PC to Server Conversion

Jimbo

Hope this is the right forum.

Not much of a tech-head so bear with me.
We happen to have a spare PC at work so I am thinking of using it as a server i.e. use it as a common p.c. that all the other p.c.'s can save onto. This will obviously be handier as we will all have direct access and be able to modify the same files. Also I will be able to set up an off-site backup from this.
Currently we just have a LAN and generally saving files onto our individual pcs.

Will the PC be able to handle up to 4 other computers accessing and saving onto it?
Is there any upgrades (hardware or software) I can do the PC so it will perform better?
Or will it be simply governed by the LAN speed?

The PC spec:
3Ghz Pentium Processor
2GB RAM
Windows XP

Thanks in advance

Ghost Train

should be fine if there are only a few pc's using it

servers are usually more robust, better built hardware, more dependable, but normal pc will work

xp should be fine, might want to get extra hard drives and at least mirror your data or even set up software raid within xp, or you could get a raid controller, but probably not needed for 4 pcs

could also setup the same thing in linux instead of course

just remember if the server goes down, it will now mean all four people won't be able to access their data, so depending on how important it is for people to do their work you might want some other way to serve the data quickly if the pc ever fails, maybe a external usb backup you plug into any other machine

PogMoThoin

This is an easy to follow guide I've used myself.

Jimbo

Thanks for the quick responses

eolhc wrote: »

should be fine if there are only a few pc's using it

servers are usually more robust, better built hardware, more dependable, but normal pc will work

xp should be fine, might want to get extra hard drives and at least mirror your data or even set up software raid within xp, or you could get a raid controller, but probably not needed for 4 pcs

could also setup the same thing in linux instead of course

just remember if the server goes down, it will now mean all four people won't be able to access their data, so depending on how important it is for people to do their work you might want some other way to serve the data quickly if the pc ever fails, maybe a external usb backup you plug into any other machine

All that RAID stuff seems abit out of my league.
What if I connect a USB external harddrive and setup Syncback to sychronise it with My Documents?
Would that along with offsite internet backup be enough protection?

I suppose I should get a UPS aswell. They seem to range hugely in prices.
Would this one be sufficient for my needs? Will it automatically shut down the computer if the power fails/surges?
Does it give the same protection from surges as a dedicated surge protecting adaptor?

PogMoThoin wrote: »

This is an easy to follow guide I've used myself.

Interesting stuff on that link but out of my leauge aswell Id say. Also the PC already has XP on it so I might as well stick with it.

ethernet

XP will allow a maximum of ten network connections. I realise you say around four clients but, picture users opening up multiple windows or accessing documents through various programs -- in other words, you'll easily exceed ten simultaneous connections.

If you want to use Windows, it's worth considering the cheapest entry-level Windows Server product. If you want to save some money, you can try the great guide posted by PogMoThoin.

I'm a big fan of FreeNAS myself (dedicated OS for a file server). It runs on really old hardware and supports multiple protocols.

PogMoThoin

jimbo78 wrote: »

Interesting stuff on that link but out of my leauge aswell Id say. Also the PC already has XP on it so I might as well stick with it.

Linux is more versatile, not to mention secure & its not that hard if you follow that guide. I'm no expert on linux either. Personally I wouldn't consider Windows at all. Just setup a Windows Samba Share and all your Windows pcs can access it. Also a deicated torrent server is very handy, no more leavin the pc or laptop on until a torrent download finishes.

Ghost Train

Well if you're used to windows it would probably easiest to stick with it, if the 10 connections per second gives you problems, theres a patch you can run to increase it. As far as backing up, as long as you have a system that works for you and if anything fails you don't loose anything too important, just make sure to test everything once its set up. Since you have the machine spare, just plug it into the network, set up some shared folders and test it out.

Surge protector in the ups should be fine, as for the capacity of the ups you'll just have to read up the specifications of the various models, and work out if they'll give enough running time for the equipment plugged in.

Jimbo

Think Ill stay with Windows alright.
Don't have the patience to mess around with it.


I have it set up now and seems to be working fine. Set to back-up at night.

Only problem now is I thought I could leave it on stand-by and accessing it remotly from the other pc's would wake it up. Doesn't seem to work so looks like Ill be leaving it fully on permanently.

Also ordered this UPS just there. Hopefully it'll be ok.

FruitLover

If you're going to stick with XP as the server OS (I wouldn't personally), then make sure you don't forget about it in terms of patches, antivirus, etc.

jimbo78 wrote: »

Only problem now is I thought I could leave it on stand-by and accessing it remotly from the other pc's would wake it up. Doesn't seem to work so looks like Ill be leaving it fully on permanently.

Might be an idea to configure your power management settings so that the disk(s) will spin down after a certain amount of inactive time, so you're not eating electricity overnight etc.

Jimbo

Yea, I have it set to 'Turn off harddisks' after 10 min.'s
The fans still make the same amount of noise though.

There's no other way around it I suppose?


I have antivirus set for nightime scanning/updating aswell so should be ok.
I presume the Windows firewall will be sufficient

SouperComputer

Personally id sell it and get an older PII/PIII board/CPU and some decent HD's. More bang for your buck, quieter, uses (marginally) less juice and possibly faster depending on the drives already in there.

I'd second the Linux vote. ClarkConnect is very easy to install and use, most of it is based of a web interface. Otherwise, Windows 2000 pro is light enough on resources.

If you are concerned about power consumption, lookup WakeOnLAN.

Jimbo

Ill consider geting a server-specific computer alright but Ill see how this works out for the meantime.

That WakeOnLAN seem just hat I need alright. Ill check the pc's compatibility with it tomorrow