Probably the drives will work with linux if their for storage and backup. Linux has about a 3rd of the server market, so most everybody makes stuff linux compatable if they want it to sell well for situations like that. Although I cannot say for certain, this is the first time I ever heard of them.
this article says they work in linux.
I am not to sure. I wouldn't want to have to install any propriatory software to run it if I had too. It looks pretty nice, but DVD's do a pretty good job, too.
Most any linux distro works great as a server. Usually I recommend Debian, but you can use whatever. Fedora would be great, as would Mandrake or Suse. It sounds like your building it for a small business with the omega drive and all, so I think that looking at a commercial redhat system would be good, then you can get a years worth of support for the price of the OS.
Two good options would be the standard edition server, "ES". Comes into support flavors 349 and 799 dollars.
see the differences
here
Basicly with the cheaper one you get 30 days installation and setup support, with one year of updates. With the expensive version you get that + 1 year of web support from official techs, and phone calls during business hours with a garrenteed 4 hour turn around time.
If you don't want that, then I figure Suse is a good start. Mandrake is suppose to be the easiest though.
If your familar with the command line that's about the best remote administration tool you can have. You just ssh into the server and interact in the bash shell. Use putty.exe as a ssh client from a Windows machine. Any linux machine will have ssh client/server automaticly. This is ideal, but there are plenty of ways.
For instance
Webmin is a good application. It's a web based configuration tool and you set it up on your server. Then you can access it's controls from any browser on any computer you set it up to accept connections from. Not quite as secure as ssh, but it provides and nice GUI interface.
Also for Linux it's printing system allows for remote administration. It's called CUPS (macs use it too. Common Unix Printing System) and it has a webbased tool for configuration, too (as well as desktop gui programs like Windows). By default it only accepts connections from the localhost, and you go
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631"><a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="https://127.0.0.1:631">https://127.0.0.1:631</a></a></a></a></a></a></a> to access it. However you can modify it to accept browser connections from other machines.
Now this is cool because you have 2 options aviable to you for printing from Windows machines to Linux providing your using new enough Windows clients (Windows 2000, Windows XP). Older OSes only have 1 method.
The best method IMO is to use the IPP (internet printing protocol). It's a standardized way of alowing printing over complex networks (like the internet). You set up the linux server, and then modify the cups configuration to allow printing connections from your client computers. Then you set it up like it's a remote network printer (like if you have one of those big stand alone printers). The best way to set it up is to use Linux's ability to translate postscript into whatever language cheap printers use. So for your Windows computers you head on out to adobe's website and download their free (cost) postscript printer drivers. You install those on the Windows machines and then when it comes up for the network printer you choose something like
http://192.168.1.10:631/printers/PrinterName (were 192.168.1.10 = your printer's address. DNS resolve also works if you have a dns setup for your network). Then when it prompts you for the printer driver you can choose generic, but what works better is to copy the relevent .ppd (postrscript printer description) file from your server and use that as the "driver".
Mine is:
/etc/cups/ppd/HP-PSC_1210-hpijs.ppd
check out here for more details.
http://www.owlfish.com/thought...p-cups-2003-07-20.html
If you have older Windows clients then the only method is to setup printing thru
SAMBA, which is ok, because that's what you'll use for file service.
Pick out a decent distro, sit down with it, play around with it. Check out the guides I have indicated in my sig. Also any help you need will be avaible thru google.com
Once you setup the Linux server, and get the backups and updates (I like apt-get running as a cronjob for Fedora and Debian) working so that you know you can trust them, the server will pretty much run itself. Baring hardware failure, or hacking attacks (which is why you need to keep it updated) nobody should have to mess with it.
Hope that is enough to get you started.
edit:
oh ya. There are special purpose simple file and print OSes you can check out. One is
clarkconnect. It's based on redhat/fedora and designed for minimal setup with the maximum amount of features for non-technical home and soho users. I never used it, so it's not a endorsment, it's just a example. There are others you can find if you look around. They may or may not be better. Personally I prefer taking Debian or Redhat and using that as a server.
All sorts of features from routing capabilities, virus scan/anti-spam capable e-mail server, file server, all sorts of stuff. There are a free "community" version, and a pay supported version with more features.
Also for remote administration you can use VNC like in Windows. You don't even need to have X running (the GUI part of Linux) to run it.
However command line is great. It's secure, powerfull, and scriptable. You don't even need to be in the building or in the same country or even on the same continent to securily administrate your servers thru OpenSSH. It's great. (pay very close attention to
security though. (good website. Smart experianced consultant)).
Also if you need maximum security and stability with a sacrific of some features and windows-user-friendliness, check out OpenBSD.
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