🚀 go-pugleaf

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>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi,
>  We are trying to evaluate whether we should upgrade our Macintosh SE/30 CPUs
>running AppleShare 3.0 either to a Novell server or to an Apple Workgroup
>Server running AppleShare 4.1/4.2 primarily over ethernet. My responsibility
>is primarily distributing courseware and applications to support student use
>of computers, so security is not presently a significant issue, but reliablity
>and access are. We need to reach both Windows and Macintosh clients (I already
>have experience with the current AppleShare Windows client). I'd really like
>to hear from anyone who has experience in both environments about:
>  1) performance

In my experience, NetWare, running Netware for the Mac, performs much better
than appleshare.
>  2) management issues (especially from the perspective of having few bodies
>     to throw at problems)

Agin, I prefer NetWare.  You can run both Mac, Winodws and DOS apps from the
same server.  With the properly configured server, performance is excellent.
Administration is much easier since everything is running off of one server
- you administer only one server.
>  3) reliability (esp. failure rates)

I have only had reliablity problems when we were experimenting with
something new or unknown.  Otherwise, a properly configured server with the
right amount of redundancy, UPS,etc., only went down when we took it down.

>  4) costs (objective -- hardware, licensing -- and subjective -- headaches)

I do't know how many stations you have, so I will give you a comparison.  I
was running about 40 Mac's and 30 PC's, with supporting printers.  I just
replaced the server this summer with an HP LF 5/66 server.  We equipped it
with 80 Meg RAM, 4 gig duplexed drives, 4 gig DAT tape  and two e-net
boards, one for the Mac's and one for the PC's.  We upgraded to Netware 3.12
from 3.11.  The cost was just over $13,000.

There are many utilities around to meter software so you only have the
licenses you need.  I was using SoftTrack from On Technology.

Whatever you do, get a UPS.  It will save a lot of headaches.  Dirty power
causes more problems with a server than you can imagine.  An APC SmartUPS
with Powerchute (auto shut down software) is worth it's weight in gold.  Not
only will it give you battery backup, but it keeps the power clean.  The
cost depends on the size of server you have, but about $500 should do it.

>  5) perceived future benefits/costs

Flexibility is probably the biggest benefiit with NetWare.  There is a lot
of third party stuff you can look at and use.  NetWare runs well along side
TCP/IP and Unix and they are even coming up with a webserver to run with
NetWare.  NetWare is just terribly flexible.

The biggest cost is learning NetWare.  You don't need to be a CNE to install
and set it up, but you should take some kind of trainig course on it so you
are fimiliar with how it works, maybe a CNA course.
******************************************************************************
* Dave Holmack                                                               *
* Microcomput Sys Spec.              E-mail: david.holmack@jhu.edu           *
* Milton S. Eisenhower Library       Work  : (410) 516-7870                  *
* Johns Hopkins University           FAX   : (410) 516-4575                  *
*                                                                            *
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