Need suggestions on setting up a small business network

G

gutman

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Messages
167
Ok so here's the scenario:

There's 2 computers in one building and 2 more computers in another building about 50-60 yards away across an alley. The buildings are in an industrial area with a bunch of wharehouses, they're leasing suites in 2 of the buildings. They also have 2 more computers in the field that they want to be able to connect to the network remotely. They expect to grow to about 10-12 computers in the next 2-3 years, with about 6-8 of those in the offices and the rest in the field connecting remotely. The main priority is file sharing and seting up a quick and easy back-up solution for all those files.

So I've been doing some research and so far what I have found is pointing me in the direction of a file and vpn server. So far what i have come up with is to set up a server in one of the buildings and have it host all the company files and to handle all the vpn connections. I would set up vpn connections to the rest of the computers including the ones in the other building. I'd also set up a RAID 5 configuration on the server for redundancy.

One more thing I forgot to mention is that both buildings already have a DSL connection. That's actually how they have been sharing files, they e-mail each other whatever files they need, lol.

As far as budget goes, they would like to keep the costs down as much as possible, they didn't really specify an amount though. I would like to keep it under $2000 if that's possible, that might even be a little more than they were thinking. I definitely don't want to cut any corners so if my proposal comes out to more than that then they'll just have live with it. Basically what I'm looking for is a setup that's easy to configure but also really easy to manage since none of them really know anything about computers and as cheap as possible.

I just need to know if I'm on the right track or not, it's been hard finding info on setting up a network with this type of a configuration. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also recommendations on the actual hardware and network os would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance and any constructive criticism is welcome.
 
Are these laptops that are "remote"? Need to be on the move? Or static remote machines, like..."home workers"?

Without knowing more about the setup, or what software might be run in this organization....

The two building sites....I'd connect with a fiber run...and make it one network. Can do that fairly affordably, using two switches with fiber tranceiver uplinks, such as the Linksys/Cisco SRW224G...which has mini-GBIC ports to plug in their small form factor LC fiber connectors. Those 4 units are quite affordable. Run some loose tube fiber between the sites (probably hovering around a thousand for the fiber alone, terminated...price varies greatly though depending upon your resources).

For a site that's relying on remote connections...and having them be able to share files, and have it backed up....I'd probably lean towards running a Terminal Server. Get a router that supports VPN connections...have them VPN into the router, then remote desktop to the Term Server. Then all the important data is kept locally onsite.
 
As of right now the remote computers are laptops that will be on the move, but im expecting that once this is all setup and they find out that they will be able to telecommute, some of the them will want to work from home on their desktops. All the computers are running Windows XP and they're not running any data intensive programs like a database or anything like that. Mostly they just want to share their Publisher documents and Quickbooks data. Hope that helps a little and thanks for the input.
 
budget?

and is there going to be wireless data plan for the laptops...(ie verizon or cingular) or are they going to rely on finding open wifi hotspots all the time?
 
I'd go for something like Verizon Sierra cards or whatever their newer card is called. It's close to DSL speeds....you can PPTP VPN through it and run Remote Desktop just fine!

The Quickbooks re-enforces going to Terminal Server, and sharing of documents is certainly kept wonderfully easy that way too.

Remote Desktop through VPN yields great performance.
 
I tried to get Quickbooks on a WIn2k TS a while back with some issues. I ended up just sharing the quickbooks file.

I will also say that I've setup two store sites with a VPN to share a quickbooks file over VPN and it was pretty slow. That 30+mb quickbooks file took time to open/get going over a cable connection.
 
I'll start with the simpler stuff.

File sharing: Depends on the budget and capacity. There are NAS appliances out that that will greatly reduce the possibility of misconfiguration and tampering, and are a lot cheaper than a complete server package. The downside of a NAS: it will never be anything more than a file server, it doesn't have as robust a security scheme (probably a non-issue for a company this size), and they can be limited on backup options.

Backup: A cheap SATA hard drive (or better yet, RAID 5) is good for regular backups because recovery is fast and simple. If it's in the budget, I would back that up to tape at least once a week and have them take it off-site just so that there's no possibility of data being lost in the event of a fire or something like that.

If they had the budget, I'd probably sell them a light-weight box with two small RAID 5 sets, one for live data and one for daily backups. Put a tape drive in it and teach them how to change the tapes, and set up a schedule they're comfortable with keeping to rotate backup tapes and always have one off-site.

