backup/quickbooks server questions

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[H]ard|Gawd
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i need to put together a server to do backups and to be a quickbooks server. before i go out and buy new hardware, will some of my old hardware work?

amd 3900+ (1.9 dual core)
1gb corsairs ddr2
x2 western digital 1.5tb

also, what OS and backup software would you guys recommend? this will need to support 4 deskstops.
 
Philosophically speaking I cannot recommend you use old hardware for any server that you're going to be putting business data on.

Spend a couple of grand on a new server from Dell with Windows Server 2008 R2 preinstalled. Get an online backup service such as MozyPro (www.mozypro.com) for data backups.
 
I don't think most of the people on this forum understand what quickbooks server is. It is pretty low powered and really doesn't need a lot of horsepower. I'm running a Quickbooks server with three users on a 2.4 ghz P4 with 1gb of ram on XP. It's only one company file though. How much use is it going to see, are you using multiple company files, is everyone using it at the same time?

I think Quickbooks server should run on WHS, since you want to do backups as well, that would be my OS choice. If you've got any spare hard drives bigger then 80gb or larger lying around you could download the free trial and test it out on your current hardware. It should work though, probably the toughest thing would be making sure it can get through the firewall okay. Then you just set up a share for the quickbooks data files and enable duplication. For extra security you can use an online service and off site back-ups. My father's quickbooks files are run off a flash drive that he takes with him to different computers, and it backs-up to each system every time he shuts it down. The server system I set up just backs-up to a flash drive when it shuts down.

I really don't think you need to go crazy with the hardware since it's essentially just a file server. You could get a new Dell server and it would work great, but since your asking here I don't think you really want do that. I don't think it's necessary either, or that your taking a liberties with company data. These Quickbooks data files are 30 to 100mb's each So even if your running an accounting firm your not talking a lot of data here, just make sure you've got a good back-up plan. Anyway your old system should work fine. I'd add another gig of ram, a good NIC (Intel), and make sure you have enough room for however many drives you're going to need and sata ports to run them. If those drives you've got are enough to cover your storage needs you should be in business for less then $100. Good luck.
 
I agree with Duff76. a Quickbooks server does not need a lot of power.

We had a P4 at one time. We have something faster now, but not because it was needed.
 
GeorgeHR said:
I agree with Duff76. a Quickbooks server does not need a lot of power.

We had a P4 at one time. We have something faster now, but not because it was needed.
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This should be qualified. Quickbooks server generally does not need a lot of power. I've seen quickbooks enterprise take a 32bit server to its knee's with memory and cpu hits. They had a fuck ton of inventory in it.

Really if it is a basic quickbooks file or 2 then I'd just run the host off one of the desktops unless you want to get serious about setting up a proper network.

For the later I'd go with new hardware running 2008 or sbs 2008 with exchange. If we are talking about only 4 desktops(not sure if it is 4 total or 4 for quickbooks) you are small enough to avoid this but starting to get to the point it has usefulness.
 
swatbat said:
This should be qualified. Quickbooks server generally does not need a lot of power. I've seen quickbooks enterprise take a 32bit server to its knee's with memory and cpu hits. They had a fuck ton of inventory in it.

Really if it is a basic quickbooks file or 2 then I'd just run the host off one of the desktops unless you want to get serious about setting up a proper network.

For the later I'd go with new hardware running 2008 or sbs 2008 with exchange. If we are talking about only 4 desktops(not sure if it is 4 total or 4 for quickbooks) you are small enough to avoid this but starting to get to the point it has usefulness.
Click to expand...

There isnt a single reason I can think of to pay the premium for sbs 08 to make a quickbooks server, that is honestly just plain silly. Now quickbooks can certainly tag along on nearly any server that is in place but to pay for a setup like that to get quickbooks is poor money usage. If you dont need email for starters, or aren't paying an arm and a leg for what you use currently then dont bother. Ive run quickbooks servers off of all kinds of things and dont have any issues. In fact I have a quickbooks server, with 3 databases and 2-3 active users each running just fine off an old single proc poweredge 1800.

If you WANT a new server that is one thing, if you need something new that is entirely different.
 
so this is for a business.
if a piece of hardware craps out, how quickly can you get a replacement part?
how willing would they be to pay for a replacement part?
how long are they willing to be "down" for?

imho, you need to answer these questions.
if getting a replacement part isn't easy, and/or they are not willing to be down for the length of time it will take to find/get said part, go with Dell since they have (almost) same-day delivery of a failed component.

the warranty alone can be worth it.

But, if they are not willing to pay the additional associated costs with a business-grade OEM box, that hardware should suffice.

but make sure you are backing up to an additional external disk, online backup service, etc. Or even just make a daily copy of the Quickbooks database to a couple of the desktop machines for redundancy.
 
I have the main computer in the back office. Running QB POS 6 and QB 2007. It has 2GB of RAM and honestly at time I wish it had 4. Single computer out front accessing the POS server.

Just get a Dell with any C2D CPU and 4 gigs of RAM and you will be happy.
 
j-sta said:
so this is for a business.
if a piece of hardware craps out, how quickly can you get a replacement part?
how willing would they be to pay for a replacement part?
how long are they willing to be "down" for?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the original poster, but if you have a backup plan, you can get a Quickbooks server setup in 15 minutes.

Consumer hardware parts are available within 1/2 hour drive.

Our server cost about $400. We have other computers, spares, that we could convert very quickly.

I suspect most small businesses are in such a situation.
 
GeorgeHR said:
I suspect most small businesses are in such a situation.
Click to expand...

Given my experiences in the field....no... they don't lol.. or if they do its some old P2 and the response goes like this "Well we have this computer back here, I think its sat here for a few years, no idea if it works" joy...


But yes, consumer hardware is readily available so replacing hardware is really a snap if you've got the backups. which if you don't it doesn't really matter what hardware or warranty you have lol.
 
Another solution is a dedicated server. You can rent them for cheap and they will be faster and way more reliable than anything running in your home or office. Plus the hardware is setup and managed by the host -- if anything breaks they replace it right away.

Some companies will even manage the software, firewalls, backups, etc. for you. I manage two servers for clients who have dedicated servers from Fork Networking and have not had a problem in years.

Cheers.
 
err for the cost of a hosted solution you could have bought a real server in about a year. :/
 
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