Question:
Need information about creating a network for a business! Security, file transfer, comm, user accounts, etc!?
giroeterno
2006-09-20 13:13:13 UTC
Greetings! I am looking for as much information as I can get about creating a network for a small business. I was considering using Windows Server 2003, as I've heard good things about it. Does anyone know any specific advantages to this OS?

Also, what is the best way to manage the way users access files. The company is going to do site hosting, programming and software design, and graphic design. Should the files be running from different servers for different departments?

What are the best ways to manage the files? Can someone tell me about DFS? I've heard it is a good way to gives your employees access to the files? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

How about user accounts? Which program is easy to manage, and gives me the most security options?

I am looking for answers to these and other related questions, essentially I want to know everything there is to know about creating a network. Any advice is appreciated, and thank you in advance!

Giro
Six answers:
2006-09-20 13:14:37 UTC
Need information about creating a network for a business! Security, file transfer, comm, user accounts, etc!?





Greetings! I am looking for as much information as I can get about creating a network for a small business. I was considering using Windows Server 2003, as I've heard good things about it. Does anyone know any specific advantages to this OS?



Also, what is the best way to manage the way users access files. The company is going to do site hosting, programming and software design, and graphic design. Should the files be running from different servers for different departments?



What are the best ways to manage the files? Can someone tell me about DFS? I've heard it is a good way to gives your employees access to the files? What are the advantages and disadvantages?



How about user accounts? Which program is easy to manage, and gives me the most security options?



I am looking for answers to these and other related questions, essentially I want to know everything there is to know about creating a network. Any advice is appreciated, and thank you in advance!



Giro
Ken G
2006-09-20 13:17:17 UTC
Scrap Windows and go with Linux. It's WAY more secure, easy to set up user accounts and it's FREE



Really, it is free. Load it up on ALLL the computers and one as a file server and you're off and running.



Did I mention it's free? Compare that to Windows Server and Windows XP, for which you'll pay dearly.
Yadab Das
2006-09-22 04:11:42 UTC
Surf the following link:



http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/%7Erja14/book.html



and you should buy the following book:



1. Network Analysis, Architecture and Design by James D. McCabe.



2. Cryptographic Security Architecture: Design and Verification

by Peter Gutmann

2a. Designing Network Security

by Merike Kaeo
antirion
2006-09-20 16:17:14 UTC
You're trying to pack years of experience and hundreds of hours of study into one question. I'll answer what I can. Your only rational choice for a company of less than 75 users is Windows Small Business Server 2003, R2. That gives you your domain, web hosting, Exchange for e-mail, SQL for databases, Sharepoint for file sharing, Remote Web Workplace, Outlook Web Access, ISA, etc. It handles routing and remote acces, VPN's, mobile access... Everything you need in one package, for a very affordable price. Since it is considerably wizard-driven, it's easier for a novice to configure (a bit harder for us system engineers, who are used to doing it all "manually"). Adding users, computers, etc. is as easy as "click click click".

Don't even try Linux. It's free for a reason... hard core computer buffs love to play with it, but for a novice? You'd spend a year just figuring out how to use it, add the features you need, integrate, etc. Not a rational choice.

One SBS server, properly designed and maintained, can run your entire network. SBS 2003 is extremely stable. With hundreds of clients for the past several years, we haven't had a single true "software crash" yet.

Whether you add other servers or not is up to you. You design your network around your business, not your business around the network. SBS supports member servers, stand-alone servers, even Linux and Unix servers can participate in the domain if you get that irrational.

The default group policies and file security settings are fine for startup, and easy to modify as you identify your needs. Ultra secure policies such as IPSec are supported, if you're truly paranoid. You can manage access to files easily, allowing individual or group access to various shares, with various levels of access, all on the same server. No need for seperate boxes.

DFS is really best suited for large environments, complex routing schemes, or with multiple offices. The advantage is that identical copies of your files are stored in more than one location at the same time. When users access a file, DFS draws it from the most convenient location. Also, if one file server goes down, the files are stored on others... making for zero downtime while you repair the downed server. The only real disadvantage is that, with the same files stored in multiple locations, you're going to use up a lot of hard drive space. But, even huge SATA drives are pretty cheap.

Add Symantec Enterprise antivirus and a decent firewall, configure the settings rationally, and you'll have a first-class, clean secure network that virtually runs itself.
w@rio
2006-09-20 13:22:02 UTC
Unfortunatly is you need this type of basic info then you are most likely not qualified to setup a server with permissions and rights. (No offense)



I would personally hire a local networking firm and let them set it up for you. Leave this kind of stuff up to the professionals, it may end up costing you more money at the end. I personally hate fixing peoples mistakes when doing a job, I end up charging them for all of my time when they could just have had me setup the system and charged them half of the price.



Of course I dont tell them that!
thunder2sys
2006-09-20 13:15:26 UTC
Adding a server into your enviornment is not for a novice. Your best bet is to send off requirements to some small computer companies and let someone else install and support it.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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