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Build your own ‘network for one’

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14th Sep 2010
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Simon Hurst considers the options for a small office network.

As someone who works for themselves it might seem that there’d be little advantage in having a network compared with a single computer. However, I tend to work on a desktop computer when I’m in the ‘office’ because of the convenience of having multiple monitors and separate keyboard and mouse already attached. I also use a laptop when I’m away from the office or sitting on the sofa watching TV or listening to the stereo.

Having all my data files in a central location that I can connect to from wherever – even remotely if required – is convenient. It also means that, if I’m reasonably disciplined, I have one location that I can keep backed-up to secure all my data, rather than having important bits of data spread across various obscure folders on several different computers. It also means that I can be selective about what I synchronise to my portable computer to reduce the risk of data loss and breach of confidentiality.

Having a central repository of data is a good idea, but there are several ways of attaining this goal. When The Knowledge Base was a bit bigger, we started with a “proper” file-server based network running Microsoft Small Business Server. As well as supporting a variety of business applications and productivity tools, this bundle allowed us to run Microsoft Exchange for sharing email and appointments etc.

When the company downsized to 25% and I started working on my own, the server continued to be useful because it helped me to support those of my clients who were using Exchange. But once the original server stopped working, it didn’t seem worth replacing. For a while I just used an existing computer as a file-server without running Exchange. More recently I took the Windows file server out of the equation and installed a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device.

At its most basic NAS is just that – one or more hard disks with a network lead sticking out of the back to connect it to a network via a router or switch. But many current NAS devices include quite a bit more - the Scan.co.uk website has a fair selection with comprehensive information each. My QNAP NAS can cope with remote access, hosting a web site and running some server applications such as MySQL as well as handling user access security.

Of course my NAS central data repository is only central within my house (or garden on a nice day with a bit of Wi-Fi). A Cloud computing solution might be more suitable for a more “virtual” business that wants to provide access to a wider audience of colleagues, associates and clients, but for my tiny business a £300 NAS has been my route to network nirvana.

For bigger businesses requiring more capabilities and a more robust technology infrastructure, have a look at the guide to multi-site networking by Robert May of ramsac.

Further reading

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By User deleted
15th Sep 2010 15:38
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By roysharp
16th Sep 2010 20:43

Nice And Safe

Agreed, NAS drives are often a far better solution than a server for a number of reasons not least of which is the longevity of the device and the removal of the need for specialist help at every twist and turn.

They are also great for business continuity if you get a RAID enabled version. Most RAID configurations keep data on more than one disk inside the same NAS drive so if one disk breaks the rest can keep going and no data is lost. As mentioned, you also have a single point of backup. I'm afraid I therefore disagree with them being described as less robust in your last paragraph.

Everyone has a network already if they have a broadband router, but it may be worth introducing a switch into the network as the router will probably slow down the data transfer between the PC and the NAS drive. An additional consideration if planning to use them from outside the office, over the internet. Your broadband speed could severely limit the practicality of reading and writing large files unless you are on 20Mbs or more. (see note below)

If there are going to be a number of users accessing the data on the NAS drive consideration needs to be given to security set-up. Files can usually be secured per user but the security on them tends to be more heirarchical than the standard MS server and can require a little work if you want complex access rules. This is a plus for the NAS drive in my opinion as it enforces a certain amount of organisation and simplicity.

So my vote is for them in business as well as at home as they protect your data as well as helping you organise it. And they reduce the complexity and support issues which are often unnecessarily introduced by having a server.

 

Roy Sharp (www.roysharp.com)

Note re broadband speeds: these are normally quoted in Mbs = mega (million-ish) bits per second you need to divide by 10 to get a rough guide to the number of characters which you can send and receive per second. A typical broadband speed of 7Mbs download and 0.4Mbs up will therefore receive data into your building at 700,000 characters per second and send them out to you working remotely at 40,000 characters per second. In windows explorer files are usually shown as kilo- (000) or mega- (000,000) bytes (characters).

 

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By carlreader
17th Sep 2010 18:10

Why not Cloud?

 I've only skim-read this article, but the one thing that kept coming to mind is why would you not use a cloud computing model if designing  an IT infrastructure from scratch? Although costs are recurring rather than one-off, you can effectively abdicate responsibility for all hardware / software / tech support issues, and future-proof your IT.

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By roysharp
17th Sep 2010 22:13

cloud?

The cloud is just another tool in the box. But, among other things, make sure you

know where your data is stored (UK, EU, elsewhere) so that you don't breach the data protection actknow who has access to it - there are a number of 'levels' of service, abdication also means accessible to the support teamsare happy to be reliant on internet connectivity and broadband speed to access your filescheck the SLA regarding backup and support from the service provider - is it frequent enough, can they get your data back or do they just restore the whole server

It works in some circumstances, it can be tied down tight enough for most DPA scenarios, and it can be fast enough. Put it in the pot when you are making your decision.

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Simon Hurst
By Simon Hurst
18th Sep 2010 22:29

Thanks and cloud

Thanks for the comments and all the additional information. With regard to the cloud, it is our intention to cover this in more detail in another, separate article (as mentioned in Robert May's companion article).

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