Microsoft servers have been a great addition to the business world, and many companies have used them to improve their business control and efficiency. The Microsoft server world was built on the main servers, which were the Server 2003 replaced by the Server 2008 version, with the Microsoft exchange server for using e-mails and the Microsoft SQL server, for Database use.

Those main servers have built the base for a whole organizational network infrastructure where all of the company’s employees could get their whole services out of the same Microsoft environment and developers could use the Microsoft Visual Studio (which is now at version 2010) to develop applications for the same Microsoft network environment.

The Microsoft server 2008 includes more technologies to enable IT, professionals, to increase reliability, stability and flexibility for their servers infrastructure and enable the control needed for managing the organization’s needs. This system includes Virtualization tools, enhanced management and great integration with the Windows 7 operating system (as it is the OS system designated for the client computers on the network, replacing the Windows XP and Windows Vista versions).

This version is also cost-benefit and provides a more efficient data center. The IIS (Internet information system) is more advanced at version 7.5, better updates system, Hyper-V platforms, and window PowerShell version 2.0 to enable better control for customers, increasing efficiency and availability pushing performance to the front line of businesses today.

Summarizing the Microsoft Server 2008 platform is saying it is the most efficient and solid server system by Microsoft, more reliable, stronger, and efficient. Businesses that were using the previous version, should upgrade and get more efficient ways to conduct their business.

The SQL Server by Microsoft is one of the best-enhanced databases out there. This Microsoft SQL server now at version 2008, is stronger and more efficient than it predecessors. The database delivers the same reliability and flexibility needed by programmers/developers and much more. Microsoft developers have grown to love the flexibility this database enables, to create whatever is needed by their programs.

The Microsoft SQL Server has proved that it can contain a large amount of data, and process it with an efficiency that is so required by large organizations. Large companies, with even 1000’s of employees require efficiency, and performance for their applications. Since most of the programs who compute and store a large amount of data need to perform quickly and efficiently the Microsoft SQL server delivers that requirement, and Microsoft keeps updating and improving this great database system.

The Microsoft Exchange server system, is one of the most common ones, for large enterprises. This is a communication system that is cost-effective and flexible. Which can deal with the enormous amount of communication and data being transferred by large organizations? This system is one of the best in the market (again for large companies), it might not fit smaller companies who wants to save on spending a large amount of expense on a mail server.

For large organizations, this is the system to have. It grew much since it began, and got more reliable, more efficient and its performance got better.
Like any system developed there are always things you might find irritating, but in global, this system has improved greatly, and when used by a professional who got to know all of its techniques, and organization can soundly sleep knowing the system works, and the communication will be received and delivered on time.

Summarizing the Microsoft main servers systems, we have to acknowledge that Microsoft has proved that their system is the best as a whole package, and they keep improving them, to enable large organizations to feel at home and trust that the systems will deliver when it counts.

Debian, is a package of software tools combined together under the open-licensed GNU (General Public Library) and some other free software, of the Linux operating systems which means it uses the Linux kernel. This operating system is the most popular and one of its best OS versions is the UBUNTU operating system.

Since you want to get with your operating system some basic tools, and of course some extra efficient tools, instead of finding each program that you find that you need, the Debian package has been created to contain the basic tools that are needed for and operating system.

The Debian package is being used both for Server and for Desktop operating systems, again the Debian package is the core of those operating system which are built upon the Debian package, like UBUNTU Linux distribution system.

So with all of those Linux distributions out there, why choose Debian? well, it is quite simple:

• A non-commercial totally free distribution.
• A true GNU/Linux distribution based on the Unix command style. This assures that the core that you are using will not be changed as time passes since it is the core of things.
• Easy to maintain – so you can easily get it updated and up to date, there is a mechanism that knows how to identify missing packages and update on required dependencies.
• Automatic updating – You can use automatic updates using a single command, which will collect the needed required updates from the internet, and install them automatically.
• The Debian distribution only uses real free software and it contains already around 25,000 applications and utilities.
• Help is accessible through forums, chat rooms of the community. You can get answers to almost any question you might have and there are developers who improve it daily.
• Performance is excellent and of course cheap since it uses any type of hardware, and does not require hardware upgrades or requires stronger equipment.
• Reliability and stability are the core focus of Debian, and you do not need to reboot it contantly.

— You can read more about the Debian packages at http://www.debian.org/ and get http://www.debian.org/, even though I would recommend working with Ubuntu than on Debian directly.

