Small business forum: Which OS is best for our new server?

I agree to a point the 8 gigs is a lot of overkill for a simple server. I use a older Dual Xeon machine i purchased for $89.00 from geeks.com and it works great for file storage. My server currently is running windows 2003 server enterprise. If I were you, I would invest in a cheap server and spend the rest on a good backup system or preventative maintenance. Windows 2000 really needs to be updated to at least 2003 or 2008 as well. The problem with really outdated server OS is future software not working when you try to install it among other issues. I would do maybe 2 gig memory, Xeon or similar and 2003 server or better. Maybe invest in new Hd as well. I'm sure that old IDE Hd needs replaced if it has not been replaced yet assuming your server is using a IDE Hd.

Thanks so much for the response. I know I asked y'all for your most objective advice. It is in no way my intention to seem ungrateful. Just opposite, I truly appreciate all I have learned from you guys more than any of my words can express.

But I keep coming back to my concern of low-balling the village. In talking to the current Clerk/Treasurer, I've learned a lot about the purchase of the current server by the previous administration back in '01. The IT guy they used (and the current admin was still using until I entered the picture late in '08) works for the Town of Cheektowaga. He could only work on the village system in his "spare time." He charged an exorbitant amount of money and, bottom line, really screwed them on the current server. That administration was horribly corrupt and the Clerk/Treasurer got a nice kickback so the IT guy got away with it. (That Clerk/Treasurer was later charged with and found guilty of embezzling $250K+)

I just don't feel comfortable going with a "just enough to get by" kind of machine. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't want to have to face the board in 3 years to try explain why I need another chunk of money to upgrade the box I said would meet all of their needs for 8-10 years. I found a box with a Xeon 3460 @ 2.8 GHz; 8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz RAM; 2-1 TB HDDs; Win Foundation Server 2008 64-Bit R2 and 3 year extended warranty for under $1900 delivered. I'm 99% sure that's what I'm going to recommend.

Thanks so very much again for all your help and advice. Hope y'all have a happy Turkey Day!!
Jack

(geeks.com)

If I was to look at an 10 year box, it would have some sort of failover system. Sort of like cloud computers. With those you don't pile all your eggs into one CPU but across a rack or more than one.

You can bet there are solutions like that and I'm tuning up to try it myself.
Bob

That's kinda my rationale on Foundation Server. It's my understanding that it's "easily" upgradeable to a later version of Windows Server, which in a way encompasses my choice of the higher level processor and the max RAM the initial OS will recognize. The board in my rig of choice supports 16 GB, which isn't a lot but I think it will do the job down the road.

Thanks for the response!
Jack