Setting up a server?

Interested in setting up a server in a fraternity house that runs on the network wifi. Mainly will hold tests, info on each member, etc. Just trying to consolidate a data dump. What are somethings I need? (Obviously a computer and monitor to run the server) I want the server to be network only and only accessible if on the house wifi.

 

You would need drives for the data. If there isnt a lot of data you could make a two drive RAID1, or a three drive RAID5. Is this going to be a standard desktop? Youll need a fast wifi card (or if you are able to plug directly into the router/switch that would be better ) to handle the traffic, as well as a good connection to the access point. For security, you could set up shared folders on the RAID and each person only has access to their folder. That is a very brief summary of the basics, im sure theres more i forgot though.

 

What I'm looking at doing is setting it up in our electrical closet and cabling straight into the switch. I was told a newer top of the line computer with plenty of storage will be best option. Traffic wise, at max I don't see more than 10-15 people trying to hop on the server at the same time. Dealing with security, could we give everyone logins to access the server or would having the wifi password to access the server be enough? Some stuff on the server would be sensitive and not accessible by all.

 

Make sure the computer won't overheat in the closet. I wouldn't suggest having the WiFi password being all that's needed to access the data. If that's the route you go, set up MAC filtering also, so only approved devices have access with the password.

 

With the wifi password could I still make logins for sensitive info? Financial documents, member information, etc

 

If your goal is to learn how to setup a server then motor on, but if your goal is to save and share data then there are easier ways to get that done.

 

It's kind of a learning experience/project, so I was just going to play around with it with end goal of data sharing and whatnot

 

Well my friend you are getting on a slippery slope, good for you.

The best advice I can offer is google is your friend. I've worked in IT for longer than I'm willing to admit and I'd be lost without it. One of the best techs I have ever worked with was asked "how do you know so much?" His answer was "I'm better at googling than most people."

The first thing I'd google is "nas server build" That's a place to start, but there are a thousand ways to skin this cat.

 

I more of a Linux guy, so I do everything through ssh/sshfs/sftp, not sure what windows offers for that. I'm not an IT professional, but my home wifi network is MAC filtered, and ssh on non-standard ports.

Maybe FreeNAS would be a good option?