How do I Serve Excel XLS over Network?

[asmodeuscorp]

This is an office environment, and currently we have excel sheets on each individual laptop. Backing up is a pain, as we need to back up every night to keep things consitant.

What I'd like to do is keep the excel sheets on the main computer (currently running XP), and have the laptops update the sheets straight off the computer so they are saved instantly.

It'd be even nicer if we could server these sheets onto the internet, but we'd need the computer to be completely secure. Security is definatly an issue.

I'm not sure what to do, I was pondering SFTP, but I was hoping their would be a smarter way.

I don't mind setting up a server with any OS running any program. Posibilities are endless. Free would be ideal, but if I can accomplish a lot for some money, we can dish it out.

Thanks!

 

[MrChad]

Have you looked into Sharepoint? It has lots of nice collaboration and versioning features, and you could easily make it internet accessible if needed.

EDIT: This might not be an option unless you're running a server OS.

 

[stash]

Well sharing internally is easy. Just create a share on the 'server' and dump all the excel spreadsheets into it. Keep in mind that when you have all the files on a server, you may run into problems where two people want to edit a file at the same time. Only one will be able to do so, the other(s) will have read-only access.

Depending on how many users we are talking about accessing the server, you may want to think about putting Server 2003 on there. XP Pro will only accept 10 simultaneous connections. If you are running XP Home (hope not!), that only accepts 5 connections.

For access from the Internet, you could look into Sharepoint, as MrChad suggests, or maybe think about setting up some sort of VPN, where users connect from whereever they are to the office network, and access the files as if they were in the office. If you need to make these files accessible to the public, or at least to people who are not in your company, then the VPN may not be the way to go. But it's an option to consider.

 

[Zugzwang152]

problems may arise if you have multiple users trying to open and edit the same file. If this is the case, a database would better suit your needs.

 

[asmodeuscorp]

Thank you very much guys.

Only 3 people need to access these files, and the max in the future will probably be 5 at any one time. Also, only one person should be opening any file at once. We've tried the Windows XP file sharing, it just seems so sketchy and insecure, does anyone know how to configure it with Kerio WinRoute?

So is Windows XP file sharing reliable enough? Laptops are accessing this over wireless G, is that any sort of problem?

To clarify:
If the main (server) computer is hosting these files, and say laptop A wants to access file 1, laptop A just goes into My Networking, and finds the file, opens it directly, and when done, saves the file? So the file never actually lands on laptop A's harddrive (file is less then 200k)? We keep harddrives encrypted, so keeping the file off the harddrive cache is an issue.

Zugzwang152,
I agree, I would love to move from excel to a database, but I'm the most savy computer guy here, and look what I'm asking! Can you point me in the right direction for easiest database to learn? Be nice to get all of this into a database that is accessable over a webpage... ooo that would be nice.

 

[asmodeuscorp]

Also, will linux do a better job for simple file sharing? Is there any simple way to setup a linux box for Windows file sharing and encrypt the drive (blowfish)?

 

[asmodeuscorp]

Any response would be greatly appreciated.

 

[notfred]

Have fun with that. An excel file can only be opened by one user at a time. Anyone else who tries to open it will get an error message. If someone opens the file, leaves excel running, and goes to lunch, no one else can exit the file until that person closes it.

Access does the same thing.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: notfred
Have fun with that. An excel file can only be opened by one user at a time. Anyone else who tries to open it will get an error message. If someone opens the file, leaves excel running, and goes to lunch, no one else can exit the file until that person closes it.

Access does the same thing.

More than one people can open the excel file, but only one person can edit it(whoever opened it first). Everyone else would open it up in read-only.

More than one person can open Access and do things in the database file. You can't change/create forms and reports though.

 

[asmodeuscorp]

K, if someone has it open, and can edit it. Will the second person who opens it know they can't edit it? Will excel give them an error saying you can't save it? Was it designed like this, or does this run an extra risk of a curropt file?

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: asmodeuscorp
K, if someone has it open, and can edit it. Will the second person who opens it know they can't edit it? Will excel give them an error saying you can't save it? Was it designed like this, or does this run an extra risk of a curropt file?

Yes. When the 2nd person opens it, a dialog box opens up and says:

"filename" is locked for editing

by "whoever"

Open 'Read-Only' or, click 'Notifty' to open read-only adn receive notification when the document is no longer in user.

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: notfred
Have fun with that. An excel file can only be opened by one user at a time. Anyone else who tries to open it will get an error message. If someone opens the file, leaves excel running, and goes to lunch, no one else can exit the file until that person closes it.

Access does the same thing.

Another vote for Sharepoint, which bypasses the above described situation altogether.