Server for small office

[bradul]

Let me start with an apology for this soon to be lengthy post.

My relative works as an office manger for a small dental office and has been having tremendous problems with the computers performance. The dentist hired a "computer guy" to set up the office for them, but needless to say his choices for hardware and his system maintenance have been less than stellar, i.e. never available and 26 startup programs on the server the likes of NVMixer.

The setup is one server, and three workstations, and my relative works off of the server. She told me that her computer is EXTREMELY slow to respond and application switching takes forever. No one in the office knows much about computers in general, so she called me and I had her do some simple checking.

First of all, the computers are all Emachines!! running XP, and the "server", has a Sempron 3000 and for some odd reason only 400 and change total MB of ram, of which, with no applications running, only 100 MB is available. The software update they just received has min. requirements of 2.4 Ghz P4 and 512 MB of ram, so major problem right there. The network also crawls when all workstaions and server are being used.

The setup is just a year old and the dentist doesn't want to spend much money at all (very very frugal). I am curious as to what his best option would be. To me the easiest fix is a new server with a current processor, a Gig of ram at least, and a SATA II HD. I know after that other things will have to be checked such as the switch and network cards, the other workstations even might have to be upgraded.

I am not that savvy about small networks and servers so I could really use some advice as to best (and most affordable) hardware options.


Thanks in advance to all you wise readers

 

[stevf]

be careful before you do anything - you probably need to know about hippa or whatever it is called - the government has very strict rules these days about protecting patient privacy and that extends to the computer systems used

 

[ionoxx]

Although mentionning Dell is against my better judgement, I would recomment adding one of their entry level server in the network, using windows 2003 SBS and a Raid 1 array. Or build your own server using actual server parts... not a glorified desktop.

Make sure all of the workstations use Windows XP PRO and the create an active directory network, that way all authentication is managed by the server.

Add a gig of ream or at least 512MB to each PC.

Make your relative use the old server as a workstation. No one should use the server, its role is to serve files and backup. That is all.

That would be a start.


Cheers!

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: stevf
be careful before you do anything - you probably need to know about hippa or whatever it is called - the government has very strict rules these days about protecting patient privacy and that extends to the computer systems used

Unfortunately, in my experience, small medical practices care nothing about HIPAA. When asked, the typical response is, "Have you ever seen anybody fined for a HIPAA violation?" And the answer is, "No".
=====================================

Regarding the original post:
Under the circumstances. It's not possible to diagnose what's going on with that network without seeing it. The doctor has liikely gotten what he paid for with the "computer guy".

A "sure-fire" low-cost fix would likely be:

a) Purchase a separate computer as a Server. NEVER allow anybody to "work" on an office server. Ten seconds browsing the Internet from the server can easily result in a mess for the entire office.

b) Rebuild ALL the office PCs. Re-install the OS and applications from scratch. One or more is likely worm contaminated. Disconnect all the PCs from the network. Re-install XP Professional. Update them to SP2. Make sure that the built-in firewall is turned ON.

c) Install Antivirus and AntiSpyware on all PCs.

d) Create non-Administrator accounts on all desktop PCs and require that Users use those for their work. This will likely require some research or expert help to run some of the applications.

e) Establish a backup routine, backing up all important data that's on the Server. Keep at least one recent backup OFFSITE.

f) It's possible there's a hardware networking issue, but likely not. If the network is STILL slow after implementing the above actions, then you can either bring in a networking professional to diagnose the problem or replace the routers/switches, cabling, and NICs one at a time.

 

[bradul]

Thanks for the responses so far, they are all extremely helpful.

RebateMonger, I know what the doctor "paid" for the current setup and to me he was totally taken. In regards to you itemized post:

a) How low cost a server would be advisable, or more so what are the minimum requirements for a server to share internet, email, and the one main dental application with the previous listed requirements of 2.4 Ghz, 512 MB, and 40 GB. My research showed that the IBM x3105 with Windows SBS 2003 may be a good entry level server.
Also the server is "used" because the "computer guy" placed it at the reception desk to be the main computer.

b) When you say "rebuild ALL the office PCs", how drastic a rebuild should it be. Should the Emachines be scrapped, and what should their min specs be?

e) I have also read that a RAID setup may not as good as possibly an external "one-touch" solution. Am I correct for this situation?

I apologize again, but servers are a new territory for me and the doctor doesn't want to get burned a second time.

 

[RebateMonger]

bradful,

Again, without looking at the computers, it's imposible to really know what's going on. I'm guessing, though, that the PCs are a mess, software-wise. I have no idea what the specs are on your e-machines, but if they came with XP originally, they are likely "adequate" for use in a typical office. There's nothing wrong with adding memory or faster PCs, but that's likely NOT their problem.

By "rebuild", I simply mean to restore the PCs to their original, out-of-the-box, configuration by writing over the OS using whatever "system restore" software that came with them. The reason for this is to remove any question of worm, trojan, or virus infections on the network.

You'll need to backup any important data. My recommendation for a small office is to purchase AT LEAST two external USB hard drives. Preferably three. They are dirt cheap nowadays. Use these drives to make copies of all important data before re-installing the systems on the PCs. Later, use these same drives to make ongoing backups of important data. Periodically swap out the drives, always keeping at least on backup drive offsite, so theft, fire, flood, virus attack, etc., don't cause catastropic loss of all the Office's data.

I didn't suggest a full "server", because it sounded unlikely the Doctor would be willing to pay for it. For offices with less than 50 or so employess, Windows Small Business Server 2003 is my recommendation for a "real" server. It'll give the office shared email, shared contacts, easy-to-create internal web sites, full remote access, automated backups, and everything else a typical office needs in a Server.

