Server services requirements

[purge]

Hello,

We are a small school with 80 students. We are looking into getting a server, be it windows or another platform, but I am wondering what benefits apart from the server being a file server can offer the school. We would like to look into the server allowing access to accounts from another location. Perhaps a good quality machine, be it dual core, with 250 gb drives with raid 10 and intel cpu, with backup exec. I was told windows server 2008 standard would be great, but what things can it offer our school?

Plus what problems or things should we look out for when accquiring a server?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lexluethar]

The only problems you would have with acquiring server is the cost associated with it and you would have to hire someone that knew what they were doing.

I would also suggest getting Windows Server 2008 RS2. This will give you the option of doing file sharing, DNS, DHCP and Active directory. All four are things I would suggest implementing. File sharing so each student and faculty have their own location to save documents and you can control the amount of space they get on the server, DNS so that you can control where people surf the internet and where they are allowed to go and not allowed to go, DCHP so you can control what computers join the network and active directory so that you can control what people join the network. DHCP would be more for security so that every person would have to have a network login to access your network. Active directory will also allow you to control your users environment - things like not allowing them to download programs, install programs locally, every desktop would look the same, you could lock things like the toolbar (you get the picture).

Anyways 2008 is the way to go for sure. Honestly if you are going to use it for the aforementioned things you need a pretty solid build, you'd want at least 6 gig RAM, you'd want WAY more than 250 gb drive space unless you are only going to give each student like 100 mb of space, i'd do a RAID 5 setup (which is three drives) and i'd suggest using a quad core i7 chip.

Let us know if you have any questions.

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Just the control over the other computers thanks to Active Directory would make the server worth it in the end IMO, there is a lot you can do with a server, that is properly setup in a school, students will always find ways to by-pass certain functions to get there way, but, that's why it takes someone that knows what they are doing to monitor such a thing.