Vinod,

>Sorry to interrupt inbetween, but I've few questions... Currently My NT server is providing me following things (which i want on linux also)

>1. ISDN line shared by all users (Multiple users can connect at the same time and send emails, within office & outside).

I think this can be done on linux...


>2. Internet acess(browser), currently this is not avl. on my server but I want to give users limited access to the internet i.e. say I want to specify the sites which they can acess...

This can be done.

>3. My Foxpro applications will be installed on server and they shud be able to run it..

This cannot be done, because VFP will not run on a Linux machine. Virtually none of the programs you're used to use won't run on Linux.

>4. Share files, drives, printers etc.

I'm don't know too much about Linux, but this should be no problem, maybe except finding the latest driver for your printer...

>5. Load common applications like MSOffice etc. so the users can run from there..

This will also be a problem. MS office won't run on Linux, though there are some alternatives, you won't like to switch from Office programs to other programs with somewhat less features.

>6. Dial-up Login from a remote pc...

Should not be a problem.

>All the points which u have given below were expalined to me by Linux guy.. Bcos of slow perfomance of NT Server and every week problem in ms-exchange (where we have to boot the server), he told me instead of upgrading your hardware, Go for Linux as it will give u better performance on this same hardware...

I think for the internet communication, there is a place for the Linux machine, But for the others I would say: Stay with NT.

Maybe the best solution is to add an extra server with Linux on it and intergrate it with your network, though intergration could be not as easy as it looks like.

>Plus I don't know abt. comm, dcom etc. So I don't know whether i'll be using it or not....pls explain...

I'm talking about remote automation, OLE and MTS. You will not be able to use it if your server is an Linux server. This are mechanisms that are stronlgy intergrated within all MS products wich seem so natural to us (windows users, developers) we will miss this if you switch to Linux.

Walter,