You can sometimes buy low-end Dell Servers, complete with SBS 2003, Standard Edition software pre-installed, for as little as $1500 (with a SATA RAID 1 array). HOWEVER, this isn't something that can be configured and integrated into the office without professional help. Virtually ANY Server that Dell offers pre-configured with SBS 2003 would be adequate for a five-person office. We run our five-person office usings a Dell 400SC with 2.8GHz P4 and 512MB of RAM. Just be sure to get a RAID 1 array, so that the failure of a single hard drive doesn't take the Server down. You get RAID to keep the Server running and you get external USB drives to make backups.

If you are in a major metropolitan area, you can, doubtless, get a Microsoft-certified Small Business Specialist to examine the office, and give you an estimate for an SBS isntallation. Search for Microsoft Small Business Specialists - Upper right-hand corner This person can also, I'm sure, allow you to log into an SBS 2003 Server and see how it works.

 

[elcamino74ss]

I agree with all the advice given. This is one reason I usually avoid side work for small offices. They will waste money on guys setting up the current environment they have then when they talk to someone who really knows what they are doing and has the experience they get upset.

I've gone to refusing to work with companies that will not spend the money for a low end dell tower server and pay the money to have SBS/AD set up. Sadly you can set up a pretty clean environment for a reasonable price. Use the usb ext drives like said for back up. Load clean the server OS and desktops. Try and go with a corp AV that updates DATs from a server, install MS WSUS to download and push out MS updates (Free). Set up AD, GPO, lock down the desktops as much as you can.

For what its worth I've got 10+ years in IT and and currently work in the Risk Management team for a global security software company.

 

[bradul]

elcamino74ss, I am ashamed to say but you completely lost me with "install MS WSUS to download and push out MS updates (Free). Set up AD, GPO, lock down the desktops as much as you can."

RebateMonger, or anyone else, the link for "Search for Microsoft Small Business Specialists - Upper right-hand corner" posted looks good. Should those places listed be of high quality and really know what they are doing? Also, should the doctor "shop around" and get several estimates, like buying any thing else of such an investment? What do you feel would be an adequate server in term of specifications, so he is not buying more than he needs?

Again I do not pretend to know much about small business networks, but I am really trying to help my relative, who is the office manager, to make her job easier.

 

[redbeard1]

Do not believe the hype that SBS2003 is the next best thing since sliced bread. It is bloatware for most small businesses. I support a handful of small offices that bought SBS from online sources. Since they were uninformed about what they get with SBS, they got Exchange which they do not want to implement, so it is sitting there running taking up resources. When you research removing Exchange from the server, MS recommends against it, as SBS is specially crafted to do things that with normal 2003 server, MS recommends you don't do, like running Exchange on a domain controller. Then they did not understand how to complete all of the wizards to get it configured right, so it was so screwed up, they needed us to come in and get it working right. The other places that we have people running SBS and that are using the Exchange server, refuse to pay for the proper anti virus to protect it, so the next good virus that comes down the pipe will trash their email store and they will incure more labor fixing it than the AV protection cost. SBS comes with all sorts of reporting tools. When I show this to the customer, they could care less, they just want it to work. These reporting functions take alot of resources, which can slow the response of installed programs on the server. Since most places are cheap, they do not put enough ram in the system, so the server is using a 1.5+ gig page file with maybe 1 gig of ram. You have to promote SBS to be a domain controller. Moving them into a domain is not neccesarily difficult for a good tech, but they want everything to look like there old desktop, and this takes time and familiarity with how to do this, which the customer does not know. We've had people get mad that they have to convert to a domain, as they were happy with the way things working in a workgroup. Why do you think MS sells this package so cheap? Because you are now hooked for more expense when you replace that server. Without going through some special hoops, that aren't recommended, you cannot join a new SBS server into an existing network domain. So now if you are hooked on Exchange and need to replace the SBS server, you will need to put in a regular 2003/Longhorn server, and then a second server to host Exchange 2007, as MS highly recommends you do not run 2007 on a DC, as well as Exchange 2007 runs on 64 bit OS, which means that podunk Dental software will not run on it, since most dental programs I've seen look like they did when they ran in NT4.

In the end, being cheap is what got them into this predicament, and no matter what, they will need to spend money to fix it.

First of all, yes tell them to not use the "server" as a workstation. Second, put more ram into the server, like get it up to 2 gig. This will improve the servers performance greatly. What is the ram in workstations? Are they running XP on 128 or 256 meg of ram? Upgrade them to at least 512 if not 768 or a gig. Are they running their network on a hub, and not a switch? Running modern programs on a hub, will slow things down immensely.

Have them spyware scan everything to see if there is something else slowing things down. Ladies in offices love pretty screensavers and cute mouse icons, which they get from "free" websites. These "free" programs generally are going to install spyware/adware. Are they using programs like Norton Internet Security or the equivalent Mcafee program. These full security suites can bog down any computer, espescially computers with minimum CPU's and ram. Switching them to just a regular anti virus program will help.

If they will consider getting a new server, consider getting a straight 2003 server. In the end it is easier to get setup, though they should pay a real local IT tech, instead of hiring the kid next door because he works cheap. In the end you usually get what you pay for.

 

[bradul]

redbeard1, first off thanks for the huge reply, secondly, you too have mentioned getting a professional to do it, so can one be safely chosen by the Microsoft Small Business Specialists search on the Microsoft page? Do more partners listed i.e. Dell, Microsoft, HP, Cisco.... mean a better place?

A question for all reading, can anyone recommend a Specialist for the Bergen County area of New Jersey?

 

[redbeard1]

While the online MS page may find someone knowledgeable, the local yellow pages are a good place to start. Reputable places will come in and do a review of the situation and give them an idea of what the best course of action would be and the prices for the work. Try to get two or three companies if possible to give them a preliminary consultation.