I need to setup a home office server that will server up filemaker 8.5 databases to offsite clients via a rather laggy wifi connection to my rural isp. These connections will use the internal filemaker serving functions and security features.
This server will sit on an airport network that has multiple laptops (OSX and XP) connected via wifi, there are two computers (one OSX and one XP) wired via a switch that comes before the airport. They have to be in front of the airport because the airport often overheats and has to be manually rebooted; it sits in an attic that regularly can hit 180F in the summer.
The network setup goes [airport network] --wire--> [switch& two computers XP/OSX] --wire--> [rural isp hardware] --wireless--> rural isp --T3--> [internet]
I need the server to serve the filemaker to offsite clients, onsite clients both wifi and wired, and I need the server to act as a file backup center for all computers on the network. I need some way to manage this server from offsite / far far away online. The person in the home office is an OSX guy and thus has no idea what to do should something go wrong, I need to be able to log in and handle things remotely.
Thus I'm thinking either a basic dell/hp cheapo desktop with a USB backup drive attached or perhaps a RAID 1 setup with a 2nd drive added to the hp/dell cheapo and a Raid card. I might even take some old hardware lying around and refresh a new system if that makes more financial sence.
I am highly cost concious and thus there will be nothing COLO'd, I need to keep costs down.
1) What do I need to keep my eyes open for and pitfalls I might encounter?
2) Do I need to change my home network setup to make this work?
3) What do I need to know regarding offsite administration?
3a) On that line of thought what do I need to do to the basic XP Home wired desktop already present to remote manage it?
4) I assume for these basic uses I don?t need a lot of omph in hardware? Recommendations?
5) There has been some talk about a Mac Mini doing this serving thanks to it's small size and the .mac stuff that could backup online the basic filemaker databases. Thoughts?
6) Could this new windows home server product do this?
This server will sit on an airport network that has multiple laptops (OSX and XP) connected via wifi, there are two computers (one OSX and one XP) wired via a switch that comes before the airport. They have to be in front of the airport because the airport often overheats and has to be manually rebooted; it sits in an attic that regularly can hit 180F in the summer.
The network setup goes [airport network] --wire--> [switch& two computers XP/OSX] --wire--> [rural isp hardware] --wireless--> rural isp --T3--> [internet]
I need the server to serve the filemaker to offsite clients, onsite clients both wifi and wired, and I need the server to act as a file backup center for all computers on the network. I need some way to manage this server from offsite / far far away online. The person in the home office is an OSX guy and thus has no idea what to do should something go wrong, I need to be able to log in and handle things remotely.
Thus I'm thinking either a basic dell/hp cheapo desktop with a USB backup drive attached or perhaps a RAID 1 setup with a 2nd drive added to the hp/dell cheapo and a Raid card. I might even take some old hardware lying around and refresh a new system if that makes more financial sence.
I am highly cost concious and thus there will be nothing COLO'd, I need to keep costs down.
1) What do I need to keep my eyes open for and pitfalls I might encounter?
2) Do I need to change my home network setup to make this work?
3) What do I need to know regarding offsite administration?
3a) On that line of thought what do I need to do to the basic XP Home wired desktop already present to remote manage it?
4) I assume for these basic uses I don?t need a lot of omph in hardware? Recommendations?
5) There has been some talk about a Mac Mini doing this serving thanks to it's small size and the .mac stuff that could backup online the basic filemaker databases. Thoughts?
6) Could this new windows home server product do this?
Facebook
Twitter