Connecting the buildings: I think they're close enough for a wireless connection if bandwidth isn't a big issue. Again, it takes some more details; what is between the buildings? Would it be possible for them to use a copper connection via an underground or aerial line?

Remote laptops: Get DSL and a VPN. I've heard good things about Smoothwall if you want to build a router. I've used Watchguard Firebox products before, and they're a decent and flexible product if you're looking to buy something.

For these two, if they had the budget and no way to directly connect the buildings:

Put the highest-bandwidth connection in each office that they can afford. Put Firebox (or comparable product) in whatever office the server is housed and and a hardware VPN client in the other. That way your offices are connected with minimal configuration. Then the remote laptops could connect via VPN via any internet connection.
 
Thanks for all the info guys I really appreciate it. As far as budget goes, they would like to keep the costs down as much as possible, they didn't really specify an amount though. I would like to keep it under $2000 if that's possible, that might even be a little more than they were thinking. I definitely don't want to cut any corners so if my proposal comes out to more than that then they'll just have live with it. As far as the laptops go, I'm actually not sure how they get online, if it really matters iI can find out though. I really doubt that they Verizon or any service like that though. Basically what I'm looking for is a setup that's easy to configure but also really easy to manage since none of them really know anything about computers and as cheap as possible.
 
You're not going to get a decent server AND VPN for under $2k.

Figure out how much storage they need and find them a good NAS with either RAID 1 or 5 so a hard drive failure can't cripple them. That'll take care of their storage without compromising reliability any more than is necessary.

If you can't make a wireless connection work between the buildings, go with VPN and broadband to both buildings (when they see the monthly cost of two broadband connections, they might spring for a little more to make wireless work if you need things like a directional antenna...I don't work with wireless much so couldn't really tell you what it might cost). Get a VPN-capable router in one, and put a normal router in the other. Just install the software on the PCs and connect them that way. It's not pretty, it is slow, but it'll work.

What I'd do is put together a few quotes on various options that they can mix and match. Something like: a high-end server (for future expandability), a normal server (budget conscious), and a NAS (least expensive, meets their current needs). On the network side, a VPN router + VPN gateway from a company like Watchguard (most expensive, most secure and flexible), a VPN router + standard VPN, and (if you can do it) a wireless connection between the buildings.

I once did a building-to-building run that was 250 feet long; we brought in a guy to lay a pipe underground between the buildings and then pulled the cable through. Of course, it's fairly expensive to have that done and they have to own the land between the buildings (and be able to have it trenched or augered) but I bet they'd be a lot happier in the long run with a wired connection.

This is one of those situations where you need to spend a fair bit of time talking to them. Tell them some options, see what they shoot down immediately. You might be surprised what a business owner will pay for their business to function smoothly; I had a mechanic recently pay me $1,000 to upgrade a PC to be more of a server-class system...he was concerned about data loss, I addressed all his concerns and he considers that worth the expense.
 
Thanks for the great info guys. Laying pipes or anything similar is out of the question since they are leasing suites in an industrial park. I would love to go wireless but i don't see how that is possible since the buildings are so far away from each other. If there is a way to do it though please let me know.
 
I'm definitely leaning towards the NAS + VPN router setup now. Any suggestions on actual hardware? Also is there any way possible to get a wireless connection set up betweeen both buildings considering how far away they are from each other?
 
BuffaloTech makes a lot of good business grade point to point wireless gear.

For sharing Powerpoint docs, and a Quickbooks company file..IMO you don't need a NAS box, you're not looking for lots of storage space. What you need to focus on, is "performance of obtaining information" for those remote clients. IMO...trying to open up a Quickbooks company file through a VPN is like trying to suck a basketball through a soda straw. The people are going to be so damned frustrated through agonizingly slow performance..they'll just stop using it. Especially if this company file has been around a while and is rather large. I'd say RDC is the way to go. Now...Terminal Server would be the full blown approach here, but I realize it's expensive. IMO connecting the 2 sites alone is going to blow your 2K budget..not to mention getting VPN hardware, whatever box you're going to get, and backup. But...to save on a budget, if you're only going to have "1 at a time" VPN in and get stuff...why not just setup a single Windows XP box, have MS Office and Quicken on that...let them RDC into it.
 
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