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Help and Advise for a novice

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I have set up a small p to p network using win 2k pro o/s at my church and have a need to share a app program with 12 users on five terminals. I am a complete and total novice at network admin! the program needs to be accessable at all times as users come and go. how can I accomplish this with the least cost and and the limited knowlage I have. I would also like to administer the network remotly if possible. I have access to win2k server software but not sure if this is the way to go as I am confused about domain servers and file servers and such. Any advice will be welcome ps I am not afraid of challenages e-mail bobkamna@mindspring.com

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Help and Advise for a novice

In reply to Help and Advise for a novice

Okay, only a small subset then of the options available – leaving out things like Terminal Services for users, cloning etc.
1. Install all PC’s with Windows roughly equally
2. Install the apps LOCALLY on the PC’s (performs best), make sure the settings come in ‘All Users’ and not the locally logged in user (initially Administrator). Per application this might need some tuning.
3. User data are either in home directories or shared directories on the ‘server’. Whether this needs a W2K Server or a W2K Pro workstation in workgroup mode is open. Workgroup mode CAN work in your situation but you will have to create all 12 usernames equally on all 5 PC’s. With W2K Server, the names are from the central (Active) Directory.
4. For remote access(assuming W2K Server), install Routing & Remote Access Services and then Terminal Services _in administrative mode_.
This would be a disadvantage for W2K Pro in workgroup mode, there is no central admin there so even when you use a remote access tool (e.g. PC-Anywhere) it could only access one PC…

Hope this helps,

– The Netherlands – experienced with many networks, even for our local church 🙂

Help and Advise for a novice

In reply to Help and Advise for a novice

A problem that you may run into is if the data is being updated my multiple users at the same time, they may be overwriting each others work. This is especially true if your application is not a networking version or network aware. The other possibility is that the users will experience lockout ie. the data is in use do you want to open a read only copy, etc. Since you are a novice, I would not recommend trying to admininster network remotely, until you are more comfortable with the tasks that you need to perform. Hope that this helps.

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