Ian Wells has announced the availability of the fifth beta release of SME Server 8.0, a CentOS-based server distribution: "The SME Server development team is pleased to announce the release of SME Server 8.0beta5 which is based on CentOS 5.4 and will be the next major release of SME Server.Major changes in beta 5. The policy is to stick with upstream updates unless there are compelling reasons not to. The number of customers unable to run the software they want because of the Samba and PHP versions constituted a compelling reason. Samba 3.4.3 - has been updated from sources provided by ClearOS. This version of Samba provides support for Windows 7 domain logins. PHP 5.2.10 - is provided by the Red Hat Application Stack v2. 5.2 is needed by recent web applications such as OScommerce."
Read the complete release announcement for a detailed list of changes. Download: smeserver-8.0beta5-i386.iso (643MB, MD5).
Also released today was the first release candidate for SME Server 7.5.
Recent releases:
• 2010-03-08: Development Release: SME Server 8.0 Beta 5
• 2009-06-24: Development Release: SME Server 8.0 Beta 4
• 2008-11-22: Distribution Release: SME Server 7.4
• 2008-01-02: Distribution Release: SME Server 7.3
• 2007-07-23: Distribution Release: SME Server 7.2
• 2007-01-01: Distribution Release: SME Server 7.1
Latest stable releases 7.4 / 2008-11-21
* File and Print Sharing
The core of any network environment is easy and simple access to shared files and printers. SME Server software allows for the easy sharing of files and printers to Windows and Macintosh clients. The "Information Bay" (i-bay) feature provides easy and convenient information storage and retrieval by multiple groups via web, ftp, or file sharing.
* Internet Connection
Small business customers are looking for a simple solution that works with different types of connections to the Internet. SME Server automates the process of connecting to the Internet. Just connect the server and supply your ISP account information. The server solution acts as a gateway for your entire network and requires no additional client software and minimal configuration. Users can immediately start browsing the Web, using email, and access other Internet services.
With the pervasiveness of email, small businesses increasingly need to support email for all their employees. SME Server provides a secure reliable email server and allows easy creation of individual and group addresses. For greater versatility, it works with any mail client that uses the industry-standard IMAP, POP3, and SMTP protocols. Secure webmail allows users to access the server from a web browser anywhere on the Internet, to send and receive e-mail via an encrypted (128-bit SSL) link. On top of that it is equipped with ClamAV Antivirus and SpamAssassin to reduce the amount of unsolicited mail.
* Firewall
Security is always a priority when a company starts using the Internet. SME Server offers a multi-layer architecture, protecting the external interface through packet-filtering and service restriction. It offers selective address or port binding, application-level access control lists, and protects the internal network from any intrusion.
* Remote Access
Businesses with remote or branch sites or telecommuting employees require remote access to their email and to other resources on the local network. SME Server provides multiple tools such as webmail access to email using any browser, 128-bit PPTP (for secure client-to-server VPNs) and open secure shell (SSH) to provide encrypted access to the internal network and server resources for administrators.
* Directory Services
Companies typically require a central directory of email addresses that all users can access. SME Server features a robust directory service that can be used by most email clients (including Outlook, Outlook Express, and Netscape Communicator). This feature is implemented using the industry-standard LDAP protocol.
* Web Hosting
Small businesses also need a secure and reliable web presence and an intranet to communicate with employees. SME Server includes the Apache web server used by over 60% of the Internet. The content can be easily edited and updated from desktop clients (including dynamic content). It also supports the use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections for e-commerce.
* Raid and Backup
SME Server software supports both hardware and software disk mirroring (RAID 1), USB Disk backup & tape backup for additional data protection.
Almost all of the packages that SME Server includes from upstream vendors are included unmodified. The purpose of doing so is to take advantage of the stability that comes from the huge user base that uses these packages, for security, and to allow automatic updates as soon as an update is available from the upstream vendor. Security updates from Redhat/Centos should be available until 2012 for Centos 4
* Extensible
The SME Server architecture explicitly supports developers by making it easy to drop software into place and remove it without needing to modify existing files. Extensions can easily add new features, a few popular examples are Asterisk VOIP PBX, HylaFax server, DansGuardian web content filter, Joomla CMS, Jinzorra jukebox, Mediawiki, Thin client server, OsCommerce online shop.
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