What OS to Run on a Small Business Server?

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Im helping to setup and find the best server for my dads small business of 5-10 users. The functions will be primarily to store all the files and user accounts on the server and adding print devices.

We have identified the HP Proliant Microserver with a few custom upgrades to be a good choice at around £400, however the Windows Server 2008 license seem to be over £500, is this right, as it is a lot of money just for a small business, or is there a cheaper/free version of it?
A unix OS could be an option as i use linux myself, but my dad would have no clue on how to use it so Windows is a preferred option.

Also im confused as to what the Client Access licenses are, do you need to buy one of these for every computer you wish to connect to it?

 

what he said ^^^^

But

Another option would be sbs 2003, not as easy to use as sbs 2008 to use as a novice, but cheaper. I believe you buy the license in clumps of 5, so unless your company goes over 5 users you will not need to purchase another.

 

SBS2008 oem is what you want.

I recall that there used to be HP specific oem versions that were even cheaper than the normal ones.

Regarding CALs the oem will come with 5 included and you'll need to purchase an additional CAL pack which will have another 5.

EDIT: just remembered that SBS2011 Standard is now available to order, at least here in Canada, the Essentials version includes 25 CALs but does not include a local Exchange install, it relies on hosted Exchange, and isn't available just yet. But as you haven't mentioned a requirement for that it might be worth looking into.

FAQ PDF for the new SBS2011 family: http://oem.microsoft.com/public/worldwide/sbs_2011/sbs_2011_family_frequently_asked_questions.pdf

 

It's not that cheap, that's true, but you get more than just a server OS with SBS. Now you may of course choose to not use the other components...

 

Another vote for SBS

 

For reference there is an MS comparison PDF here for SBS 2011 and Server 2008 R2 Foundation:

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...1_Essentials_vs_Windows_Foundation_Server.pdf

As a side question - in the office that this is being setup for, are all of the client machines running XP Pro, Vista Business or 7 Pro? I'f you've got any home versions be aware that they won't join the domain and will need to authenticate manually to access the shares etc, or require upgrading.