Business network help..

Matt

Matt

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Ok so this is what we want to do, have a server, and link 3 computers to it to allow us to run accounting software to optimise the ordering/invoice system.

What is the best way to do this, do i need to buy a specific server software? I have a router, and all pcs are already connected to router to get internet, so im guessing i need to just slap in the server bit...:thinking:
 
hmmmm, the server you will need will depend on the software you want to run and the specification it requires.

I wouldnt imagine that you would need to purchase an actual 'server' to run accounting software for 3 machines. A decent spec machine (dual or quad core with several gb of RAM) will be much cheaper and will function just as a server will.

Depending on how much money you have, I would suggest looking for some accounting software which will run across a network and find the spec of server it requires. If its specific software which runs from a server it may require Windows Server 2003/2008 or may work happily on Windows XP
 
What server operating system you use will be dictated by the accounting/billing system you intend to use. Whilst Linux is free the vast majority of SME accounting/billing systems are written for the Windows platform. This means you'd be looking at either Windows 2003 or Windows 2008.

The router will be able to act as the networks DHCP/DNS server so you won't need to
configure the server for these. This will allow all of the machines to see each other on the network.

One thing I would suggest is that you look at installing a hardware based firewall to secure the network. The last thing you want is someone getting their hands on you're customers data.

If you have any specific problems just shout..
 
it depends on budget and what the accounts package requires but i think windows server may (again budget depending) be a little overkill.

however if you do go for windows server it makes sense to utilise DHCP and DNS, its just so much more managable than on a router.

agree on the hardware firewall, something like a watchguard will do the trick.
 
i did wonder if a good base unit was a better bet than a server. Im going to use quickbooks, which can be networked.

so i buy a base unit, with some suitable software (windows based due to quickbooks needs) and then just connect to router?
 
pretty much one office site - i was originally looking at just lobing software on a PC and linking them but i dont think i can fun the software that way
 
If it was my business I'd look for professional advice from a local company that can offer support going forward.
 
neil_g said:
to be honest for that many users you dont even really need a "server" as such, just a more powerful machine with a fair bit of storage that you can run simple file sharing from..
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id agree with this, it depends on your exact needs. do you need multiple users to have access at the same time?

A setup a company i know use is that they have 3 workstations, and the data file is saved on a server (could even use a nas), but this limtits to one user at a time.

If you need multiple users access at the same time, the specs listed on the website arent that demanding. P4 2.6 i think was the recommended, 2.0 being min. the big drain seems to be ram.
I would be looking for a machine that can take a lot of ram, and fast as possible disk access for futures sake, as the server wont really do much processing it will just load as much data as needed in to ram and then keep juggling data from disk to ram.

I do know that quickbooks can be very qwirky when setting up, always worth making friends with people that have experience with these setups
 
Start by determining the requirement. Then identify the accounting software to be used. Then you will know if you will be needing a hardware server (unlikely). You're falling into the age old trap of specifying the hardware first.

I've previously set up a Sage accounting system that ran happily on a peer-to-peer network. 4 machines on the network of about 14 used the accounting software.

If you go with Sage then buy from a local reseller then you have better access to help and assistance. Use their services to set up the software properly in the first place. This will save many tears further down the line.
 
While you only have a few PCs at the moment please bear in mind that workstation operating systems XP,Vista and Windows 7 only allow 10 concurrent network connections. A server operating system doesnt have this limit.
I know Sage uses shared folders to allow multiple users and while it wont be a problem for you at the moment, it could be if your business grows.

You could have a a current workstation share the data and see how you go, then if needed buy a good spec "workstation" and put Server 2003/2008 on it.
 
Biggz said:
While you only have a few PCs at the moment please bear in mind that workstation operating systems XP,Vista and Windows 7 only allow 10 concurrent network connections. A server operating system doesnt have this limit.
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techincally that depends on how many client access licences you have. which in themselves arent amazingly cheap..
 
also remember that server hardware/software is designed to run 24/7 for mission critical systems :) Desktop software/hardware much less so...
 
max connections is going to be 4, we dont want to get an IT company involved, once i can set it up i can run it, backup daily etc, im just not sure where to kick off the whole thing..

..so if i take a year old dell with dual core chip, some ram(3gb i think) and running vista, i should be able to create a partition, and set the software up on that, share application and files and away we go?
 
matty said:
..so if i take a year old dell with dual core chip, some ram(3gb i think) and running vista, i should be able to create a partition, and set the software up on that, share application and files and away we go?
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It should do the job fine, but that really does depend on the accounting software and how it is "shared" :)

techincally that depends on how many client access licences you have. which in themselves arent amazingly cheap..
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That shows how much i deal with licensing at work :P
 
weve got Quickbooks, a server license, so that should be ok, we dont really need to access it anywhere other than at the work network.
 
We had about 7 PCs peer to peer networked and one had the manufacturing system installed on it. The folder the system was installed to was shared. Other users on other PCs mapped the folder to a network drive and then simply ran the program with no local install necessary. All the data was in one place. No dedicated server.

Short answer is find out how the software does it, then see if you need any hardware.
 
i just googled that Robert, if quickbooks will allow it, its the way to go i think
 
aligibbs said:
also remember that server hardware/software is designed to run 24/7 for mission critical systems :) Desktop software/hardware much less so...
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theres no real reason why you cant get something like XP SP3 running stable for 24/7.. it may need a few unneeded resourse eating services disabled but it should be fine. also put AV software on it but disable on-access scanning, but schedule a nightly scan.
 
A simple file server set up would be fine with the correct permissions set as a workgroup.
 
Check first what the requirements of the accounting software are and how it runs in server mode.

Does it just store files on a server and every client accesses the files or does some specific software run on the server with the potential that some data may be distributed across the various pcs?

Hardware wise a simple switch and a number of PC's. You really should allow for backups and ups.
I would strongly recommend that you keep another pc at home to restore your backups onto at regular intervals to make sure that they are working properly. Years ago when I started out in IT my first on site job was a customer who had been backing up their application software every night without fail but had never backup up their data. Nobody ever checked it until the hard drive failed. Then they restored the backup and couldnt understand why it didnt work.
Having that machine at a different physical location means that you can get going again in the event of fire/theft whatever. Given the costs of a PC these days that shouldn't be an issue. 'cold standby'
 
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