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Hi I have recently set up a small home office for my new business, we currently use a laptop and a desktop, does anyone have any cost effective options or advice to set up a small business server, emailing files 2 foot across a room isn't the best way to share files or documents I could also do with using Outlook with a shared calendar etc.

Any (cost effective)advice greatly appreciated

K

Kam,
Are you currently using a server, or just want anetwork setting up?
If your just wanting shared files and folders, and outlook shared callenders I could set that up for you.

Thanks for a quick response, Its the server we need unfortunately, its having a single space to store clients stuff when we are developing projects, we have been using Dropbox which is great for sharing, but its my Luddite side that likes to know that we can access and work on stuff even if Broadband goes down.

Ta K

Right ok. So what kind of spec you after? And are you planning on expanding your office in the near future?
If its just the laptop and the pc I don't see the need in a server.

Fingers crossed that we expand in the near future! we have only been trading for six weeks. My last business we used small business server and had stacks of storage. The ability to share and access files is paramount and due to file size, it can get quite laborious emailing or uploading larger files, especially design work or images that may need to be kept in several formats.

In terms of spec, more space and better ability to share. (I do have access to a largish 500gb USB hardrive not sure you can network that though?

K

ive sent you a private message.

You could just set up a workstation with a VPN now you have your own storage space from anywhere.

lots of options available.

Small Buiness Servers can be costly. You should only go down that road if you have software that requires a small business server as your desktop computers have more grunt than you will ever need. (Providing there new lol).

Kam,
2 choices really.
1, New server, not quite sure on prices.
2, network desktop and laptop, plug your ext HDD and share it, map it on laptop and desktop. And use that as a central file storage.
Shared calender can be set up quite easily.

I'm happy to come and do it all for you.

HP are offering £100 cashback on their ProLiant Turion II N40L MicroServers again (still?).

Available from Dabs, ebuyer, amazon etc for about £220 before cashback. For the OS, throw on a copy of ubuntu.

Another option could just be get another cheap desktop PC fitted with a few TB of hard drive space, connected up to a network with the other pc and laptop, it is almost like having a server on the cheap, it would just lack the extra functions a real server would have, but it doesnt sound like you are all that bothered as long as you have somewhere to store and share files with.

Or you could even buy an external network hard drive as that would be faster for moving large amounts of data than sharing a usb drive.

Thanks for great advice, seems there is more than one way to sort this, Reckon I will be going with that cheap server option, this gives me the option to grow the network at a later date.

Lots of knowledge on here!

K

An entry-level HP server should do you. Fill it with RAIDed hard drives and setup some sort of off-site backup.

To save OS licensing costs you could use FREENAS.

Could you not just use a small, low spec PC thats always on connected to a network. I cant see the need for an expensive workhorse, for a few documents.

SERVER
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PC 1 PC 2

You can set this up really easily, without paying for extra software. For what you requirem that would work fine.

Thanks Gibbo and DeanoBirko and evryone for advice and support, am investigating one line of enquiry - cheap server with a local network.

Will let you know how I get on

Thanks

K

I have a qnap 210 turbo network attached storage with to 2tb drives, the NAS comes with a DHCP server file server, webserver, ftp server, anti virus scanner, you can even set it up as a cloud server, media server, you can use raid in mirror so if a HDD fails no data is lost, create user accounts, folder permissions, there's even back up software that comes with it to back up files off local pc's, mine even has the function of a vpn connections, total rocksolid and never let me down, I've even got it attached to my windows domain and active directory.

really easy to setup unbox install your drives(I would get 2 of the same) plug in connect to the network, open a webbrower and you can log in to the management page and set the services up you want to use, there's no additional software needed, but QNAP do have some extra bits of software you can download if they fit your needs.

I really can't rate this high enough

Have a read at this too:

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/11/17/ten_four_bay_nas_drives/