Hey guys, was planning to setup a server for someone with 6 PC's but I don't know the first thing about setting up a server. I've been asked to find a suitable PC server to buy, 10 client licenses and a suitable firewall for the server. Any idea's on how I would go about setting something along these lines up? I've also been told that I should leave a backdoor open for myself on the server so that if anything goes wrong, I can check things remotely at home. Thanks in advance Edit: I've also been told that some pcs are running XP whilst others are on vista
your best off buying something pre-made, also if you have had no experience with servers, you don't want to be offering support for it. what is the server going to be used for? i am using sbs2011, quite easy to setup, but you have to be carefull messing about with the settings, or you could break it, like i did mine, although, luckily i had setup backups, so just reloaded from backup.
1. Buy premade server (check) 2. A Friend just asked if I could learn how to set one up as they would rather me learn and then pay me to do it instead of someone else 3. It's for a church. All they wish to do is be able to use programs such as word etc, maybe some web browsing and be able to access important files from any of the PC's. They would also want a firewall installed.
A church wants a server...whats the world coming to ! And the fact that the pc's are on xp/vista doesnt matter if you know how to set them all up properly.
Cheers. So pretty much would installation be anywhere similar to me networking the 4 pc's I have in my house, or are there major differences. loool, yeah they specifically said *SERVER* lol, I'm guessing they are planning to expand further in the future
sbs 2011 essentials is a bit like win home server, for business upto 25 clients, it will allow remote access to files, which i presume is what they mostly want winxp/vista won't allow multiple remote access at the same time. you won't need a backdoor, just an account with admin priviledges oh and the server shouldn't be used as if its a normal pc
Meh sounds like they need a overhaul of their pc's.....I hardly doubt they have the cash for a new set of machines though. As far as I know they have all the pcs networked peer-to-peer style and things are moving slowing due to a very slow and tired pc hosting all the files.
I think you need to have a look at their current setup, and find out what exactly they want/need replacing, makes your job easier if you know exactly what they want
Yeah I will be getting full details tomorrow. But from what my friend described, these pcs are ancient....maybe knocking on 10 years old!
Couldn't they just use a nas like the netgear stora or readynas? If it's only sharing files then shouldnt that be ok?
Ubuntu server any one? with Samba you got all your windows needs covered and comes with all needed software free. Added benefit pretty close to immune to almost every single virus.
Even better, install ubuntu on all the PCs, it's a much better OS on old/slow hardware than Windows is. Also, Linux will allow clergy SSH access to Jesus for extra cloud-computing power. If all that's needed is a basic server (as opposed to something that'll run multiple VMs, for example), the HP Microserver is about as cheap as it gets (£140 with the cashback offer), and might do the job. Find out what they want, though: if they're looking to run client applications on the server, that's a very different situation to a simple NAS. If they want to set up a domain, clients running home versions of Windows won't be able to connect. And so on...
Sounds like a good idea @ sb1991 @RichCreedy 1. They want to be able to use microsoft office on all 6 pcs 2. They want to be able to specify which pcs have access to specific data (for example, only the manager has access to the financial files on the server whilst the 5 other workstations are denied access) 3.My friend said the chances of them upgrading to more than 6 pcs is HIGHLY UNLIKELY 4. They want a firewall setup (whether it be the firewall that comes with windows or one bought from a shop) 5. They want Remote Desktop Access setup so that if anything goes wrong on the server, it can be fixed on my friends side without him having to go there. 99% of the stuff they do revolves around word, excel and sending emails. What I don't know is what OS the desktops are running on at the moment. I will be paying them a visit on tuesday to see what state they are in.
If you're not going over 15 users in total then Windows server foundation is a good start. Cheap software & very easy to setup. Stick it on a HP microserver and you're sorted. You just need to ensure all clients are running a professional operating system to create the domain.
this, but it cant be bought on its own from what i've seen on microsoft site, although, i have just seen on serverplus website a fujitsu bios locked and hp rok around £150.
The bold text is the part I don't get properly lol. What would be classed as a professional OS lol, i know....its really bad. Also would this be a good choice to go for then HP ProLiant ML110 G6 Tower Server: http://www.serversplus.com/servers/tower_servers/hp_tower_servers/578930-035 (Or go with the one posted earlier on ebuyer) & HP Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation Reseller Option Kit: http://www.serversplus.com/software/foundation_server_2008_rok/589222-B21
