We have been running the original version of OSX -Server for about three years,
I believe... it may have been closer to two years. We did one required update
during that time. It was running on the same bench with an NT (later a W2K),
AppleShare 6.3.3 and a Linux box. The Linux box is absolutely stable. The OSX
box never crashed either. I just had a few minor problems that it lost contact
to its keyboard and mouse - because we run all three servers through a KVM
switch, i.e. one keyboard and one mouse for all three machines. The Windows 2K
box was equally stable. AppleShare IP 6.3.3 became equally stable with the last
upgrade.
I have had the new OSX server in beta testing and have been using the final
developer release (not quite "golden" I believe, for the last couple of weeks.
This is also a UNIX based operating system, but most of the UNIX stuff is hidden
from the operator. (There is a terminal access, but it is difficult to find and
not needed for average server maintenance.
If no streaming server and extensive interactive web pages are needed,
Appleshare IP is a good choice. If a streaming server is needed, OSX would be my
first choice, if complex security is required and a technician is at hand , W2k
would probably be my choice, if i knew more about all of this, I would probably
go for LINUX for all of the above reasons.
For a Learning Center/Language Center environment, OSX-Server is a very good
choice for several reasons: educational price is $499 with unlimited clients on
PCs and Macs! (Compare that with Microsoft's pricing!). It is easy to set up and
easy to maintain. It has a streaming server built in, it handles web pages well,
and it handles file and print services for both platforms. I is much easier to
set up for services to Macs and Windows machines than W2K and Linux.
I would like to say more, but I am still bound by the non-disclosure rules.
Otmar