Networks

If you are using NT4.0 Server or Win2000 Server, FTP server is integrated in the IIS software. If not go to www.download.com and search for FTP, there are 3rd party ftp programs available. Each has instructions for setting it up. Good luck.

Unless you are running a major FTP operation, hardware requirements are negligable. Just make sure you have enough disk space for all your stuff.

You can use just about any OS. Linux or NT are easiest since they have FTP servers built in. NT is easier to administer if you are not familiar with Linux.

Bandwidth depends on how much stuff you are working with. For 100MB per day, 128K ISDN should be fine. You may even be able to get away with 64K. It depends on whether this would be a few large files or lots of little ones. The connection will seem slower if you have to wait 5 minutes each for 4 large files than if you have to wait 1 minute each for 20 small ones. Especially if the downloads are spread out during the day. You should also consider the number of people who will be connecting.

I am currently running a couple of FTP servers with traffic similar to what you need to handle. My most stable machine, by far, has been a Pentium-233 with 128meg of RAM running RedHat Linux (now version 7). Many of my colleagues are running FreeBSD with similar results.

With this setup, the hardware was cheap and the software was free. Even though I spend most of my working day with NT, the setup went very smoothly and took perhaps an hour from start to fully operational server. I have no idea how software is priced in India, but WindowsNT starts at about $500USD and generally requires a higher level of starting hardware so there is a clear cost advantage to the Linux software (and it includes an FTP server out of the box).

As long as the data transfers don't all come at the end of the day, a 128kbps line should handle the load. Theoretically, a 128k line will transfer data at a maximum rate of about 1 meg every 80 seconds so 100megs would be expected to take a little overtwo hours (under ideal conditions).

paul

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