Build a Server for storing and backing up files help

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Guest

Hi could somebody please help

I want to be able to create a server from an old pc that will allow me to
backup files and backup entire hard drives from other pc's on my network ,
idealy i want at least 1TB of space. the problems I am having is that i have
no idea where to begin, i have built pc's before but never servers, could
somebody give me a full guide on what to do from the hardware to the
operating system and how to connect it to my network.

Please help

Joe
 
JReeder said:
I want to be able to create a server from an old pc that will allow
me to backup files and backup entire hard drives from other pc's on
my network , idealy i want at least 1TB of space. the problems I
am having is that i have no idea where to begin, i have built pc's
before but never servers, could somebody give me a full guide on
what to do from the hardware to the operating system and how to
connect it to my network.
Click to expand...

Just like your PC - more space, perhaps (but not necessarily - depending on
your needs) a different OS (a server OS vs a workstation OS.)

That's it. If you plan on having 5 or less users - even Windows XP Home
would do as an OS as long as the hardware can handle the larger hard disk
drives.

Or - make it easy on yourself and get a network attached storage - like the
Netgear/Linksys/Ximeta/Buffalo Tech devices that are basically just a lot of
space attached to your network.
 
JReeder said:
Hi could somebody please help

I want to be able to create a server from an old pc that will allow me to
backup files and backup entire hard drives from other pc's on my network ,
idealy i want at least 1TB of space. the problems I am having is that i
have
no idea where to begin, i have built pc's before but never servers, could
somebody give me a full guide on what to do from the hardware to the
operating system and how to connect it to my network.

Please help

Joe
Click to expand...

First thing to do is figure out whether your old PC is up to the task,
starting with supporting a terabyte of drive space. If it isn't, consider
that a machine that *is* capable of this isn't that expensive now.

HTH
-pk
 
Thing is , if i was to build one , and install server 2003 would i also have
to install server 2003 on the client machines?
 
JReeder said:
Thing is , if i was to build one , and install server 2003 would i also
have
to install server 2003 on the client machines?
Click to expand...

Install a Server Operating System on all Servers.
e.g. Win NT Server, Win 2000 Server, Win 2003 Server.
Install a Workstation Operating System on all Workstations.
e.g. Win NT Workstation, Win 2000 Workstation, Win XP Pro(Workstation).
Steve
 
JReeder said:
finally whats the best way to connect the server , wired or wireless?
Click to expand...

To answer your question, you would connect the server machine to the
network via ethernet and give it a static IP. If all it is doing is
file serving and storage, you don't need a MS server OS - you could
install Linux. However, you're going to an awful lot of trouble for
just a file server/back up storage. Why not look into an NAS instead?
Prices have come down amazingly.

Malke
 
JReeder said:
I want to be able to create a server from an old pc that will allow
me to backup files and backup entire hard drives from other pc's on
my network , ideally I want at least 1TB of space. the problems I
am having is that I have no idea where to begin, I have built pc's
before but never servers, could somebody give me a full guide on
what to do from the hardware to the operating system and how to
connect it to my network.
Click to expand...
Just like your PC - more space, perhaps (but not necessarily -
depending on your needs) a different OS (a server OS vs. a
workstation OS.)

That's it. If you plan on having 5 or less users - even Windows XP
Home would do as an OS as long as the hardware can handle the
larger hard disk drives.

Or - make it easy on yourself and get a network attached storage -
like the Netgear/Linksys/Ximeta/Buffalo Tech devices that are
basically just a lot of space attached to your network.
Click to expand...
finally what's the best way to connect the server , wired or
wireless?
Click to expand...
To answer your question, you would connect the server machine to the
network via Ethernet and give it a static IP. If all it is doing is
file serving and storage, you don't need a MS server OS - you could
install Linux. However, you're going to an awful lot of trouble for
just a file server/back up storage. Why not look into an NAS
instead? Prices have come down amazingly.
Click to expand...

As I inferred before in this thread....
You left out a lot of vital information.

- What is this network/workgroup/domain setup for?
- Why/What are you using this server for?
- How many computers(workstations) are we talking here?
- Do you want features like roaming profiles/centralized user
management/etc - or just a simple file/print server?
- What types of files are we talking about here?

The fact is - again - that if all you want is a simple file/print server for
5 or less machines - Windows XP Home could do this for you.
If you have 10 or less machines - XP Professional could do the simple
file/print server thing for you too.
Linux would not have the user limitation and could easily do the file server
thing.
Any NAS box (like I mentioned before) would be a great file server - and
many are print servers as well.
Examples:
http://www.buffalotech.com/products/category-detail.php?categoryid=10

http://netgear.com/Products/Storage.aspx

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Sate...686964&pagename=Linksys/Common/VisitorWrapper
(Bottom)

http://www.ximeta.com/web/products/index.php

As for wired/wireless?
Depends on what type of wireless and the answer to all the questions
above...
The larger the files and more heavily used the network - the more I would
push you towards wired networking.
But you probably should still have a wireless component in there for
convenience - just not necessarily for heavier usage.

Help us help you - read through and answer the above questions in this
thread. If you truly don't want to waste your time and effort and possibly
money - this is your chance to ask people who have probably setup/used
things like this before you dive in.
 
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