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Hi Rob 2008/11/11 Rob Beard <rob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>: >> >> I have talked things through with the boss and he would like me to put >> together a quote and a system that will work for them and also enable >> the computer to cut software costs and be safer. The system is fairly >> simple but does throw up some interesting issues. The big issue is >> Sage. They run it for their accounts and grab various reports. It runs >> as a server programme that also runs an .exe file on the clients. Is >> anyone aware of whether it is possible to run Sage through Crossover >> or virtualisation software please? > > Virtualisation will probably be the safest bet, that way you'll be able > to run Windows. Haven't got a clue about the clients running in > Crossover Office or Wine though, again you might find that there's a > need for virtualisation. The problem is, if you're using existing > machines, you won't be able to virtualise the copies of Windows legally > unless they're retail boxed versions. Microsoft would consider moving a > Windows installation from a real machine to a Virtual Machine to be a > complete new 'computer' which would need a new licence. > > Is this client software required on multiple machines? > > Maybe you could get away with one or two machines dual booting with Linux? I have suggested another possibility which I will discuss further with him. He wants client management software, he wants an intranet and he also wants accounting software. I have suggested we build a purpose built package that will do what he wants. I have had a quote from someone to do this for £3000 - he will probably get that return in licencing within 3 years alone. > >> Eventually the system will need to run about 8 or 10 pcs connecting to >> a file server and running an intranet and a client/order database. Is >> there software available that will run on Linux that will allow >> multiple connections and provide some sort of client management system >> please? > > Hmm, client management software is not really my forte. I guess > something like SugarCRM might do the job? > > A server running Apache would work as a basic intranet server, the > database could probably be kept on MySQL or PostgreSQL but the actual > friendly front end may need to be written especially (maybe in PHP or > Perl?). > >> >> What hardware would you go for? - For a file server - a nas box or >> purpose built system, for a server to run the client management >> programme/sage etc. And the pcs themselves. > > I'd always go for a purpose built system. Yes it's a little more > expensive but you could build a server using off the shelf parts. If a > NAS dies chances are you'd have to send the thing back. If a server > with standard parts dies then you can go down to PC World and buy > replacement components in most cases (unless you go for something like a > Dell PC which standard components may not physically fit). > > If the server is only serving to say about 8 to 10 clients then a > standard Athkon X2 / Core 2 Duo with a gig of ram and a couple of hard > drives in a raid array (Linux Software Raid or REAL HARDWARE RAID, none > of this SoftRaid on cheap motherboards) will probably do the job. > Components and memory are dirt cheap now with a gig of ram around the > £10 to £20 mark, hard drives at reasonable sizes around £35 (for say > 250GB) and dual core CPU's and motherboards are under £100. > > For the PCs themselves, personally I'd avoid NVidia with the proprietary > drivers. I'm a fan of AMD so I'd recommend the Athlon X2 CPU's although > performance wise the Intel Core 2 Duo does have a lead over AMD at the > moment. > > You could probably get away with onboard graphics (I'd recommend ATI > chipsets for AMD CPUs or Intel or AMD Chipsets for Intel CPU's). > > No problem, where are you based anyway? If you need any help, give me a > shout as I'm doing something similar for two clients. > Thanks Rob I'm in Lostwithiel. Where are you? I could always pop over/up or wherever! -- Kind regards Rich http://www.cregy.co.uk Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Romans 12 v 1 -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html