Bj, Thanks for the very thorough description; it reminded me that the reason the old pc as server stuck in my mind was the firewall advantage. And one firewall is easier to keep up than several.
But the simpler solutions are probably the more practical choices for me. I'll see where the pressures are over the next couple of months; with your help and cheryl's I am aware of the choices. I had thought about wireless - until I read of the risks. Joseph > Hi Joseph > > Reading all your ramblings - there are two issues here. Internet access, > and network server. > > There are all kinds of servers. > > A file server is a place to store files, which can be shared on the > network - like all your PCs can have a C: drive that's local to the PC, and > a D: drive that's the same place for all of them so that any of the PCs can > pick up and save the same files. You can achieve a similar effect just by > sharing a folder on any of the network PCs, but then that PC has to be > switched on for the files to be available. > > A print server has printers connected to it and shares them on the network, > so that all the other PCs can print to the same printers. You can achieve a > similar thing by just sharing local printers, but then as above the sharing > PC has to be switched on for the printer to be available. > > A network server manages a network and controls access to it. > > A Web server I'm sure you know about. > > A proxy server has an Internet connection which can be shared on the network > so that all the other PCs can share the same IP address. > > All these functions can be provided by separate computers, or the same > computer can offer some or all of the functions together. It only takes a > low spec computer to provide most of these functions, *however* if you have > an old slow PC with an old slow hard disk as your file server, clearly this > would slow access to your files. > > I currently have some shared data and the print queues for two shared > printers on a server PC. This also acts as a Web server, visible locally on > the local network and visible on the Internet via a dynamic DNS connection, > handy for putting up test sites. The printers themselves connect to the > network using a Jetdirect print server. The Internet connection from cable > broadband modem, the server and the print server and my main workstation all > connect into a Linksys 4-port/wireless router, along with a daisychained > 4-port repeater to let me connect other PCs that I may be working on. And my > laptop connects using wireless. All the PCs can see each other, the files > on the print server, the printers and the Internet. But this is only how it > all ended up - initially I had no file or print server. My files and Web > server were on my workstation. The one printer was plugged into it. There > was an old Pentium 100 PC with two network cards acting as the proxy server, > these two PCs and any other I was working on were plugged into an old cheap > repeater, and that was the network. > > The great advantage of using a proxy server or a router is that your > workstation is behind a firewall and less vulnerable to attacks and > exploits. The disadvantage to a proxy server is that there are some things > hard to do from behind a proxy. Yes, you can also configure it to act as a > mail server - mine used to pick up email every so often during the day, and > it could then be collected as desired. But most internet access is simply > relayed through the proxy, so no, it doesn't act as a temporary store for > downloaded files, for example. > > Oh well it's past my bedtime so I will definitely stop for now > > Bj > ____ � The WDVL Discussion List from WDVL.COM � ____ To Join wdvltalk, Send An Email To: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] or use the web interface http://e-newsletters.internet.com/discussionlists.html/ Send Your Posts To: [email protected] To change subscription settings, add a password or view the web interface: http://intm-dl.sparklist.com/read/?forum=wdvltalk ________________ http://www.wdvl.com _______________________ You are currently subscribed to wdvltalk as: [email protected] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe via postal mail, please contact us at: Jupitermedia Corp. Attn: Discussion List Management 475 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 Please include the email address which you have been contacted with.
