Reprinted from
Computer Reseller News
Apr. 02, 1999

VAR makes Journey to Linux

Cost-savings from Linux means small businesses can spend more on support services.

By William R. Stocking

Our company, First Business Systems Ltd., focuses on supplying database and accounting solutions. As many of our clients are small businesses, we are always on the lookout for hardware and software that can save them capital-the less they spend on capital assets, the more they can spend on support services. This philosophy led us to Linux.

In our business, the sale and installation of LANs are a necessary evil, not a main source of income. We had been a reseller of Bay Networks' [now a Nortel business based in Santa Clara, Calif.] PowerLan NOS for years as it offered a low-maintenance, easy-to-install, dedicated 32-bit file server and Windows workstation client that performed very nicely in LANs of fewer than 10 workstations. With PowerLan we had been able to hook up three to five workstations to a dedicated server for less than $2,000, plus hardware, of course.

In early 1998, Bay Networks stopped development and support on the PowerLan network components it had inherited with the purchase of Performance Technology the previous year. PowerLan is not Y2K-compliant and cannot handle long file names; it was time to move on. We needed to find a replacement that would allow us to upgrade existing clients for around $300 a user. This meant we needed to find something that would run on existing server boxes.

Common wisdom said we should either go with Windows NT or become certified in Novell Inc. products. Neither was appealing: Too much of our business already is subject to Microsoft Corp.'s whims and we did not know where Novell was heading. Also, these options were too costly for many of our small clients.

We examined other options: Artisoft Inc.'s Lantastic was out; there appeared to be no performance advantage to using it instead of a simple Windows 95-based network. Among other things, we would still be stuck with the lack of reliability presented by the underlying Windows 95/98 environment. We want to be able to measure file server uptime in consecutive months, not days; reliability is a great concern.

Then, we thought about Linux. Could Linux or Free BSD Unix running on small Intel boxes replace the defunct PowerLan as the centerpiece of a small-office network? I quickly ruled out BSD as too hardware-restrictive with too few resources for technical support. However, it appeared Linux might fit the bill for a server operating system since it can handle DOS file partitions, even 32-bit Windows file systems. By using the open- source Samba SMB server (www. samba.org) we could connect to existing Windows workstations.

Initially, we were only interested in the file and print services Linux offered through Samba. However, we also realized that Linux offers additional revenue opportunities since it can be configured as an Internet gateway and local intranet server.

Eventually, we chose Red Hat Software Inc.'s Linux package. I found Red Hat by researching the Net and talking to teenage Linux hackers hanging around the software section of the local computer store. I also invested in a few books on Linux. One of the best is "Using Red Hat Linux."

Linux does have its shortcomings. Its biggest is it is command-line-driven, and it makes old Novell administration look easy. If you do not feel comfortable at a DOS prompt, then the bare-bones Linux system interface with its hundreds of commands will prove daunting.

All resellers, however, should be encouraged by the recent investments made by major vendors such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Novell in Red Hat and Caldera Inc. Additionally, companies such as Corel Corp. are making multi-user versions of their application software available on Linux.

I think Linux has long-term staying power. Many Microsoft competitors are throwing their hats in the ring. Maybe you should too.

William Stocking is a Principal of Northbrook Consulting Group, Inc. and President of First Business Systems, Ltd. an information management consultant to businesses of all sizes. He can be e-mailed at wrs@firstbiz.com. Visit the web site at http://www.firstbiz.com.