Q's and suggestions for network setup

[vanaya]

To all the network gurus here, I would like some advice and/or suggestions on how to setup a network for specific tasks. I am not familiar with FTP type servers so would need some guidance or detailed info.

I would like to setup some type of network to share files (family photos and some documents) between my family in another city and I. We are trying to digitize 35mm negative film and keep them on a type of server/pc where my sister/me can access them. Maybe at family gatherings we can take a laptop and show them for others to see. I would likely be the one with physical access to the server/pc as I have the spare laptop and it is always on.

I would like to use any freeware that would make it cheaper, but not at the expense of ease of use. I am willing to use any OS that am not familiar with, as I love tinkering and learning. I still haven't purchased the film scanner, but will probably go for a Minolta Film scanner like the Dimage Dual Film Scanner III or IV. I would also like to use Seagate Goflex drives as I am looking to purchase their home theatre center for home entertainment center.

Any help and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[mediasponge]

If you really want to get into running some kind of server, you need to read up on all the security issues involved. Also, most Internet Service Providers have a Terms of Service clause that precludes subscribers from running their own FTP/WEB servers from home using their infrastructure, unless you open a commercial account. There's also the issue of protecting your internal network from intruders, and allowing family and others to access your server from outside. One standard way of doing that is to have the externally visible server in a DMZ, which is a secured zone that external machines can access, and internal machines can access through a gateway, but keeps external machines away from internal machines. It gets complicated. The quickest way to become a Spam source or have your identity stolen is to set up an unsecured web server on an unsecured internal network. You would probably need a hardware firewall with a DMZ port to do it that way. The other way that might be more compatible with current home routers is to use a VPN, but I think the DMZ method is more secure.

Maybe you could use Google Docs instead? http://docs.google.com/

You could also open a domain with GoDaddy and let them host it, but there would be a fee.

[vanaya]

Thanks, this is definitely a start. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy task but, I knew it would be very informative. If I did decide to start a web server, do you have any must-reads to start??

[mediasponge]

You could start by reading up on the Apache web server, which is pretty universal. A version is included in most Linux distros.

[hunterman223]

What I would do is setup the spare machine with regular Windows XP or Windows 7 Professional and IIS7. There are many different options for secured FTP or WebDAV, and you would not need a hardware firewall. Almost any non-ancient router will have the option for a DMZ. My ISP did not supply me with a static IP address, so I signed up for DynDNS, a service which allows users with dynamic IP addresses to access servers or what not remotely. You can either configure your router to send the updated IP in to DynDNS for updating, or do so with software on your computer. There our many IIS guides out there on the web, but it's pretty straightforward and all GUI based. PM me if you have questions.

[RealBlackStuff]

I would suggest to create your own website, where access is limited via login/password
See e.g. this: http://www.phpeasystep.com/phptu/6.html

'Renting' space for a website costs peanuts, and the software is free.
I have several accounts with www.hostm.com to run a string of websites from. I register them via www.godaddy.com
Cost per website per year: ca. $35.-
Quite a bit cheaper than putting hardware aside for a rarely used web server...

[vanaya]

Thanks for the new info!! I have been reading and put off by the security it would take to maintain a web server. So I have thought about it a little less, but now am looking forward to the reads in what RBS suggested. Thanks again, and I will still keep up with this topic and post my status when I start the project.

[ThinkRob]

I'd like to recommend NearlyFreeSpeech.net as a web host. It's simple, reliable, and best of all they take a *very* pro-free-speech stance.

Oh, and it's pay-for-what-you-use. This has two big advantages: 1) you pay for only as much as you actually use -- if you don't use much, you don't pay much. 2) You won't get promised an "unlimited" plan only to find that you're cut off for simply trying to use the services you paid for.

Finally, they offer domain registrations and (unlike GoDaddy) they won't deactivate your domain and hold it hostage until you pay them ransom money just because you posted something that someone complained about.

[Neflem]

If it is just file sharing you care about and not setting up a Web service to view the files, I would like to suggest a different alternative.

Get a "seed-box" - usually used for torrenting files.
I have one in Australia and pay 3 months up front for less that $10 CAN/month - that's pretty cheap!!!

I have like 4GB worth of bandwidth/month and 100GB of HD space - you can get more space if needed.

The great thing about this that the company does not restrict what you put on it, they have the seed-boxes in HA configuration - (High Availability) so they is virtually no time your box will be down.

I access my files via SSH/SCP - they have FTP also, but I'm anal about security.
And with a good SSH/SCP client you can script file transfers over night when it won't kill your network at home.

The only real maintenance you will have to perform, is clean up.
Ensure you remove the older files so there is enough room for the newer ones before your transfer starts.
But again - you get SHELL access, so a single CRON job is all you need.

Good luck

[ThinkRob]

If it is just file sharing you care about and not setting up a Web service to view the files, I would like to suggest a different alternative.

Ah. Well if it's file-hosting you're after, yes, something like that (or Amazon AWS) is the way to go, no question.

[vanaya]

Thanks for the suggestions, I will read up on them.