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I want to set up a network for a small business, of around a dozen desktop computers, to look after software and allow them to store files centrally*. How do I go about doing this, and what equipment do I need? I expect the answer to this is too long to answer in full here, if this is the case, are there any recommended texts (where this process is taken step-by-step)? *presumably I need a server for this bit? |
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A router & maybe a switch or two (depending on how many ports are on the router) and lots of ethernet cables will be needed to get packets moving. A print server (I use a Trendnet TE100 to link my non-network-capable printer into my home network) or a network-capable printer would also be easier than "everybody email Bob because he's the only one with a printer." Yes, you'll want a server to store files centrally. Probably the easiest way to force employees to store everything on the server instead of hoping they remember to drop copies on the server (which you will want to backup daily, so have a spare hard disk or two, in which case they can alternate being local/remote nightly) is to make their home folders be mounted over NFS, which would mean configuring /etc/fstab on each and setting their UID/GID in /etc/passwd & /etc/group to match their NFS UID. If you want centralised login (which would let you have 1 user/pass for each employee -- handy if you want to be able to login to any computer, a VPN, email, or whatever other network services you'll be running internally), look at LDAP https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AutofsLDAP If you want to be able to force update installation and go around adding software to them all, you'll want to install |
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