Samba simplifies admin

Open-source file-server specialist Samba has issued release candidate 1 (RC1) of its Samba 3 Windows-compatible file server.

Samba is designed to run on Unix and Linux servers and is used to replace Windows systems that are deployed as file and print servers. Tests by IT Week Labs show Samba can handle four times as many clients as a similarly configured system running Windows 2000 before performance begins to drop.

With Samba companies also avoid Microsoft licence fees, and may gain further savings because it can use cheaper server hardware.

Industry observers said that version 3 is a major update to the Samba software. Changes include support for Microsoft Active Directory; commands that use a similar syntax to Microsoft's net.exe command line tool; and full support for client and server SMB signing. A new "net" command should make it easier for administrators of Windows servers to transition to Samba systems. And the SMB signing feature will ensure compatibility with default Windows 2003 security settings, said Samba.

Samba software is widely used throughout the industry and is included in most Linux distributions. It is also used with Unix systems to provide better scalability than might be possible on low-cost Intel-based hardware. However, it is distributed under the GNU Public Licence (GPL), which is currently facing a legal challenge from Unix vendor SCO.

According to SCO, the GPL cannot be enforced because it permits licensees to make an unlimited number of copies of the software being licensed. While some of SCO's opponents challenge this view on technical grounds, Samba has accused SCO of hypocrisy - because SCO OpenServer was recently updated to include the latest RC1 Samba software.

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