Network Servers

3. Choosing Network Hardware

You will be using your network server all day, every day. This means that the hardware needs to be more robust and better built than an ordinary desktop computer.

3.1 Ensure that you have enough RAM (random access memory) available.

You will be able to access files faster with more RAM.

• The suppliers of your chosen operating system will provide guidance as to your minimum RAM requirements. Do not buy a server with less than 256Mb of RAM. Increasingly, new server software requires 512Mb of RAM.
• You will need more RAM if you run a database or any applications on your network server.

3.2 Choose a network server with a central processor you can easily upgrade.

• Replacing the processor with a faster processor may increase the speed at which some applications run on the server.
• Check that you can add an additional processor at a later date. Multi-processors enable the server to manage greater loads but are not necessarily the cheapest way of getting this improved performance.

3.3 The hard disk is the part of your server that is most likely to fail.

You need to minimise the risk of this happening.

• SCSI hard disks are more expensive but faster and more robust than standard IDE disk drives. The faster the drive, the less time it takes for a user to access a file.
• Ensure that the hard disk drive is large enough to handle your needs. This figure is largely determined by the number of users who connect to the server, the kind of files you share, and any applications, including databases, you run on the network server.
• Consider buying two hard drives to make sure you can continue working even if one of the drives fails. This approach is known as mirroring.
• Consider having several hard disk drives if you need extra-large capacity. You will probably want to invest in a RAID system, which is designed to tolerate a drive failure and keep on working.

3.4 Every computer on a network needs a network adaptor card to enable it to exchange information with the other computers. The kind of card you need will depend on how your network is configured (see Networks and communications).

• Install the card in the fastest expansion slot you have available, the PCI slot.
• Check that the adaptor is supplied with the relevant drivers. Drivers are software enabling the network card adaptor to communicate with your operating system. Different operating systems require different drivers.

3.5 You will need to attach a monitor to the network server to enable you to configure and manage the computer.

• It is not worth spending money on a large monitor, as you will rarely use it. In practice, many network servers are administered from a separate desktop computer.