How do you set up a database server for a small company?

Question

So I work for a small company with about 6 computers in our office.

Currently we have a network setup this way.

One computer holds all of our company's data and through the "Share this Folder on Network"
One of the problem is that I use this computer (with all of the data) for my work, and the computer crashed with virus or for whatever reason this second time.
I feel that the data is so vulnerable to the computer failures and exposure to the virus to Trojan threat. And sometimes the network folder stops working for a reason that I do not know. ( I am a complete computer newb when it comes to networking.)

1. What is the simplest and safest method to separate this data for security and ease of access? (seperate computer? seperate external drive? is there a database computer?)

2. What is the best way to setup a backup system? Should I use Windows backup program? and what type of back up, copy? normal? what are they?

3. Is there a way to setup a program that requires the employees to login initially?

I tried to look up SQL data server but I was completely lost, and its something I cannot handle. I guess I am looking for a simple solution, with some leads to how I can go about fixing this problem

Thanks in advance for any help or comments.

Answer 1

Being a newbie is OK - we all were at one time

Lets get some definitions first so we all know what we are discussing



Server - this is a computer that stores and supplies (serves) files and data for other computers on the network

Network - a group of computers connected together over a communications system

Database - a database is a computer program that organizes and stores information. The database program allows the information to be searched, arranged and presented to the user through some type of programming language

SQL - Standard Query Language - a very common and popular programing language used with database programs.

Workstation - A computer used by an individual to do their assigned job.



Now that we have a common base to work from, let's answer some questions



Using the office server as a workstation is never a good idea. As you have seen, running programs that you use for your daily tasks can have unpredictable results, causing the server to fail in it's primary function, supplying files and data to the network

So yes - you need a separate computer to use as a file server



Do you need a database? - probably not. It sounds from your question that you currently store data files on the server and retrieve them as needed. Your company does not run internal applications that access a database. So a database is not required



Backing up your data can be done in a number of ways. Here are a few ideas

1. Get and external hard drive. Plug it into the server and copy all the server data files each night. Take the hard drive home. If the worst happens, you have a current copy

2. Back up to the web - there are many web based backup services (paid and free) store your data on the web each night. You can then retrieve it if needed

3. Install a second hard drive in the server. Copy all data files to the second hard drive each night.

There are programs that can automate the task of backing up your data. They range from simple to OMG!!! - Look for one that fits your needs. Do not think that bigger is better.



Servers - Computers that act as files servers (what you are talking about) for a small company do not have to be big expensive machines. 90% of the time they are just sitting there, waiting for someone to retrieve or save a file.

What they have to be is reliable. As you have found, using a Windows box as a file server is rather, well, annoying. If, for economic or technical reasons you must do this, remember to reboot the machine about every 3 days. Do not let the computer be used for other tasks, limit the computers' internet access to updates and run a current anti-virus program on the machine. It can work, maybe not well, but it can work.



A better approach would be to take the box you have decided to be a server and reload it with Linux. Linux is a far superior OS for servers and gives you a lot of advantages over Windows:

1. It is stable. My home server has run for 6 months at a time without a reboot

2. It is secure. 98% of all viruses and malware are written for Windows machines. They will not run on a Linux box. Add to that that Linux, from the ground up, is designed to be a more secure OS and you are starting with a very secure system compared to Windows.

3. The price is right. Windows is a commercial product. MS wants it's money and is very unfriendly to those who do not step up to the cash register, checkbook in hand

Linux is open source. It is freely (and legally) available to all. Everything you need to set up an office file server is available for download from the web.



So my distro of choice for an office file server would be OpenSuse from Novell.

You download the .iso image (a CD image) and use your CD burner to create an Installation CD

You boot the computer from the CD and install the new OS

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DANGER DANGER - DANGER WILL ROBINSON

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Installing a new OS wipes the hard Drive SLICK

DO NOT do this on your current office server until you have made 2 (yes 2) confirmed good copies of all office files

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I recommend you use the entire disk and wipe out the Windows install on the machine. You will not be needing it again

During the setup accept the default prompts for most the questions. But be sure to select server when asked what the computer will be used for. That will load the necessary software

Once the installation is done, use YAST (the configuration tool - like Control Panel in Windows) to configure SAMBA, the file server software

SAMBA makes the Linux machine appear as a Windows file server to the rest of the network. Samba can be a bit of a pain to configure, which is why I recommend OpenSuse. They have the best configuration tools I have found. But it still is a bit of a challenge. Expect to spend some time searching and finding answers. Do not expect to get this done in an afternoon while sipping on a brew. It won't happen. (not the first time anyway)



But by time you are done, you will have a reliable office server, and you will no longer be a newbie



(why answers cut off the end of my message I don't know - we'll try again)

Answer 2

Setting Up A Database Server

Answer 3

Well, databases like SQL server store data like names, addresses, phone numbers, etc so it can be easily accessed. Like you would query the server asking for all names starting with the letter A, all phone numbers in a certain area code, etc. So this really isn't the type of data storage that I think you are referring to. You are probably talking about storing several word and excel documents on a server. This is also data storage and there are lots of ways to store this. The simplest is just have a directory with all the files in it. This directory could be on a local pc, network server, external hard drive, whatever. When it gets hard to search through that data, you might create subdirectories, subfolders. There are better ways to organize that data too.



So you have a few problems.

1. I recommend getting a security suite like McAfee to protect all the computers especially if they connect to the Internet. If that is too expensive, there are a few free versions which are harder to maintain and not as comprehensive, but they're free.

2. I don't know why your computer fails or network folder stops working. But this is an availability problem. So when people at your company want to access the data, they can't because it is down. To fix this, you could have replication, which is just copying the files to two places. If one is down, the other probably isn't. You could copy it manually, but this will get out of sync often. Microsoft windows server has replication.

3. You also need to back up this data. Most all servers or operating systems will have this capability. You can use the free ones, or pay for better ones. I would start with the microsoft one and see how that goes.



So basically, I think SQL isn't appropriate for what you want to accomplish, you need to investigate security, replication, and backup. Microsoft has software for all of these as does other companies.

Answer 4

Isn't there anyone else in your office that knows about these things? These are not things for a newbie to handle because you do not have the training or understanding needed. Buy a book on the subject (start with one of those 'Dummies" books - I'm not making fun of you but those books do explain a lot for beginners).



The data that is used by the whole office should be on it's own computer that is not used for anything else. This way it can dedicate the resources needed all the time, without you draining the resources to do the work you need to do.



Next, have your boss buy an anti-virus program multi-pack license that will cover all computers in the office, and install it on all of them. Norton makes a good product, as does MacAfee.



SQL is an advanced programming language which is actually pretty easy to learn. But, unless you have taken programming courses and undestand program flows and database design, you'll be lost.



There is no simple solution - it is going to take time & effort on your part. Being a newbie doesn't help but you will learn as you go along.



I think it would be better if your boss would hire someone with IT experience. This way, that person will be able to get things squared away within a couple of months.



Sorry that it's not an easy answer that you were hoping for.

Answer 5

To start with they are correct, do not use server 2003! Get the small business version. The simple version goes, that in a workgroup environment you need to set up an account on each computer for each user. These accounts are stored in something called a SAM "Security Account Manager" on the local machine. A domain is like making the whole group of computers one. You set up the accounts on the server in the active directory. This way everyone can log on to any computer in the domain to gain access to network resources. Also any changes to a user account can be made in one place, the domain controller. You don’t need to go to each machine. Simply it centralizes control of your network. This control can be simple or very complex depending on your requirements.

Answer 6

That's an interesting question and I hope you will find some reasonable answers