The Mother Board

[Magikeh]

First off our current system is setup that the most powerful computer in the building houses the data. We are looking to add a machine to the building that will 24/7 be on and it will contain all the data therefore taking the load off the current computer. so at the office, I am wanting to put in a small file sharing server/central database (our computers access the server to get the client information) and we plan to use windows 8 server (or windows 7 server, whichever is stable) for the OS. I am wondering about what motherboard, or at least what build would be the most effective for this office. There will only be about 5 people accessing the data at any time. Recommendations are most welcome, I can build a system or if there is a pre-made system that would also be fine. Not too sure at all where or what to look for.

Thanks Much!
-MagikEh

[Mr T]

Welcome to the motherboards.org.

HP are pretty good and cheap too with Windows Server provided as well.
_________________
I have been programming on computers since the ZX81.
I am an apprentice trained Electronics Engineer with qualifications to back it up.
I have been repairing computers since 1996.
Yet to some people I still know nothing...

[Roach412]

what kind of warehousing or databases do you use? it is purely client/server? batch processes or ad-hoc type usage? what's causing the strain on the current server? memory, cpu, network? with only 5 people accessing data i wouldn't expect too much for requirements unless you're dealing with lots of data...

-Roach
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[bdub]

what's the budget for the machine?
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[Magikeh]

Ok so the basics are here:

-Client info is stored in folders with thier names on them (very simple and basic)
-The programs that we use to access the data have no problems going over a LAN to get their things.
-The 'Server' just needs to be able to hold files and folders, all the while being 24/7 accessible to the other work computers.
-Im not sure what you mean by Batch processors or ad-hoc usage.
-The current PC holding the files is just getting too full and needs to be cleaned up and out. Memory and Ram are getting maxed out more often.
-Ive been told that the price range is upto $10,000(CAD) But i think that is a little excessive and i would like to aim (more or less) for 3000

Thanks for all the help so far.

[Mr T]

As I said, check out what HP have to offer.. We bought in two of the ML-350's and they do a great job, rock solid stable and a lot cheaper than what we could build up from scratch. The other way you could do it which is cheaper is to get a NAS drive(s), these can then be used by all the other PC's to log in and access data. Three companies to choose from Synology, Thecus and Qnap.. Drobo isn't bad but can be pricey. The other companies pale into comparison with these for SOHO usage..
_________________
I have been programming on computers since the ZX81.
I am an apprentice trained Electronics Engineer with qualifications to back it up.
I have been repairing computers since 1996.
Yet to some people I still know nothing...

[Karlsweldt]

What size is the hard drive in this 'server'? Should be up over 500 gigs, practically speaking. But the BIOS date of the system may limit hard drive capacity. Perhaps a NAS storage system may be an idea.. accessible 24/7 and has a minimal OS need.
As to "filling up" the drive, perhaps a daily cleaning of useless files from the Net will free up a lot of space. Some browsers, like IE, are pack-rats. Others dump the cache after each closing. IE can be set to dump those cookies and temp files on each closing, however.. by default, NOT. And all those updates to the OS take a lot of wasted space on the drive. Since most are not meant to be uninstalled, zipping their folders to a 'master' zip file will free up a lot of wasted space.
One bad feature of Windows is that some programs create a lot of zero-length files.. such as "Mscreate.dir"! search them out and delete. Same for any other zero-length files. Each of those take up a full 512 bytes of space on a hard drive!! And most 'temp' files in the Windows/Temp directory are subject to disposal.
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