Need advice re. File Server

[wtango]

Hello. I'd like to get someadvice about the different requirements or benefits from a true server vs. a PC with XP that's just acting as sort of a file repository.

 

Our office is looking to purchase a new File Server. Currently we're using a peer to peer network to access a very old Pentium II machine with a big hard drive that is used to store all our working files. All 8 workstations access files on this "Server". Our network switch was recently upgraded to Gigabit capability, but file performance seems to be slowed by the current "server", so we're going to upgrade.

 

One option for the new "server" machine is to go with a Dell Server with Windows Server 2003 software.

Another option is to get a Dell Precision Workstation and use it as the file server.

 

Since we only have about 8 CAD users in the office, is there any real advantage to using a true server?

Also, would there be an advantage to having the processor of the file server Dual or Quad Core?

[vkirchner]

We have multiple servers running Windows 2000 and 2003 Server software at our office, I also maintain a network for a local business that runs a windows XP machine as a file server. This two scenarios have been running like this for almost 6 years. The only difficulty we have had on the Windows XP network is that clients will drop the mapped hard drives for no reason that we know of. The machines have been patched, power saving settings have been adjusted, bandwidth upgraded, network adaptors changed, ethernet leases have been monitored, applications have been tracked, operators habits monitored, permissions on the mapped drives changed multiple times, account permissions verified, and even contacted Microsoft for TCP/IP stack upgrades. They do not run a wireless network, it is a hard wired Cat5 with a Gigabit switch, eight machine in total including the XP Server. But they still lose connectivity to the mapped drives. And the best part is, the office is only moving Wordperfect documents back and forth. I would hate to think what a problem this could become if they were trying to save hundreds of images created by a renderfarm.

 

The Windows Servers machine maintain the connectivity for several weeks without issue. Then I get a request from a Cad Designer that one of the files that he created cannot be opened from the day before. When I look at the file, I see that the Server machine has not set any ownership to the file. So I make the Domain Administrator the owner of the file, apply the changes and close the panels. Then open the security tab for the file a second time, and add all of the user groups back onto the file so the Designers can access it. I think it has something to do with the lunar cycles. LOL!

 

If I had a choice of which problem to attack, I would use a Windows Server machine, not the Windows XP machine pretending to be a Server. But as you can tell, there are no guarantees in this world. Good luck!

[wtango]

Thanks for the information, vkirchner. That's strange about the dropped connection with the XP system. Our current system's file server is running Win 2K, and it has almost ZERO problem with dropping connections to its mapped drives. It is slow, though.

[wtango]

Along similar lines, I posted the same question on another forum and someone suggested using a NAS device. Any experience with these?

[vkirchner]

The NAS devices can be as elaborate as you like. They can be a simple hard drive box storage box with an ethernet port to a very complex hard drive raid container with replication software built in. They seem to get lumped together when people talk.

 

We have multiple devices located on our WAN that replicate every night as part of our disaster recovery scheme along with a built in RAID controller. I could not tell you which RAID setting they are currently on. Tape drives are attached but separate from the main NAS units. They perform well, just costly to purchase.

 

You can check out a few reasonable NAS devices at http://www.tigerdirect.com.