Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

I'm working on a project for a small charity split over 4 different offices. Each office has a broadband connection and the computers within each office are all networked.

They would like to set up a server so that all users can save and access documents instead of having to email the documents to each other.

The main requirement is that they can open word and excel documents from the server, make changes and save etc.

I need to be able to set up users - eg barbara (who will be able to access a folder called 'barbara'), margaret (to access a folder called 'margaret') and so on. All users to be able to access a folder called shared.

Each user will have some sort of icon in My Computer that they can open in exactly the same way as they would any other folder on their computer. Also, if they are saving a document in Word, when they do Save As they will be able to save to the server in exactly the same way as they would save to a folder on their computer.

The server will be based at one office but must be accessible by the other offices.

Do I need some special server software to do this. Was looking at Server 2003 but don't know if its what I need.

I would appreciate any guidance. Any easy to understand tutorial websites that I could read? Have looked at a few sites but all start from the novel premise that I know what I'm doing.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Ideally you need Windows 2003 Server and some way of creating VPN's(your broadband router's should be able to do this). Also note that you will need Client Access Licenses (CALS) for every machine that accesses the server.

Nominate one site as the "master site", this is where your server will be located. Create LAN to LAN vpn's from each site back to this one.

Make sure each site is in a separate IP range, i.e. first site has 192.168.1.x addresses, second site has 192.168.2.1 addresses, etc.

Once the VPN's and the server are set up, you need to create some users and some shares. Let me know if you've followed me this far.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Small Business Server (SBS) possibly? And something like Safe@Office for the VPN links?

http://www.checkpoint.com/products/s...ice/index.html

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

with all due respect, I get the feeling your domain/server knowledge might not be up to this task. In order to get everything running, you'll need a fair understanding of networking, server builds, active directory, including groups and permissions, etc. It worries me that your first question is "what do I need to make a server"!

Although what you have been asked to do is very easy, you need to know what you are doing - especially if you are going to be playing with AD. don't forget, you will also need to teach the users how to use the system. and work out if you are going to set their home drives via their user setting in AD, or by mapping locally, etc, etc

there's more to it than switching on a server. Have the charity given you domain admin rights in order to do all this?

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Sharing files over a broadband link could become frustratingly slow. Wherever the server is located, any other remote users will be limited by the upload speed of their connection, and more importantly the upload speed of the server connection. That could be dealing with multiple clients of the three remote offices.

How many workstations are there in each location. Is there a definitive head office. How many documents are created and saved each day, and of what sort of size? You may be better off with some form of local server at each office that then synchronises it's files to a central location, or some form of data centre hosted shared server.

Remember too that the average broadband service does not have any SLA should there be a fault. You could very easily end up without a connection.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Oh dear, I can see the mention of DFS looming(and I don't mean the furniture store).

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

which would also ideally need to be bit-level by the sounds of it! could be an interesting project!!!

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Now you've mentioned that acronym, you'll have to explain :dunce:

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...ew/dfsfaq.mspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distrib...em_(Microsoft)

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Ah so there's technology that makes remote file sharing between servers easy. :cool:

disclaimer: In my experience what Microsoft say should happen, and what actually happens are two different things :erm:

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Ahem.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Link corrected, for some reason the forum software had put the close url BB tag before the end of the link that i'd posted.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Use it extensively here, works a treat ;)

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

yeah, but you have to know what a server is first!!!

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

murfitUK - this sounds like an advanced project to me, multi-site links, RRAS, DC, Readonly-DC, possibly DFS... if you want/need to do this, then first off I'd run through the majority of very good tutorials over at http://www.itidiots.com. Screencasts, introducing you to 'servers', and all the other things you'll NEED to know, like DNS,DHCP,Domains,RRAS, etc...

My second recommendation is to then sit your MCSE creditation exams, cause you'll be likely upto that standard!, and then jack in your current job and start a new job as an IT Manager... earning big bucks! ;) ....cause what you're asking is demanding, not just to setup and configure but to then maintain (probably the more demanding the troubleshooting side for when things do go wrong!)


....or scrap the idea of the enterprise solution, and install mesh.com at all sites with one single live account - it's not enterprise and it won't do what you want out of the box, but it's free, dead easy to set up and WILL synchronise document and files accross multi-sites in near-realtime. You can setup a Barabara, Margarat, etc. folders in your Live Mesh desktop and they can all access each others... ;)

I'd recommend the first solution, but get your MCSE first! :)

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

And all of the above costs money and time to implement.

I'm surprised that nobody has even mentioned stuff like Google Docs:
Job done - no need for a server or any understanding of routing / VPNs etc.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

On-line solutions are fine.......until you lose your internet connection.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Yeah it happens. But most of the time, internet connections these days are fairly stable...

