SOHO Network Server
29 December 2009, 12:20 AM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 15,271
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
SOHO Network Server
As I work and play at home I have a number of devices and storage requirements that I would like to rationalise.
Ideally I would like large amounts of shared storage (I have about 2TB available on USB drives) two shared printers and a shared scanner.
I have a Vista desktop machine of reasonable power (about four years old); a Macbook Pro (so access to a Time Machine disk would be handy); Sony Vaio; an IBM T-series (client machine) and various visiting machines, usually Wintel.
There is a wireless network, although the Netgear ADSL modem and router are nowhere near the desktop and can't be.
Is there a way of building this into a network that can provide the services I describe above?
Can I turn the Vista machine into a server? And will it support the Macbook effectively?
Should I upgrade the desktop to an iMac and be done with these alien Wintel machines?
Thoughts on a postcard please!
Ideally I would like large amounts of shared storage (I have about 2TB available on USB drives) two shared printers and a shared scanner.
I have a Vista desktop machine of reasonable power (about four years old); a Macbook Pro (so access to a Time Machine disk would be handy); Sony Vaio; an IBM T-series (client machine) and various visiting machines, usually Wintel.
There is a wireless network, although the Netgear ADSL modem and router are nowhere near the desktop and can't be.
Is there a way of building this into a network that can provide the services I describe above?
Can I turn the Vista machine into a server? And will it support the Macbook effectively?
Should I upgrade the desktop to an iMac and be done with these alien Wintel machines?
Thoughts on a postcard please!
29 December 2009, 06:17 PM
#2
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Cardiff
Posts: 1,928
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ideally if you are planning on a central server I would defo make sure it's connected by network cable for the speed and consistency issue, I know wireless has come along a bit now but for a server I would defo cable it.
Could connect to usb drives to it also
You could then connect the printers to the server and share them from that assuming the server will always be on.
Macs will conect to smb shares but you may have to jig the NTFS permissions to get it to work corrently, and connect by IP address not Netbios name (that may work on newer Mac OS's, I haven't checked
). Server of course would be hard coded with a fixed IP address, not put on dhcp.
What OS to run on the server? If it was me I'd stick server 2k8 on it but then I'm a geek and many will shoot me down in flames saying you don't need to. Windows home server springs to mind, or a Linux box even (check out freenas FreeNAS [FreeNAS]), or if you are using it for essentially a filestore a seperate NAS box and the hard drives in that.
So my answer is a bit vague but some pointers at least
Could connect to usb drives to it also
You could then connect the printers to the server and share them from that assuming the server will always be on.
Macs will conect to smb shares but you may have to jig the NTFS permissions to get it to work corrently, and connect by IP address not Netbios name (that may work on newer Mac OS's, I haven't checked
). Server of course would be hard coded with a fixed IP address, not put on dhcp.What OS to run on the server? If it was me I'd stick server 2k8 on it but then I'm a geek and many will shoot me down in flames saying you don't need to. Windows home server springs to mind, or a Linux box even (check out freenas FreeNAS [FreeNAS]), or if you are using it for essentially a filestore a seperate NAS box and the hard drives in that.
So my answer is a bit vague but some pointers at least
Last edited by mike1210; 29 December 2009 at 06:19 PM.
01 January 2010, 10:55 PM
#3
Scooby Senior
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Slowly rebuilding the kit of bits into a car...
Posts: 14,333
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hmmmm
http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...id=0&tid=n2b1d
I was looking at this, with 2 x 2TB drives it could be one solution ?
dunx
http://www.cclonline.com/product-inf...id=0&tid=n2b1d
I was looking at this, with 2 x 2TB drives it could be one solution ?
dunx
02 January 2010, 12:11 AM
#5
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 15,271
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I quite like the idea of getting a Mac Mini with SL Server. Could convert a second hand one and then utilise my existing storage, or persuade my business to buy a spanking new one 
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
IWatkins
ScoobyNet General
1
24 October 2000 10:46 AM