A Growing Network:
Stin_Net originally began as a peer-to-peer network. There were only three computers
and no real need for a server, other than a learning tool. Short_Rook was the computer that
I was using to learn about servers. Alot of knowledge was gained. I knew there would be
alot more work involved than with your ordinary personal computer. But I also knew there
were things, such as account management, applications that lend themselves to client-server
network, and on demand file services that were better done by a server. As I work a
night shift and the family is up during the day, a system would need to be available 24x7.
While I tend to leave my primary workstation on, I do not let my kids get on it.
As the number of computers on Stin_Net grew, several issues started to arise. Some of
the issues involved having users accounts on many systems. For me to access five systems
comprised Stin_Net, I had to have 5 accounts, one for eash machine. Multiply the number of
users in the house and if guests stayed for any length of time. Still other issues involved
what resources were available if a computer is turned off. As Stin_Net grows, clearly, the
old peer-to-peer network was having limitations. A new solution is needed.
Still another item arose...disk space. With a few systems, I could upgrade one and
migrate or sell the older one(s). But with many systems, that can get expensive real quick.
But for the price of upgrading two systems, I can upgrade ALL system on the network by
simply adding a very large disk to the server.
The Solution - A Server.
A key issue is that a server is an application. The machine itself is not the server, the application
it runs is. You may see pictures of servers and they look like big computers. Well, the reason behind this
is not because the machine is a server. The reason is, because the machine IS a server, it needs those
resources and those resources need to be readily available and in sufficient quantity. So it is the
software that makes the server, not the hardware. Without hardware, many services, might not be available,
though. Think of hardware as slaves. A server can can a simple 486 computer doing DNS services, but the
question still has the be ask "are the resources sufficient and available"?
While there was alot of knowledge gained from Short_Rook, Short_Rook was built on a very tight budget.
The mainboard was an all-in-one type of mainboard and was not well suited as a server. The result was alot
of crashes. Much was the result as much from hardware as from my inexperience. But after several installs,
I was getting the server down pat. Obviously, what is needed is a new design.
The Operating System.
I had actually started August of 2000 with a new Tyan Tiger 133 mainboard, bought at
Computers-4-Sure.com. Two Pentium-III 600Mhz 133FSB FCPGA (SL3XJ) were bought off of eBay.
Short_Rook had been "decommissioned" in favor of the new dual-cpu system. Getting the
hardware was very easy. As stated, hardware is slave to the server. The server is an
application.
So the next question is the operating system. Windows NT4 Server is expensive and I can
only have 10 clients. The Pro is that you can install it and "almost" be ready to go.
The other option was to use Linux. The clients are free but the con is that you have to
have a bit of knowledge. For me, the final decision was that I was unfamiliar with monitor
settings in Linux. I have my own set standards for monitors and a 17" monitor must be able
to utilize 24-bit graphics at 1024x768 pixels, minimum. I could not/did not know how to do
this in Linux. So Linux went on the back-burner...for now. There WILL be other systems.
The Time Has Come for a Server.
In January of 2001, Stin_Net had grown to 8 computers. Aside from Merlin as a server testbed,
there was Castlerock, Bailey, and Wizard Keeps, Knights and Archer Halls, and JestorsHall
(windows test platform) and Crusader (laptop). The Peer-to-Peer network was starting to get
harder to manage. It ws definitely taking up more time. By this time, Stin_Net needed a central
file location and unified user logins.
After testing with Linux and Windows NT4, I finally set down to build Merlins_Rook, as a
full server. Merlins_Rook went active 01 March 2001 as a domain controller and Stin_Net went
to a server-based network. Other services would eventually come online. But the bottomline is
clear, the server is here to stay.
I had anticipated going to eitehr DSL or Cable, so I bought a Cable/DSL Gateway Router
(Netgear RT-311). One of the services the router provided was DHCP Services. This service
assigns IPs to local intranets and this service was left on the router. That is one less job
the server has to do and is available for Internet access if the server is down. FYI, the
gateway router's node name is Drawbridge_Rook. (It is classified as a DHCP Server).
> > > More on Merlins_Rook - Building the Server
> > > Nah...Next System, please
