performance. While Windows
performance scales up well initially, it then drops off quickly as more
clients access the server. In contrast, Samba 3 offered excellent
throughput up to the limit of our test, conducted on a low-spec Intel
server.

Consequently, firms could save money on licence fees, and on hardware,
by using Samba instead of Windows servers. IT consultant Alan Munday,
who recommends Samba to his clients, said the resulting saving was a key
consideration for firms.

Munday is already using version 3 at some smaller sites. However, he was
dismissive of Active Directory. "I'm not [interested in the new Active
Directory features] because the primary focus for my smaller clients is
to migrate away from their ageing NT servers."

--
Sunil Abraham, sunil@mahiti.org http://www.mahiti.org
MAHITI Infotech Pvt. Ltd.'Reducing the cost and complexity of ICTs'
314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071 Karnataka, INDIA
Ph/Fax: +91 80 4150580. Mobile: 98455 12611
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples
then you and I will still each have one apple.
But if you have an idea and I have one idea and we exchange these
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