We are looking into a server please give us advice on it

[fishin4snook]

We are looking into buying a seperate computer to become a server - what type of software would we need ot do this and is it hard to get and set up ips .. .. and what are all of the things we need ot set up a server.

Fishin4snook.

 

[dm7941]

I'll jump in here. . talk about an open ended question! First question: what type of software?
I will answer with questions of my own. How many clients? What type of data access do you need? Do you need web services? Do you need mail services? Do you need print services? The answers to these questions will determine your software needs. .then all you have to decide on is Brand

Second question: Is it hard to get and set up ips?
It is not hard to get ip addresses, any ISP can provide them with your internet service. You just have to work with your internet provider to get them assigned to you. It is also not hard to set them up, you can either "static" map the IP addresses on each machine, or use a dynamic address allocation from a DHCP server (On NT server for instance) or from a hardware source like a DSL router.

Since you are asking these questions, I would guess you have not done this before. In that case it may be a good idea to hire a consultant or a network engineer to help with the decision making and maybe the install process. You may end up saving a LOT of headache and wasted money.

David Moore
dm7941@sbc.com

 

[fishin4snook]

1. How many clients - 15-30
2. I don't understand what you mean by data access
3. Web services - if you mean design no we have that covered.
4. no mail services
5. I don't understand what print services are?
6.

 

[Sensibilium]

Go and have a look at

http://www.microsoft.com/sbserver

BackOffice Small Business Server (SBS 4.5) is basically NT 4.0 (inc. SP4) with a 50 workstation limit, Office2000 Integration, Internet Information Server 4.0, SQL Server 7.0 (unlimited databases, 10GB per database), Exchange Server 5.5, Outlook2000, Fax Service, Modem Sharing, Proxy Server 2.0, and FrontPage98 (God knows why they couldn't put FP2K in instead!).

If you place all your clients on Category5 cabling (100Base), and your server running SBS 4.5, then you will have an inexpensive stable network.

Data Access: Meaning, what databases are you running? Access2000, Accounting Packages, etc.?

Web services: Meaning, do you want your users to be able to 'surf the net'? Do you want to host your own website on your server (always-on connection required)?

No E-Mail? Utter madness...

Print Services: Meaning, printers... Do you want to connect your printers to workstations, or do you want network printers? Network printers are expensive, but then you don't need to switch on specific workstations to have the services available to your network.

If you are confused by some of the terms above, then why not seek professional advice from network specialists? The company I use for all my technology requirements is dan Technology (

http://www.dan.co.uk),

they have a networking dept. who will visit you on-site and discuss your requirements, and find you the best solution (As long as you are in the UK).

PS: No, I don't work for dan, I just love their reliability and service. They are second to none (in my opinion).

ahdkaw
ahdkaw@ots.zzn.com

http://sensibilium.com/

'If anythign can go wrong, it will'