server? linux?

[LBmtb]

Would getting a server be beneficial? Sorry for the long post . . .

I work for the owner of an office building. They have two floors of offices. Top floor has a few different companies (renting out offices) with a total of 9 computers there and the 2nd floor is all one company on 13 computers. My boss basically provides them with internet access.

Company on the 2nd floor does 97% of their work through the company's website (a member of citigroup). But they do have one of those huge copier/printer machines with a touch screen that they'd like to share, it already has ethernet on it. Computers on the 3rd floor have no use for file or printer sharing.

The cat5 cables in the building go into a closet where they're terminated on a patch panel (patch panel recently added). They use a 24 port switch (recently added to replace hubs), netscreen (firewall, also recently added), and an OLD computer running NT server. That server was setup by someone else as I'm a somewhat recent employee. My best guess is that it simply acts as a dhcp server? None of the employees knows what it does.

Would it be a good idea to replace the NT server with a router and call it a day? Or will there be enough benefit in a server to invest in that? I'm not a networking expert but have been reading my ass off about them. I've played with linux before a bit. Would that be a good os to run on a possible server?

Thanks!

 

[dphantom]

Well, I wouldn't replace any server until I knew what it did. Find that out and then we cn provide some better advice on what route to take with your situation. If the NT server is your router (possible), then removing it could drop all your Internet connections.

Post back with what that server is doing.

 

[LBmtb]

I'm going there Thursday and check up on what it's doing. If it's just being a router then replacing it on a Friday night or Saturday morning would be ok since nobody's working.

I'll post Thursday night. Thanks.

 

[skyking]

If it's not broke, DON'T FIX IT!

Why the He!! are you going to mess with this, if the system works?
There is absolutely no upside to this manuever, only a down side.

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: skyking


If it's not broke, DON'T FIX IT!

Why the He!! are you going to mess with this, if the system works?
There is absolutely no upside to this manuever, only a down side.

Without more info on the why...I would agree. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: skyking


If it's not broke, DON'T FIX IT!

Why the He!! are you going to mess with this, if the system works?
There is absolutely no upside to this manuever, only a down side.

Well, he did mention it's an OLD computer.
If it's an old POS workstation acting as a server, it might be a good idea to replace in a planned manner before it breaks down during peak hours, not to mention getting rid of NT4.

But of course, like ITJunkie said, without more info, it's impossible to tell.

 

[skyking]

he has no clue what it does, or for which client in the office(s). the clients may not even know they are using an app which accesses a central db server, for instance. How many time have you seen users who were clueless? I'm sticking with my "no gain, only pain" theory.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: skyking
he has no clue what it does, or for which client in the office(s). the clients may not even know they are using an app which accesses a central db server, for instance. How many time have you seen users who were clueless? I'm sticking with my "no gain, only pain" theory.

I agree, just pointing out that there may be valid reasons to replace the server even though "it works" today.
Of course, one wouldn't do that before finding out exactly what it does before, no argument there

 

[LBmtb]

Originally posted by: Sunner
Well, he did mention it's an OLD computer.
If it's an old POS workstation acting as a server, it might be a good idea to replace in a planned manner before it breaks down during peak hours, not to mention getting rid of NT4.

But of course, like ITJunkie said, without more info, it's impossible to tell.

That was my thinking. It literally takes a minute or two to open up windows explorer on that server. I'd hate for that thing to go down in the middle of a busy workday. If the boss is spending money upgrading the network, might as well replace an old server which might die soon.

I'm fairly confident that no one uses it for work, but I'm going to check today just to make sure.

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[b4u]

Well, this is what I'd do, if I didn't knew how to properly look up into an NT4 system ... well, even knowing how to lookup into an NT4 system for his functions, I would do this steps anyway ... just to be sure:

a) Get a list of applications people use in the offices ... it's safer to speak to every people in there (web sites doesn't count more than for you to know you'll have to give them internet access)

b) Go deep into the server and find if you "left" some app/data behind, which you'll have to backup and implement in a new server (with the further help of the list of used apps you just made)

c) Pick a day with the guys on the offices, and ... shutdown the server ... then tell them to use whatever apps they are used to (apps used on a day-by-day bases, once a month, once a year ... those are the hardest ones ... they'll have to remember them).

If all they need is a web sharing, and the server is only acting as a router, then you only need a router ...

Without more info, that's the safest thing I can think of in 5 minutes ... on a real world, I would take much more time of thinking and writing so I don't forget a thing ... can be very very bad!

 

[Nothinman]

If it's not broke, DON'T FIX IT!

NT4 is EOL, what happens if it gets broken into? Hell the netscreen was only added recently so it might already be compromised.

 

[LBmtb]

Ok so here's whats up . . .

Came in today and the people who did the new wireing and patch panel and stuff have finished. When I got here all the cables were now neatly organized (used to be a closet of spagetti) and the server isnt attached anymore.

Alcatel 1000 ADSL modem -> Juniper 5gt (netscreen) firewall -> D-link DGS-1024D switch -> patch panel -> computers

All the workstations are running an automatic setup for their network. What's serving dhcp?

 

[LBmtb]

I guess netscreen does dhcp Under step 4

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: LBmtb
and the server isnt attached anymore.

Worked itself out nicely then