>Regarding SQL Server for Linux, my guess is it's designed to be a daemon that can run in an all-Linux environment, where there is no SMB whatsoever and all clients are running Linux/BSD/*n?x. I don't see that as an issue if it and its clients can talk via, say, TCP/IP.

I remember reading that the Linux version is based on something similar to a container with some features missing on the contaner implementation. Did not try to verify, but wondered if this - if true - is a hint that the current version is more a red herring...