server requirements

[Clare Snyder]

For a mail server I would tend to spec something other than a Celeron -
nothing against the Celeron, I sell a lot of them - but it is not targetted
for this use. Go for a full Pentium II or Pentium III machine with a MINIMUM
of 128MB of RAM. 256 is better. Use Linux if you like, but the robustness
and ease of administration of an NT small business server can't be beat.
Full remote admin over the web in your browser. By robustness I mean throw
in 2 18GB UDMA ATAPI (ide) drives, mirrored, and even hear in Canada with
our CanukPesos the storage component is only about 500 clams. That is with
top line Fujitsu drives - if you want to use WD or seagate the price may be
lower, but you only get what you pay for. Buy a good brand name
motherboard - I use DFI and won't touch Acer, Asus, or Gigabyte. Don't
nickel and dime the small stuff - the difference between "real good" and
"dung-pile" is only a few percent overall. Excellent may cost significantly
more. Get a good fast ATAPI CD - I'd go for a CDRW and use it for archiving
as well. More durable than tape. You don't need fancy graphics or sound.