[nickamat]

We're a SB currently running NetWare 3.12 with ALL Windows clients. Our server is getting very outdated, and we're looking to replace it. As the new IT director here, I've always been a Mac guy. Naturally, when discussing options for a new server, I thought about Xserve. It "claims" to be great with Windows networks. We need something with RAID, reliablity, and simplicity for file and print services. Microsoft's Windows 2000 server has been proven unreliable at times. I'm not too fond of NetWare's command prompt administration. Apple's Xserve brought a new interface into the server OS market. However, our network consists of 10 PCs, not even one Mac. Should I even consider Xserve to replace our NetWare server?

[voodoo]

Of course! Check it out. XServe can serve windows machines just as well as Apple Macs.

[Arkham_c]

It really depends on what you're doing. If your goal is file sharing, OSX is great for SMB file sharing.

If you have a regular OSX desktop and want to try it out, download the free "SharePoints" tool -- it lets you do the same thing OSX Server (and thus XServer) can do. Of course, an XServe is recommended for real production use, but you could do a proof of concept with an iBook or a G4 desktop.