Server Questions and New Member.

[JDerenzo]

Hello, My names John, I'm new to this forum - Nice to meet you all.

Ive been dealing with computers for quite a while even as much as building. I know a pretty significant amount about them, but one area that i am not much knowledgeable in is servers.

I'm looking to do an overhaul and a project as well as for myself to gain knowledge. I will be entering a new career by mid-way next year that will require a decent amount of computing.

What I'm looking for is to run a decent but powerful server within my home. Sort of like, sit down on any computer - type in a user name and password and bam, but also the ability to restrict other user account permissions for children. My existing computers i would like to use as virtual machines so i can access what i need from any of my computers (maybe even buy new models..) as well as ability to connect to my server from a remote location, lets say a coffee shop. I do have a 40mbps incoming internet connection, wireless n hub - etc.

Building a server shouldn't be too hard for me since from my understanding is they are similar to a regular computer - but software is everything.

What the heck kind of software do you use for a server also as well as the virtual machine - i love windows 7 ultimate as well as professional.

If i can get a basic understanding and the gist of it, i should be okay.

P.S if this is in the wrong section, i deeply apologize.

Hope to hear some good responses,
John.

 

[kmote]

Welcome to the forums John.
This is the right section if you want help selecting the hardware for your new server.
First though, I think we need to work out what you actually need from the server;

Sort of like, sit down on any computer - type in a user name and password and bam

This doesn't really make any sense to me, unless you are talking about setting up a domain?

restrict other user account permissions for children.

Restrict Internet access?

My existing computers i would like to use as virtual machines so i can access what i need from any of my computers (maybe even buy new models..)

Again, this doesn't really make a lot of sense. You would be using a computer to access the server, or you could use a computer to access another computer, or you could use virtual machines on your server to run the services.

connect to my server from a remote location

You need to be careful with that. With few exceptions, the servers that run your internal services should not be exposed to the Internet.

Building a server shouldn't be too hard for me since from my understanding is they are similar to a regular computer

Building a home server is not hard but server hardware can vary somewhat from what you might use in a regular desktop, so it might be worth getting some guidance on that.

What the heck kind of software do you use for a server also as well as the virtual machine - i love windows 7 ultimate as well as professional.

No way to answer that until we know the budget, the services that you want to run and probably a whole load of other information depending on the services.

If i can get a basic understanding and the gist of it, i should be okay.

Definitely, you don't need to know everything before you start, you'll learn a lot as you go.

EDIT: I was writing this when you bumped the thread. Don't double post, it's against the rules.

 

[JDerenzo]

Welcome to the forums John.
This is the right section if you want help selecting the hardware for your new server.
First though, I think we need to work out what you actually need from the server;
This doesn't really make any sense to me, unless you are talking about setting up a domain?

Restrict Internet access?

Again, this doesn't really make a lot of sense. You would be using a computer to access the server, or you could use a computer to access another computer, or you could use virtual machines on your server to run the services.

You need to be careful with that. With few exceptions, the servers that run your internal services should not be exposed to the Internet.

Building a home server is not hard but server hardware can vary somewhat from what you might use in a regular desktop, so it might be worth getting some guidance on that.

No way to answer that until we know the budget, the services that you want to run and probably a whole load of other information depending on the services.

Definitely, you don't need to know everything before you start, you'll learn a lot as you go.

EDIT: I was writing this when you bumped the thread. Don't double post, it's against the rules.

Thank you for your reply. Sorry about the double post.

For the domain question, im assuming yes. I want the ability to logon to any computer that i own and bring up my files and desktop (VM).

Now talking about restrictions, i dont mean just internet - control panel, deleting and moving of files (just to make things kid proof since when a child gets a hold of a computer, they like to go nuts lol.

When talking about internet connection, to be honest im a bit lost - but i do understand anything connected to the internet is venerable.

Im looking for processing power, server power, and storage power. Everything that i can build, yes. But the software is the hard part for me. I dont my desktop in the background and a remote connection window on top like it is in ultimate. Im looking for logon to a certain domain, username, pass with ofcourse access to each computer linked.

http://www.novell.com/documentation/vista_client/vista_client_admin/graphics/credprov_2_a.png

sort of like so.

For instance, running windows server 2008 and a laptop with windows 7 ultimate - is that compatable to run a vm? or do you need windows server 2012 for it to work with windows 7? or does the vm just run windows server 2008?

thank you again.
John

 

[kmote]

Thank you for your reply. Sorry about the double post.

That's OK but don't do it again.

For the domain question, im assuming yes. I want the ability to logon to any computer that i own and bring up my files and desktop (VM).

OK so you want to set up a domain, I don't know enough about that to be able to help you further but at least other people will be able to help you.
You seem to be confused about VMs though in that the two technologies are unrelated.

Now talking about restrictions, i dont mean just internet - control panel, deleting and moving of files (just to make things kid proof since when a child gets a hold of a computer, they like to go nuts lol.

That's fine, I think you'll just need to lock down their permissions in Active Directory but since this is a "domain thing" it is outside of my area of expertise. Internet filtering is best handled by a machine that sits between your users and your Internet connection it may not be appropriate to use your server for this, many use their router.

When talking about internet connection, to be honest im a bit lost - but i do understand anything connected to the internet is venerable.

It's not necessarily "vulnerable" but, for example, if you access your file server over the internet, you need to make sure that other people can't access your files. Bear in mind that simple authentication isn't enough for this purpose.

Im looking for processing power, server power, and storage power. Everything that i can build, yes.

I think there's more to it than you realise.

But the software is the hard part for me.

It often is, it can take years to learn.

I dont my desktop in the background and a remote connection window on top like it is in ultimate. Im looking for logon to a certain domain, username, pass with ofcourse access to each computer linked.

When you say "like it is in ultimate" do you mean "like it is in remote desktop"?
I don't think that what you're after actually exists. The closest thing I can think of is a thin client type environment but I'm not sure you really know either.

For instance, running windows server 2008 and a laptop with windows 7 ultimate - is that compatable to run a vm? or do you need windows server 2012 for it to work with windows 7? or does the vm just run windows server 2008?

You could run a server 2008 guest on a win7 laptop host or you could run a win7 guest on a server 2008 host. Again, I think that you're getting things mixed up. I think the first thing you need to do is to satisfy for yourself what a VM actually is.