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KEVIN2010
25 pts.
 NETWORK WITHOUT A SERVER
file sharing, Network design, Networking
Hello guys...I just came out of a meeting with our director....our company plans to share folders on the network, but our director has no plans on purchasing a server....what type of network do you recommend ? and if possible...what would be the advantage or disadvantage of the recommendation.....I truly thank you for your positive feed-back.....

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ASKED: June 10, 2010  10:00 PM
UPDATED: June 16, 2010  9:07 AM
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Hi Kevin, actually you can even just get a normal PC to do file / folder sharing. it will be much cheaper than getting a server. but you do have to take note that you will need to do some backup towards the files inside the pc, unless you use RAID 1, 5 or etc.... my next question is how many people do you have in your company?? do you actually have a current network on your company side? sorry for asking more questions than giving you ideas, but it will help me to give you more examples / help ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I would recommend getting a small NAS appliance like from Buffalo Tech which would provide hard drive redudancy and better security controls. ----------- try FreeNAS it will help you without extra cost..
Last Wiki Answer Submitted:  June 16, 2010  9:06 am  by  Aguacer0   8,120 pts.
All Answer Wiki Contributors:  Aguacer0   8,120 pts. , jinteik   15,485 pts.
To see all answers submitted to the Answer Wiki: View Answer History.


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I agree with Jinteik – you need to explain to your director the risks of not having a server-class machine sharing these files. What performance levels does he and the users expect? What is the uptime requirement? What is the volume of data that is going to be shared? What is the user population size? Just because the director can use a computer at home to share files with family members doesn’t mean that the same process is right for a business. The business should invest in what will work effectively and efficiently. Not having a “server” is not looking at efficiency. Granted there are solutions out there that can be used like network attached storage (NAS) that do not require a server. See this CNET site for some ideas. However, you really should have some kind of directory server or authentication domain for configuring usernames and authentication. You will also need to consider data backup and restore (files get deleted, corrupted and drives fail).

Labnuke99
 32,645 pts.
 

If you are using a desktop (Windows OS) and not a server operating system you are also limited to a maximum of 10 concurrent connections. I would definately recommend a server OS.

Redtyke
 130 pts.
 

In fact, your director can spare the investment in software server by installing some Linux distribution which will have no “10-concurrent-connections” limit (or any limits, in fact) and will be very efficient in every aspect.

No software can defeat hardware problems, however – so, maybe a server-class hardware + a decent Linux distribution (but only if you have a Linux-savvy IT-guy)…

petkoa
 3,120 pts.
 

try FreeNAS it will help you without extra cost..

mitrum
 810 pts.