Bleg: File Server
Need a reliable and easy to set up server for sharing files among multiple people in an office. Perhaps there’s even a secure online version people recommend?
Update: Oh, and the office isn’t wired. Has to be wireless.
Update 2: Dropbox seems to fit the bill. Quite nice.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
http://www.dropbox.com/
February 26th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Any box, create a folder and users. assuming a windows box. It has been in all the professional versions of window software to be able to share files.
You can map drives at dos if other things don’t work but you should also be able to do it via windows.
NET USE H: \\10.10.10.10\myfolder for example. As long as the people using the folder are defined on the machine or you grant the evryone account full access to the folder you should be sharing away.
You might have to allow the share in the firewall software on the box, but that is fairly straight forward.
Anyone that has done any kind of network management in the last few years should be able to help.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Build a small computer, any specs. Set up Linux (Ubuntu is an example and can be up and running in 1/2 an hour). Install Samba and then set up a very basic config file. 1 Hour after beginning with running hardware, you can have the entire thing set up. If you set it up wireless, then it’ll work wireless. Otherwise, just plug it into your network and the wireless clients will be able to access it just fine. Windows, Mac, other Linux PCs. Anything.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Trouble with that is that sometimes a certain lap top is in the office or not.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
What Tango sad with the added bonus that you can also setup an ssh server on it in 10 minutes so that you can have secure access to your stuff from outside the network.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
The easiest solution is to buy the Mac Mini with Mac OS X server. $1,000 out the door and ready to go. Serves up files and other stuff like calendar and mail too if you want. Works with Windows and Mac. Not the highest end hardware but very little setup.
OS X server is as functional and powerful as Windows Server or a Linux based solution, but much easier to get up and running. Can grow with you. Bonus is that it has unlimited client licenses, unlike Windows Server.
Unless you are a Linux or UNIX geek, or want to be one, I don’t recommend “rolling your own”. I say that being a UNIX geek all my life and having made substantial amounts of $ doing so.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/server/
February 26th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
You’re OK with having all of everyone’s files on a web server you don’t control?
The office server with wireless would let you keep physical control of your information. Shared folders on it could be accessed securely over the web.
February 26th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
I second Mike’s suggestion. I’ve been using Linux since 1994 and I won’t deploy it in a small office situation anymore. MacMini with OSX Server. You can add drive space (RAIDed even) by daisy-chaining USB/Firewire drives. And if it bricks badly, you can get it fixed. I don’t think there is a client for TimeMachine though for Windows, but if there is, you have your backup server there too.
February 26th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
google docs and do much the same thing as dropbox (though you have a 1 gb limit).
February 26th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
For a small office running Windows, I highly recommend a Windows Home Server. It will backup up to 10 PCs every night (full disc image, not just selected files), web accessible if you want, easily expanded drive space, physical drive pooling so you only see one drive, failure protection via duplication of files over multiple physical discs. It is VERY simple to set up. It would need to be wired to your wireless router, but from there it would be wireless to all other computers. Check out HP’s line of Media Smart servers. They are all powered by this OS. $350 and up. They even offer a compatible backup client for Macs if you run any of those in the office.
February 26th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Someone suggesting linux to a non-unix -user, especially for a wireless network?
He must not like you very much.
I suggest, assuming you want a local server, any spare computer running Windows, or a small NAS server, attached to a wireless hub, which you presumably already have.
(The Mini + OSX server solution would work beautifully, but it’s a little expensive for a small office server…)
February 26th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
Well – from experience, if you MUST go wireless, Linux.
But consider either having the office wired, or install professional grade security. Because even the shortest range wireless can be read for several hundred feet, and you will need HD security for anything more sensitive than “would you like fries with that.”
If you are going to put SSN’s or other sensitive data on the network – wire should not cost any more than the wireless modems/routers/whatevers. And it is MUCH more secure.
Stranger
February 26th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
For a drop-dead simple solution any non-geek can understand, it’s hard to beat a beefy USB hard drive plugged into an Apple Airport Extreme base station (it’s a wireless router). The base station will run you about $150-200, but if you’ve already got one, then plugging a $60 1TB drive into it is a no-brainer. Even if you don’t have one, that plus a huge drive will run you under $300 easily. I have this setup and I absolutely love it, and as an added bonus I can throw my USB printer onto it too and now I have wireless printing in addition to a file server! The only downside is that the transfer rates aren’t going to be the snappiest you’ve ever seen (I average 5-7 MB/sec), but wireless-n is gonna be slower than gig-E no matter what you go with.
Also just to make it clear, there are no Apple computers required for this to work; everything is cross-platform.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
I second what Nathaniel suggested – works very nice. The drive will not be the speediest, but works very nice. Plus, with a cheap USB hub you can hang several printers on it and share them with the group. Less than $300 you get a file server, print server, firewall, and wireless hub.
Add DropBox to your setup and you have several ways to move or share files with your co-workers.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Oh and if one AirPort Extreme won’t cover the whole office, a second (or up to 128) Airport Extreme can be configured as a wireless network bridge (range extender). It would extend your network as far as you want to provide coverage for your office.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Be careful with the cloud. DropBox requires faith. Keep it in the office. If DropBox is down you are down.
Take a look at Dlink, they have RAID NAS that is very inexpensive. It can plug into the wireless router and comes with a disk image software as part of the bundle. And it isn’t limited to ten users.
You want NAS.
February 27th, 2010 at 10:45 am
“What Tango sad with the added bonus that you can also setup an ssh server on it in 10 minutes so that you can have secure access to your stuff from outside the network.”
I like Unix for Web servers, but Windows Remote Desktop is infinitely more useful for the kinds of things office workers typically do – Outlook email, databases, CRM, accounting, etc.
All you need is the Pro version of XP or whatever to act as the host server. Then people can work from home when it’s snowing, or their child is sick, or they’re waiting for the cable guy. And it’s a huge boon when you’re traveling.
February 28th, 2010 at 2:14 am
BTW, considering the massive problems with SMB with Leopard and Snow Leopard, I would not advise the Mac Mini route.
After an upgrade from Panther to Leopard my Mac is dead to any PC in the office. Mac to PC is fine.
http://www.google.com/search?q=leopard+smb&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Don’t listen to these overly complicated solutions. Dropbox rocks, I use it personally, but it may not fill the need for sharing files in an office environment quite yet, although I hear they are working on it. You want JungleDisk, now backed by Rackspace. Super affordable, you pick your own security key so it is encrypted before anything is sent, and should fit the bill nicely, without having to setup a linux box, smb, ssh, raid, etc, etc.