OS X Server Vs Win2003 Server

B

brianlees

Registered
OK, I need some ammo here. We are going to be upgrading all our designer computers to G5s. The sticking point is the server. We will be replacing our aging AppleShareIP server. My boss is leaning towards a Win2003 server. I would prefer a MacOS X box, since I am pretty sure I will have more managability of the desktops. (We use group policies extensively in our Win environment to lock-down the PCs, which my boss loves).

Anyone know any good documentation out there, or have any themselves, regarding the advantages to using a MacOS X server instead of a Win2003 server for support Macs.

Note - my boss' argument for a Win2003 server is so we have a homogenius backend in the server room. Seeing that we have downsized to a department of 2, I can see many advantages to that myself. So, that is what I have to argue against. My reasons have to outweigh the benefits of an all Windows server room. (Oh, and I already know the issue about server software costs).

Thanks

Brian
 
Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. We already have a Windows Active Directory environment that this server would have to integrate into.
 
well, just from first hand experiance, windows servers absolutley suck. my school switched from unix to windows for the server this year, and the network is down every other day. not to mention that every time there is an update, all of the computers on the network shut down at the same time because of it, the network admin has no control. for stabilities sake! dont go windows!
 
Well, viruses aren't as much an issue. We are very well firewalled, our virus software updates hourly, end users can't download anything from the internet, and we never surf from the servers. We have 15 Windows Servers and we have never had a virus. In fact, we have only ever had one virus on our entire network (ILOVYOU virus). Since then, we have been airtight.

My arguement here is not Windows vs Mac for all our servers. My arguement is what advantage do I get by using a Mac server for the designers. Stuff like control of the systems via Workgroup Manager and the like. (I would really love to find a WorkGroup Manager pdf manual, but I can't find it anywhere.) Can I have similar control over my Mac desktops without a MacOS X server? What do I lose by not using a MacOS X server? What problems will I have storing files on a Win2003 server over a MaC server?
 
The main advantages of the Mac server are:
- Stability: open source BSD unix core, highly tested and designed for the hardware, , easier to maintain, etc...
- Compatibility: Supports Mac, Windows and Unix systems.
- Expandability: Can be quickly and easily set to provide web, email, X11, and just about any other service available on the net.
- Supports a wider range of file systems, etc.
- Scriptability in all Unix scripting languages.
- Security: no virus issues, integrated opensource ip firewall, integrated software update
- Cost & Licenses: One vendor for all hardware and software support, lower support costs. Remember, when you work out the cost of a Win server, you'll need to allow for a fair bit of security and antivirus software as well. Also, Apple's servers are very competitive in cost-per-mb.
 
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