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Old 03-10-2005, 09:24 AM   #1
timmsy
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Registered: Mar 2005
Location: Perth, Australia
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Small Business Server setup


I am after some comments/suggestions on the following small business setup.

I currently have a Company Addresses / Purchasing / Job Tracking etc application being developed using MySQL and PHP.

10 users on WinXP who will access the applications using Firefox. (Moving to linux desktops in the future!?)

I am considering the following for my server/s:

Operating System - Debian

Mail server - Postfix / Courier-IMAP / Spamassassin

Mail files to be stored on the server and accessed using IMAP by:
Remote client - SquirrelMail or Horde
Local client (on WinXP) - Thunderbird

File Server - for the user's "My Documents" folders - SAMBA

Database - MySQL

Web server - Apache

VNC - for remote admin of the server

A backup server – to automatically backup files, databases and mail.
An offsite backup – to backup nightly accross a 512k/512k ADSL line
Should I use Scripts or look into Unison File Syncronisation?

Directory - I need to manage users and their permissions. Not sure how to do this. OpenLDAP? Or integrated with the company's MySQL/PHP applications?

What hardware would be required? Should I use more than one server? If so what should I run on each?

While I'm learning, I am really only a novice with Linux - I'd be getting a subcontractor to set up the servers.
 
Old 03-10-2005, 11:21 AM   #2
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Since you are a novice with Linux, and have some critical components to address, I'm not sure what role you and/or your sub will take on this. While you may get some suggestions, they may not be in line with your sub's plan. Are you taking a pro-active role and only directing the sub? Or are you farming it all to a sub?

I would start with a RFI, Request for Information, after you have decided the split difference between you and the sub.
 
Old 03-10-2005, 09:03 PM   #3
timmsy
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Thanks for your reply. At this stage I am only trying to learn as much as I can and identify all the options and issues. I haven't as yet approached a sub. But when I do I would like to have some background knowledge.
 
Old 03-11-2005, 01:47 PM   #4
tinmaddog
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Re: Small Business Server setup

Quote:
Originally posted by timmsy
Operating System - Debian
Mail server - Postfix / Courier-IMAP / Spamassassin
Mail files to be stored on the server and accessed using IMAP by:
Remote client - SquirrelMail or Horde
Local client (on WinXP) - Thunderbird
File Server - for the user's "My Documents" folders - SAMBA
Database - MySQL
Web server - Apache
These are all sound choices. In my experience they work very well. Will your subcontractor simply be building / installing / training you for this set of equipment, or do you intend to keep him/her on as the admin?

Quote:
Originally posted by timmsy
VNC - for remote admin of the server
I'd just go with SSH, but that's a personal preference. Lighter bandwidth requirements, crisper, easier.

Quote:
Originally posted by timmsy
A backup server – to automatically backup files, databases and mail.
An offsite backup – to backup nightly accross a 512k/512k ADSL line
Should I use Scripts or look into Unison File Syncronisation?
Good idea, but depending on how large your database is, and the volume of transactions, it may not be practical to do synchronization. Then again, for a 10 person office, it probably will be plenty. You can use simple scripts and utilities (rcopy) once a night to back up your database and copy the file off-site. Depends on how much data you are willing to lose - a day, an hour, 15 minutes? Look at the window of acceptable loss, and how many transactions you have in that window, and whether or not you can do a dump of the changes and copy them off all within that window.

Quote:
Originally posted by timmsy
Directory - I need to manage users and their permissions. Not sure how to do this. OpenLDAP? Or integrated with the company's MySQL/PHP applications?
OpenLDAP integration is a bit hard, although if you are having a contractor do it, you don't have to worry about that. ;-) That would probably be the better way to go if you are indeed going to switch to linux desktops, because sooner or later you are going to want to do more (file sharing, printing, etc etc) and will be glad to have a unified logon system. But if you are never going to switch, it sounds like it would be more than you need.

Quote:
Originally posted by timmsy
What hardware would be required? Should I use more than one server? If so what should I run on each?
This load should all easily run well on one fairly new server in a 10-user environment. I highly recommend servers with redundant power supplies and hardware raid. Buy an extra power supply and disk like those in your array, and leave them in the box - keep them for just in case. Hopefully, you'll never have to be glad that you did. :-)

Quote:
Originally posted by timmsy
While I'm learning, I am really only a novice with Linux - I'd be getting a subcontractor to set up the servers. [/B]
Good luck!

Last edited by tinmaddog; 03-11-2005 at 01:50 PM.
 
  


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