Server Help

[NZA]

Hello People,

Basically i have my own company and it has grown considerably to the point now that my company is the biggest travel exchange company in the world, and i now need a few employees.

So i want to try and keep everything in one centralized location in terms of data and i don't really no how to go about doing this. What i need is a server that the employees can all connect to and use the program (filemaker pro , quickbooks, and maybe a couple others) and backup data such as word docs, emails, etc.

So my question to you guys is what type of server do i need? from what i understand there are several types and im not to sure which would be the best fit for me.

Also how does it connect to the server? Do i run cat5 wires or something to each desktop/laptop computer or is this a wireless thing?

Another question i have is in terms of computer specs. I would like to use my current computer as the server but im not to sure if it will perform well enough. I know i will have to get the server operating system from windows but if you could check out the following specs and let me know if its good enough:

Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5ghz cpu
4 Gig Ram
500gig hard drive

if its not good enough please give me your opinions on what would do the job well.

Thanks guys

 

[tintin]

First off you say you are the largest in the world?
So why don’t you have an out sourcing agreement with like the big boys ?

Onto the issue that you have asked for help with. You could use a session protocol like RDP so users computer become dumb terminals and user the recourses of the server. This is probably by far the easiest to manage as all the apps and all the data is on the server. But you are leavening your self open to a single point of failure then. If you wanted failure proof (up to your hardware specks) you could go with a solution like Citrix with 3 or 4 load balancing servers.

 

[NZA]

First off you say you are the largest in the world?
So why don’t you have an out sourcing agreement with like the big boys ?

Onto the issue that you have asked for help with. You could use a session protocol like RDP so users computer become dumb terminals and user the recourses of the server. This is probably by far the easiest to manage as all the apps and all the data is on the server. But you are leavening your self open to a single point of failure then. If you wanted failure proof (up to your hardware specks) you could go with a solution like Citrix with 3 or 4 load balancing servers.

1) I could go to a computer tech place and tell them what i want, but i know they will overcharge the $hit out of me. Like our website (www.anupointsclub.com) i have some1 who maintian the website, and will have someone for the server stuff also. I mainly want to get an idea of what it takes to get a server up and running.

2) you totally lost me mate w/ the rdp protocol and all that palava..lol..care to explain in more detail? or simpler terms...lol

 

[tlarkin]

You need to meet with a professional and get some consulting, because if you don't plan it out right you will just end up wasting time and money, more so money since time is money.

What is your current infrastructure?

How many employees will you have using computers?

Do you need remote access or VPN access?

Will they use email?

What applications will they be running?

Do you want them to authenticate against the sever?

Are you going to manage them through the servers group policies?

Are you going to go the Microsoft route? That is most expensive, FYI.

What is your budget? Software licenses can cost a ton of money

What is your back up solution? If you are running a business with out any back ups, I probably would drop you as a client, if you were a client of mine and I was still contracting that is.

All of these are things you need to plan out before you start spending money. Any monkey can turn a screw driver and slap parts in a box and call it a computer, but it takes someone with planning and knowledge to build an efficient and reliable network.