If you want a server so you can connect all 5 pc's to the internet using the server or hand out DHCP addresses, go W2K. Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com
"Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection
of facts is not more a science than a heap of stones is a home".
Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912) French mathematician
The reason I ask is because I feel a better way to go would be to put all the computers on a workgroup, make the database shared/in a shared folder, and set the right permissions. Then use either ICS, a router, or some other simple solution to share the internet.
Uh-oh.
Opus just said that he wants a server for security and reliability.
This would be the wrong forum for that.
For such a small network, get NetWare 6 with a 5 or 10 user license. Just a SMALL list of advantages to this are:
1. Licensing. With Novell's licensing, you pay for the number of USER objects in the tree, not for any servers. When you buy a license, you OWN it. Novell will not call you in a year and tell you to send them more money for the priviledge of being licensed. Nor will they force you to upgrade ALL OF YOUR CLIENT PC's when they release a new server OS. And before you say "NetWare is expensive," check the pricing and what you get for the price. Additionally, you would be wise to factor in the additional support and hardware costs associated with using Win2K
2. You said it--security and reliability. I did a search on the Security Focus (a non-biased security site) site and found that:
since 1997, the total number of vulnerabilities for ALL VERSIONS of NetWare is 17
Since 2000, the total number of vulnerabilities for Windows 2000 Server(not including NT 4) was 47
NetWare has an unbeatable track record with security and reliability. MS has talk.
3. Native File Access: With NW6, your Windows or Mac clients can access their data on the server without using any NetWare client.
4. NDS. The Directory has been around since... er... 1991 if I remember right. It is generally regarded as the de facto standard directory service for reliability, scalability, and cross-platform functionality. Active Directory, on the other hand, isn't largely deployed because IT MANAGERS generally don't trust such a new and immature product.
5. File & Print Serving. It is widely accepted that nothing from Redmond can touch NetWare in the speed and reliability of these critical services. The only exception were a couple of "benchmark tests" that MS SANCTIONED AND PAID FOR. In these, the "testers" purposefully disabled NetWare to lower its performance to the level of Win2K.
6. The vendor. After reading this, I'm sure you realize that I'm a NetWare zealot. This is because Novell makes the best products and doesn't screw over their customers with crappy products or service. Compare this with MS, who bundles trash and makes you pay increasingly more for it. Who would you trust?
Hope this helps your decision.
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Certified in absolutely nothing
W2K and RAS? Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com
"Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection
of facts is not more a science than a heap of stones is a home".
Henri Poincare (1854 - 1912) French mathematician
Have you considered Linux?
It will do everything better than Windows or Novell on such a basic network, it's better on security. Also, linux now is plug and play, supports USB and many other features.
Most of the new versions of linux are very easy to run and setup. I recently installed a W2K server for a small accounting office with the same needs - internet, file and printer sharing. It works perfectly, but the cost is very high. Just for the heck of it, I downloaded Mandrake linux and set up a small network, and it worked perfectly...for free!
Linux would be my first choice. If not, go for Windows, you can get a 5 user version for about $800.00
Opus5,
I failed to mention a complete solution for your setup.
First, common sense and the best practices of ALL vendors state that your file server should NEVER be exposed to the public network, even if you have firewall software or ICS set up on the box. Keep your data on your internal network.
That said, my recommendation would be:
Set up a server with NetWare6 for file, print, & directory services.
For security, here are two choices:
1. Purchase a firewall appliance such as a Cisco PIX or a SonicWall. The PIX is probably overkill for you, so I might go with the SonicWall.
2. Put together a Linux box and use it as your router/firewall using IPTABLES. You could also set up Squid Proxy Cache to speed up your HTTP & FTP transfers. An additional benefit is that you could set up Apache web server on this box and use it for Novell iFolder, which is a killer app.
Hope that helps
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Certified in absolutely nothing
Well, you can look at it two ways:
1. Put in Win2K so the client has a familiarity level with the OS. The big down side to this is that non-professionals ALWAYS set things up wrong, don't keep up on maintenance, and generally screw things up.
2. Talk the client into signing a support agreement with you. That way he doesn't have to worry about tedious admin tasks and you get paid to take care of him. Win-win situation.
At any rate, good luck with the solution that you choose. ------------
Certified in absolutely nothing
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