Small office network setup

[Aragorn877]

I'm the resident computer guy and I've been asked for advice on setting up a brand new office network. I've been researching like a demon but I need to find information on an Internet connection, server, workstations, operating systems, hardware...everything. Truth is I'm a programmer not really an IT guy though I've dabbled there a bit (I'm a one man company so I sort of have to know bits of everything).

The office is small right now, just 5 people, but it will grow to 10 or 20 people in the next two years. As far as network use, these people don't do anything too daring. They send e-mail, sometimes with attachments from Microsoft Office. They need some public drive space, 50 GB ought to be plenty. Eventually they'll want an ftp server and some web services. They use a hosting company for their primary web site.

So here's some specific questions:

Bandwidth: What am I missing about T1 lines? They are so much more expensive than DSL yet the bandwidth seems comparable. Am I reading the wrong unit or something here? What is so great about T1 that they cost so much more?

Server: What grade server hardware do I need? Will a normal desktop system work for 10 - 20 people? Do I need to buy commercial grade hard drives?

O/S: What server OS should I use? It needs to be Microsoft. I like Linux, honestly, but the truth is the OS needs to be microsoft. Do I need to get Windows server 2003 or will WinXP Pro do? Is there any reason not to use WinXP pro on the workstations?

How many users should be on a segment of the network? IE, can I plug everyone into a 24 port switch or should I buy a couple of routers and 8 port switches?

Thanks for answering *any* or *!all!* of my questions!

 

[martind1]

Bandwidth: What am I missing about T1 lines? They are so much more expensive than DSL yet the bandwidth seems comparable. Am I reading the wrong unit or something here? What is so great about T1 that they cost so much more?

ok for a company your size, dsl woudl probably be better due to the priocing. Of course you need to check out the upload speed since you eventually want to have ftp/www servers. Of course all of this depends on availability. maybe yoru phone company will provide you with a deal. If your ftp/www servers are going to be hit with a lot of traffic your upload will be important. most residential(not sure on commercial) dsl is asyncronis meaning the download and upload speeds are not the same. So do you research.

Server: What grade server hardware do I need? Will a normal desktop system work for 10 - 20 people? Do I need to buy commercial grade hard drives?

As far as the server goes, i don't have much of an opinion, with yoru company being so small a regualr desktop being used as a standalone server may handle it. Once again it all depends on how hard it is being use. If you need speed and performance form the HD you might have too look at SCSI drives.
Once again it all depends on what you determine your actual needs are. if you are spending money freely, go balsl to the wall on a server.

O/S: What server OS should I use? It needs to be Microsoft. I like Linux, honestly, but the truth is the OS needs to be microsoft. Do I need to get Windows server 2003 or will WinXP Pro do? Is there any reason not to use WinXP pro on the workstations?

Not sure why you MUST go MS here, Linux will be compatible with everything else on your system, if setup properly. The OS again depends on the needs. limitations are set on how many connections each version of the MS OS can handle, so look at those to make your determinations.

How many users should be on a segment of the network? IE, can I plug everyone into a 24 port switch or should I buy a couple of routers and 8 port switches?

Ok, im my opinion, if you are looking at a sub 20 people network, you can try to get them all on the same switch. maybe on 2 24 port ones, but the key here is to be organized. like put all the workstations on one switch and all servers on another. make sure you have diagrammed yoru layout.

DOCUMENT EVERY CABLE YOU LAY.


Bottom line is you need to clearly define what you need from each aspect(Servers, lan, etc). Once you do that you can shop around more specifically. Also decide where you can cut corners if need be,

 

[martind1]

also ,there is no one answer to this. people will come up with various schemes, you need to decide what is best for your situation.

 

[buleyb]

without too much information, what does your company do? what are the usage patterns you will have?

For example, if you are doing web/file serving, you would want a large upload capacity, if not, you would be ok with a small upload for normal usage in a small environment.

Agreement with martind1, why not linux? At least linux for the server (even if you are looking for complex domains, it is the cost effective way). And for the workstations, what software are you running that will be OS dependent? What are you workers comfortable with, and what kind of budget do you have for software licenses...

For server recommendations, I would have to know what you plan on serving. if its DHCP, DNS, email, and intranet (or other light webserving) you can build or buy a nice PC to do the job (or buy one made for this type of job that is preconfigured).

