I'm doing some pro bono computer consulting for my local municipal offices, and as part of that project I've installed a Linux server that does automated backup (hurrah for rsync) and also provides a file repository. However, the town wants to get a Microsoft server because some of the network application they're getting (municipal taxes, accounting, etc.) assume that environment. I'd very much like to head off that Microsoft server at the pass, but I can't expect any help from either the software vendors or the town officials. If I'm going to make the case for Linux here, I have to be able to provide the same functionality on a Linux machine that they expect from the Microsoft server. The town officials won't settle for second best. Is that a lost cause, or are there ways to do it? The software to be networked is specialized and proprietary. Paul