November 2, 2001, Mobile, Alabama -- The Mobile, Alabama law firm of Johnstone, Adams, Bailey, Gordon & Harris now spends more time servicing clients and less time servicing their computer systems, thanks to the innovative help of The Net Effect.

"Johnstone, Adams has always been a law firm that looked for ways to do more for our clients," according to Bill Hardie, partner in charge of information systems. "We simply outgrew the network we adopted some time ago. I had heard about the stability, security and performance of Linux, and felt that The Net Effect was the company to explain it, master it and install it."

The Johnstone, Adams law firm first contacted The Net Effect in 1999. The problems encountered when newer Internet technologies collided with older network technologies had caused a great deal of frustration. The Net Effect proposed a hybrid network solution through the addition of Linux-based firewall, DNS, mailserver and remote access servers. Running TCP/IP on top of the Novell network and modifications to the WANG access gateway enabled full functionality with minimal expense.

As the firm's existing network aged, concerns arose over the age of the hardware and software involved. A deliberate process was initiated to replace the legacy document management system with up-to-date Worldox, in part because this software would run on TCP/IP as well as IPX. The firm also began to consider a complete Linux solution. At that time, their three Linux servers had been running nonstop for nearly two years with zero downtime. Clearly Linux had proven its stability and performance to the members of this firm.

All file and print services are provided by using Samba, which allows the Windows client PCs to use Windows Networking. The main application for one server is Worldox, a document management system. A second server provides basic file services (addressbook/calendaring and legal research software) and print services for 12 network printers on two floors. This server will host also the new accounting system when the WANG is retired later this year. The client PCs continue to run Windows 95 and 98, to support legacy applications (such as the WANG access gateway), with no visible change to the users. The conversion was effected seamlessly over a holiday weekend with no business-hours downtown for the network and no software changes required.

Linux (http://www.linux.org) is a powerful, flexible, highly stable operating system that presents an appealing alternative to Microsoft desktop and server applications. Linux is a Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License, the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone.

The Net Effect (http://www.theneteffect.com) is a consortium of consultants and programmers founded in Mobile, Alabama (US) in 1996. Offering traditional IT services in addition to custom application development, The Net Effect works with a variety of Open Source software applications like Linux, as well as popular commercial packages.

Johnstone, Adams, Bailey, Gordon & Harris, L.L.C. (http://www.johnstoneadams.com) is a Mobile, Alabama business law firm representing clients on a full-service basis. The firm has been at the forefront of providing excellent legal services to its clients in Mobile and around the Southeast for many years. The firm has a longstanding tradition of utilizing and creating innovative solutions for its clients.