Why I Finally Decided To Set Up A Server In The Office?

 Recently, I decided to set up a server in my office to provide the services I need to be productive daily. It took me some time to decide this was the right decision, but I’m glad I finally made it and put in the effort required to make it happen! Here are the reasons why you might want to follow suit.

Introduction

There are times when you need more than one computer, but your budget is limited. When my co-worker asked me for advice on setting up a network for his new office, it got me thinking about how hard it can be to start small and build up as needed. Something is intimidating about networking if you aren't familiar with it already. I think that's why so many small businesses start out using just one computer. But what happens when there are two or three? A simple and free solution is setting up a server so everyone has access to multiple computers from their workstations.

Step 1: Gather Information

Before setting up a server, you need some basic information. You should have at least one person in your office who is familiar with servers and networking. This is usually an IT person or someone with strong computer experience. If you don’t have anyone available who has set up servers before, visit your local library or coffee shop and use their free Wi-Fi network. If possible, talk to these people first to get an idea of what they are looking for out of their server(s). Find out what software they want on their system as well as if they plan on using any specific hardware, such as printers. The last thing you want is for them to try and install something that will not work on your system—that just leads to frustration!

Step 2: Considerations

There are many different ways that you can set up a server, but which is right for you? The first thing you need to decide is what role your server will play and how much it needs to do. If all you want is some basic web-serving functionality and file storage, perhaps something like Debian or Ubuntu will suffice. If you plan on running more intensive applications, it might be wise to invest in something like Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Or maybe you have a lot of custom software that needs more support and handholding. In that case, consider Windows Small Business Server (SBS) or Oracle Linux.

Step 3: Finding a Server Case

The first thing you need to do is find an actual server case that will hold your new server. These cases can vary depending on your needs. For instance, if you’re only setting up one machine and don’t need much power then choosing one with limited bays might be enough. If you have lots of hard drives that need to go inside it then choose one with more bays. These will vary in price and size but make sure you think about how much physical space will be used by your server so it can stay out of sight from visitors but still work effectively. You can also find racks that are designed for servers so they fit securely inside them if needed.

Step 4: Required Components

One of your biggest decisions will be which server configuration to use. Different people have different preferences when it comes to hardware, and for most basic uses, you won’t need anything too fancy. The processor doesn’t matter as much as other components such as storage and memory; more RAM is better, though generally not necessary unless you plan on storing images or video files on your network share.

Step 5: Planning Your Layout

You’ve got your router, and you’ve got your wireless modem. Now, it’s time to start thinking about how you want your layout to be. If you don’t have a lot of experience with networking, then I suggest setting up both in an open plan. This will allow any WiFi users around you (in-laws, etc.) to still access WiFi without connecting directly into your network. Setting up both routers and wireless modems close together (or even on top of each other) can be good for performance as well.

Step 6: Building Your Server

After you have your hardware and software, it’s time to build it. This is usually where most people get stuck—but once you get past it, you’ll wonder why setting up a server was so difficult in the first place. Once that’s done, all that’s left is configuring things properly (see Step 7). The easiest way to build your server is by downloading an ISO image of Linux or Windows onto another computer and then mounting it on your virtual machine using VirtualBox (other virtualization software might also work). With VirtualBox set up, installing your operating system should be as easy as double-clicking on its icon.

Step 7: Connecting All the Cables

Ok so you have your server and you’re ready to set it up. Now what? Depending on how many different applications you plan on running, there are two ways that you can go about setting up your server. Either through a monolithic approach or with a distributed one. Monolithic servers are those which install all of their components on one machine. Distributed servers use multiple machines for different components.