Building a server and network help

[Hurlshort]

Ok, I need some expert advice, and y'all are the smartest folks I know.

 

My mother-in-law runs a small business, and she's got about 5 computers networked together. The server computer is actually the oldest of the bunch (6-7 years old), and it's really running like crap. I don't know what the specs are, but I know she needs a new one asap. So I'm planning on building her a new one with a budget of about $1,000. Is there anything special I need to keep in mind for building a server? I've built rigs before, but I'm not sure if there is anything really unique about a server if it's only expected to network a handful of computers. They are all running on XP.

 

My second question is a bit harder. Right now she has two computers on a 56k dial up connection

 

The problem is she is a bit out in the boondocks and she can't get DSL or cable. She tried to go through DishNetwork for a satellite connection, but for some reason it was super slow and kept dropping out. The Dishnetwork tech. guy actually told her he couldn't fix it, pulled all his wiring out, and took off. So are there any other good alternatives to Cable and DSL? It's a serious problem not having these computers hooked up to the internet, as it makes simple updating an incredible chore.

[LostStraw]

What's the server used for?

 

Is it simply acting as a hub to network the computers?

Is it used to manage the other computers?

Is it used as a central repository for files / databases / licensing stuff?

How mission critical is the server?

Etc...?

 

Something to keep in mind for putting a small server together -- I'd say reliability / stability.

[Hurlshort]

It's really simply a hub for the other computers, but it does have important files on it as well. Stability and reliability are definitely my goals here.

[tarna]

That being the case, you could probably get away with using a fairly simple rig with a fat HD and lots of RAM so that the data transfer doesn't bog the system. Probably a fast single core would do but I'll leave that up to brighter minds than mine.

[metadigital]

With five interconnected PCs you aren't going to have a huge demand (depending on your mother-in-law's business, of course: if she manages five pay-per-view video sites, then that might change things a little ... :D ) on the network.

 

I know someone who is perfect to answer this question:

 

*casts summon Fenghuang*

 

Big hardrive capacity (try RAID1 or better, RAID5 if the information is really important), you can do RAID1 with two disks, say: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB. RAID5 allows you to hot-swap a disk in the array should it fail, but also needs at least three disks to start, so you can use a couple of smaller drives, like the Samsung Spinpoint T133.

 

Critical storage behooves you to have a good archive procedure, too. Don't forget some way to back it all up, and to have it performed (and a copy of the backups kept in a fireproof safe, offsite, preferably). Tape is cheapest. DVDs can be a big pain (CDs are worse).

 

Apart from that, lots of RAM will help (though not more than 4GB, unless you are using Windows XP 64 bit).

 

Make sure you tweak Windows to concentrate on file serving, rather than the foreground applications, too.

 

Good network connectivity is important, too.

 

As for your question about internet connectivity, it doesn't sound too promising. Cable, DSL and satellite are about the only alternatives to dialup (I'm assuming you don't want a microwave line-of-sight link ), so perhaps she can get Sky or similar?

 

Otherwise it's dialup.