Again, document your network, and plan for growth. If you are running a network, you might want to run phone lines too (in case you get an internal phone system). And if you are running a network, you should be fairly well versed in doing it (where to run, what to avoid, are you wiring to code for your area, etc).

 

[martind1]

actually you might want to talk to a professional service company to do this for you. That way you can get their support and warrenties.


might save you money/time&effort in the long run.

 

[Aragorn877]

I ALWAYS tell my family DON'T type long messages in the little boxes in forums. Use notepad or word and cut and paste. Of course, I use the little box and lose everything I just typed. Here goes again:

I think I mainly need help with the server at this point. I'd rather spend a little more than I have to than get something that isn't powerful enough. Is the 10 connection limit going to kill me on Windows XP Pro? I've read mixed opinions. Would this mean only 10 computers could SEE each other at one time, or that only 10 computers could read/write files at the same time?

Here's some responses to the questions you guys have asked.

without too much information, what does your company do? what are the usage patterns you will have?

The company offers contract services, mainly public works services, to cities. They have some engineers, planners and some support staff. These people use the network to send e-mail and share files over a public drive. The heavies use of public drives would be for looking up aerial photographs, which can be several megabytes each. Perhaps they'll play starcraft at lunch. They use the internet a smidgen but nothing intense. I plan to install MySQL on the server. It will power some applications I develop for timecards, document tracking, checking plans in and out, etc.

Not sure why you MUST go MS here, Linux will be compatible with everything else on your system, if setup properly.

I am an evil backstabber who develops in .NET. I know that PHP, Linux and MySQL are like ice cream, chocolate and a cherry but IMHO .NET/Windows/MySQL is still a better choice than PHP/Linux/MySQL. Let's not turn this into a discussion on .NET vs PHP or Linux vs Windows though. Also, this company is phobic of anything not Microsoft and, god help them, any of that open source free "stuff." They won't believe that something free can be good. Anything not microsoft could be witchcraft to them. It took a corrupted Access database for me to convince them to switch to MySQL for critical information. If I knew of a functional, finished port for .NET on Linux I'd push hard to use Linux. I'd love to roll the savings into a better server.

actually you might want to talk to a professional service company to do this for you. That way you can get their support and warrenties

Very true, and we'll probably hire someone. I want to know enough to keep them honest. I've seen too many computer "professionals" who are clueless. There's also a fair share that will sell you ten times what you need if they think they can fool you with jargon. I'll be working with the network the most so I want to make sure I'm not getting screwed and that it serves the company's needs the best.

 

[buleyb]

any reason you can't have a linux server for your networking needs (dhcp, dns, etc), and use windows as your .NET development and serving? Do you need VPN/SSH to get in securely from outside the network?

 

[martind1]

Would this mean only 10 computers could SEE each other at one time, or that only 10 computers could read/write files at the same time?

it m,easn that the computer can only handle 10 simultaneous connections.

i.e. only 10 other computers can be connected by ANY means(file sharing, webbing, ftping, etc ...)

 

[skyking]

Several MB files? If we are talking 100's of MB, consider spending any extra $$ you have on gigabit networking. also consider using SCSI RAID on the server, to eliminate HD access by multiple clients as your bottleneck.

Keep working on that Linux angle, it is great job security😉

 

[compudog]

For server hardware, I would suggest a Compaq/HP Proliant ML350. Expandable, dependable. For server OS Windows 2003 (pricey) or Novell Netware 6.x. Novell could handle everything you require, is not *free* and has been around a LONG time. It's easy to set up and configure. Not that MS isn't.

Infrastructure; If you don't anticipate your firm growing beyond 20 workstations, I would just go with the one switch with a static DSL product. Our telco brought in a business class DSL line with a static IP for $139.00/month. I get 1.5MBps down and 768K up. They provided a DSL router which handles DNS for the PCs connected to the switch. Configuration would naturally be different depending upon the OS, but they all (MS/Novell/Linux) work just fine with TCP/IP

As suggested, label everything. Every drop, every port, every PC. Draw up a network map with Visio etc and keep it accurate and handy. It goes a long way toward troubleshooting. Call in a local shop to help organize and keep all of your documentation.

Good Luck!

 

[Aragorn877]

Thanks all. I feel a lot more confident now with all your suggestions, as well as additional research I've done based on your posts. I probably won't set up the network personally, get down and dirty where the fun is...but...this is all seeming so cool that I'm going to beef up my home network 😀