The reasons why Debian can be the perfect server are because it contains many common software tools, for almost any purpose that servers are being used for like those basic ones:

• • Web server – Apache, PHP, Python, Mysql
  • Mail server – Postfix.
  • DNS server – Bind9
  • FTP server – Proftpd

• File Server – Samba

Building a Linux server, is pretty easy, you just need to find a computer (any computer), then download a Linux version (any Linux version will do, just choose a server Linux edition, and you will get spared from GUI installation, if you prefer).

The process of installing the Linux server is pretty mechanical as you move through the installation instructions by pressing the “Next” button. Today when you install Linux, it will find the suitable drivers needed for your computer, and with ease, the installation process will go smoothly, and within minutes, you will have a Linux server ready for action.

I personally prefer the Ubuntu Server distribution, I guess I just got used to it, and it’s easy to use apt-get command, that let you install automatically any software packages you need, like a web application, mail application, ftp application etc… Those are easy to install, and each package has its own instructions on how to install/configure the software package you have chosen to install, usually there will be a “README” text file or “INSTALL” text file, that by following it’s instructions, command by command you will be able to install and implement the software package into your Linux server.

The basic Ubuntu Server installation package, if you do not install any suggested packages, will give you the basics, and of course define the drivers needed for the operating system to recognize and use them, like your network card. I usually like to install only the SSH software package during the installation package, the SSH enable you to log-in to the Linux server you have just installed from your own desktop/laptop without working directly on the server itself. That enables network administrators the ease of configuring the server, from their own computer after the initial Linux server installation has been completed.

The basics of software package installation, depends on the designation of your Linux server, in short it depends on your choice of what this Linux server will do for you. If it is a Linux web server, then it will need apache2, if it is a mail server, then you will need to install one of the mail software packages, like Sendmail or Postfix etc…

I will describe some examples of what packages to install for different types of servers, just as an example, I am sure you will be able to go from here, since it is mostly the same process for any software package you might think of installing. The examples are taken from the Ubuntu Linux version.

Linux Web Server
Apache2, MySQL Client, MySQL Server, PHP 5, PHP 5 – GD, PHP 5 – MySQL, PHPMyAdmin, some also include CURL and if you would like a mail service, you can install postfix as well.
In Ubuntu, the command is pretty simple: apt-get install apache2 (for installing apache2)
If you are not sure what is the exact package name that you need to install, you can just Google it, like how to install Mysql in Ubuntu, and you will get the info you need.

Video instructions for installing Apache Server:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8y51yESHyU

Linux FTP server

One of my favorite ftp Linux server is the pure-Ftpd, it’s easy to install and configure – and it is very suitable for new users.

The command will be: apt-get install pure-ftpd pure-ftpd-common
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/PureFTP

Linux Mail Server
There are some basic Linux e-mail packages that anyone can use with a simple command, and there are more complicated e-mail servers for organization’s use.
The basic versions that you can easily install and use are:
postfix, sendmail – just do: apt-get install postfix / apt-get install sendmail
http://www.hypexr.org/linux_mail_server.php

As an organization’s e-mail server – I would recommend ZIMBRA Mail Server.
https://www.zimbra.com

The Microsoft exchange server , is a mail server, which organizations uses to enable the company to use e-mails across their network and of course send and receive e-mails outside with other clients, other organizations.

The exchange server includes filtering mechanisms (blocking e-mail flooding, sender’s address, connection filtering using DNS RBL lists (Which is a list of banned blacklisted domains), use a mail domain (so the organization will be using a unique mail server that is their own) , also the Microsoft exchange server included features like: 16 TB (Tera-Byte) of database size (to hold all of the e-mails), Scripting language to maintain the exchange server, 64 Bit performance and scalability, including a more user friendly GUI, calendaring including calendar sharing (between employees) so you can see who is available/busy at the time you want to set the meeting, and enable you to set the meeting when everyone are available), It has a web access (so you can manage it from outside/within the organization.

You would be able to set the configuration of the mail users, in groups and set who can use what, what can the user do with his mailbox, where is it stored, how large his
capacity is etc… like the Microsoft Active-Directory, the Microsoft exchange server had good user configuration and maintenance capabilities, so you could configure and maintain the Microsoft exchange server. The Microsoft exchange server also includes anti-spam, anti-virus protection, clustering for performance.

The Microsoft Exchange system, requires licensing, which is not the same as the Microsoft CAL licenses, the Exchange licenses are for defining how many users can be used on the Microsoft Exchange system, how many mail boxes can you use.

Microsoft Exchange server can be used from mobiles as well as regular mail clients, the mechanism called Active-Sync that was added to the exchange server 2003, enabled mobile connection.

The main advantage of the Microsoft exchange server is the sharing of calendars which is very important for large scaled companies, for setting meetings, and tracking who is available when.
Enjoy.