And if the server was located on one of the offices and that net connection went down, the others would be offline /not accessable anyway!

Just think of the money saved - and it is a charity!

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Regarding the charity side of things, there is help available for charities to advise, setup and support all things IT.

There's also a cart load of massive reductions from the likes of Microsoft, Adobe, HP, Dell.....etc.

Anyone working for or on behalf of a charity really needs to start looking into these things. Also, depending where funding is coming from there maybe certain data storage/privacy requirements.

I used to work for a small charity based community group, managing their IT at the resource centre that they ran. I then moved on to a Groundwork trust(later to merge with a second). Charity IT isn't straightforward, there are so many variables that it really does need the wider picture taking into account.

I'd really recommend going here: http://www.navca.org.uk/about/staff/, look up the contact details for the IT Support officer, he's at the bottom of the list. Really freindly chap that knows his stuff......used to be my boss!

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Google Docs is poor compared to Microsoft's version over Live.com, but it really depends on a few other factors...just because something's free doesn't make it better! :) Online cloud type services, at the moment, are fantastic for version 1, or beta. However, they're very limited compared to locally installed Office products. Limited in terms of functionality and features.

The other side is privacy and international storage of your files... both Google and MS both store your files in the US... you may have to register and acknowledge with the IC that you're exporting your files!...plus US government may take a look at your files too! Also, there's talk that online office providers will scan your files and deliver advertisements based on your file contents! cheeky! :erm:

Yes, your connection to the Internet and then the cloud and then the files now becomes the critical components, you're balancing your business/charity on your ISP's SLA, and then of Google's/MS' SLAs.


If you're ok with the risk of 'sometimes I won't have access to my files', and that the FBI can read all my documents, and that Google only allow me to format text and that's about it (:p:). Then go Cloud!...but until these things are sorted I wouldn't risk using it for business, waiting 1 to 2 years :)

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Proof?? :dozey:

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Maybe I watch too much Jack Bauer!... but picture the pot of 'privacyloss' - ingredients include 1) your info 2) stored on US based servers 3) the FBI/NSA 4) anything in the name of anti-terrorism!

Sanity - check! or is should that be cheque, I'm confused now!


:)


oh I did try and Google for proof and found some interesting results! ... I'm now wondering if becuase of my google string that I may now be on FBI watch list!.... Admins! please delete my IP!!!

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Thanks for all the replies - certainly given us a lot to think about. I have been looking at a virtual network with something called Ultracloud at melbourne.co.uk and think that is the way forward for now. At least then if any problems arise the staff have knowledgeable support techs they can call.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

murfitUK - this is just a virtual server and at £35 seems expensive... check out 1and1 from £20. but as you say it's all about the after-sales support ;) I've used 1and1 in the past and they are pants! :mad:


Anyway, how does a virtual server solve your problem? Are you planning to VPN into it, from all 4 locations? What about central user management? It doesn't seem to answer the questions you posed in post #1?

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

Actually a better solution would be a SBS 2008 (Small Business Server) installation at head-office or wherever the majority of the users are and a Windows 2008 server running terminal services (TS) in application sharing mode, loaded up with the Office suite and any other software they use. That way you don't have to worry about flakey internet connections corrupting open documents, you only have to worry about one set of software being installed and you can use any old PCs at the satellite sites running any version of Windows (or not even Windows if you really are feeling brave as long as it has an RDP client). People can also work from home without you having to bother about what the state of their home PCs are viz-a-viz antivirus, patches etc because all these client machines are not actually connected to the office network.

If you want, you can use VPNs to connect the remote offices and home machines to the TS box but it's not too unsafe to not bother and just connect via SSL-that way you don't have to bother about VPN configurations at the remote offices

Charities can get some very nice software deals from Microsoft, (I know because I set up a similar arrangement for a charity only a few months ago and they could get licences for Office and Windows for a fraction of the normal cost).

You won't need anything stupidly powerful for the SBS but I'd recommend a 64-bit server platform for the TS box with as much RAM as you can stuff into it (and as budget allows). How many users and how much data are we talking about at each site BTW?

Unfortunately none of this is very easy to put in and configure, but it pays dividends in simplified support costs after. Oh and don't forget a really good backup system. Tape drives are the best in my opinion (not cheap though although the tapes themselves are reasonable) unfortunately MS in their infinite wisdom have taken support for tapes out of SBS2008-madness I call it.

Good luck.

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

4 different offices connecting to 1 TS server???? this is a charity we're talking about - unless they have stack loads of cash for either 1 MONSTER server or stackloads of cash for a few G5s or something....

Re: Setting up a server - what do I need?
 

I have a HP g5 server if your looking for one.