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by jaa44

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I am planning to build a school lab network that will have to do with architecture designing and using Autocad kind of softwares.
I would like to have Windows 2000 server and 12 Windows Prof workstations for a start.
Is Pentium III or AMD processors should I use, can I use desktop mainboard instead of server mainboard regarding my tight budget and how much memory do I need for the server and do I need managable or unmanagable switch/hub?

Thank you for the help you can give me.

7 replies

by jose mir

If you have a limited budget why not use a peer to peer network and saving the server money?
All you need are the workstations (win 95, 98, ME, 2000 pro, or win XP) with standard Network Interface Cards (NIC), one Hub or switch (for this configuration is the same to use hubs or switches, and management capabilities are not an issue), and the wiring.

If you still want to use a server you can use a desktop mainboard with the manufacturer suggested processor. About the memory, it will depend on the NOS you use; for Windows 2000 Server you will need at least 256 MB which is the minimum recommended requirement suggested by Microsoft ( see: http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/server/evaluation/sysreqs/default.asp).
I suggest you to take a look at Novell 6 for server NOS, you will save some money while gaining performance and availability.

Jose P Mir
jpm@jpmir.net

by rawright

I'd build a server with a high quality motherboard and lots of RAM - doesn't matter in such a small installation whether the MB is designed for a server or a desktop. The one I'm currently using is a SuperMicro P4 with 512MB RAM, a large HDD, and Win2K Server SP2. A similar box would be quite adequate for this purpose. The P4 isn't much more costly than the P3, and I wouldn't recommend a AMD in any case.

For the clients, P3 or 4 is acceptable, but I think you'll like the graphics performance of the P4 better. Win2K Pro is an excellent choice for the clients, reliable and easy to manage.

Make sure you have the option to add RAM and more drives, whatever you buy or build, as graphics are space eaters. An inexpensive 3Com OfficeConnect is a reliable solution for the hub, but I've seen some nice switches coming out of Belkin these days... might be slightly cheaper.

by avswamy

u r saying that u have tight budget why configure a server create a work group and use it with all workstations. then ther is no problem in having ur h/w.

if u sure to have a server then even a p3 machine is enough for server, don't go for p4 with rdram, rdram doesn't support multithreading, but it will works which is slower than p3 working as a server.keep more ram in server usually a min 256mb is recommended.

for w/s use even celrons/duron also. i hope this will solve ur problem.

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