GNU/Linux is one of the most well know Unix like operating systems in use today. Although it is debatable as to which Unix like system is the fastest/most stable, no one can argue that currently GNU/Linux is the most widely used system which supports the most hardware.

Windows 2000 and GNU/Linux working together. This customer is using their GNU/Linux server as a Firewall/NAT/DHCP/DNS/Mail server, while they rely on the Windows 2000 box to provide ASP/Access support. With the power of the firewall and Apache working together, clients can access their mail through an Apache web interface, while still being able to access their web site through Windows 2000. This seemless integration is so perfect, most users don't even realize that there are two completely different servers at work.

With two Network Cards connected to a High Speed switch, internal clients are provided with a safe and secure lan, internet access and additional intranet services not available to the outside world. The internal DNS server resolves an internal i.p. for the web server, which ensures that internal traffic destined for this server isn't forced through the internet.

GNU/Linux servers run amazingly well on both AMD and Intel cpu's. The hardware necessary to run a powerful server system is under the $1,000 range. Add that to the fact that a GNU/Linux distribution is available for a free download and you get an incredible Cost to Performance ratio.

POWER
The real elegance of any Unix like OS is it's power through simple tools. Most modern Intel based systems can run effective web/ftp/mail/dhcp/firewall servers on a 486, which compared to Windows 2000 or even NT 4.0 is quite a feat. Although I suggest that all my clients use a Pentium II as a minimal system requirement, I myself was running a Pentium 75 as my main server for almost two years.

Scalability
How scalable is a GNU/Linux server ? I put this question to the test just recently as I swapped in a AMD Duron 1.3 GHZ into my aging Pentium 75 box. Although I performed a complete motherboard/ram/cpu swap, I decided to keep my existing hard drives and OS install to see if I could save myself the hassle of re-installing and configuring everything. To my amazement, the system ran and booted fine, with no conflict, hiccups or workarounds. The only thing that was noticably different was the increased speed.